There is no argument that cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they must get their nutrients from animals. Dogs are considered facultative carnivores. While they thrive on a carnivore diet, they can still survive on a non-carnivorous diet. Both cats and dogs can happily make their own energy from proteins and fats. Dogs lack salivary amylase which is an enzyme to break down carbs. This means that dogs start digesting carbs in the stomach. Digestion doesn’t start in the mouth, like omnivores. Cats lack the salivary, intestinal, and pancreatic enzymes necessary to thoroughly break down and digest carbs.
But, how many carbs does your pet food have?
You will rarely see carbohydrates listed on a pet food label, so you will have to do a little math. We used Open Farm’s Grain Free Beef Recipe below:
Note: you cannot compare dry food to wet food without additional math.
Ash for wet food is estimated at 1.5%
Dry food has to contain carbohydrates in order to retain its shape.
Excessive consumption of carbohydrates in a dog & cat’s diet can lead to various health concerns
Weight gain and obesity
Diabetes
IBD
Pancreatitis
What can you do about it?
Feed the highest quality food that you can afford.
Use a lower carbohydrate option as a topper or for a few meals a week when possible.
These types of foods often have less carbohydrates than dry food:
Canned
Dehydrated
Freeze-Dried
Gently Cooked
Raw
Or top your pet’s dry food with beneficial low carbohydrate, whole foods!
But make sure to do the carbohydrate math. Because some fresh foods use cheap ingredients and end up with as many carbohydrates as dry food!
And we don’t want you to overpay for cheap fillers.
Still not sure how to do the math?
Come see us and we will walk you through it so you always have a tool to check your dog and cats food!