Scientists told why puppies can and should be fed with scraps from the table and bones

According to the new researchpublished in Scientific Reports, a diet of raw meat, vegetables, table scraps, and raw bones in puppy (2-6 months) and young age (6-18 months) may protect dogs from gastrointestinal disorders in old age.

In contrast, a diet high in processed carbohydrates and regular chewing of rawhide (chewing bones) is associated with an increased risk of stomach problems.

This conclusion was made by scientists from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki after studying the nutritional data of about 10,000 dogs. All of them were obtained from the DogRisk questionnaire, created back in 2009.

The database contained information about the diet of dogs at different ages and morbidity. chronic enteropathy.

The researchers found that later in life, GI problems were less common in dogs that puppies were fed raw meats, offal, fish, bones, and vegetables and berries. Such a diet reduced the risk of chronic enteropathy by 22.3%, and in the case of eating leftover food from the table - by 22.7%. A similar diet during adolescence reduced the risk of gastrointestinal problems in old age by 12.7% and 24%, respectively.

Conversely, feeding processed pellets increased the risk of chronic enteropathy by 28.7% for puppies and 14.6% for junior dogs.

The most harmful product for young dogs was chemically treated rawhide - such a treat in the diet increased the risk of enteropathy by 117.2%.

These data suggest that feeding puppies a variety of raw and whole foods may reduce the risk of future stomach and intestinal problems. However, further studies are needed to confirm the results, including those that evaluate the lifelong diet of dogs, the authors added.

What do you feed your pets? Tell in the comments.