Effects of Carbohydrates In Dogs - Page 3

OGBS and Ziegnfarm,
Excellent posts. OGBS,Thank you for pointing out that dogs do not need carbs and do not utilize them in the same way as humans. as you correctly pointed out fat and protein are energy sources for dogs, carbs are basically used as a cheap filler. 

demeras, very sorry to hear about your dog. I have several friends that lost their dogs during that time as well.  It was tragic.

Jim

another wow
someone needs some lessons on carbohydrates and you all might want to tell those raw feeders who use veggies and fruit that they have carbohydrates in them. 
so, potatoes are different? 
carbs are carbs are carbs.   If they are in a form that is digestible to the dog, then they will all break down to glucose.  If they are in an undigestible form  (such as fiber) you might get more stool than you expect along with that wonderful fermentation! 
If the protein is digestible to the dog, he will use it or break it down and excrete the amine group.  and you do need to feed daily essential amino acids.   Truth is, dogs digest carbohydrates pretty well and do need some carbohydrates in a balanced diet.  Dogs are also very good fat metabolizers. 

I just can't fathom behavior issues from carbs.   Now red dye #2?  that is another day.
sorry to hear about the melamine poisoning.  I think one of our bigger problems is chinese ingrediets entering the food chain. 

Nancy Rhynard
www.westwoodkennels.com

uh, jim, just want to clarify this.  i didnot mean to suggest that dogs don't need carbs, but the point i was trying to make is that a lot of kibble foods contain a lot more carbs than is good for the dog and a lot less quality protein than they need.  i think it is a crime that they charge 50 bucks and more for a bag of kibble that contains between 21 and 24 percent protein.  you know that the majority of that bag is filled with potatoes, rice, etc.  i just don't think that is a healthy ratio for the dog-----nor is it healthy for my checking account.  i expect more for my dollar, i guess.  if i am going to spend between 50 & 60 bucks for a bag of dogfood, it damn well better be worth it.  ;)
pjp

Nanu, it takes a rather uninformed raw feeder to put fruits and veggies into raw dog food. My dogs only get veggies and fruits when they are nagging me for treats...particularly when I'm doing something with bananas or broccoli. Otherwise, they don't get any carbs. Well, they do get organic yogurt, but the carbohydrate has been converted into a useable form in yogurt.

(cross-posted from another thread)

take a look.  i don't personally feed this brand because of a difference of opinion on some things (i don't feed fruits and veggies), but i found this interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeU6Ofc1hzw&feature=player_embedded

Dr. Richard Patton, PhD - Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University ; Master of Science in Reproductive Physiology, Purdue University; Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and Business studies at Washburn University, Topeka, KS. twenty-eight scientific publications, established two patents.

the insulin spike from feeding kibble once per day reduces lifespan by 2-4 years.  <-- not something i made up because i don't have all sorts of fancy letters after my name, but something to think about.

Do human beings need carb?

Yes and no.

The Inuites eat almost no carb for a large part of the year, except the glycogen in the liver of animals.

They are humans, but I tend to think that there is a process of natural selection. Some just do no thrive without carb and failed to pass the genes on. So after many generations the inuites as a group need little carb.

Human beings will not die suddenly for the lack of carb, as glucose can be manufactured by the body. The Atkins diet to it extreme is very low in carb, down to 30-40 grams a day. Some people can tolerate and thrive in this but many cannot.

Can dogs not be similar? They can be indivudual or breed factor in the need for carb.

My commercial kibble dog food has 30-50% of energy from carb.