By Josie Adnitt
Meet the woman who is ‘biohacking’ her dogs – by feeding them a £1,800-a-year vegan diet.
Stella Paris, 37, says her pets – Tuco, a Chinese crested powder puff, and Bear, a French bulldog – are in perfect health.
She even claims the diet has reversed some of Bear’s health problems – helping her breathe easy and clearing up skin conditions.
The singer-songwriter is a vegan herself and describes herself as “anti-speciesist” – meaning she believes every animal should be treated the same.
Biohacking involves someone making incremental changes to their – or their pet’s -body, diet, and lifestyle to improve their health and well-being
Stella, from south London, said: “People are very aware my dogs are vegan – people say it should be illegal or I’m abusing my dogs.
“But I am anti-speciesist, I believe every animal should be treated the same with no preference or superiority – why would I love one and kill another.
“If you love your dog, why are you sacrificing a cow, pig, chicken or turkey – don’t they also deserve to live? If you love animals, you would love all animals.
“The vets are shocked by my seven-year-old Frenchie, Bear – they’re shocked she has no skin conditions, and her breathing is good.
“They can see a difference between her and other Frenchies they regularly see before I even tell them she’s vegan.
“Vets know dogs can thrive and live well on a plant-based diet. I wouldn’t just give them broccoli and carrots, I give them nutritionally complete meals containing omegas, carbs and proteins.”
Stella, who studied biology and chemistry, switched to a vegan lifestyle six years ago and makes content online promoting veganism and campaigning against animal cruelty.
She first made the switch to vegan dog food for rescue pup Bear four years ago and adopted Tuco shortly after.
And Stella claims the diets have not only cured Bear’s physical health ailments but helped with emotional problems suffered by the rescue dog too.
The two pooches are treated to nutritionally complete dog food costing £150 per month and get regular sweet potato and mango-based treats.
Other treats include Brazil nuts, walnuts, apples and raw fruits like sugar snaps.
“As vegans we don’t call them pets, we call them animal companions, I would consider being called an owner an insult,” said Stella.
“Domesticated dogs should be fed a vegan diet for their health – when dogs eat meat they can get worms, they’re not obligate carnivores.
“A few friends have also changed their dogs to plant based diets when they found out it was possible, and they’ve gone vegan too.”
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