The Rural Development Administration announced that black goat meat helps maintain the gut microbial balance and improve the immune function of elderly dogs. Black goat meat is known as a healthy food due to its low fat, high protein content, and rich calcium, iron, and vitamins.
The National Institute of Animal Science conducted an experiment to confirm whether black goat meat can positively affect the gut environment of elderly dogs. Researchers fed 12 elderly dogs aged 15 years with a test feed made of high-pressure extruded raw black goat meat for four weeks and compared the changes in gut microbes.
As a result, the gut microbiota associated with inflammatory responses decreased by 38.4%, and beneficial bacteria that help protect the intestinal mucosa and maintain gut function increased by 82.5%. This was evaluated as a basic research result showing the potential of black goat meat to help maintain the gut microbial balance of elderly dogs.
The patent for this research result has been registered, and it is expected to be used as a functional pet food material through technology transfer in the future. The Rural Development Administration plans to continue research to discover functional feed ingredients that maintain pet health and secure scientific data.