A WILTSHIRE-BASED dog food manufacturer wants to change canine diets by encouraging pet owners to feed them raw meat.

Poppy's Picnic has spent the month carrying out a 'RAWgust' campaign to educate people about the wellbeing benefits dogs get from eating raw fresh unprocessed food.

They hope it will help combat obesity in dogs.

Founder Dylan Watkins said: “With the majority of the nation feeding their pets highly processed foods, our research shows there is a dire need to educate Britons about the content and freshness of pet food.

"This often contains a lower meat content than the once notorious Turkey Twizzlers, which contained just 34 per cent meat. While for humans there is no shortage of campaigns attempting to turn the tide of obesity and its complications, we wanted to lead the charge in educating dog owners.”

Poppy’s Picnic released brand new research which showed that although 81 per cent of the British public recognise fresh food as the best diet for humans to stay fit and healthy, only 51 per cent think the same is true for dogs.

Canine nutritionist and behaviour expert Anna Webb said: "Feeding a biologically appropriate diet nourishes dogs at a cellular level.

"Its bio-availability means you're feeding to optimise health and help prevent disease while putting a lustre back into the coat."