60% of UK dogs are ‘pawly’ due to poor nutrition

Natures Menu, the UK’s number one for raw pet food and Europe’s leading expert in raw, is calling for dog owners across the UK to look closely at what they’re feeding their dogs after research revealed 60% of British dogs suffer from health problems.

Research released today* has revealed two thirds of our dogs suffer from some sort of health issue such as allergies, dental or stomach problems. Bad breath is the most common problem (26%) and over 20% admit their dog is overweight. Despite this, over 60% of owners aren’t aware that poor nutrition is one of the leading causes of health issues such as these, which can be vastly improved by changing to a raw diet.

Of the owners surveyed, the research has also revealed a lack of understanding of what really goes into our dogs’ food. Almost a quarter (23%) of dog owners admit to paying little or no attention to what’s on the label of the current dog food they purchase and over 10% say they don’t really know what’s healthy or nutritious for their furry friend. Interestingly, men (32%) are less likely to check the label on their dog food versus women (36%) and similarly women (29%) are more aware of what’s healthy for their dog compared to their male counterparts (27%).

Raw feeding aims to give dogs a diet appropriate to their digestive system and as close as possible to what they might have eaten as wild animals. It has been shown on countless occasions to make an extraordinary difference to a pet’s health and wellbeing.

Craig Taylor, Managing Director of Natures Menu, said: “As a nation, we all care so much about our furry friends and this should extend to what we’re feeding them too. Standard dog food often may seem like it’s the best for your pet, but on closer inspection many contain ingredients such as sugars, meat meals and meat derivatives that just aren’t as healthy or nutritious.