More than 2 million people are expected to visit the Minnesota State Fair this year, and the dog owners among them have an opportunity to help College of Veterinary Medicine researchers.

Dr. Julie Churchill, head of the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) Nutrition Service, and her team will be conducting a study on pet food portioning at the Driven to Discover Research Facility (D2D) at the State Fair.

“Food is so important to the way people relate to their pets,” Churchill says. “But often, pet parents are not aware of the impact of all the extras they give—treats for snacks, for training, or for administering medication.”

Collecting a diet history of everything a pet eats in a day is a valuable tool allowing veterinarians to complete a nutrition assessment and give recommendations to improve pet health. It's challenging to collect accurate diet information because pet owners use portions of variable sizes when offering food to their pets.

The study, titled “A pinch, a dollop, a scoop or smidge...how much do you think this is?” will assess dog owners' perceptions of common food amounts to develop a tool to make collecting diet information more efficient and accurate for veterinary staff. It’s open to dog owners who are 18 years of age or older.

The VMC nutrition team will be conducting research from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25  and from 2:30 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27. D2D is located at 1367 Cosgrove Street on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.