Although sugar may not be on your dog’s kibble ingredient list, it lurks in the food. Identifying which ingredients are simple carbohydrates that become sugar or glucose upon digestion will empower you to make informed choices when choosing your dog’s food.

When provided as natural sugars, such as those found in fruit, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and in moderation, sugar is not bad for your dog. However, when your dog is fed large amounts of simple carbohydrates like those found in kibble, her body must work overtime to process the excess glucose produced during digestion. Excess glucose is stored in your dog’s body as fat, leading to obesity and many metabolic diseases. 

Sugars conceal unpleasant flavors and odors from ingredients your dog might otherwise reject, such as animal by-products, fillers, chemicals, and preservatives. Sugar may also be added to some kibble to build an addiction to their particular food brand. After all, if your dog only wants to eat one type of food, you will keep buying it.

To understand the truth about carbohydrates , you must understand the glycemic index.

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that measures how quickly and significantly different carbohydrate-containing foods can raise blood sugar levels after consumption. This index ranks foods based on their impact on blood glucose levels compared to a reference food (usually glucose or white with a value of 100.

Foods with a high glycemic index (GI) are digested and absorbed rapidly, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Conversely, foods with a low GI are digested and absorbed more slowly, leading to a more gradual and moderate increase in blood sugar levels.

The glycemic index indicates how various foods affect your dog's blood sugar and insulin levels. It is particularly relevant for dogs with conditions like diabetes and obesity.

Foods with a low GI (55 or less) are generally better for maintaining more stable blood sugar levels over time, providing sustained energy, and assisting in weight management. Most vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and some fruits are low-glycemic.

Foods with a moderate GI (56 to 69) can moderately raise blood sugar levels. Examples include some types of pasta, certain fruits, and quick oats.

Foods with a high GI (70 or more) can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. These include white bread, white rice, potatoes, and ultra-processed carbohydrate-rich foods.


When reading the ingredient list on dog food and treats, it can be challenging to tell which ingredients are sugars. The term "sugar" typically refers to cane sugar but can also refer to sucrose, caramel, corn syrup, and other sugars. Here are a few more terms you may see on dog food labels :

Fructose is a sugar that comes from fruits.

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol, often used as a sweetening agent in various food products, including dog foods and treats. It occurs naturally in fruits like apples, pears, and peaches but can also be manufactured synthetically. 

Beet pulp is a fibrous by-product derived from sugar beet processing. It has several beneficial properties, including fiber content, prebiotic properties, and limited antioxidants. However, high sugar in beet pulp can lead to unwanted weight gain and other metabolic issues if overconsumed.

Honey and molasses are typically regarded as healthier alternatives. However, they are still sugars.

Carbohydrates  and starches are converted to sugars during digestion. Many commercial kibbles on the market today contain up to 70% carbohydrates, despite dogs having zero requirements for carbs in their diet! Most of the carbohydrates in kibble have a high glycemic index. 

High GI ingredients to watch for include potatoes, corn, white rice, peas, and barley. Both white and sweet potatoes have a relatively high glycemic index. While often considered healthier due to their nutrient content, sweet potatoes can still affect blood sugar levels.

Corn that has been processed into cornmeal or corn flour has a higher glycemic impact compared to some other grains. White rice is a high glycemic carbohydrate, as it's processed and lacks the fiber content found in brown rice.  Although considered a whole grain, barley has a moderate to high glycemic index compared to others.


Ingredient Splitting of Carbohydrate Sources

Ingredient splitting is a practice sometimes used in pet food labeling where similar ingredients are listed separately to make them appear lower on the ingredient list. This technique can give the impression that the food contains less of a particular ingredient than it actually does. 

Peas and rice are often divided into pea or rice protein, pea or rice flour, pea or rice fiber, or pea or rice starch. By splitting these similar ingredients into separate entries, the manufacturer can list them lower on the ingredient list, even though collectively, they might represent a substantial portion of the food.

Ingredient splitting can mislead consumers who assume that certain ingredients are less prevalent in the food due to their placement on the list. However, it's important to note that ingredient splitting is a legal practice in many jurisdictions as long as the ingredients are listed accurately.

As a pet owner, being aware of ingredient splitting can help make more informed decisions about the composition of pet foods. It's advisable to evaluate the entire ingredient list and consider the overall nutritional content rather than relying solely on the order of ingredients. Additionally, reputable pet food brands often provide transparency about their formulations and ingredient sourcing to assist consumers in understanding what they're feeding their pets.

Health Consequences of High-Carbohydrate Diets for Dogs 

High-carbohydrate diets for dogs, especially those primarily composed of simple or refined carbohydrates, can potentially lead to various health issues over time:

Obesity: Diets high in carbohydrates, particularly those with excessive amounts of easily digestible carbohydrates, can contribute to weight gain and obesity in dogs. When not utilized for energy, carbohydrates can be stored as fat, leading to excessive weight.

Increased Blood Sugar Levels: High-carbohydrate diets can cause spikes in blood sugar levels in dogs, especially in those prone to insulin resistance or diabetes. Consistently elevated blood sugar can strain the pancreas, potentially leading to long-term issues with insulin regulation.

Dental Problems: Because dogs lack salivary amylase, the enzyme responsible for digesting carbohydrates in their saliva, carbohydrates, especially sugary or starchy ingredients, can contribute to dental issues like plaque buildup and tooth decay.

Digestive Upset: Some dogs may have difficulty digesting large amounts of carbohydrates, leading to gastrointestinal issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Energy Fluctuations: While carbohydrates provide energy, diets excessively high in carbs, especially simple carbohydrates, can lead to energy spikes followed by crashes, potentially affecting a dog's activity levels and behavior.

Inflammatory Conditions: Some dogs may be sensitive to specific carbohydrates, leading to inflammatory responses or exacerbating existing inflammatory conditions.

Tumor Growth: Cancer cells feed on glucose. A dog battling cancer should be fed a diet with minimal carbohydrates to slow down the tumor growth and the spread of cancer. 

As humans are told repeatedly to avoid ultra-processed food, so should dogs. According to the NOVA food classification system, kibble is in the ultra-processed category. The NOVA system groups foods as follows:

Group 1- Unprocessed or Minimally Processed. Unprocessed food is obtained directly from plants or animals and does not undergo any alteration following their removal from nature. Minimally processed foods have been cleaned of inedible or unwanted parts and processed via fractioning, grinding, drying, fermentation, pasteurization, cooling, freezing, or other processes that may alter some nutrients but do not add oils, fats, sugar, salt, or other substances to the original food.

Group 2- Processed Culinary Ingredients (oils, fats, salts, and sugar). These products are extracted from natural foods or from nature by pressing, grinding, crushing, pulverizing, and refining. They are used to season and cook food and thus create varied and delicious dishes and meals of all types, including broths and soups, salads, pies, breads, cakes, sweets, and preserves. 

Group 3- Processed. Products manufactured by industry using salt, sugar, oil, or other substances (Group 2) are added to natural or minimally processed foods (Group 1) to preserve or make them more palatable. They are derived directly from foods and are recognized as versions of the original foods. Most processed foods have two or three ingredients.

Group 4- Ultra-processed. Industrial formulations made entirely or mainly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, and proteins), derived from food constituents (hydrogenated fats and modified starch), or synthesized in laboratories from food substrates or other organic sources (flavor enhancers, colors, and several food additives used to make the product hyper-palatable). Manufacturing techniques include extrusion, molding, and preprocessing by frying.

A species-appropriate dog diet consists of fresh human-grade foods and unprocessed or minimally processed food, including raw meaty bones, muscle meat, seafood, liver, other secreting organs, and fur or fiber. 

Dogs should be fed the cleanest foods possible because of their shorter life span and smaller detoxification organs (the liver and kidneys). When possible, muscle meat, bones, and organs should be sourced from organically pasture-raised animals  to provide minimal toxins and maximum nutrients.

Fresh food can be fed raw for maximum benefits of intact nutrients and digestive enzymes or gently cooked if your dog refuses raw food. If a completely fresh food diet is not feasible for you, simply replacing even as low as 10% of your dog’s kibble with fresh food will provide health benefits.

A fresh food diet is the best option for your dog's health and well-being. Replacing even a small percentage of kibble with fresh food will improve your dog’s health.

Learning to recognize hidden sugars on the kibble labels will allow you to make informed choices when feeding kibble. 

Watch for ingredient splitting on dog food labels. 

Tumors show enhanced dependency on glucose and glycolytic pathway  

Why do cancers have high aerobic glycolysis?  

Metabolic changes during carcinogenesis: potential impact on invasiveness  

Cancer's sweet tooth: the Janus effect of glucose metabolism in tumorigenesis  

Brady, C. (2020). Feeding dogs dry or raw? The science behind the debate. Farrow Road Publishing.

Although sugar may not be on your dog’s <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/kibble">kibble</a> ingredient list, it lurks in the food. Identifying which ingredients are simple <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/carbohydrates">carbohydrates</a> that become sugar or <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/glucose">glucose</a> upon <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/cellulase">digestion</a> will empower you to make informed choices when choosing your dog’s food.

How Much Hidden Sugar Is In Kibble?

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