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Carbohydrate Sources Found in IAMS™ Dog Foods
Carbohydrate Sources Found in IAMS™ Dog Foods

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Carbohydrate Sources Found in IAMS™ Dog Foods

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IAMS research has shown that some dog-food products are best formulated using a combination of carbohydrate sources. All IAMS dog foods are formulated precisely to meet the nutritional needs of your dog in his life stage. Such a combination offers optimal digestibility and helps maintain energy levels.

 

 

Carbohydrate Ingredients in Our Dog Foods

Our dog foods contain a variety of carbohydrate ingredients:

Barley: IAMS uses ground whole-grain barley that's cooked at high temperatures and finely ground in our dry dog-food formulas as part of our patented carbohydrate blend.
 

Corn: IAMS uses high-quality corn kernels that have been finely ground to break up the outside covering of each kernel, and then cooked at high temperatures to increase digestibility.
 

Grain sorghum: Also called milo, it is cracked, finely ground, and cooked before it is added to our dry dog foods. It is another carbohydrate source in our patented carbohydrate blend.
 

Rice flour: Our foods contain small kernels of white rice that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice, ground, and cooked at high temperatures to optimize digestibility.
 

Wheat: This is another high-quality carbohydrate source. In our biscuits, the wheat is an excellent, palatable carbohydrate source and adds a firm texture to the biscuit during the baking process.

 

 

Optimal Digestibility for Your Dog

Highly digestible diets are an important factor in the well-being of your dog. They deliver more essential nutrients more efficiently, so there is less waste.
 

Innovative and patented research by IAMS scientists has found that when the complex-carbohydrate sources grain sorghum and barley are used in a dog's diet, their breakdown is enhanced at another level.
 

These carbohydrate sources are all highly digestible, meaning your dog's body will still metabolize a high percentage of each for energy. What's unique about these grains is that they break down slowly and evenly, providing a stable source of energy.

 

 

Maintained Energy Levels for Your Dog

The slow, even breakdown of grain sorghum, corn, and barley results in moderate, stable blood glucose levels after a meal. By minimizing swings in blood glucose, diets containing such a blend supply sustained energy. IAMS holds a patent on using grain sorghum and barley in a blend for dogs.

  • How to Help Your Overweight Dog
    How to Help Your Overweight Dog
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    How to Help Your Overweight Dog

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    Obesity is a common problem in dogs, but you can help your pet lose weight. Identifying the causes and following a total weight-management program can result in controlled weight loss and maintenance. A total weight-management program includes evaluating the animal, educating the pet owner, modifying behaviors, and tailoring the program to individual situations.

     

     

    Definition and Causes of, and Contributing Factors to, Obesity in Dogs

    Obesity is defined as an increase in body weight, beyond the limitation of skeletal and physical requirements, resulting from an accumulation of excess body fat.
     

    Obesity is caused when caloric intake exceeds caloric expenditure. This simply means that a dog eats more energy (calories) than it uses and stores the excess energy as fat.
     

    There are many factors that can contribute to obesity:

    • Overfeeding
    • Inactivity
    • Breed
    • Age and gender
    • Spay/neuter status
    • Diabetes mellitus
    • Hyperadrenocorticism
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Owner's weight

     

     

    Fat, Fiber, and Fatty Acids in Your Dog’s Weight-Loss Program

    Fat

    • Dogs use fat as their primary energy source.
    • A diet that replaces some fat with highly digestible carbohydrates offers a good low-calorie alternative. Digestible carbohydrates contain fewer than one half of the calories of equal quantities of fat and do not have the disadvantages of indigestible fiber.

     

    Fiber and Fatty Acids

    • A normal fiber level, provided in a moderately fermentable fiber source, helps create and maintain a healthy gut. This is especially important to the dog on a weight-reduction regimen.
    • Some weight-loss products for dogs dilute calories with high levels of fiber. High-fiber foods might reduce the digestibility and absorption of many nutrients, including fat. These foods reduce weight by providing what could be considered poor-quality nutrition. These high-fiber diets also might result in large, frequent stools, and decreased skin and coat condition.
    • Diets that provide an adjusted fatty-acid profile maintain the pet's healthy skin and coat, despite lowered fat levels.

     

    Carbohydrates and Special Ingredients in Your Dog’s Weight-Loss Program

    Carbohydrates and Special Ingredients

    • Feeding a diet that contains the carbohydrates corn, sorghum, and/or barley can result in lower blood sugar and insulin levels as compared to feeding a diet that contains rice as the primary carbohydrate source. Lower blood sugar and insulin levels also can help with maintaining a proper weight.

     

    In addition, a diet that contains L-carnitine can help dogs metabolize fat. L-carnitine is a vitamin-like compound that helps burn fat.

     

     

    Weight Loss for Your Dog Should Be Gradual

    • The goal of a good weight-loss-management program should be gradual weight loss. This is especially important in cats, because severe nutrient restriction can result in hepatic lipidosis (abnormal fat accumulation in the liver).
    • Dogs should lose 1 to 2% of their initial weight per week.
    • A good way to begin a weight-loss program is to reduce caloric intake by transitioning to a weight-control or reduced-fat formula. Dogs and cats that do not respond quickly should see their veterinarian for a special weight-loss program.

     

    A total weight-management program can lead to successful weight reduction in the obese dog. Complete evaluation by the veterinarian is always recommended, and owner compliance is essential to success.
     

    IAMS™ and professional veterinary products provide optimum nutrition for animals that can benefit from a weight-management program.

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