How Often Should Dogs Eat? Research reveals the right amount to combat old age

Feeding once a day for dogs would be associated with better cognitive function and health.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Results from a study on aging dogs found that feeding them once a day improves their cognitive function and overall health.

What and above all how much our beloved four-legged friends should eat is an extremely subjective question and a decision that must be made on the basis of a series of parameters, all to be evaluated with your trusted veterinarian.

Necessary? Of course yes: even for our dog, a correct diet determines the state of health and the duration of his life. On the contrary, food errors can cause numerous diseases and shorten their life expectancy.

Read also: Tips and tricks to keep your dog warm even in winter, beyond the "coat"

Now, according to a new pre-press analysis by US researchers of surveys completed by 24 dog owners and looking at gender, age, breed and other factors, dogs fed once a day rather than more frequently they would have lower mean scores on a cognitive dysfunction scale and less likely to have gastrointestinal, dental, orthopedic, kidney / urinary disorders, and liver or pancreatic disorders.

Therefore, our findings suggest that daily feeding in dogs is associated with improved health in multiple body systems - says Matt Kaeberlein of the University of Washington in Seattle. But be warned: we're not recommending people to change the way they feed their dogs.

Once-daily feeding is associated with better cognitive function and health in companion dogs @Dogagingproject https://t.co/ViqQP7LGBE

Preprint, not peer-reviewed yet. Correlation does not equal causation. Still, really interesting I think! @DrEmilyBray @BrianahMccoy

— Matt Kaeberlein (@mkaeberlein) November 11, 2021

A systematic review

Thanks to the Dog Aging Project program that collects data on thousands of companion dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds since 2019, scholars have leveraged cross-sectional data to investigate associations between feeding frequency and cognitive function, as well as nine broad health outcome categories.

Kaeberlein and his team analyzed the project's data to see whether dogs fed once a day were more or less likely to be diagnosed with various categories of age-related conditions, from cancers to dementia, than those fed more. often.

In most cases, dogs fed once a day were significantly less likely to have such a diagnosis.

In my opinion, it's pretty compelling correlative evidence, says Kaeberlein.

However, the study didn't establish causation - the total amount a dog eats, rather than how often he eats, could explain the correlation. For example, dogs fed two or more times a day may be more likely to be obese.

The strength of the study is that the numbers are large and the statistical methods are said by many scholars, but there are also other factors to evaluate (difference between the breeds, for example), as well as the history of each dog.

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Fonte: bioRxiv

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