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How TO calculate sugar content in your pet's food!

4/25/2019

3 Comments

 
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With ‘grain-free’ this and ‘grain-free’ that, everyone is practically obsessed with the phrase grain free! “What do you feed your pet?”, “Oh I feed a good brand of kibble- it’s grain free!”.

​Does that necessarily mean that your pet is out of the woods? Unfortunately, not.

You see, kibble needs some sort of a starch so that it can bind, and of course, when something is removed that also means that something is added. And unfortunately, with what is added comes at a price. The trend I’m seeing now is kibble foods that are high in legumes, which means that you just switched your dog and cat from a grain-based diet to now a high lectin diet, which I’m afraid can be worse.
You see, a high lectin and phytate diet overtime can actually erode the precious mucosal layer of cells that line the stomach wall, literally eroding a hole in the stomach lining- what does that mean? Think Leaky Gut, IBS, over active immune system, etc.

Above all that, canines and especially felines lack the enzymes such as phytase to break down the proteins and substances such as phytates in these foods. Phytates are substances that carnivores can't break down and they bind to minerals, leeching them out of your pet's body.
Now let’s talk sugar, conventional dry pet foods (and even prescription diet kibbles) can exceed over 40-50% in total carbohydrates, that means that about half of the food is compromised of nonessential simple sugars. Yet, when you call the manufacturer and ask about sugar content a typical response would be that they do not add any sugar, and yet we know that carbohydrates are broken down into sugar (glucose) in the body, feeding inflammation and chronically spiking glucose levels which can lead to diabetes and obesity.

A simple equation can be applied to find out the exact % of carbs (sugar) in your pet's food;
100-% protein- % fat- % moisture -% ash (if not listed, assume 6%) = % carbs
 
For more information feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you with your pets well being journey every step of the way, and to transition to a more wholesome diet appropriate for your pet's breed and age.
3 Comments
Kristy and Jayda link
5/2/2019 02:56:04 pm

I had my dog on raw and switched to what is considered a "high quality" kibble to save money. Saving money did not happen.
Where I saved on food I was buying more poop bags, suddenly had to brush my dogs teeth daily (with it only slowing tooth decay down), tear stain removers, cans of pumpkin for an upset stomach, air freshener for when she used the pee pads (her pee and poop smelt really bad and strong), more water filters (she was drinking almost twice as much and so on.
Worst decision I ever made giving her kibble. From her eating kibble for almost a year I have to pay almost $1,000 for dental work and she needed excessive grooming from hair becoming brittle and easily matted.
Maybe it was just the timing but it seems odd this all happened 2 months after I started feeding kibble when my dog was already 4 years old. I will say I had to brush her teeth 3 times a week while on raw because she doesn't chew on anything but when she was eating kibble daily brushing didn't help.
Please keep your dog on raw or switch to raw. Even my cat that eats raw now at 10 years old is in better shape than when he was 5 on kibble.

Reply
Pankaj link
10/16/2022 02:50:28 am

There's no way I could know this, as a first-time pet owner website like your really helped to gain knowlege about the topic that a person like me isn't aware of. Thank you for sharing this. Keep Posting!

Reply
Steven Williams link
10/29/2022 10:32:25 am

The trend I’m seeing now is kibble foods that are high in legumes, which means that you just switched your dog, Thank you for sharing your great post!

Reply



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    Author

    Lucy is an avid pet mom; with dogs, cats, goats and horses to keep her busy! All of her pet 'kids' are fed a species appropriate diet with proper supplementation so she can watch them thrive. Her expertise and experience lie in nutraceutical supplementation and is a health advocate for proper diet and nutrition. ​Her other passions in life are schutzhund and equestrian riding.

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