New Study Shows Your Dog’s Food Could Make Him More Likely to Gain Weight!

No, we don’t mean overfeeding your dog (although that is the number one reason most dogs are overweight!). New research published in mBio shows that the ratio of protein and carbohydrates in food can have a direct effect on your dog’s gut and may be causing weight gain and hindering weight loss.

The research was spurred by previous research done on the human gut, which showed that certain microbial species located in the gut may be directly affecting a person’s ability to gain or lose weight, specifically Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. 32 Labs and 32 Beagles were tested – with equal numbers of lean and obese dogs in each group. For the first month, the dogs were all fed the same baseline diet. Then, half the group received a high-protein, low-carb diet and half received high-carb, low-protein.

After two months, the dogs on the high-carb diet had more Bacteroides uniformis and Clostridium butyricum. This means their bodies were absorbing more fat than other dogs, and therefore gaining weight.

Conversely, then, your dog’s food could HELP HIM LOSE WEIGHT!

The other side of this coin, then, is that they found that food that was high in protein but low in carbohydrates had decrease in the ratio of Bacteroides to Firmicutes bacteria.

Interestingly, they found that dogs that were already obese or overweight had more pronounced results than the dogs that were lean. This means overweight dogs will see a bigger difference in their gut balance based on their diet. So you can help your pup lose weight easier just by switching their food!

Gut trouble may lead to even WORSE issues!

Other studies in humans have linked gut microbe imbalances to a host of other issues including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders and liver and brain diseases. Researchers believe these same issues may also be present in canines. The researchers are hoping that further studies will be conducted to show more connections between a dog’s health and his gut. They also believe this will help modify the pet food market, including the use of probiotics or prebiotics to help with weight loss.

We’re ahead of the game.

Stay Loyal is over 32 percent protein, one of the highest in the industry. It is low in carbs, so your obese dog can lose weight quicker and your lean dog will stay lean. This means it will help your dog’s gut stay balanced in the right direction – no more running his legs off to lose a pound, just to gain two! And, we include prebiotics which feed the good microbes, to help your dog’s gut and immune system stay healthy. You still need to watch your dog’s portions but now you know the weight will come off faster than with a low protein food.

Research is proving what we already knew – the food makes the dog!