Canine Health Improving Products
– For The Love of Dog.
Canine Health Improving Products is a fully Swedish producer offering functional products with a focus on the dog's health, made with Swedish ingredients to the greatest extent possible while maintaining quality.
We take the veterinarian's perspective, and our products have scientifically proven effects to help dogs live as long and healthy a life as possible.
We are now launching our first product, C+Bite, which combats overweight in dogs and promotes their overall well-being.
C+Bite
C+Bite is a biscuit designed to increase the feeling of satiety and boost metabolism, aiming to support a dog's journey towards a healthy weight. The biscuits contain a high dose of beta-glucan, which has been extensively tested in humans and studied in dogs. Additionally, C+Bite is given as a preload, meaning it is fed before dinner to induce a feeling of fullness earlier in the meal. C+Bite is a completely unique product and the first of its kind.
Preload.
C+BITE should be given 30 minutes before meals in the morning and evening. Eating something small before a meal is called a “preload”, and it is well-documented in humans that this helps reduce total calorie intake and induce an earlier feeling of fullness.
C+BITE is the first of its kind to be used as a preload for dogs.
Weighing
Weigh the dog and determine dosage
Preload
Give the dog C+Bite 30 minutes before eating
Feeding Instructions
Let the dog eat its regular food or follow the recommended feeding guidelines.
Obesity among dogs is a rapidly growing problem that can lead to, among other things, diabetes, joint problems, and a shorter life for the dog.
– Oskar Norstedt, Veterinarian and Founder.
Background:
Today, about 30% of Sweden's dogs are overweight, which means there are 300,000 overweight dogs in Sweden.
Many dog owners are not aware that their dog is overweight. Being overweight as a dog increases the risk of various diseases, such as joint problems, breathing issues, and cardiovascular diseases, to name just a few. These can, in turn, reduce the dog's ability to move, leading to further weight gain.
Being overweight reduces a dog's lifespan by an average of 1.8 years and lowers its quality of life throughout life, not only due to an increased risk of diseases but also because the dog cannot live the active life that is natural for them.
Why does a dog become overweight?
A combination of too much food and too little activity is the main cause of overweight. Additionally, certain hormonal diseases can be an underlying cause of obesity in dogs. In recent years, new findings have shown how much the gut flora affects an individual's energy metabolism and energy absorption, and that a healthy gut flora can help an individual more easily reach a healthy weight.
Many dog owners do not notice that their dog is overweight, as it can be difficult to see the difference in a dog they meet and see every day. Overweight often develops gradually over a longer period. It might also feel like an extra kilogram here or there doesn't matter to the dog, but you have to consider it in relation to the dog's weight—one extra kilogram on a dog that should weigh 10 kg is quite significant.
It may also seem like an extra kilo here or there doesn't matter for the dog, but it must be considered in relation to the dog's weight—one extra kilo on a dog that should weigh 10 kg is quite significant.
The dog itself has difficulty understanding that it is overweight and why this could be bad. At its core, a dog is a hunter and never knows when the next meal will come, so it will try to eat as much as possible when given the chance. The ability to store energy as fat is a useful tool for times when food is less plentiful. Today, many dogs still have this mentality, even though they are fed several times a day and have never missed a meal in their lives. Therefore, it is up to the dog owner to help the dog maintain a healthy weight.
Many dog owners are aware of this problem but still find it challenging to help their dogs lose weight. Today, it is recommended to increase activity, switch to a so-called 'diet food,' which is simply a food that contains fewer calories but is still filling. However, many dog owners still find that their dog becomes very hungry, making it difficult to resist when the dog always seems hungry or frequently begs at the dinner table.
An increased number of inexperienced dog owners due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dogs are becoming increasingly important as family members, but with this comes responsibility.
As a dog owner, you should look out for your dog's best interests, including daily outdoor time, activity levels, and overall well-being.
Many dog owners underestimate how much exercise and stimulation a dog needs to feel good, both physically and mentally. Many find it challenging to help their dog reach an optimal weight because the dog seems so hungry all the time, and begging behavior increases.
The difficulty of seeing a family member go hungry is something everyone can understand. C+Bite aims to help with this issue by increasing the dog's feeling of fullness, thereby improving the well-being of the dog and reducing the emotional stress on the owner.
Activity and Intake – The Fundamental Factors for a Dog's Weight
There are two fundamental ways to help a dog reach its optimal weight, and these work best in combination. Increased activity helps burn more of the energy the dog consumes and stores in its body as fat. The other method is to control and reduce the amount of energy the dog gets from food each day. If the dog receives less energy from food daily, it will instead draw from its own reserves, i.e., fat. Increased activity and reduced energy intake together create a successful path toward a healthy weight for the dog. C+bite increases the amount of short-chain fatty acids in the dog's gut, which in turn reduces fat storage and boosts fat burning. Additionally, it can stimulate hormones such as GLP-1, which leads to increased satiety.
The active component in C+Bites is Beta-glucan.
Beta-glucan is a dietary fiber found in grains and mushrooms. For humans, it is the only fiber of its kind approved by authorities (EFSA, FDA) to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Additionally, studies on dogs have shown that including beta-glucan in their food increases satiety hormones such as GLP-1 and PYY and reduces energy absorption. One study demonstrated that dogs that consumed beta-glucan for 90 days experienced such an increase in satiety that dogs who never used to leave food behind at meals began to do so.
Beta-glucan has also been shown to break down into short-chain fatty acids in the gut, which can, in turn, reduce fat storage and increase metabolism.
Feed Type:
Supplementary Feed
Animal Species:
Dog
Composition:
Oatmeal, Cornmeal, Oat fibers (source of β-glucan 1,3-1,4), Coconut oil and Water
Analytical Constituents:
Crude Protein: 7.21%
Crude Fiber: 13.71%
Crude Fat: 17.58%
Crude Ash: 0.94%
Contents:
Additives:
Glycerol, Natural preservatives, and Flavors
Feeding Instructions:
According to veterinarian recommendations and dosage based on the dog's weight
Manufacturer:
22058302
Labeling Responsible:
CHIP Pet Health AB
Study and Evidence.
The study conducted at SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) by veterinarian Oskar Norstedt on C+Bite is currently being published and will be available here once finalized. In summary, the study showed that a one-week administration of C+Bite resulted in higher levels of short-chain fatty acids in the dogs' feces (p<0.05). Each dog served as its own control, with a baseline established for each dog before the intervention.
A total of 18 dogs participated in the study. The fatty acids measured were propionate, butyrate, and acetate. The dog owners were asked to complete a validated questionnaire regarding their dog’s eating behavior, perceived hunger, and stool consistency. No significant differences were observed in stool consistency, eating behavior, or perceived hunger. One possible explanation for this could be the short duration of the intervention (7 days).
This study provides initial evidence that C+Bite can influence the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids, although longer intervention periods may be needed to observe effects on behavior and hunger.
(Ferreira et al. 2022)
In a study by Ferreira et al. (2022), overweight and normal-weight dogs were given beta-glucan in their food over 90 days. The overweight dogs served as their own controls, with measurements taken at 0 and 90 days. The results showed that beta-glucan supplementation contributed to lower basal blood sugar levels, lower triglycerides, and reduced cholesterol levels in the overweight dogs. Additionally, there were reduced levels of TNF-α (a marker of inflammation) in their blood.
Overweight dogs that received the beta-glucan-enriched food also exhibited higher levels of the satiety hormone GLP-1 compared to both normal-weight dogs without beta-glucan supplementation and overweight dogs without beta-glucan in their diet. By the end of the study, more than 50% of the overweight dogs left food behind at meals, despite the portion size remaining constant. Moreover, behaviors like begging decreased in the overweight dogs that were treated with beta-glucan-supplemented food.
This study highlights the beneficial effects of beta-glucan on metabolic health and eating behavior in overweight dogs.
(Ferreira et al. 2018)
Another study showed that the addition of beta-glucan from oats in the diet reduced the total nutrient absorption from the food by 4.6%, while the amount of feces increased.
(Yang et al. 2023)
A scientific study comparing neutered and non-neutered dogs found a correlation between short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and weight loss, total triglyceride levels, and cholesterol. Dogs with a higher amount of short-chain fatty acids in their feces had an easier time losing weight.
What does Canine Health Improving Products do?
Our purpose is to deliver credible products with proven effects to dog owners and veterinarians.
Canine Health Improving Products, CHIP, was founded at SLU by Oskar Norstedt, who was a veterinary student at the time, together with Fredrik Strömbäck, Creative Director and Business Developer.
They recognized the need for evidence-based products for veterinarians to help dogs in the best possible way. Additionally, CHIP aims to make research more accessible and to clearly explain how different supplements work and why they benefit dogs. CHIP's future goal is to deliver products and solutions that extend and improve dogs' lives while supporting veterinarians in treating their patients in the most effective way.