Lewis Hamilton, one of the leading names in Formula 1, may have problems off the track for an unusual reason to say the least. A vegetarian since 2017, the pilot also provides a vegan diet for his dog Roscoe. This could potentially violate a law in the UK, according to Blue Cross, the animal welfare organisation.
The offender could pay a fine of 20,000 pounds (155,000 Brazilian reais) and face up to 51 weeks in prison. The president of the British Veterinary Association, Daniela dos Santos, spoke about the matter last year, according to the Daily Mail.
“In the UK, under the Animal Welfare Act the owner is obligated to feed the animal a proper diet. If your personal belief system means you don’t want to eat any animal protein, that’s fine, but this diet has not been designed to meet your pet’s standards of care. It is theoretically possible to feed a dog a plant-based diet, but it is much easier to get it wrong than to correct it,” he said at the time.
The Daily Mail also reports that vet Scott Miller warned that a plant-based diet “can be extremely dangerous for dogs”.
“Dogs and cats have sharper teeth when eating meat. As much as it makes sense for you to be a vegetarian, when it comes to our pets, that would be a problem,” Miller said.
Roscoe, the English bulldog, has an Instagram account and is successful on social media. Lewis Hamilton’s dog profile says, “I am a vegetarian Bulldog who loves to travel, play ball and get the attention of all the girls.”
Defending his dog’s vegetarian diet, Hamilton wrote, “His breathing was always bad, which meant he could never walk far and his joints ached. He also had sensitive skin.”
