Lewis Hamilton has sparked a heated debate on social media after sharing his dog's vegan diet on Instagram.
According to The Daily Mail, the controversy began when the Formula One driver took to the official Instagram account of his pet dog Roscoe to share a picture of him traveling in his owner's private jet.
The image shows the dog sitting in a chair in front of a bowl of fruit, with no meat in sight whatsoever.
Addressing the animal's 374,000 followers on the platform - while in-character as Roscoe - Hamilton wrote:
"I loves beings a vegans. I gets all the vegetables ands fruits I wants. My favs are watermelons ands pineapples. Ives lots 5kgs ands feels betters thans evers. [sic]"
The post clearly resonated with other Instagram users, accruing over 97,000 reactions and a further 1,300 comments as of the time of writing.
The Formula One champion has previously spoken out about his dog's vegan diet, saying how cutting out meat has "changed [Roscoe's] life" and helped with the dog's breathing.
However, seem clearly took issue with the pooch's diet, with some stating that it was unhealthy for a canine.
For instance, one person wrote: "Have you tried to let Roscoe choose between fruits and meat?"
Another wrote: "Does Roscoe have an animal protein allergy?"
Then this user chimed in: "Please tell me you aren't making your dogs eat a vegan diet."
Finally, someone else added simply: "Dogs are carnivores."
The Mail reports that Hamilton put his dog on a meat-free diet to help manage the health problems associated with the breed after his other bulldog, Coco, died due to heat and breathing difficulties.
However, canine experts have previously advised against the practice of forcing dogs to eat a purely herbivorous diet.
For instance, Nicole Paley of the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association told the above publication: "We advise that vegan diets – with no animal products – are carefully checked by a vet or animal nutritionist."
Meanwhile, TV vet Dr. Scott Miller stated that a vegan diet could pose a serious risk to pet dogs, stating: "Dogs and cats have sharper teeth for catching meat.
"As much as it makes sense for you to be a vegan, when it comes to our pets it's going to prove problematic."
