Over 4.3 million British dogs show signs of poor diet, according to Paws.com
It seems Britain’s dogs are suffering from the same problems with dog food as our dogs are here in the States.
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By Jade Grassby
MILLIONS of dogs in Britain are displaying signs of poor nutrition, with nearly half of owners saying their pet has suffered with symptoms including runny stools, tooth decay and thinning coats.
This is according to analysis from Paws.com, which claims major brands rely on misleading labelling to avoid revealing exactly what’s in their dog food products.
Despite more than three quarters (77%) of owners saying they trust the food they buy will help their dogs to thrive, 95 per cent of dog food owned by big brands contain at least one undisclosed ingredient.
The UK Dog Food Transparency Report looked at all 1,025 dry and wet dog foods in Britain’s supermarkets and on Amazon’s bestseller list, and analysed the packaging to reveal the extent to which brands opt to use generic category descriptions for their ingredients rather than listing the exact content of their food. It found that 85% of all supermarket own-brand dog food includes ‘mystery meats’, meaning they contain ‘meat and animal derivatives’ – which could include anything from hooves and beaks to wool and feathers.
Dog owners across the UK are calling for clearer labelling as more than one in three admit they do not know if the food they buy is good for their dog or not. Just under half feel misled on finding out that food labelled as ‘with chicken’ could contain as little as four per cent chicken (which is true for all meat varieties – such as lamb, beef, and salmon), according to Paws.
The findings come at a time when pet obesity is considered a national epidemic according to veterinary professionals, with one in two UK dogs now obese. Vets believe obesity is one of the prominent causes of physical deformities like hip dysplasia, diabetes and breathing problems.
To help demystify dog food, Paws has developed the Dog Food Checker, which allows dog owners to vet their dog food, understand its nutritional values easily, and compare it to other dog foods.
Neil Hutchinson, founder of Paws, said: “We want to radically transform the way pet parents think about the dog food they buy. Currently, most dog food labels aren’t helpful and it’s easy for well-meaning pet parents to buy something they believe is great for their dog, but actually doesn’t even come close to giving them the nutrition they need to thrive. Our Dog Food Checker, which has the world’s first traffic light system for dog food, aims to empower pet parents to understand the nutritional value of any food at a glance. Your pet is family, so why wouldn’t you want to know what you’re feeding them?”
