Carbohydrates (complex) and dog nutrition

[Anonymous]

Ok – so I have been feeding Loki on a diet that is mainly based around a diet sheet Bev did for when Loki was a puppy – obviously I’ve moved it on from there and I’ve read Diane Morgan’s feeding your dog for life.

However – I have this question…

Loki does not eat carbs really….  he eats around them. 

An example – Sunday night we had Roast chicken, mash and curly kale… so Loki had the same.. we poured some of the juices from the chicken over his food and added cooked giblets… He ate everything – even the curly kael – but left the mash – he licked all the juice from the top of it  😀

Sometimes I mix his food up with the carbs and he’ll eat a bit – but prefers to leave the bulk of it.  If I put the food separate (eg. fish – then rice cooked in water the fish was poached in) he will just eat the meat or fish bit and the veg  :-\

So I wondered – is he telling me he doesn’t need them  ???

Should I just switch to totally raw?

His diet is currently – raw food for breakfast (lamb, pork, goat etc) usually meaty bones – but sometimes just meat. Every once in a while he gets game mix :-[ spoilt thing..

The dinner is cooked meat or fish – with garlic, some herbs, olive oil, sea kelp supplement, veg (not loads) and carbs (mashed potato, rice, cous cous or laughing dog mixer). A few times a week he gets offal such as liver or kidney – rarely some heart…

Recreational bones ad hoc – plus treats such as tripe sticks, pigs ears, or training treats of cheese/ meat.

What do people think?  Should I try reading a barf book? Like an Ian Billinghurst one? Can I cut out the carbs? Or does he need them?

thanks all!

[Sweetypye]

There is no proven need for carbohydrates in a dogs diet; even Pedigree says that on their website!

Dogs do not have the digestive enzymes to metabolise grains correctly and most of it is digested in the lower gut by bacteria which causes gas (I do not know of any raw fed dog that farts).

Also bear in mind that many vegetables have a high carbohydrate content (eg potatoes).

I have not fed my dogs grains or cereals for nearly 8 years…………

[Anonymous]

Do you feed any cooked? or all raw?

What about Veg?

Thanks for your input  🙂

[Sweetypye]

My dogs are totally raw fed.  They get NO grains except those in Natures Harvest which I keep on standby for emergency situations eg if I am travelling far from a supermarket etc.

They get fruit and veg most days all raw and pulped in the processor! Apart from bananas which are sort of pulp already! 😀

[SuzAndTheDiva]

honey has no carbs like rice etc – she hates it probably cos im so crap at cooking them  ::)

shes on cooked food at the minute since tummy problems mainly cause its what she wanted and i just wanted her to eat but normaly she has nearlly all raw reasons being well see above  😀

[Foxisle_crazy]

Oh my! Loki, the exception to the labrador rule!  ::) 😀  Labradors eat everything, someone let him know!  :gum: LOL!

[xtine]

we give Fritz oats sometimes as part of a chicken porridge or pasta… I guess we give to bulk up his tea  :-\
I have read from Sweetypye before that they do not need carbs but his dinners look so small without… should he have more meat then? I give about 125g I would guess per evening meal and bones for brekky
But, he loves his veggies  :yes: with garlic and oil  :yes: except R broke the blender for the second time in about 6 months  >:D

[SuzAndTheDiva]

Christine hate to break it to ya but think the blender breaking accidents arnt a uhm accident………… :canadian:

[xtine]

😮  >:D then I shall carry on making him grate everything – including his knuckles  :yes:

[Anonymous]

[quote author=Foxisle_crazy link=topic=13556.msg258831#msg258831 date=1233090804]
Oh my! Loki, the exception to the labrador rule!  ::) 😀  Labradors eat everything, someone let him know!  :gum: LOL!
[/quote]

I know – he’s a strange one  😀

Have I told you before that he won’t eat anything deep fried?  ::)  Not that he really gets given it – but if I drop a chip on the floor he’ll leave it.. I offered him a deep fried whitebait once and he spat it out asap.  Wierdo  ;D Yet he likes veg…

[Anonymous]

[quote author=SuzAndTheDiva link=topic=13556.msg258828#msg258828 date=1233089983]
honey has no carbs like rice etc – she hates it probably cos im so crap at cooking them  ::)

shes on cooked food at the minute since tummy problems mainly cause its what she wanted and i just wanted her to eat but normaly she has nearlly all raw reasons being well see above  😀
[/quote]

Loki does prefer food cooked to raw  ::) :-[  He won’t touch kidney unless it has at least been seared… and raw fish he also ignores…

Maybe I should try to move onto raw tho… would be quicker/ easier too?  :-\

[xtine]

have tried Fritz on raw offal.. don’t think he liked it that much either  :-\ he will also pick at a raw fish…. :-\
he will eat raw mince tho.. gets that often  :yes:

[Sweetypye]

It is not necessary for a dog to eat raw fish and many do not take to it or reacquaint themselves with it usually on your sitting room carpet; lovely.

For those dogs who will not eat offal have you thought of putting it through a blender and then mixing through in mince?

Kidneys can smell strong to a dog, remember they only need small amounts of offal.

[xtine]

[quote author=Sweetypye link=topic=13556.msg258908#msg258908 date=1233164897]
It is not necessary for a dog to eat raw fish and many do not take to it or reacquaint themselves with it usually on your sitting room carpet; lovely.

[/quote]

you must have been to my house then  😀 we soon stopped the fish when we found fish guts on the sea grass  :vomit:

[Anonymous]

ok – am going to buy a book (Ian billinghurst one I think), then reasses loki’s diet over weekend..

He wouldn’t touch raw fish anyway… although he used to like frozen sardines… but not once they had defrosted…

so really I need to sort out using the blender.. which I never use 
:-[

Blend up offal and veg – but not together or I guess it will move through at speed  😀

[Author]

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