Chris Packham claims changing his dogs' diets to vegan may have saved one from falling seriously ill

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The conservationist said his poodle Sid's blood fat reduced by 73% after coming off meat-based meals, and also gained stronger claws and improvements to his liver health.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Chris, also owner to poodle Nancy, said the price of vegan dog food is far less and can help bring down household bills.

The pair, who turn six next month, had been living on meat-based diets since they were puppies, but claimed they showed "greater appetite for food" after the change-up.

He told Nick: "We decided to make a transition to plant based diet as the science was showing that that was a healthier option not for just the dogs but for the planet too, and that it was finally affordable.

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"There was a vet-formulated fully nutritionally complete diet available on the shelf. So we thought we'd give it a go during Veganuary and see what happened. I mean ultimately if the dogs didn't eat, it wouldn't have worked but they loved it from the outset.

"Before we did that, we wanted to make sure they were healthy for any sort of transition so we got their bloods done and Sid showed a very high 73% increase in blood fats and bile acids.

"We were very concerned about his liver kidney function so we had him ultrasound, thankfully was okay, but the vet's advice was you need to get him on a lower fat diet immediately.

"So 90 days later, after plant based transition, we tested him and we saw a 73% reduction in his blood fats, 39% improvement in his bile acid and, and then the liver stress markers were down by 70% so it had made a significant difference.

"He also had weepy eyes that disappeared after a couple of weeks. Claws are much stronger and it was something we were very pleased to have tried.

"We think that, you know, ongoing, had we done that blood test and we, had we not been aware that that high fat meat diet was, was causing him problems, he might have got pancreatitis and, and that could have been very serious."

Chris added that the dogs also had improvements in their stool health and said they were a lot more energetic after the change.

Explaining the nature of the switch, he told Nick that the pair have dry food in the morning followed by ave dental chews in the evening to reduce plaque.

They then have a "wet" meal in the evening which Chris describes as a "formulated, nutritionally complete diet".

He added: "On the raw meat diet, when you defrost it obviously it's raw meat so you've only got a limited of time but if they don't eat it straight away, it can go in the fridge later that day but after that it's got to go and the foxes prosper.

"So it's been good all round and I think in the time of climate breakdown, biodiversity crisis, we should be looking for opportunities to play a positive role in solving the problems rather than continuing to be a part of one.

"Therefore, as and when it's appropriate to you and maybe your dog, I would suggest it's worth trying for the health of your dog, for the health of your, you know, your wallet and your purse and the health of the planet."