Keto for dogs and cats

(Jo Lo) #1

Seriously, these animals are extreme carnivores, yet the big chow companies make grain-based pet food that is very high (over 50%) in carbs. So pet obesity (insulin resistance) is a problem, as well as kidney diseases and cataracts (related to high blood sugar).

I asked my LCHF doctor in Seattle about it and he agreed. He said “I feed my dog only meat”. Tim Noakes says that cats are even more sensitive to carbs than dogs are.

So how are your pets doing if you are feeding them grain-based dry foods vs meat?

Species specific nutrition -duh!
#2

A boardgame youtuber that I follow swears by feeding his dogs raw chicken. Says it’s the healthiest thing you can feed them. Here’s an article about it.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15230/1/Raw-Chicken-for-Dogs.html

#3

I heard that there is a feline WOE called “catkins”, as a spin off of Atkins.

(Derek I. Batting) #4

You can’t hear something like that and not look it up! :smiley:
Sure enough, it’s a thing!

http://www.catkinsdiet.net/

http://www.postbulletin.com/life/lifestyles/put-your-fat-feline-on-catkins-diet/article_ebba2dd5-9cf8-55ea-a590-dcfe8ad51d6c.html

#5

I’m reading “dogs, dog food and dogma” by Daniel Schulof and he’s citing Taubes, Hyman, Noakes, Weil and others…but I haven’t had time to get more into it cuz I had my grandchildren staying with me. But it sounds like doggy-Keto so far. That dogs are the same as humans and shouldn’t be eating prepared food loaded with carbs.

(AnnaLeeThal) #6

We have gone to grain free kibble for most of our dogs. One of our problems is a couple of our really old dogs have digestive issues and get explosive diarrhea if they are not on a certain prescription food.

For our very old dog who really doesn’t absorb any food or nutrients I just made her lightly cooked turkey, rice, green beans, and pumpkin and I put yogurt on it for probiotic. I’m trying to get her to gain a little weight and heal her gut a little. I’ll cut back on the rice next time I make it. So far I’m having good results. She also has no teeth.

What I would like to do ideally with my not elderly dogs is raw feeding, but it seems too much right now with how many dogs we have. It would be nice to get Vet guidance to know that we are meeting the dogs needs and have support if needed, but it doesn’t seem like our vet is into that.

#7

I don’t think many vets get into it, but there are many books extolling the virtues of making your own dog food as you do, I’m looking into that with all this reading (that I haven’t been doing recently :blush:). But I have a 14 year old cocker and a 4 year old Brittany mix that I want to keep healthy. I only do rabies shots on them because of the vaccine debates and the junk in them. My old guy is probably good for the rest of his life, I could do titer tests to find out antibody levels, but I just want his remaining time to be quality time. My Brittany has allergies to the vaccines (not rabies)…he face swells up so much his eyes are swollen shut. So we just try to do the best we can for them. My next search will be carb free dog chews…they eat get naked chews and they have rice or potato starch in them. We’re going to be on this Keto adventure together, my furry boys and me :blush:

(AnnaLeeThal) #8

A nice meaty raw bone is a good chew. We also have dehydrated chicken liver that we use for treats.

#9

We do the bones in better weather when they can chew outside…they like to chew on the beige living room area rug and that Is so hard to keep clean, I don’t let them have bones on it. They want a chew that lasts awhile…I found no carb biscuits but they’re gone in a nanosecond :stuck_out_tongue:

(AnnaLeeThal) #10

Deer antlers. My parents give those to their goldendoodles. They frickin love those things.

(Jo Lo) #11

Part of the reason that I asked is that a blind friend has a guide dog which may need to be retired because of cataracts. The food that the dog guide school prescribed years ago is high-grain content. I suspect that was poor advice. My reading suggests that high blood sugar/diabetes often causes cataracts. Maybe a health professional can confirm this? I suggested to my blind friend to switch to meaty dog food, but she says that the dog guide people know better than me. Well, OK…

#12

I thought they would be perfect too, but the vet said they could break teeth, so I didn’t buy them.

#13

She should investigate it for herself. We’re fed too much crap as “being healthy”, as we know too well.

#14

Watching those vet shows on animal planet, I saw them put new lenses into the eyes of dogs with cataracts, just like they do for people. But that can’t be cheap. With a younger dog it might be worth it, though.

#15

Funny I was just researching this the other day, partially because I’ve always wondered why their poop smells so bad. I’ve noticed whilst doing keto (at least for me) there isn’t as much gas/offensive smells at my house. This is an interesting dog food recipe I came across that I am seriously considering doing: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/ideal-dog-food/ . Not exactly keto but certainly lower carb for our little loved ones.

#16

I believe the google term you should try is BARF . Bones and Raw Food.

I made a version of BARF for a cat who had issues with commercial cat food, after buying the specially medicated cat food at exorbitant prices, I found BARF cat foot recipe that I made and he enjoyed for the rest of his life.

Feeding my cat a BARF diet changed his fur, hunger and Poops! Very keto similar now that I think about it. :slight_smile:

(melinda) #17

I’ve moved to grain free dog food as well, but you still have to check the ingredients because a lot of companies bulk out with potatoes, sweet potatoes, chick peas, etc etc.

I like the Taste of the Wild grain free for price v. quality. I can usually find the 30lb bag for $40-45 if I shop around online.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#tbs=vw:l,mr:1,cat:3530,pdtr0:743153|743164,pdtr1:743219|743218,price:1,ppr_min:20,ppr_max:50,init_ar:SgVKAwjKG0oKUggI8a0tIPytLUoKUggIs64tILKuLQ%3D%3D&tbm=shop&q=taste+of+the+wild+grain+free+dog+food

(David) #18

My cat put on a kilo and a bit in the 2/3 months that I got her. Which is a LOT, seeing as she now weighs 4.75 Kg.

I’m considering putting her on a keto diet when I can get in the routine of preparing my own food in bulk in advance, and can also do hers.

(Michelle) #19

I feed my dog the Orijen Six Fish food. here are the ingredients. Not great, but not too bad.

Pasted image1302×480 45.5 KB

(Jo Lo) #20

Wow that’s a pretty wild ingredient list.
According to the Analysis, it’s a low-fat, high carb food.
38 protein + 18 fat = 56% 100 - 56 = 44% carbs.

I’m not sure that’s accurate, but I can’t find understandable numbers on their site…