Life expectancy for dogs has doubled in the past 4 decades and the reasons can largely be chalked up to better healthcare and improved diet. Cargill recently conducted a 60-day in-home study of its EpiCor Pets Postbiotic supplement for dogs.
Julie Gasper, portfolio manager for companion animals at Cargill Health Technologies, said the company was interested to see how products and nutritional technologies influence pet health through the eyes of the pet parent.
Just under 350 dog owners were recruited from across the US and randomly allotted to two treatment groups (including a control group) blocked by breed, body weight and age. Fecal matter for metagenomics were collected at day 0, day 30 and day 60.
Key findings
- Pet parents ranked health, immunity, and mobility highest in importance in general and for supplements
- Dogs fed EpiCor Pets were numerically more likely to exhibit improved mobility
- The overall health perception improved over time for dogs fed supplements containing EpiCor Pets
Seeing is believing
Gasper explained that the study included a lot of pet parents who weren't currently giving their pet supplements, “either because they don't trust them, they don't want to pay for them or they don't believe that they work. And a number of those people came out of this study having seen the benefits and having seen the difference in their dogs and were way more open to purchasing supplements and using them in the future. So I think as parents, look at the market and think about what it is they want to do with their dog. I think, just trying things, giving it a chance, giving it enough time to work. And that's some of the findings that we found–that parents aren't going to see a change from the Epicor pet ingredient in 15 days, it's not immediate, it needs time to help establish the microbiome. But over time, if you give it enough time to influence the pet's health, you really can see the benefits.”
To hear more on the study and a few surprises, listen to the NutraCast.
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