Optimal energy

When it comes to a dog’s energy supply being optimal, whether it is derived from carbohydrate, protein or fat has a crucial role. If a diet is high in carbohydrates, typical of commercial dry extruded diets, then carbohydrates will be utilised for energy. The problem with this approach is that sustained optimal energy is impacted. Essentially, when carbohydrates are consumed by a dog, they are stored in two main locations, skeletal muscle and the liver. A simple way to think of it, is that these are the equivalent of a car’s fuel tank. When energy is needed, the fuel tank starts to deplete. The drawback is that when the tank is low, a dog’s energy levels reduce. This is basically the same situation that long distance runners face when they become fatigued and use the term “hitting the wall.” The only way to overcome this predicament is to consume more carbohydrate and fill up the fuel tank again.

Evidence has shown that dogs fed a high fat diet, out perform dogs fed a high carbohydrate diet

Alternatively, when fat is high in the diet of a dog (and carbohydrate is low), it serves (in addition to ketones) as the primary source of energy. This has several benefits for optimising energy supply to a dog, including being much more energy dense than carbohydrate. Switching a dog to rely on fat for energy, means they become very effective in using bodyfat for energy as well if needed. As even a lean dog has many, many thousands of calories in bodyfat, the issue of “hitting the wall” is negated. Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that working dogs fed high fat diets had greater energy and outperform dogs fed high carbohydrate diets.

Another myth is that dogs fed high fat, low carbohydrate diets will have low blood sugar concentrations. I have myself studied this and found that dogs consuming a diet of this composition for several weeks had steady blood sugar (or glucose) levels, which were all within the healthy reference range. A dog does this by converting certain amino acids and parts of triglycerides into blood glucose. Research has demonstrated that the fuel tank analogy we used previously, remains fuller, for longer when a high fat, low carbohydrate diet is consumed compared to a high carbohydrate, low fat diet.

Overall, although feeding a high fat, low carbohydrate diet evidently provides benefits to exercising dogs, it also does for those which pursue a more inactive lifestyle. This includes a sustained release of energy throughout the day with no fatigue, combined with a steady concentration of blood glucose, without any spikes or dips, factors which have linked to conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.