High Fibre Dog Food

Fibre is that part of diet that is not digested. Fibre is good in diet for many reasons

- It helps regulate the movement of food along the digestive tract, by providing bulk helping it easier for materials to move from the intestines.

- By regulating the rate at which food moves, it also regulates its metabolism. This means that glucose will be released at a slower rate in dogs that have fed on a high fibre diet.

This benefit has been used in formulating food for diabetic dog, which is why most food for diabetic dogs will have high fibre.

- It will help reduce risk of dog obesity since food with high fibre will encourage the dog to eat less. Some researchers have disapproved this but still do not give an explanation as to why dogs on high fibre diets lose weight.

However it should also be noted that dogs are carnivores. Too much fibre in diet may cause problems for them. It will reduce the digestibility of other compounds that have been ingested. Unlike farm animals such as cows and goats, which can readily ferment the fibre constituents, too much fibre in the dog’s diet will reduce the availability of the other nutrients causing an imbalance; it may also cause the dog to accumulate a lot of gas.

High fibre dog food also has health benefits as stated below. High fibre is good in the dogs with the following conditions

- Diabetes mellitus

Fibre incorporated into dog food will slow down absorption of glucose from the intestinal tract. This in turn will result in lower blood glucose levels. This is ideal food for diabetic dogs.

- Anal gland impaction

Dogs have a pair of anal glands located near the anal opening. These anal glands if not emptied of their secretions (expressed) will swell and become infected. This may happen in dogs suffering from constipation.

Fibre works by increasing the bulk of faeces. These bulky faeces when being excreted will then exert pressure on the anal glands during defecation emptying them.

Dogs suffering from this condition are normally recommended to feed on diet containing high fibre. If your dog is on a normal diet then you can add a source of fibre.

- Diarrhoea and/or constipation

In dogs suffering from constipation high fibre will make the faeces bulkier aiding in their movement along the intestinal tract and subsequent elimination.

In those dogs with loose stools fibre aids by absorbing water thus helping make the stools more solid.

If the stool becomes too loose then reduce the amount of fibre.

There are several fibre sources that are available. Most of the fibre in food however is obtained from the cell walls of plants. Good sources of fibre in foods are carbohydrates. If you want to add fibre to your dog’s food some sources you can include are:

- Rice (brown)

- Rice bran

- Carrots

- Green peas

- Cooked pumpkin (do not use the pumpkin used for pies)

- Wheat bran and oat bran

Dogs may not like the taste of the food at first, so when introducing do so gradually. 

But very often, the food that promises to make your dog healthy, happy and in fine fettle will actually make it feel a lot worse than it did. By following the advice uncovered by the Dog Food Conspiracy, you can find out key information to cheer your dog up, make it healthier and ensure it lives longer.

Make sure you check out the free dog life saving video below, you'll be so glad that you did:

=> http://gooddogtrainingadvice.com/dogvideo.html