Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Why Do Diabetic Dogs Need High Fiber Dog Food?

When your beloved dog is diagnosed with diabetes, they would need to go on a specific diet that will help keep their levels of sugar regulated. A major change in their diet would be the amount of fiber that goes in their food.But why does he need a high fiber dog food?

dog food bin

First let's discuss what is fiber? Fiber is a particular type of carbohydrate. It is a type of food that is very common in our meals as well as our dogs. Plants are a good source of carbs and once digested the body will convert them easily into glucose which is a form of sugar that is used by the body. It provides energy in our cells but burns off quickly.

Dog Food

There are 2 main types of carbohydrates namely simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are also known as sugars they can either be natural or refined. Natural sugars are those you find and taste in some vegetables and fruits, while refined sugars are the ones extracted from plants and refined into white sugar and corn syrup. Simple carbohydrates burn easily like gasoline in our body.

The other type of carbohydrates is complex carbohydrates these are often called as starch or starchy foods. These are commonly found in vegetables like potatoes, beans, rice, wheat and oats. Complex carbohydrates burn more slowly and release sugar gradually.

High fiber dog foods have more complex carbs and less simple carbs. So it doesn't upset your dog's blood sugar level. Foods with a lot of simple carbohydrates tend to spike up your dogs blood sugar level resulting in diabetes.

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate. It is not easily broken down into nutrients it tends to bulk up and slows digestion and absorption of glucose. It enables glucose to enter the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace that keeps blood sugar on a normal level.

Try to check the list of ingredients in high fiber dog foods and you should notice ingredients like whole wheat, barley, oats and high fiber vegetables like spinach, carrots and beets.

Why Do Diabetic Dogs Need High Fiber Dog Food?

Dog Food

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