Hyperactivity and high carb dog food ??

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey- I just found this article on hyperactive puppies by Liz Palika. She apparently has been studying hyper active puppies and recording her research results for many years. She is saying that the cause is often a diet too high in carbohydrates. She says that they should be getting about 25% and many premium dog foods are up around 50% (but the food bags won't list this usually, you have to go on the manufacturer's web-site to get the carb amount). She is reporting that 75% of the puppies she switched to a lower carb diet showed a great amount of improvement in their behavior within two weeks.

Have any of you all heard this before and do you know of any dog foods that are lower in carbs ? My six month puppy is very hyper and I am curious to see what you all think about her theory if you have time. I know you all had that dog food topic going on but I don't recall anything specific to carbohydrates.......

Please let me know what you think......Marble

[Guest Anonymous]

do you all not know answers to anything i post or is it something i said or what ?

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm sorry, I never saw your post!

I don't know of any off hand...I've just recently started by "better dog food" search. But I am very interested in this subject! There are a lot of knowledgable people on this forum and I'm sure someone will find out!

[corgilady]

Marble, I didn't know about the study but I had wondered about the carb content myself..... it would make sense.... so far NONE of the dogfoods I have looked at are really great, and puppy foods were worse than the adult foods. Good luck!

[Guest Anonymous]

thanks for your help....sorry my post came across that way, i meant to just mention the last two posts...you all were really helpful with my other ones and i really appreciated all the help :)

i need to find that article and post it for you all, the search engine i was using was one you have to have a password for so i doubt if it will just let me copy it.

she seemed to be pretty convinced that these puppies were way more hyper than normal and that they showed so much improvement within a few weeks was suprising to me......i'll see if i can find it for you.

i'll see if i can find that article again...dog food choices are such a pain. i have her on eukanaba puppy food right now but she's always trying to eat lady's adult food (and lady is always trying to eat her puppy food...). i'm just wondering if there are any things like this i should be doing or changing that would help her act a little less psycho. people get really irritated with her all the time. i know she's a puppy and everything she just won't learn some basic manners that would save us both a lot of aggravation and i'm at the end of any ideas i had.

[Guest Anonymous]

Eukanuba is a garbage food.

I'm using Natural Balance which seems to be good, but I'm still mixing their food with Iams to help them get use to it.

I've heard NOTHING but GOOD stuff about Wellness as well.

Don't know the carb content though. I looked up Natural Balance's website and nothing was mentioned. I might try to email them later if I have time.

[Guest Anonymous]

Here is that article, it's kind of long but I thought if you wanted to read it that would be better than me trying to paraphrase it....It's written by Liz Palika.

Recognizing a Problem
In 1995 and 1996, I began to notice that a number of the Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies in our puppy kindergarten classes had trouble holding still. I know puppies wiggle and squirm, and I know Lab and Golden pups can be particularly wiggly. But these puppies acted as if they simply could not hold still. My grandmother would have said these pups had "ants in their pants." When I mentioned this to Petra and our assistants, they said they had noticed this, too, but were unsure if it was something new or if they had simply not paid attention to it previously. So we began watching all of the puppies closely, and we took detailed notes on class attendance sheets.

In 1996 and 1997, we found that an average of three puppies in each 10- to 12-dog puppy class was overly active. When asked to describe their puppy's personality, puppy owners said (without prompting), "hyper" -- using, of course, the layperson's definition of the word, not a medical definition. When asked to elaborate, the owners invariably said the puppy was overly active, couldn't hold still, couldn't concentrate, and on occasion displayed temper tantrums or anger.

The breeds involved varied. There were many more Labrador and Golden Retrievers than any other breed, but we also had more of these two breeds enrolled in our classes than any other breeds. We also saw wiggly German Shepherd Dogs, Australian Shepherds, Australian Cattle Dogs, Gordon Setters, Irish Setters, Siberian Huskies, and Pit Bulls. And this behavior wasn't limited to purebreds. One of our worst cases was a mix who seemed to have a little of everything -- a proverbial all-American. One breed that stood out as not displaying this increased activity level was Rottweilers. For whatever reason, we did not see any overly wiggly Rotties.

Once we identified that we were actually seeing something, we decided to try to figure out what was going on. We began asking questions and taking notes.

Where did you get your puppy? How old was your puppy when you brought him home? Has your puppy been vaccinated, specifically for what and how many times? Did your puppy have any reactions to the vaccines? Has your puppy ever been sick? How much exercise does your puppy get every day? How much interaction with the family? How often (or how long) does your puppy spend time alone in the backyard? We asked any question we felt might shed light on the behavior.

We found one thing that 99 percent of these puppies had in common: they were eating premium or super premium dog foods that were high in carbohydrates. They were not all eating the same brand, and ingredients (including artificial colors and other additives, and preservatives) differed among the various foods and brands, but all were in high in carbohydrates, especially cereal grains.

What are Carbs?
Carbohydrates come primarily from plants, although milk products also contain carbs. Simple carbohydrates have only one or two units of sugar and are from grains such as corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley and millet. Complex carbohydrates have more than two units of sugar hooked together, and are found in potatoes, beans, and many other vegetables and fruits.

Carbohydrates provide the body with energy and are usually the first source of energy available after a meal. Proteins and fats can also provide energy, but carbohydrates are called upon first.

Carbohydrates also provide important dietary fiber, which helps the digestive system function properly.

Carbs and Behavior
There is very little published data on the relationship between high-carbohydrate diets and behavior in dogs. However, behaviorist William Campbell has a case history in his BehavioRX Pet Behavior Resources. A 17-month-old large-breed dog suffered from hyper-reactivity when exposed to crowds of people and dogs.

The owner was advised to switch to a diet higher in animal protein and lower in carbohydrates. (For the complete case history and the exact diet, please see [url]www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/april99[/url]) The owner said that after two weeks, the dog was calmer and began learning at an increased pace.

There is, however, much written about the relationship between carbohydrates and children. Drs. Richard F. Heller and Rachael F. Heller, carbohydrate researchers and authors of several books, including Carbohydrate Addicted Kids (Harper Perennial, 1997) wrote, "Carbohydrate-addicted kids often experience one or more difficulties that fall into three main categories: hyperactivity (including excessive running, inability to sit still, and fidgeting); impulsiveness; and inattention." All of these sounded like the behaviors we saw in puppies in our classes.

Dogs and Carbs
Although many dogs will happily munch a carrot or beg for a piece of apple, most dogs do not naturally eat carbohydrates, especially cereal grains. As Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, DVM, wrote in The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog (Howell Book House, 1995), "Think about the origin of the dog. It is unrecorded in history that wolves lit fires and cooked grains picked in the fields!"

In addition, dogs do not digest most carbohydrates well. With people, digestion begins in the mouth, with chewing and with our saliva, which contains the enzyme amylase. Dogs, however, do not have amylase in their saliva. In addition, dogs do not chew their food; they tear and gulp it and the food begins to be digested in the stomach. Dogs also lack other enzymes required to adequately digest many carbohydrates. Because of this, digestion takes longer.

David Kronfeld, Ph.D., Dsc, MVSc, author of numerous papers on dog foods, takes a much stronger stand against carbohydrates in the canine diet. While many experts believe the amount of carbohydrates in the diet should be limited but not totally eliminated, to help stave off health threats such as obesity and diabetes, Kronfeld says, "Carbohydrates are most important for dogs in two situations: puppies just coming off mother's milk and lactating bitches." He also says carbohydrates need not be supplied to adult dogs, even those working hard, because the liver easily synthesizes enough glucose to meet the body's needs.

Toward a solution
I decided to follow Campbell's lead, and after explaining my theories to puppy owners, I began recommending diets higher in animal protein (not plant protein) and lower in carbohydrates. Many commercial premium and super premium foods (especially puppy foods) contain 30 to 50 percent carbohydrates. I recommended a diet of 25 to 30 percent carbohydrates, and suggested foods with carbohydrate sources such as sweet potatoes rather than foods with only cereal grains.

Most dog foods do not list the percentages of carbohydrates on the label. They list protein, fat, fiber, and moisture, but not carbohydrates. However, most commercial dog food makers have Web sites, and many of them have pages of information on their foods, usually listing ingredients as well as the carbohydrate, protein, and fat percentages. Those that didn't have Web sites (or simply didn't post this information) could be called for the information.

Once the puppies were switched to the new food (this took a couple of weeks), the difference was easily seen. In more than 75 percent of the puppies, there was a noticeable change within two weeks. Puppies could sit still for training and learned more easily, and their owners noted calmness that hadn't been there previously. Another 10 percent showed an improvement later -- usually within a month. Only a few (about 15 percent) showed no change at all.

In early 2000, we saw an interesting dog that confirmed we were on the right track. Sammy, a Lab mix, was enrolled in the puppy class and showed signs of the wiggly-puppy syndrome. We explained to the owner why we recommended a change of food. She changed the puppy's food, and soon Sammy was much better.

Although we were pleased to see our recommendations working, we stress to our training clients that we are not veterinarians. Nor are we dieticians or nutritionists. We make our recommendations solely based on research and the results we have seen in our classes.

We have followed this program for several years and kept in touch with many of the puppies' owners. Quite a few of these puppies are now certified therapy dogs, several are certified search and rescue dogs, and some are obedience and agility dogs. Most are simply beloved family pets.

Beware of deceptive dog food labels
Ingredients on foods are listed in descending order. But that doesn't mean a dog food whose ingredient list is "beef, wheat, rice, wheat germ, corn" is primarily made from beef. In fact, it probably isn't. Yes, there is more beef than wheat, but there is not more beef than all of the cereal grains combined. A label like that is probably on a cereal-based food (read "carbohydrates") with some beef! This is why it is so important to read the ingredients and find the percentages of protein and carbohydrates.

PHOTO (COLOR): Golden Retrievers -- particularly young ones -- are among the breeds that seem most responsive to a high-carb diet.

PHOTO (COLOR): Carbohydrates are the first nutrients a dog's body taps for energy. However, dogs lack the enzymes necessary to quickly digest most carbs. Therefore, veterinarians recommend limiting carbs.

~~~~~~~~

By Liz Palika


Liz Palika, a dog trainer and free-lance writer in Oceanside, Calif., has written 35 books, including The Consumer's Guide to Dog Food (Howell Book House, 1997) and The New Age Dog (Renaissance Media, 2001).



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Source: Dog World, May2002, Vol. 87 Issue 5, p32, 6p

[Guest Anonymous]

Wow. I like that info. Now to find out what my food is like...although mine are not pups and aren't hyper!

[Guest Anonymous]

hey- i just started mixing dresden's puppy food with lady's adult food. she is still eating just as happily and we'll see what happens. i met a really nice male acd today, he was a year old though, maybe he was annoying as heck too when he was younger.

so you all don't like eukanaba ? my brother is the one who convinced me to try it.......i'm ready to try anything different though. lady is on nutromax adult food and she is the healthiest dog we've ever had, she's a mutt though too. any opinions on nutromax ?

[Hobbit]

[quote name='marble']hey- i just started mixing dresden's puppy food with lady's adult food. she is still eating just as happily and we'll see what happens. i met a really nice male acd today, he was a year old though, maybe he was annoying as heck too when he was younger.

so you all don't like eukanaba ? my brother is the one who convinced me to try it.......i'm ready to try anything different though. lady is on nutromax adult food and she is the healthiest dog we've ever had, she's a mutt though too. any opinions on nutromax ?[/quote]

Not being a smarty pants but, is Nutromax the same as Nutrimax?

If so, Pentobarbital has been found in some samples of the dog food indicating that it possibly is made from euthanized dogs.

[Guest Anonymous]

great, i think i'm going to puke. i tried to find a bag to check the name but apparently i threw it away after putting the food in the bin. it's nutr-max but now i can't remember what the vowel was. hobbit, what do you feed your dogs ?

[anne3149]

that was interesting info. However even though is says Rottweilers are not included in the hyper, mine certainly is. This is the second Rott I have had and she is absolutely hyperactive, she's 21 months now and hasn't slowed down at all and she is on a BARF diet. I have had Rott and GSD's in the past but never a dog like this. The beauty of her is that she is such a sweet natured dog. Does not even try to defend herself if another dog goes at her as the little ones in the leash free park often do. She just runs back to me, even if she has a little dog attached to her neck. She does obedience training too.

[Hobbit]

[quote name='marble']great, i think i'm going to puke. i tried to find a bag to check the name but apparently i threw it away after putting the food in the bin. it's nutr-max but now i can't remember what the vowel was. hobbit, what do you feed your dogs ?[/quote]

We feed "Diamond" Lamb and Rice adult and Diamond Puppy.

[Aroura]

A few months back I had my dogs on a no carb diet. I put them on BARF and just fed them meat and veggies (with other things of course, like kelp, eggs etc). The dogs both had loads of energy, like any healthy dog, but were no longer hyper.
I don't know whats the best as far as commercial dog food goes, the best dog food is more expensive than BARF anyway, so if I could afford that I'd be feeding BARF anyway!!!!
Right now I'm feeding lots of meat, bones and veggies with a bit of dry food. The dogs love it, the dry food isn't too high in carbs plus they get all the meat and veg wich make the overall consumption of carbs even lower and the dogs are doing great on it. Lily still runs around and acts like a maniac, but its not hyperactivity, just her way of using up her energy. When she was on a higher carb diet she was phsyco, running around knocking everyone over and nipping. Now she's just a clown, still full of beans but without the annoying bad habbits!
Have you considered feeding BARF?