The necessity of carbohydrates in dog foods draws a mixed reaction, with some noting the benefits of carbs in dog foods while others are saying they are unnecessary. Keto diet lovers go further to link high carbo diets to various health issues.
Most pet parents believe an excellent dog food should be high in protein, moderate to high in fats, and low in carbohydrates. Let us take a dig.
What are carbohydrates
Carbohydrates refer to sugars, oligosaccharides, starches, and fibers, and they are found in grains, vegetables, fruit, or milk products (cheese, yogurt, and so on).
Sugars are divided into monosaccharides with only a single sugar molecule like glucose, fructose galactose, and disaccharides with two sugar molecules. Disaccharides include maltose, lactose, and sucrose. Some fruits, table sugar, and honey are a source of simple sugars.
Oligosaccharide has 3-9 sugar units, while starches (complex carbohydrates together with fiber) such as amylose, amylopectin, and maltodextrins have at least ten sugar units.
Finally, dietary fiber are divided into soluble and insoluble. Examples include cellulose, inulin, gum, pectins, and hemicelluloses.
Sources of carbs
Carb sources include corn, rice, wheat, oats, rye, barley, beans, peas, lentils, sweet potatoes, quinoa, potatoes, bananas, orange, grapefruits, apples, blueberries, beetroot, as well as seeds and nuts.
Also, bread, cookies, crackers, pasta, couscous, pretzels, noodles, muffins, bagels, tortillas, soft drinks, cherry pie, and so on are carb sources.
Carbs and glycemic index (GI)
GI is a measure of how fast and how much a food raises the blood sugar level and may affect diabetic dogs. Usually, complex carbs have a lower glycemic index (GI), meaning they will be absorbed into the bloodstream slowly than simple sugars.
However, processing, starch type, carbohydrate content, and ripeness in fruits, acid and fat content, preparation, and eating speed (how quickly it’s chewed or swallowed) influence GI.
Some carbohydrate sources like bananas, watermelons, carrots, whole wheat bread, and so on have a higher GI but are low in carbohydrates. Therefore, they may not have a considerable influence on blood sugar levels.
Should dogs eat carbs?
Yes. Dogs can eat carbohydrates. However, perhaps a more accurate question would be whether they need them or not, and are they good or bad. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Let us look at what those who support and those who don’t state.
Those who support
The National Research Council of the National Academies notes that carbs are not an essential canine diet requirement. However, most foods do have them. Those who support them, including manufacturers, have the following to say:
1. Dogs have the right enzymes
While they don’t have enzymes in their saliva like us to break down starch, their pancreas release amylase that digests starch, while their brush border has enzymes to break down sugars monosaccharides.
Therefore, they can effectively digest carbs and absorb them in their small intestines. Their saliva only lubricates the food and helps heat loss (they salivate when it’s hot).
Once absorbed, they go into the liver, blood, and other parts of the body to serve as a readily available energy source. Any excess is rapidly stored as glycogen in muscle tissues and liver and is quickly accessible when needed or converted to fats.
2. Wolve ancestors and adaptation
Dogs are descendants of wolves, and analysis of wolves’ stomach content shows they consume some vegetables and fruits. Also, since they eat their prey’s stomach content, which happens to be grass and grain-eating animals, they end up ingesting predigested carbs.
With many years of domestication, a dog isn’t a wolf. Reasons why some people refer to them as omnivores and not carnivores are:
- Their digestive tract length is in-between obligate carnivores and herbivores to help them handle meat and plant material. Herbivores have a long digestive system to digest plant material, while carnivores have a short one since meat is easier to digest.
- While their sharper incisors and canines help them tear or rip flesh apart, they have relatively flat molars to help them pulverize and grind anything that is not flesh.
- Genetically, dog domestication’s genomic signature reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet, i.e., dogs have 10 genes that help in starch digestion and make them able to thrive in diets rich in starch when compared to wolves require a more carnivorous diet.
- As already seen, they produce amylase and disaccharidases to aid in the digestion of carbohydrates.
3. It’s not about profits
Most dry dog foods have between 30% and 70% carbohydrates, and most critics of giving say they are a cheap filler that doesn’t help your dog in any way.
Dogs can indeed live without carbohydrates in their diet, and they can derive their energy from the breakdown of proteins and fats to get the glucose that is then used to produce energy.
However, there are many reasons why manufacturers add carbs, and the so-called grain-free do have carbohydrates from tapioca, peas, taro, sweet potatoes, or potatoes. Some of the reasons include:
- Their versatile digestion system can handle carbs well, making them a readily digestible source of glucose.
- They help abrade teeth surface of your dog, something that will reduce tartar accumulation
- They are cheaper, easy to source, and produce as opposed to fats or proteins. Therefore, they will make the overall cost of the food you buy to be cheaper.
- They help prolong shelf-life
- Carbs help give extruded kibbles their texture and structure, and how the mouth feels affects palatability. Similarly, carbs are used in wet food. For instance, many manufacturers add guar gum, which is nothing other than the endosperm from guar plant seed, to help thickening, emulsifying and stabilizing foods
- They are a more proficient energy source. i.e., are easier to break down and turn to energy as opposed to proteins or lipids and the most preferred. The body only turns to the others once they are depleted. Similarly, the breakdown of amino acids to glucose is an effort-intensive longer process.
- Some like grains, have vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals, and fiber, while others have essential amino acids, fatty acids, and even protein.
- Those low in fats and calories may help your dog feel full if you need it to shed some calories.
If being honest is anything to go by, most people feed leftovers have carbs to their dogs. Furthermore, they eat bones, organs, connective tissues, and hooves while eating the remaining premium parts.
Therefore, unless there is a medical reason why your dog shouldn’t eat carbohydrates, nothing is allowing their food to have some.
4. May help dogs with kidney disease
Dogs with kidney disease require diets low in protein since it is high in phosphorus. Therefore, manufacturers use carbohydrates to counterbalance the reduction in protein. Otherwise, they will have to increase fats.
5. Control fat stored
Besides being easily and quickly converted to glycogen, carbs control how much fats the body stores since when they are absent, the body will use more fats and proteins.
6. Spares amino acids
Since glucose is the most preferred energy source, their bodies won’t use amino acids to produce energy if carbs are provided in optimum amounts. Instead, the amino acids will help repair and build tissues, repair cells, support immunity health.
Furthermore, the metabolism of proteins to produce energy leads to nitrogenous wastes that their bodies have to remove.
7. Source of fiber
Complex carbs will provide dietary fiber, which will have many benefits despite not being necessary in canine diets. It will help prevent diarrhea or constipation, feeds gut microbiota to ensure a healthy gut, helps in weight loss, manage diabetes, among other benefits. See more on do dogs need fiber.
Opponents
Those who don’t support giving dogs foods with carbs or diets with low carbs such as the keto and paleo diets have the following as their pivotal points:
1. They don’t need carbs
Dogs don’t have a physiological need for carbs, and they can thrive on fats and proteins alone. Having enzymes may only show that these pets can tolerate carbohydrates and not necessarily they need them. Also, since they handle them well, it doesn’t mean they lost their ability to get energy from fats and proteins.
Many studies have shown that dogs that ate only proteins and fats didn’t suffer from any diet-related illnesses and could perform well in places that needed energy-intensive activities, including prolonged or short bursts of exercises.
2. Glucose doesn’t mean carbs
Yes, glucose is the primary energy source in living cells. However, dogs can efficiently metabolize fats to produce glucose in their liver and kidney. Their ancestors, like wolves, jackals, and coyotes, get their energy from fats and protein.
Therefore, any argument around glucose shouldn’t be taken to mean carbs. While it’s true, they are a source of readily available glucose,
3. Carbs and obesity
Many studies have shown dogs or even cats fed on low-carb diets lost more body fat and weight as opposed to those that fed on high-carb low diets.
Similarly, if you subscribe to the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model (CIM) of obesity, which says that “recent increases in the consumption of processed, high-glycemic load carbohydrates produce hormonal changes that promote calorie deposition in adipose tissue, exacerbate hunger and lower energy expenditure,” you may want to blame dog obesity for carbohydrates. However, if your dog eats whole grains, this shouldn’t be a problem
4. May cause metabolic disorders
By giving your dog carbohydrates instead of fats and proteins, you raised the chances of metabolic disorders such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity since they triggered or worsened by a metabolic system that is working less than its ideal state. (2) Also, sugar feeds cancer.
5. May suppress immunity
Glucose is liked to white cell production when it is too much; it causes an insulin spike and suppresses other metabolic pathways except those that make glucose go into cells. High simple sugars and carbs will contribute to a jump in glucose.
6. Dogs efficiently metabolize fats
Contrary to many assumptions, dogs can metabolize 90-95% of the fat they eat, which is enough to give them all the energy they need. Their muscles are adapted to use fats have prostaglandins that help reduce inflammation.
Also, fats help in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, i.e., vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Don’t worry about your dog ending with some human disease caused by high-fat consumption as they handle cholesterol differently and will not suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
Canned foods are lower in carbs
To prove that carbs are only fillers, they question the rationale behind keeping the amounts low in most canned foods instead of kibbles. However, we have seen the reasons why they are high in kibbles.
Best carbs for dogs and what to avoid
Some of the excellent carbohydrate sources for dogs include whole grains (with bran, germ, or endosperm – entire kennel), vegetables, and fruits.
Specific ones include whole wheat, oatmeal, bulgur, corn, barley, oats, rye, sorghum, millet, brown rice, triticale, and so on. If you prefer grain-free, go for beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, sweet potatoes, taro potatoes, and tapioca
Some carbohydrates such as rice, corn, barley, and oats found in many dog foods are highly digestible and dogs don’t eat them because you force them but their bodies can handle them and benefit.
However, avoid refined grains (removes germ and bran, taking away dietary fiber, vitamin B, iron, and so on). They offer calories alone. Furthermore, dogs process them faster and may lead to a spike in blood glucose levels. Such include white rice and flour, pasta, degermed rice, sugar, and so on. Consider them if your dog has digestive issues.
Finally, to help improve digestibility, when you want to use them in homebased diets, consider soaking, grinding or cooking your carbohydrates except for fruits. Avoid processed ones.
Carbohydrate content in dog food
Some food manufacturers give you the amount of carbohydrate, while others don’t since it is not a requirement. To determine carbohydrate content, deduct from 100 the amount of protein, fats, moisture, and ash, i.e., carbohydrate content = 100 – (protein + fats + moisture + ash).
There are no standards of acceptable amounts in low, moderate, or high carbohydrates. For instance, some consider low to be 20-25, medium 25-40, or even up to 60, and so on.
Similarly, how much of the grains a dog eats varies from one dog to another. Some have great stool quality with diets with grains, while it is not the case for some.
However, ensure senior dogs have diets lower in calories and sodium and high digested carbs while keeping their protein content higher. Also, go for highly digestible proteins.
When your dogs may have high carb food
Dogs intolerant to fats, having pancreatitis, or hypertriglyceridemia (high blood fat levels) require diets low in fats. In such a case, avoid low carbohydrate diets as they are naturally higher in fats. Instead, go for those higher.
When to go for low carbohydrate foods
Dogs suffering from GI chronic inflammation like inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, or transient gastroenteritis or have beet on an antibiotic therapy should have low carbohydrate diets. These conditions erode their mucosal gut lining, which has enzymes to digest disaccharides formed from upper intestine carbohydrate digestion.
Since disaccharides can no longer be digested, they will absorb water, causing diarrhea. Similarly, if any of these conditions cause carbohydrate absorption problems, there may be more bacterial fermentation and overgrowth of bacteria. These two may cause gas, diarrhea, and discomfort.
Also, dogs with cancer and diabetic may need low carbohydrate food that is high in fats, fish oil as well as arginine. If your dog with cancer is obese, you may have to opt for low-fat protein sources like tofu while keeping starch small and giving them veggies to provide minerals and vitamins.
Irish Setters have been reported to suffer from genetic gluten-induced celiac disease or enteropathy characterized by weight loss, diarrhea, and poor conditions if they they eat any food with gluten such as wheat, rye, barley, and so on.
In such a case, go for gluten-free foods such as those with potato, amaranth, soy, rice, buckwheat quinoa, etc.
For allergies, you don’t have to go too low carbohydrate foods but find the specific food that causes allergy and avoid it. Also, let your vet treat the allergy.
Facts and fiction
Fiction: A dog’s stomach is more acidic than a human.
Fact: Human and dog stomach pHs are similar. On the contrary, one for dogs being more alkaline in some instances, i.e., 1.0-4.0 in humans and 1.08-5.5 for a dog.
Fiction: Human can digest cellulose while dogs cannot.
Fact: Dogs cannot digest cellulose, just like humans. Only herbivores are able to do so, a reason why we cooked food or finely grin them to derive benefits.
Fiction: Carbohydrates stresses the pancreas
Fact: Carbohydrates don’t stress the pancreas, whose role is to produce relevant enzymes to digest protein, fats, and carbs. On the contrary, during pancreas inflammation (enzymes cause inflammation and damage to it and surrounding), your vet will tell you to go for a long fat, high carbohydrate diet.
Fiction: Carbohydrates cause most allergies.
Fact: While some dogs may be allergic to individual carbohydrate sources like grains, other factors influence allergies, including genetic predisposition. Additionally, they are not the most common allergen. The common ones are beef and dairy before wheat. Others are egg, chicken, lamb, mutton, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish.