The High Cost of Hidden Carbs

You’re a Visionary Pet Parent. 

Which means, when it comes to pet food, you’re as informed and knowledgeable as they come.

So we have a test for you...

Below is the Nutritional Analysis for a well-known brand of pet food. 

I won’t say which one. But I will say that they claim to be a healthy choice for your dog. 

Nutritional Analysis: Mystery Pet Food

Crude Protein (min.): 28.00%

Crude Fat (min.): 12.00%

Crude Fiber (max): 4.00%

Moisture (max): 11.00%

This is the same type of nutritional analysis that appears on EVERY pet food label. And looking at this analysis, see if you can tell us the answer to the most important question about this food...

What is the carbohydrate content? 

You might start by adding all these values up and subtracting from 100. That will get you the result of 45% carbs. 

It’s close, but not correct. In fact, there’s only one REAL way to get the correct answer: send this mystery pet food to a testing lab for analysis.

And guess what…

We did that.

And the actual carbohydrate content of this mystery brand is…(drumroll)...

47% Carbohydrates.

That’s right. Almost half of this food is carbs. And they’re claiming it's a healthy and nutritious choice for your dog.

Compare that to Visionary Pet, which is less than 5% carbohydrates, and you’ll understand why we’re so appalled.

But here’s where things get even MORE interesting… 

 We’re talking about percent by weight. The more important concern is percent by calories. 

And unless you’re a nutrition nerd like me, it’s gonna be tough to calculate percent by calories with the information from ANY pet food label. 

 So what’s going on here? What’s the reason for all these hidden carbs? 

Carbohydrates and Canine Nutrition

There’s a REAL reason dog food labels do NOT list carbohydrates. And here it is...

They don’t need to.

That’s because dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates.

You heard me right. In fact, dogs in nature tend to consume diets that are less than 5% carbohydrates by weight. And most of that is non-digestible fibers. 

But if dogs have no nutritional need for carbs, then why are so many popular dog food brands chalk-full of carbs?

It’s simple. 

Carbs are cheap. Carbs are easy. And when you create a cheap, carb-loaded kibble, most people will buy it. 

And we don’t blame them. 

But we CAN do our best to highlight the reality of canine nutrition and show pet parents everywhere that there is a better way.  

Optimal Canine Nutrition

OK, so if the current state of canine nutrition is NOT the answer. What is? 

Well, here’s what we recommend…

1. Feed a high fat, moderate protein, and VERY low carb diet. The easiest way to do this is by feeding Visionary Keto Pet Foods, but you can ALSO make this diet at home if you choose to. 

2. If you feed treats, make sure they’re HIGH protein. Anything that is made up of lean meat will be a great option. Remember, it can be beneficial to increase the protein percentage of your dog’s diet a few days out of each week. 

3. Feed 1-2 meals per day max. That way, you’ll be implementing some extended fasting windows for your dog on a daily basis.

And...that’s it! 

Any questions? Email us at info@visionarypet.com or let us know in the comments below.

And remember, there’s a high cost to hidden carbs...