New Zealand dog diet study a wake-up call for dog nutrition | Scoop News New Zealand dog diet study a wake-up call for dog nutrition Thursday, 16 March 2017, 1:24 pm Press Release: New Zealand Premium Petfood Alliance
MEDIA RELEASE
Dog owners can improve the wellbeing of their canine companions by serving up a high meat
diet rather than the “human-like” fare favoured by many, a new study shows.
The independent New Zealand study – only the second of its kind in the world – found the high
meat diet is easier for dogs to digest, means more nutrients are able to be absorbed, and resulted
in higher levels of bacteria associated with protein and fat digestion.
These higher levels of bacteria demonstrated a dog’s gut is biologically designed to digest a diet
high in meat.
Led by AgResearch and Massey University, and co-funded by the New Zealand Premium Petfood
Alliance (a collaboration between leading NZ Petfood manufacturers Bombay Petfoods, K9 Natural
and ZiwiPeak) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment through the Outcomes for
Science Targeted Research Fund, the study also shows there may have been too much reliance on
research into the diets of humans or other animals in the past when it comes to the best diet for dogs.
“We already know dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates in their diet, so this study looked
at the role different bacteria play in a dog’s digestion system to help us work toward a clearer picture
of what the optimum diet for dogs is,” said study co-lead Dr Emma Bermingham of AgResearch.
“Understanding how bacteria works in the gut is vital because of its links to digestion, diseases such as
obesity, and even how it affects mood and behaviour.”
The study found:
--High meat diets are more digestible for dogs
--More nutrients from a high meat diet are able to be absorbed
--Dogs on a high meat diet had higher levels of the bacteria associated with protein and fat digestion
--Dogs on a high meat diet had smaller poo and better fecal health
Study co-lead Associate Professor David Thomas of Massey University said finding high levels of the
bacteria associated with protein and fat digestion was particularly exciting as it demonstrated that a
dog’s gut is biologically designed to digest high meat diets.
“Up until now science has looked at studies on nutrient digestion in human, mice and rats and assumed
the same is true for dogs in terms of digestion and what is good and bad bacteria in the gut. This study
shows this may not the case and much more needs to be done to understand the digestive system of
dogs and the long-term health consequences of feeding different diets.”
New Zealand Premium Petfood Alliance spokesperson Neil Hinton said the study findings support the view
the pet food manufactures behind the Alliance have been advocating for a long time.
“While dogs are considered members of the family, they are carnivores so shouldn’t be fed a humanised
diet containing high levels of carbohydrates. The study supports our long-held view that dogs need to be
fed a high meat, low carbohydrate diet best suited to their biological makeup.”
Mr Hinton said there is growing interest from pet owners about biologically appropriate diets that lead to
healthier and happier pets.
“To date there has been hardly any published research, so this study is a significant contribution to the
international animal nutrition field. A lot of diets on the market have been designed to ensure a dog
survives, but this research shows that high meat diet is the best to help a dog thrive.”
Notes for editors
The research ‘Key bacterial families (Clostridiaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae and Bacteroidacae) are related
to the digestion of protein and energy in the dog’ is published in the PeerJ journal
https://peerj.com/articles/3019/
Dogs in the study were either fed a high meat raw complete and balanced diet or a high quality kibble (dry) diet.
The study is part of a three-year independent New Zealand research programme led by AgResearch and
Massey University and co-funded by the New Zealand Premium Petfood Alliance and the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment through the MBIE Outcomes for Science Targeted Research Fund to assist the
red meat pet food industry to grow their exports.
The next full study from the research programme on the effects of feeding cats a high meat diet is due for
completion mid-2017.