Palatability assessment of therapeutic pet food (urinary care) in healthy cat & dog

An abstract of the research paper presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Malaysia Kelantan, in complete requirements of the course DVT 55204 - Research Project.
The canine and feline lower urinary tract problems are a growing concern. However, for patients prescribed a urinary care diet, it is essential to ensure adequate palatability to support compliance with the therapeutic regimen. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the palatability of a therapeutic urinary care pet food diet in healthy cats and dogs, addressing a critical determinant of successful dietary management for urinary health conditions. Although specialized urinary care diets provide well-documented clinical benefits, their effectiveness may be limited by poor palatability, which can result in reduced voluntary intake and inadequate owner compliance.
This experimental study compares the acceptance and preference of the urinary care diet against a conventional commercial diet in a sample of indoor cats and dogs in Malaysia. Using the two-bowl test over a controlled feeding trial period, palatability metrics including first approach, first consumption, intake ratio, and total consumption were evaluated. The study also considers behavioral differences in feeding between species and identifies sensory and compositional factors influencing diet preference.
The cats and dogs group were fed with a therapeutic diet and a commercial diet respective to their species for 7 days. The feeding trial is only conducted for 30 minutes each of the sessions in a day. The results demonstrated a significant and consistent preference for the therapeutic Urinary Care diet (Diet A) over the commercial diet (Diet B) in both species. This was evidenced by a significantly higher first approach (Cats: 65%, Dogs: 60%) and first consumption (Cats: 89%, Dogs: 94%). The overall intake ratio strongly favored Diet A, with cats consuming 86% and dogs consuming 95% of their total intake from the therapeutic diet. Furthermore, total consumption was significantly greater for Diet A, with cats and dogs consuming substantially more grams of the therapeutic diet compared to the control (p<0.05 for all tests). These findings indicate that the therapeutic urinary care diet exhibits superior palatability compared to the commercial control diet.