03/15/2018
How Much Sugar is Your Dog Eating?
Dog food companies are not required by law to disclose the actual “carb” content of their products. In order to be compliant with FDA regulations and AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) labeling guidance, the companies are only required to inform levels of Protein, Fat, Fiber, and Moisture on their packaging.
Since 2009, at their annual meetings to discuss Pet Food Industry guidelines, the subject does not seem to be one of importance for AAFCO. And one of the reasons for this is that companies involved (mostly the big players) are simply not willing to disclose how much of their food is made up of cheap ingredients (aka Carbohydrate sources).
The dog's digestive system is actually designed to breakdown Proteins and Fats to generate Glucose, thus, Carbohydrates are not necessary on their diets.
A study from the National Research Council [1] revealed that in ancestral diets, canine species would eat an average of 56% Protein and only 14% of Carbohydrates that may have been ingested in times of scarcity of meat. For example, a wolf may eventually eat cherries if he is not able to find a prey according to the non-profit organization Wolf [2].
Today, the problem is that in the majority of the dog foods, Carbs are present at extremely high levels of up to 70%. In many cases, we can say that over half of what is in the bag is made up of cheap sources like potato or corn. Unfortunately, this means that a dog consuming a lot of sugar is more exposed to Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Diseases, Hyperactivity, and other chronic issues.
At PetFoodVille we think that this is a very important topic and want to help you make more informed decisions. So here is a simple method to find out how much Carbs are present in your dog's food:
1. On your dog's food packaging look for the percentage of Protein, Fat, Moisture (Water) and Ash. Ash refers to the Minerals left over after the food is burned and is another parameter not required on the label. If Ash is not present, use 8%.
2. Sum all percentage together. Say a particular dog food shows Protein 25%, Fat 15%, Moisture 9% and Ash 9%. That is 25 + 15 + 9 + 8 = 57%
3. Subtract 57% from 100%:
Carbohydrates = 100% – 57% = 43%
The next time you purchase your dog's food you may use the number you found as a reference to compare it with other brands.
Good Luck!
References
[1] National Research Council, National Academy of Science, “Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats”, 2006 Edition, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, p 317
[2] http://www.wolf[dot]org/wolf-info/basic-wolf-info/wolf-faqs/
