Questionnaire Based Pet Owner Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Tolerance of a New High Protein Low Carbohydrate Diet Range in Adult Dogs
The present survey, based on a multiplechoice questionnaire, was undertaken to assess the gastrointestinal tolerance of four commercial diets from the Veterinary HPMTM diet range. The four diets were tested in 284 adult dogs over a 28 day period and compared to their usual diets. Online evaluations were performed at the beginning of the study, at the end of the 4 day diet transition, and at 7, 14 and 28 days. Digestive sensitivity with the dog's usual food was reported in 28% of the enrolled dogs. At least 94% of the pet owners declared they were satisfied with the transition to the tested diets. Average stool consistency scores with the tested diets remained steady at the optimal value of 2.2. Globally acceptable stool odour and small or normal stool volume were reported in over 70% of the dogs. Unchanged or decreased faeces odour and volume were described in more than 70% of the dogs and unchanged or increased stool consistency was reported in more than 77% of the dogs in comparison to their previous diet. Faecal consistency and stool volume were not significantly different between the different time points. The number of dogs showing flatulence was significantly lower on days 7, 14 and 28 than on day 0. In conclusion, a safe diet transition and a high digestive tolerance was reported after feeding various sized adult dogs of different breeds with the tested Veterinary HPMTM diets.