A Dog Aging Project analysis of 50,000 dogs and 40,000 people found owner age has a larger influence on what dogs are fed than owners’ income or education.

The research, conducted by teams at Texas A&M University and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, examined feeding patterns among companion dogs enrolled across the United States. The study’s authors say the results shift attention from household socioeconomic markers to demographic characteristics of the owner when trying to understand canine nutrition choices.

Lead investigator Dr. Katie Tolbert, an associate professor in Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, framed the finding plainly. “We found that owner demographics play a much more important role in the selection of dog diets than previously thought,” she said. This underscores the reality that the choice of what to feed pets can be influenced not just by available resources, but also by factors related to the owner’s stage of life.

Researchers used enrollment data gathered by the Dog Aging Project to compare how owner characteristics correlated with the types of diets dogs received. The team reported differences across age groups of pets and owners, and noted specific feeding patterns tied to activity levels and living environments. For instance, dog nutrition in the U.S. varies modestly by region; while kibble remains the primary diet type across all areas, dogs in rural regions are more likely to be fed home-prepared raw diets.

“Sometimes we do studies related to dog demographic factors 6; like breed, size, and age 6; that we think influence the diets that owners feed their dogs,” Dr. Tolbert said, describing the study’s broader aims and methods. In reporting their results, the authors emphasized the need to consider attributes of both the owner and the animal when interpreting why particular diets are chosen. It’s particularly noteworthy that according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, only about 9% of dog owners reported their veterinarian as a source of information when deciding their pet’s diet.

The analysis found older pets were more commonly fed canned or home-cooked diets. “For example, we found that older pets are more likely than younger animals to be fed a canned or home-cooked diet,” Dr. Tolbert said, offering a direct illustration of the age-linked patterns the team observed. This may also correlate to a growing awareness among pet owners of the importance of a balanced diet, which includes essential nutrients like protein, fats, and carbohydrates necessary for their dogs’ health.

Activity and setting also mattered. Highly active dogs, working dogs, and those living in rural environments were more likely to be fed home-prepared raw or cooked diets, the researchers reported, a detail the team highlighted when discussing how lifestyle factors intersect with owner choice. This underscores the significant role that demographic and lifestyle factors play not only in diet selection but in overall pet care practices.

The authors argue that placing weight on owner demographics could change how veterinarians and researchers interpret feeding surveys and dietary studies. “The point of this study was to show that we need to consider information about both the dog and their owner when assessing why a dog is fed a particular diet,” Dr. Tolbert said. Given the varying dietary practices and preferences, this insight can be beneficial in developing more tailored dietary recommendations for dogs.

The work was released through Texas A&M channels and adds to a growing body of large-scale analyses of companion animal health carried out by the Dog Aging Project. The project’s enrollment and data collection across the United States enabled the team to detect patterns that smaller studies might miss; the authors used those national data to link owner characteristics with diet choices reported by participants.

Veterinary and animal-health audiences may use these findings to refine questions about nutrition in clinical and research settings, the paper suggests. The study’s scope—drawing on tens of thousands of enrolled dogs and owners—gave the team the statistical power to isolate the relative influence of owner age from other demographic measures such as income and education. This level of detail is crucial since understanding these differences can lead to improved health outcomes for pets.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and was summarized by Texas A&M Stories. The Dog Aging Project and collaborating institutions say the results underscore the importance of collecting owner-level information alongside animal data in nutrition research.

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Original reporting: view the original article.