Basics of Nutrition: Nutritional Carbohydrate Guide for Dog and Cat Owners

Carbohydrates are a major energy source in plant tissue. It is produced from photosynthesis in the plant tissue and stored as energy, just like animals store fat tissue in their body. 

Carbohydrates are made of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The smallest carbohydrate molecules are called monosaccharides. These are glucose, fructose, and galactose. Glucose is the most common. Fructose is fruit sugar commonly found in fruits. Galactose is only found in animal sources of sugar, and it is a building block of lactose. 

Disaccharides are one of the most common sugars. These are made of two monosaccharides. Table sugar is one of the most well-known. Table sugar is the sweetest among disaccharides.  It is called sucrose. Lactose is found in animal milk. Maltose is made of two glucose building blocks. 

Polysaccharides are made of multiple monosaccharides. It is main storage of energy in the plants. Starches, glycogen, dextrins, and dietary fibers are all polysaccharides. 

In pet food, cereal grains are used as a starch source.  Corn, wheat, sorghum, barley, and rice are the major sources. Rice flour is an affordable solution for dry pet food manufacturing, and its lighter color, protein content, and starch content present an advantage. 

Products like dextrins and maltodextrins are made from starches. Dextrin can be used for soluble fiber and slow energy release. Maltodextrins contain free glucose and can deliver fast glucose to the blood. These two can be broken down, starting with chewing the food, where it is mixed with the amylase enzyme, and stomach acid further breaks them into smaller molecules. 

Dietary fibers are also considered polysaccharides. These are also made in the plant tissue. Cellulose is one of the most common dietary fibers used in pet foods. It is an insoluble version of the glucose-glucose crystalline form. Along with lignocellulose, hemicellulose, pectins, plant gums, mucilages. 

Lignocellulose and cellulose have many benefits for the pets. They are mainly produced from wood and the processing of wood. These fibers cannot be broken down in the intestinal tract; they have other functions such as peristalsis, hairball reduction in kittens, and calorie reduction. 

Gums such as pectin, locust, guar, etc., can interact with water. These are soluble dietary fibers, and they can work as prebiotics in the gut. 

Table 2-1 provides a brief information about the topic: 

Bacteria in the gut can use soluble fibers to ferment short-chain fatty acids and other end products. SCFAs are the main energy source for the gut lining, and they keep the gut healthy and alive. 

Moderately fermentable gums are preferred in pet food because of their favorable stool quality. 

In the body, glucose is the main fuel, and the central nervous system depends on it. Glycogen is stored in the liver, and it fuels the heart and vital functions during the need for glucose in the blood. Carbohydrates are also used to produce non-essential nutrients to be synthesized in the body. Dietary fibers assist in proper gastrointestinal tract function. 

The excess carbohydrate is stored as fat tissue in the body. Therefore, pet parents need to be careful about how much is given in the total meal. 

If you want to develop more understanding of how carbohydrates are utilized for dogs and cats, please visit our next blog " Explore Carbohydrate Metabolism for Dogs and Cats"