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Feeding Carbohydrates To Your Dog

Feeding Carbohydrates To Your Dog

You need to know the difference between humans and dogs and how they digest carbohydrates in there system. The digestive tract in humans are much longer than that of a dog, and the formation of jaws and teeth is entirely different. A dog's digestion starts in the stomach. Dogs' teeth - all 42 of them - are built to tear flesh apart. Dogs gulp their food as fast as they can, which then reaches the stomach with no digestion having taken place.

People start the digestion in the mouth. People chew food with 32 teeth, which have flat surfaces for grinding and breaking down food. Enzymes contained in the saliva contribute to this breakdown of the food, which is being digested before it reaches the stomach.

There are 2 forms of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates come from grains such as wheat, corn, rice, oats, soy and millet. They break down into starches and sugar when properly cooked. Complex carbohydrates come in the form of various fibers such as brans, hulls and peanut shells from the outside of plants. A small amount is needed for proper digestion and stool formation. Nutrients are obtained from both but mostly come from simple carbohydrates.

If carbohydrates make up a large part of your dog's diet, the time and energy needed for digestion increase, the dog performs less well, it will cause large amounts of stool, and a protein deficiency disease may develop. Dogs have evolved as meat eaters and although they need some grains, but their health and longevity will be better served on a diet containing more animal protein than protein from grains.

Dog came from wolves  and an animals carcasses available to them  contained everything they needed for wolves to survive, including predigested vegetable matter in the intestinal tracts of their prey.

Fast forward today and the reason the majority of dry dog foods contain such large amounts of cereal grains is that grains are a cheap source of nutrients. According to the NRC guidelines, "Carbohydrates provide an economical source of energy in the diet of dogs."

Allergic reactions to grains are common in dogs. The best diet for your dog matches that fed in the breed's country of origin as the breed developed. Each dog is an individual, and if yours refuses to eat his food, check the grains listed on the package. The dog may balk because of an allergy to one of the grains in the food.