Owner impressions of three premium diets fed to healthy adult dogs

• Published in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Vol. 227; no. 12; pp. 1931 - 1936
• Main Authors: Sanderson, S.L, Finco, D.R, Pogrelis, A.D, Stacy, L.M, Unger, C.F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15.12.2005
• Subjects: adult animals; Animal Feed - economics; Animal Feed - standards; animal feeding; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; body condition; Body Constitution - physiology; consumer attitudes; consumer preferences; Cross-Over Studies; Defecation - physiology; dogs; Dogs - metabolism; Dogs - physiology; Double-Blind Method; Feces; feeding preferences; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; perceptions (cognitive); pet care; pet foods; pets; premium dog foods; questionnaires; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taste; veterinarians; Veterinarians - psychology
• ISSN: 0003-1488; 1943-569X
• DOI: 10.2460/javma.2005.227.1931

To determine owner impressions of 3 premium canine diets when factors such as price and retail source were removed; to compare body condition scores (BCSs) assigned by owners versus a veterinarian; and to determine consistency of owner impressions of diets when owners were not informed that they were feeding the same diet during 2 consecutive periods. Randomized controlled trial. 44 healthy adult dogs. During the initial 12 months of the study, dogs were each fed 3 premium diets for 4 months in random order. After feeding each diet for 1 and 4 months, owners completed questionnaires regarding palatability of the diet; the dog's attitude, energy level, fecal consistency, frequency of defecation, hair coat quality, and BCS; and whether they would feed the diet if available commercially. During the last 4 months of the study, owners fed the same diet they had been feeding during the previous 4 months. Scores for most variables did not differ among diets. However, mean BCS assigned by owners was significantly lower than mean BCS assigned by an investigator, with a moderate correlation between scores. When asked at the end of the third and fourth study periods whether they would consider feeding the diet long-term, 12 of the 44 (27%) owners gave inconsistent responses. Results indicate that when unaware of retail price and source, owners have similar impressions of 3 premium diets fed to healthy adult dogs, suggesting that factors other than the diets themselves may affect owner impressions. Owners also underestimate their dog's BCS.