Browsing by Subject "dry food"
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(University of HelsinkiHelsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitet, 2018)Raw meat-based diets have gained popularity in recent years amongst dog owners and there is a lot of debate about the effects of raw food on dogs' health. The purpose of this thesis was to study serum mineral concentrations in dogs eating raw meat-based diet or dry diet. The minerals analyzed were copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. My hypothesis is that when dogs are fed industrial balanced raw or dry food there are no significant differences in the serum mineral concentrations between the two diet groups. In this study there were 41 adult Staffordshire bull terriers of which 25 ate raw food and 16 dry food. 26 of the dogs were atopic, 13 were control dogs and 2 dogs could not be placed to either of the groups. The dogs came to three visits. The first blood sample was taken on either the first or the baseline visit. During the next three to five months the dogs were either on dry food or raw food diet, based on allotment. Itching, skin symptoms, and diet were taken into consideration in the allotment. After the feeding study the dogs came to the end visit where the second blood sample was taken. Based on the results both diets had an effect on some mineral concentrations. Also the health status had an effect on some mineral concentrations and in the atopic dogs the diet had a more pronounced effect on the serum mineral concentrations than in the control dogs. On the basis of these results the hypothesis was incorrect because there were significant differences in the serum mineral concentrations between the two diets. As we do not know the optimal serum concentrations of these minerals in the canine species the clinical significance of these results is somewhat limited but this study lays the foundation for further studies.
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(2019)Feeding raw food has increased in popularity and many advocate the good effects of it. Only few studies on raw food has been done, mainly on negative effects such as the risk of infection when handling raw meat. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether different diets, especially raw food, has an impact on blood parameters. The hypothesis was that raw food will have an impact on the blood parameters. A total of 101 dogs were included in the analysis. Both hematologic and serum biochemical analyses were made. The owners were asked to fill in a questionnaire with information about their dog and the percent of each food they give to their dogs. Diets were defined as raw food, dry food, canned food and homemade food. Based on the questionnaire, the dogs were divided into different diet groups. Staffordshire bull terriers were also analysed individually since they consisted the majority of the population (n =80). The diet groups were as follows; 100 % raw food, 100% dry food and mixed diet. The population was also divided into 5 groups according to a set percent of either raw or dry food (1 = 0%, 2 = 1–30 %, 3 = 31–60 %, 4= 61–99 %, and 5 = 100 %). The mean values of the blood parameters in all groups were compared statistically (Kruskal-Wallis test). Differences were found between raw and dry and raw and mixed diets. The blood values that most often differed were erythrocytes, haemoglobin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, cholesterol, sodium and protein. Erythrocytes, haemoglobin, protein and creatinine increased with increased amount of raw food. ALP and cholesterol showed the opposite. Sodium showed high values in groups with high amounts of raw food and low values in mixed diets. This study gave evidence that diet is affecting blood parameters. In which extent it can affect remains unclear since no exact information about the diets were collected. Further studies need to be done to evaluate the real effect of a raw diet on blood parameters and whether it should be incorporated in clinical work.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2