The Future of Dog Food?

Cultivated dog food is hitting the UK market in what’s being hailed as a "world first." Pets at Home is now stocking Chick Bites, a treat made from lab-grown chicken by Meatly, in collaboration with THE PACK. Unlike conventional meat, this cultivated chicken is grown from a single sample of cells, meaning no slaughter.  

Sounds progressive, right? But while headlines celebrate this as a breakthrough, it raises bigger questions about how we view our relationships with other animals - both those we call "pets" and those we exploit.  

The Meat Problem We Created  

There are 13.5 million dogs in the UK. Most eat meat-based diets, some neglect to feed dogs anything of plant origin, and pet food accounts for around 20% of meat consumption in high-income nations. Studies suggest that if the world’s dogs went plant-based, we’d save more emissions than the entire UK produces.  

Meatly claims its cultivated chicken uses 65% less land, emits half the CO₂ of farmed chicken, and is no slaughter. But if we’re trying to cut meat’s impact, why not focus on feeding dogs nutritionally complete plant-based diets - which multiple studies have shown can be healthier?  

The answer? Because cultivated meat still normalises the idea that meat is necessary.  

A Meat-Free Future for Dogs  

Despite the backlash from some in the animal agriculture industry (and the people who refuse to question their habits), vegan dog food isn’t new - and it’s backed by science. A 2022 study found that dogs on nutritionally complete plant-based diets needed less medication, fewer vet visits, and had fewer health disorders than those eating conventional meat. Even the British Veterinary Association, which once opposed plant-based diets for dogs, has now dropped its objections.  

Instead of encouraging people to transition their dogs to proven, sustainable, and ethical plant-based food, we’re now celebrating a lab-grown version of the problem we should be moving away from.  

The Bigger Ethical Question: Keeping Animals as "Pets"  

Cultivated meat for dogs is just one part of a much larger issue - our treatment of animals as property. Vegans should be working toward a world where no animal is bred, bought, or kept in captivity for human benefit. The the pet industry thrives on selective breeding, exotic animal trade, and the sale of living beings for profit.  

- Selective Breeding: Many dogs are bred to look a certain way, often at the expense of their health. Pugs and bulldogs struggle to breathe, dachshunds suffer spinal issues, and other breeds face genetic disorders, all because humans decided how they should look.  

- Exotic Animals: Birds, fish, reptiles, many are taken from the wild or bred in captivity, denied the space and freedom they would naturally have. Even in the best enclosures, they are prisoners.  

- Pet Shops and Breeders: Every animal bought from a breeder or pet store fuels the cycle. The demand ensures more are bred, while millions sit in shelters or face euthanasia.  

If we genuinely care about animals, we shouldn’t be buying them. We should be rescuing the ones who already exist due to human interference and giving them the best life we can.

Where Do We Go From Here?  

Dogs don’t need meat. They need nutrients. Feeding them a well-balanced vegan diet is not only possible, but scientifically supported. If we want to move towards a world without animal exploitation, we need to stop justifying unnecessary harm, even when it’s dressed up as “progress.”  

Cultivated meat may be a technological marvel, but it’s also a distraction. The future of dog food isn’t in a lab - it’s in breaking free from the mindset that animals are resources.