Atkins. South Beach. The Zone. Recognize them? For humans… these low carbohydrate diets are truly renowned.
But in the world of dog food… carbohydrates remain a huge mystery.
That’s because the dog food industry makes absolutely no attempt to disclose the actual carbohydrate content of its products.
Think I’m kidding?
Just look at the “Guaranteed Analysis” printed on the label of virtually every dog food product. Notice the package reveals the percentages of just four nutrients…
- Protein
- Fats
- Fiber
- Moisture (water)
Have you noticed what’s missing?
That’s right… carbohydrates!
It’s Missing from Every Dog Food Label
Carbohydrate content has actually been deliberately omitted from the dog food’s nutrition label.
If feeding your dog a low carbohydrate diet happens to be your goal… and you’re looking for that information on a dog food package… you’re simply out of luck.
But there’s good news.
In less than a minute… you can quickly uncover the hidden percentage of carbohydrates… in virtually any dog food.
Here’s how…
How to Quickly Calculate the
Carbohydrate Content of Any Dog Food
Basically, the bulk of all dog foods consist of four major nutrients…
- Proteins
- Fats
- Carbohydrates
- Moisture (water)
In addition, all these products include something called ash. Ash is the non-combustible mineral residue that’s left over after burning away all the protein, fats and carbohydrates.
Ash content usually measures about five to eight percent of each finished product1 . So, I routinely allow about 8 percent as a benchmark for this important variable.
Together, the protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate and water content must account for roughly 100 percent of the total pre-cooking weight of any dog food.
OK. Now, some simple math…
Subtract the reported protein, fat, water and ash percentages from the 100 percent total. And you’ll get a fairly good idea of the carbohydrate content in that dog food.
By the way, if you’re wondering why I’m ignoring the fiber content… it’s because fiber is actually a carbohydrate. So, its percentage is automatically included in your carbohydrate calculations.
A Real Life Example
Say a particular dog food contains 26% protein, 14% fat and 10% water. Now, allowing for an ash content of 8%… how much carbohydrate should you expect to find in that product?
No problem…
Simply start with a total of 100 percent… then subtract the protein, fat and moisture. And don’t forget to allow for an average ash content of about 8 percent, too.
Carbohydrates = 100% – 26% – 14% – 10% – 8% = 42%
In other words, if you remove all the “known” nutrients from the food, you’d be left with just the carbohydrates… in this case, about 42 percent.
The Only Reliable Way to Compare Dog Foods
Now, remember… this way of computing carbohydrate content delivers its results on “as fed” basis (Guaranteed Analysis). It doesn’t allow for the moisture content of the food.
And that means you can’t reasonably compare the “carb” content of a canned dog food with a kibble product.
That’s why it’s important to first convert all your percentages… whether protein, fat or carbohydrate… to what’s known as dry matter basis.
Then you can simply use your reported values to compare any two products… canned… or kibble… with complete confidence.
If you’re not sure how to do this yourself be sure to read my article, Dry Matter Basis… The Only Reliable Way to Compare Dog Foods.
Stop Waiting for the Dog Food Companies to Tell You
So, the next time you need to know the carbohydrate percentage of a particular dog food… don’t give up. Just remember this simple method.
You’ll never be at the mercy of the dog food companies again. And you’ll have a pretty good idea about the carbohydrate content of any product.
- Brown S., Taylor B., “See Spot Live Longer”, 2007 Creekobear Press, Eugene, OR USA, p 55 ↩
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Carbohydrates = 100% – 26% – 14% – 6% = 54%
Your results reveal a carbohydrate content of about 54%
Hello, you left out the moisture in the kibble 10%
54% – 10% = 44% carbs.
John… thanks for bringing this to my attention. The original version of this post you saw did actually mention that the example was based on dry content. So, moisture did not need to be subtracted. However, your comment helped me see a better way to present this whole idea of carbohydrates and dry matter. I’ve rewritten this post to hopefully prevent any future misunderstandings. Thanks for keeping a watchful eye over my work. Mike
I have a Labrador Retriever who is 7-1/2 yrs. old and was diagnosed with diabetes 5-1/2 months ago and we are still struggling to get her glucose levels in the normal range. She’s been on 2 insulin shots per day with the units varying because we can not find a consistent good reading so I’ve been thoroughly analyzing her diet. She is picky about the dry food the vet has per her on & I’ve not found a canned food that seems acceptable for her condition. Can you make any suggestions on a canned food that would have minimal sugar/carbs – so that maybe if I mix with her dry food she’ll be more apt to eat. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I have boiled chicken and added but the vet suggests that I not make a habit of giving any “people” food. Sincerely, Anita
Hi Anita… we are planning to publish an article on feeding the diabetic dog along with some 4 and 5-star suggested products. But unfortunately, our research on this important subject is incomplete at this time.
However, I’d like to suggest you look for two features… a food with moderately higher fiber content (between 5% and 9%, or so). Fiber (especially the soluble type) helps to significantly stabilize blood sugar.
And foods with grains containing a lower glycemic index (brown rice, barley, sorghum, etc.) Corn and wheat (especially when finely ground) can have a high glycemic index).
The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly the body can convert a food into blood sugar (glucose). Foods with slower glucose conversion times are said to have a lower glycemic index.
“Meaty” foods have low carbs (which is good) but also zero fiber (which is not so good). Because they’re rich in carbohydrates, most kibbles have a notably higher glycemic index than quality canned foods.
Can’t really recommend specific dog foods yet but stay tuned for that future article on feeding canine diabetics. Hope this helps.
Mike, I too have been searching for a hi protein low fat low carb high fiber diet for my diabetic dog.
I have been using paw naturaw bison and partly home cooked but can’t get a handle on sugars and fibers.
PLEASE PLEASE hurry and recommend some good canned diabetic foods with low available (sugar) carbs and high fiber. I am an M.D. and have been trying to get thru this maze for almost a year. Finally found your site. Even a preliminary list would be helpful.
Hi Bruce… will get to work on this very soon. We’ll probably have to make our selections using our software’s estimated carb content as a proxy for low available sugars. Thanks for your suggestion.
In your formula for computing total carbs there is no consideration of fiber or am I mistaken? Thanks.
Loren, Thought I read where Mike said fiber is a carbohydrate. It’s percentage is figured in w/the carbohydrate content.
Mike, I use Wellness w/protein 8%, fat 4%, moisture 32%.
Using the “dry matter basis”, I come up w/17% carbohydrate. It that correct? If my figures (never was good at math) are correct, is this a good dog food for losing weight? Thanks Pat
Hi Pat… I’m not sure you’re using the correct moisture content here. Which Wellness product has a moisture content of 32%?
By the way, my software has already done this for many foods on this site. Just check out the gauges on the yellow dashboard with each review.
Sorry, I’m old. Moisture should of said 82%. Mistook the 8 for a 3. Now I’m coming up w/16% carbohydrate. These numbers is for wellness turkey stew. The wellness turkey & sweet potato is protein 8%, fat 5% & moisture 78%. I’ll also check out the yellow dashboard, if I can find it. Thanks.
Hi Pat… In your example, I’m getting about 33% for the carb reading.
Hi Bruce,
Wellness Core Reduced Fat has 8.5% fiber and Core Ocean has 7% and both are grain free. I use them both.
sandy