Research reveals we’re feeding our dogs the nutritional equivalent of a takeaway Pizza every day.

Raw dog food company, Bella & Duke, has found that over the course of a typical week, a dog on a processed, dry pet food diet was found to have eaten the macronutrient equivalent of 8 takeaway pizzas (based on the nutritional value of a leading highstreet takeaway brand). Bella & Duke’s Chief Nutritional Officer has compared the macronutrient (carbohydrate) content of one of the UK’s leading dry processed pet foods to the UK’s favourite fast foods. Bella & Duke hope to educate UK dog owners on what they’re feeding their dogs, as research reveals nearly half of pet owners (49%) are unaware of the macronutrient value of the food they’re feeding their dogs.

By comparing the macronutrient values found in a typical daily portion (377g) of dry processed pet food with the same amount of select fast foods, the raw pet food company has revealed some alarming findings. An average size dog, eating a typical portion of dry processed pet food is consuming the weekly equivalent carbohydrate value of any one of the following: 30 burgers, 8 highstreet takeaway pizzas, 28 medium portions of French Fries, or 50 glazed doughnuts.

Dogs do not need carbohydrates to survive [1]. To create processed dry pet food (kibble) requires a minimum amount (at least 35%) of carbohydrate. Dogs are carnivorous animals, they evolved eating meat, bone, organs, fur, feathers, tissue, sinew and cartilage. Dogs are ill-adapted to digest relatively high amounts of carbohydrates. Dogs do not produce sufficient amounts of amylase (the enzyme required to break down carbohydrates) to fully digest, assimilate processed grain-filled food without suffering ill effects. Leading vets believe these ill effects include obesity, food intolerances, dental issues, behavioural problems and can encourage tumour growth[2].

Pet parents are far more careful when it comes to what they put into their own stomachs, 40% of dog owners ‘always’ look at the ingredients on the food they buy, with 59% of them knowing the macronutrient value of their meals. Dog obesity levels are now higher than ever, with the PDSA stating “vets and vet nurses estimated that 46% of the dogs they see in their practice each week are overweight or obese”. The research conducted by Bella & Duke revealed that 85% of dog owners with obese dogs noticed an improvement in their pet’s weight after switching to a raw diet.

The raw pet food company was set up by Mark Scott and Tony Ottley, after both founders lost pets to terminal illnesses that they believe were caused by harmful ingredients in processed dog food. Since then it has supplied healthy fresh pet food with natural ingredients to more than 55,000 dogs across the UK, serving over 20 million meals a year, employing 49 people.