Do dogs need carbohydrates?


Dry dog food (aka kibble) will often range from 30% to 60% carbohydrates.
Ask yourself why that is.
Is it for the benefit of your dog…?
…or for the pet food manufacturer to make more money by keeping production costs down significantly?
I would say the latter, and there are plenty of very healthy raw fed dogs across the world who consume very few carbohydrates, if any at all.
Carbohydrates are necessary in kibble to bind it together into those little hard nuggets, so in that sense they’re necessary, but there have been kibbles in Australia made with less than 20% carbohydrates which still look and act like kibble.
Here’s a quick fact: A cheap grain inclusion in a kibble can cost one tenth that of a cheap meat ingredient.
When you consider that, it comes as no surprise the real reason we feed our dogs so many carbohydrates when we feed them a kibble.
You may wonder, should you be feeding your dog kibble at all?
It’s a convenience food after all.
Let’s take a look at whether our dogs really need carbohydrates. We’ll compare our dogs to cats as obligate meat-eating carnivores who we also feed high-carbohydrate diets, then discuss the different diets people feed their dogs and how much carbohydrates they contain.
Cats don’t need carbohydrates, yet dry cat food is packed with carbohydrates
We often hear the excuse “dogs are omnivores”, but there are many scientific facts which prove dogs are more like cats than humans.
Waggle a steak in front of your dogs nose, then waggle some corn on the cob. See the difference?
Dogs, like cats, are instinctively drawn to prey – to meat, organs, raw meaty bones to chew on. Nature is miraculous, and both dogs and cats have survived many thousands of years with those instincts.
But then we domesticated them and started feeding them carbohydrates. Even factually obligate carnivore meat-eating cats who we know shouldn’t be fed grains, but most cat owners across the world feed their cats mostly grains without realising they’re doing so.
The digestive system of your dog is very similar to that of a cat. So are their teeth. So are their instincts. All these biologically facts point to animal being a far better option than anything else for the health of your pet.
Guess how many carbohydrates there are in prey?
Basically nil.
Why is cat food high in carbohydrates?
When you question that, you can also question why dog food is high in carbohydrates.
How many carbohydrates are in different types of dog food?
When we compare the carbohydrate levels in various types of dog food we find quite an incredible contrast.
Dry dog food (“Kibble” or “Biscuits”)
If you want to stuff your dog full of carbohydrates then kibble will do just that.
On average, kibble will contain 30-60% carbohydrates. Most of the time we don’t even realise the hard brown nuggets are more carbs than meat as the packaging and marketing will make you believe otherwise, and carbohydrates are rarely listed as a percentage on the packaging.
If you want to know how many carbohydrates there are in the food you’re feeding your dog then either read the review or use this carbohydrate calculator.
Grains like wheat, corn, and rice are commonly used in both dog foods and cat foods. Some call them biding agents, some call them fillers, but pet food companies do their best to convince you they’re beneficial for your dog.
Most people turn to high carbohydrate dry dog foods because they simply can’t afford the seemingly ludicrous prices of high-end dog foods.
Sadly, I suspect these kibbles often lead to numerous diet-related diseases.
Not only diet-related disease, but lethargy, arthritis, and a sub-optimal standard of living.
For this reason, if you’re unable to afford anything better, I urge you to supplement your dog’s diet with cheap cuts of meat (reduced bargains if you can), off-cuts, animal fats, oils, raw meaty bones like chicken necks, or wonderfully nutritious eggs.
Wet food
Wet mush as I prefer to call it, canned wet food typically contains fewer carbohydrates than dry food counterparts.
On average, wet mush can be 5-15% carbohydrates, but you also have a much higher moisture content.
When you take moisture out of the equation, you’ll have a much higher ratio of carbohydrates to proteins and fats.
Depending on the brand, wet food can range from terrible quality to half-decent based on ingredients, but beware many popular brands of wet dog food aren’t very healthy at all, and if that’s all you feed your dog they’ll likely end up with terrible teeth and likely poor health.
A good tip if you’re adamant about feeding commercial dog food is to feed a mix of dry and wet, or better yet mix in some fresh meats, organs, raw meaty bones, and healthy table scraps.
I often find the ingredients of the wet food range of a brand better than the dry food range, but it’s almost always more expensive.
Raw and fresh diets, commercial raw, and BARF
Raw and fresh diets, including those based on raw meat, organs, and raw meaty bones (or even lightly cooked meals), are the most species-appropriate in terms of carbohydrate content.
Many of the dog foods on the best rated list are low carbohydrates. Some brands like Frontier Pets, Eureka, and ZIWI Peak are very low carbohydrate – great choices for your dog.
Yes, the above are commercial dog foods, but if you’re looking for convenience they’re definitely the best options in Australia right now (or ZIWI Peak is sold worldwide).
If you make your dog raw food at home (here’s a guide to raw food diets for dogs) then you’ll likely have minimal carbohydrates or none, depending on your preference and knowledge of raw feeding.
Or, if you want your raw balanced and prepared for you as a nice convenient patty, check out BARF brands like Big Dog and Proudi which are sold in most Australian pet stores.
All the above diets will usually contain less than 10% carbohydrates, relying instead on protein and fat as primary energy sources.
Advocates of raw and fresh diets argue that this approach closely mimics the natural diet of dogs and supports optimal health, and that sounds like good reasoning to me.
How much carbohydrates should you feed your dog?
I may argue your dog doesn’t need any carbohydrates, based on my view they are primarily carnivore or at least facultative carnivore.
However, for most people – including myself – carbohydrates become a necessary evil when it comes to cost. Needless to say, with the cost of pet food these days I think most of us struggle to cover the cost?
Here are some factors to consider when assessing how many carbohydrates you may feed to your dog:
Activity level
Did you know most working dog foods are very high carbohydrate, often from some of the cheapest grain inclusions available? I don’t agree with it being the best solution, but a working dog will very likely burn off the calories more than a laptop who will likely get very fat.
Active dogs, such as working breeds, may benefit from a slightly higher carbohydrate intake to meet their energy demands, and these higher carbohydrate foods are more often far cheaper.
The problem I find is many domestic dogs are fed high-carbohydrate kibbles, and I often see middle-aged to senior dogs who are overweight, stiff with arthritis, with dull coats, and probably silently developing organ disease without the owner realising.
It may sound strange, but many times I hear the owners proudly exclaim how great their dog food is when it’s clear their dog definitely isn’t doing as great as they think.
Health conditions
High-carbohydrate diets, particularly those based on grains like wheat or cereals as they’re most often labelled on the packaging, are what I consider the cause of numerous (if not most) health issues in dogs:
- Obesity – Carbohydrates are calorie-dense and can contribute to weight gain, especially in less active or older dogs.
- Diabetes – Excessive carb intake may strain insulin regulation.
- Allergies and Sensitivities – Grains are often considered a common allergen in dogs, but is it really an allergy if a dog shouldn’t eat those grains in the first place? Sensitivities to grains (or wheat mites) can cause itching, digestive upset, itchy ears, hot spots, and other symptoms.
- Diet-Related Diseases – Some studies suggest carb-heavy diets could play a role in conditions like pancreatitis and cancer, or all manner of organ disease. Some times we’re told otherwise (like grains or legumes are beneficial for our dogs), but many of these studies are funded or conducted by pet food companies themselves, and usually the conclusion is nothing more than a tenuous hypothesis which probably should’ve gone the other way. Ever wonder why most kibble-fed cats die of renal failure?
Conclusion
We’re told dogs are omnivores like us, but they’re definitely not like us – they’re more like a cat, and a cat is an obligate carnivore.
We’re told grains (and legumes) are beneficial for dogs, but it’s always debatable whether they are. Many supremely healthy dogs have been fed raw food diets without carbohydrates (or minimal carbohydrates) for many years, and that would suggest – like a cat – dogs do not need carbohydrates.
However, if your dog has a diet inclusive of high quality proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, and bone content, then some carbohydrates will likely cause very little harm. In some cases, they may well benefit from the nutrients in carbohydrate and starchy foods.
I recommend viewing your dog primarily as a carnivore, keeping in mind their natural dietary bias is towards “whole prey” – animal proteins, fats, raw meaty bones.
High-carb diets, particularly those based on grains, may not only misalign with your dog’s evolutionary needs, but also contribute to health issues.
As a dog (or cat) owner, always understand the foods (and ingredients) you are feeding your pet. Wherever possible, consider reducing a reliance on carb-heavy kibble in favour of lower-carb, nutrient-rich alternatives that cater for their carnivorous nature.
Feeding your dog as nature intended could be the key to a healthier, happier life, don’t you think?