Shouldn't My Dog be Keto?

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #1

She has 2 types of food. One I cook thats just meat cooked in water. And another from a tin that has grain a plenty!
Think I’ll try and get a Test strip under her … easier said than done

(Bob M) #2

Grains are bad for them, I believe.

Whether they should be keto is an interesting question. I have my dog on basically meats and some vegetables. But the frozen dog meats I buy are high in protein and lower in fat. I’ve been wondering whether we need to increase fat content, and then the issue is, how? It’s hard to find fat.

Here’s an interesting site:

(Joey) #3

Ha! Love it.

Our vet once instructed my wife to gather a urine sample from our yellow lab rescue. I immediately got out the video camera in hopes of capturing something to add to our home video reel. :movie_camera: :film_projector:

Not surprisingly, it never happened.

#4

I give the 2 dogs at work small chunks of brisket and the first thing they do every morning is run in to see me.

If I have nothing to give them they’re straight out again though!

(Shannon) #5

I’ve had my dogs on a raw food diet for about 7 months now. It mainly consists of ground dark meat chicken and ground 85/15 turkey. I’ve read they need between 10-20% fat in their diet. I also supplement with organ meat (hearts & livers mainly), eggs, and I give them ground beef bones in powder form sprinkled on their food once a day. One of my dogs has already lost a pound, and the other is looking much more svelte. I worry a little about the raw aspect, I think they are susceptible to salmonella just like we are. But, so far it seems to be working really well.

#6

Mine are half and half - no-grain kibble and whatever meats I am eating. They get kibble for breakfast and meat for dinner. They also get bones. The little dog is now 16 and thriving, the Great Dane is 9 and thriving, their average age is 8. So, they seem to be healthy and happy with this.

That said, in my youth I have fed dogs the cheapest available kibble (I had no money) and they also lived long lives. So…

#7

I previously fed my dogs grain-free diets until their vet told me to switch back to food with grains, citing this investigation: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

I don’t think there’s anything conclusive yet, and possibly it’s the canine equivalent of, “You should eat more carbs!” but my older dog did develop a heart murmur over time – of course, possibly unrelated.

(Bob M) #8

That was funded by the grain-loving dog food producers:

I would assume a heart murmur would be more genetic than food-related, though I could be wrong.

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #9

First thing the vets always check is the Heart … not sure if its related. Like most dog owners, I really want to do the best I can … it’s hard to know what that might be. Mind you, most humans don’t choose their best diet for themselves!

(Bob M) #10

For the dog I have, a poodle mix, people are convinced that these dogs have problems with chicken. I don’t think that’s true. I think what’s happening is that the kibble with chicken they are feeding them is the problem, not the chicken itself.

But since we feed our pup mainly meat, including chicken, I can’t really test this.

(Michael) #11

Dogs are hyper carnivores, period. Mostly meat with small amounts of veggies, but best with pure meat. Vets suggest grains because they are clueless just like most human doctors. Only feed my dogs pure meats (not too fatty) and they are doing great. In fact most people ask what I feed my dogs to get such great strength and beautiful fur coat. Do not be fooled like society. In nature dogs do not eat veggies ( except some grass) and cats are PURE carnivore, but most cat food is grain based. Also why the percentage of diabetic pets rivals the US population.

(Allie) #12

My boy eats raw meat, that’s all.
Pound of either raw beef or raw venison each day.

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(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #13

The word “keto” in the title of the thread is confusing. Dogs, like all other mammals except human beings, enter ketosis only during the late stages of starvation. So, if that’s what “shouldn’t my dog be keto” means, then no, your dog should not be in ketosis. Please don’t starve your dog.

However, many people use “keto” to mean a diet very low in carbohydrates. In that sense, for reasons people have already cited in this thread, yes, your dog should be keto. I have heard of people maintaining their dogs in exceptional health for very long lives by feeding an all-meat diet, usually raw.

#14

Gus, my previous pup, lived until 15 human years.

He ate everything and anything (if i would let him).
He loved his spuds and gravy, leftover roasts, chops etc.
He ate his wet dog meat, but rarely finished his complete dog mixer.

In the end, it was pancreatitus that took him.
But it was a long life for him. He had curious lumps and cattarachts etc., but still surprisingly strong and active right up until the end.
Gus and his lazer eyes before the cattarachts:

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(Eric) #15

My city dog blew up to 26 pounds when he was a year old. I convinced the family to allow me to give him a carnivore (mostly) diet. He’s now 19.5 pounds, happy and healthy and eating meats with some oil and water in it, and whatever he can beg for or find on the ground (he found a pot gummy a few months ago: that wasn’t fun). I’d recommend a mostly carnivore diet for dogs from my n=1 experiment. I was adding chopped cabbage for fiber but haven’t in six months with no difference.

(KCKO, KCFO) #16

Oh he is looking so good!! Haven’t seen much of him lately. Glad he is back.

#17

Reading these replies is great; it’s gotten me wanting to revisit my two dogs’ diet. For those feeding meat, are you buying up cheap cuts etc at the grocery store/butcher and preparing yourself? Or buying wet packaged food? Or ordering fresh cooked food (e.g. The Farmer’s Dog)?

(KM) #18

A cat food medley I got contained one variety with greens and rice. Yes, very natural, I can see him out in the paddy in his little coolie hat …

Actually what I did see was a plate licked clean, except for a tablespoon of rice grains. Good boy!

(Eric) #19

I buy the cheapest chicken legs and thighs (I think $1.49/lb in NYC), boil it for an hour, then cut the meat and package it into portions for 2x per day. I add the oil and water later. My dog is roughly 20 lbs and I usually boil six chicken legs and thigh combos together at a time (so six legs and six thighs); the broth I keep and he gets the fat and broth and I drink the broth. This feeds him for roughly 10-12 days, depending on size. The whole thing costs probably $11 or $12, so $1/day (not including the stove gas). I pour in olive oil if we run through the chicken fat faster. I mix this up with days if cheap ground beef (80/20) or chopped pork meat (gotta mix it up sometimes). He really loves his food, and I’ve seen him pass by kibble on the street. The vet started to argue with us but the dog is super healthy and looks great. Not a scientific experiment but.he looks like it is working for him and he’s happy. Before this the doctor had him on the “science diet” food with loads of carb: he was 33% higher weight and looked like a furry cinder block. It’s difficult to give him massive amounts of exercise in nyc but we get him 5 miles most days.

(Allie) #20

The pet store I use sells loads of ready made raw food brands so I just buy frozen and defrost daily.