A study of 7,000 owners found that dogs who ate mostly dog food were 29% more likely to develop gastrointestinal problems compared to dogs who ate mostly raw food.
life
February 9, 2023
Puppy diet seems to influence subsequent risk of gastrointestinal disease Shutterstock/Switlana Sonyashna
Puppies that eat primarily dog food are more likely to have gut health problems later in life than those fed leftover food or raw meat.
Anna Hielm-Björkman of the University of Helsinki, Finland, and her colleagues surveyed more than 7,000 dog owners in Finland about what they gave their pets between 2009 and 2019.
The researchers surveyed each dog owner multiple times during this period and also asked if the dog had experienced gastrointestinal problems lasting longer than three weeks, also known as chronic enteropathy (CE).
The team wanted to determine the effects of a dog’s diet at an early age on gut health in adulthood. Unprocessed foods such as dog food, owner leftovers, raw meat, fish and berries.
Researchers found that 22% of dogs developed CE in adulthood, usually at one and a half years of age.
Their diet as puppies (2 to 6 months of age) was found to be strongly correlated with whether they would develop CE later in life. They were 29% more likely to develop the condition compared to dogs who ate the food. You can not.
Hielm-Björkman says it’s unclear why dog food leads to gut health problems. Dog food consists primarily of carbohydrates, which dogs don’t need in large amounts.
“Many people are taught that dog food is a balanced diet, but when you start incorporating other foods into your dog’s diet, you’ll find that many ailments go away,” she says.
The dog’s microbiome may be better suited to eating unprocessed foods, says Heerm-Björkmann.
She advises owners to vary their dog’s diet as much as possible and make it at least 20% raw.
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