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MyFitnessPal Community

Keto for pets? Keto strips for cats?

100_PROOF_

A friend recommended that I put my dogs on a keto diet. She said that it's the newest trend and that her cat is now in ketosis ( confirmed through strips)
https://www.dog-nutrition-naturally.com/ketogenic-diet.html

I'm well aware of all the myths and bunk that surrounds the keto diet in humans. I know it can't magically cure athletes foot and grow new limbs for amputees but I'm wondering if there's any benefit for pets? I know there's some benefits for humans with certain medical conditions but would it be the same for pets? Fwiw my pets don't have any known medical condition and neither do her cats.

She just said that an online doctor told her all these amazing qualities of the diet for pets. Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this topic?

Replies

Meganthedogmom

Please consult your veterinarian before changing your pet's diet.

L1zardQueen

Seriously, my dog would hate me. And I would hate picking up his poop too.

What are people thinking? It’s like my acquaintance who makes his pets fast on Sunday. He’s a tool.

Lean59man

Please consult a psychiatrist if you are seriously thinking of doing this to your dog.

kommodevaran

Aren't predators, even domesticated predatotor like dogs and cats, but especially cats, natural carnivores?

MichelleWithMoxie

Someone started drinking early this st. Paddy’s day :laugh: :laugh:

poisonesse

My best advice would be this... if you are seriously considering doing this to a pet, give the pet away. They don't deserve this kind of treatment. ;-)

lokimerlijn

My dog and my 2 cats eat a raw diet, consisting of raw meat, bones and organ in the right percentages. With some added stuff like eggs, yoghurt, a little bit of vegetables.
My dog is almost 11 years old and eats like this since she was 3 months old. The cats are both almost 13 years old, and eat like this since they were 10 months old.
They are in excellent health, my vet always says she is amazed. Perfect teeth, perfect stool too (much less smelly

)

There is nothing fancy about it, just the most natural way to feed a carnivore. You can find a lot of info about it on internet, not all of it is accurate...
Most vets are against it for various reasons, but there are now (more modern) vets that see the benefits and promote it.
Vets that promote it are for instance: Karen Becker, Mogen Eliassen, Billinghurst, Lonsdale,...).
If you google those names, you can find a lot of video's too.

toxikon

Isn't the natural diet of dogs and cats high-protein? If you want to prepare a raw diet of meat and bones for your pets, that seems pretty safe and commonly done. I've heard a high-fat diet is quite bad for cat/dog organs. I wouldn't personally take the risk.

lois1231

Don't do this. Your friend is nuts. Pardon my expression. I feel sorry for her animals.

concordancia

I once had a dog with seizures. Maybe we should have put her on keto?

Lounmoun

I think this is just raw feeding or BARF diet for dogs and cats which has been around forever. Someone is just slapping a trendy keto label on it. Do a lot of reading on it and talk to your vet before trying it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_feeding
http://rawfed.com

I have not raw fed cats but did do it with 2 dogs some years ago. Benefits I noticed were great teeth, great coats, less waste. Poop was less stinky. They loved the food. They were healthy, energetic animals. Downsides were expense, incovenience/work, messier.

ladyhusker39

How do you get a cat to pee on a stick? And why on earth would you ever want to?

cmriverside

Cats are not only carnivores, they're obligate carnivores - so they are in ketosis or dead.

On another note though, Vets think they are people doctors. Their costs/fees are higher than my regular doctor. Such a scam. No insurance agencies watching over their costs.

nvmomketo

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

How do you get a cat to pee on a stick? And why on earth would you ever want to?

I was wondering this too. LOL

cmriverside wrote: »

Cats are not only carnivores, they're obligate carnivores

Exactly this. Cats eat meat.when they eat greens it seems to be to induce vomiting.

Dogs are supposed to eat mainly meat, but they do better with higher protein and lower fat than people do (as I understand it). I really think the rice or wheat or soy in many dog foods is not something that dogs were made to harvest and eat. Meat with a bit of veggies or occasional fruit seems pretty ideal. Flour based treats like a milk one cookie are probably not.

ETA I think the most obvious benefit is tooth care. No flour or sugar = fewer or no cavities. I imagine that it would also be a good diabetes treatment.

I have seen one pre clinical study on using it as part of a cancer treatment in dogs that was showing some promise.

cwolfman13

When a fad diet goes into hyper-drive...

Sloth2016

Don't forget the coconut oil: http://www.dogingtonpost.com/benefits-of-coconut-oil-for-dogs/
It has many benefits you know.

Plus every dog should reap the benefits of ACV: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/apple-cider-vinegar-for-dogs/

jgnatca

Read up on knuckling under and bowing of legs in puppies from malnutrition.

I just can’t even. Dogs and cats are natural carnivores, and dogs are better off with some carbs.

nvmomketo

jgnatca wrote: »

Read up on knuckling under and bowing of legs in puppies from malnutrition.

I just can’t even. Dogs and cats are natural carnivores, and dogs are better off with some carbs.

A ketogenic diet has carbs, just not a lot. In humans it is usually under 15% of total calories. I doubt dogs need more than that.

... Now I have a mental picture of dogs grazing in a field or picking berries. LOL My dog has never gone after the veggies or fruit in my garden. He has eaten birds and squirrels. He has played with a potato, but it was more to use as a toy to fetch.

kimny72

It's one thing to stop feeding your pets kibble and cheap food full of fillers. It's another thing to test their urine to be sure they are in ketosis. That's just pathetic, I'm sorry.

I have mixed feelings about raw food diets for pets. Yes they would be eating raw meat in the wild, but it would be freshly killed. Not sure I'd trust the raw meat available to me, my ability to handle it safely, and def wouldn't trust commercial raw pet food. If they can manage to get salmonella and euthanasia drugs in dog chow, they'll eventually get it into those cute little frightful expensive packages of raw food.

People always have to take stuff too far smh. If you want to make your pets food yourself, go for it. They should be eating mostly meat anyway, rather than some of the corn kibble that's out there. You can do that with better label reading too. But it doesn't matter if you can confirm they're actually in ketosis or not.

cmriverside

My dogs ate grass, though. I think they find what they need, carb-wise. My one dog loved carrots and oranges.

OceanAddict

Be very very careful and absolutely ask your vet first.
Different breeds of dogs can have vastly different nutritional needs. Miniature Schnauzers are prone to pancreatitis, which is triggered by too much fat in their diets, so they do best on lower-fat foods. Dalmations are prone to kidney issues, and are vulnerable to too much protein. Dalmations often do very well on vegetarian kibble.

In general, a high-quality pet food is almost always going to be a safer bet.

taziarj

100_PROOF_ wrote: »

I'm well aware of all the myths and bunk that surrounds the keto diet in humans. I know it can't magically cure athletes foot and grow new limbs for amputees but I'm wondering if there's any benefit for pets? I know there's some benefits for humans with certain medical conditions but would it be the same for pets? Fwiw my pets don't have any known medical condition and neither do her cats.

It still won't cure your pets athletes foot or cause them to grow new limbs.

Dogs in the wild (wolves, coyotes) are naturally carnivores. They don't get a lot of carbs in their diet and any they would get are natural from vegetation. Many pet foods these days consist of fillers and byproduct. I don't see why a high protein low carb diet would really be all that bad for your pet. But taking to the extreme of testing their urine to confirm ketosis is a little much.

L1zardQueen

taziarj wrote: »

100_PROOF_ wrote: »

I'm well aware of all the myths and bunk that surrounds the keto diet in humans. I know it can't magically cure athletes foot and grow new limbs for amputees but I'm wondering if there's any benefit for pets? I know there's some benefits for humans with certain medical conditions but would it be the same for pets? Fwiw my pets don't have any known medical condition and neither do her cats.

It still won't cure your pets athletes foot or cause them to grow new limbs.

Dogs in the wild (wolves, coyotes) are naturally carnivores. They don't get a lot of carbs in their diet and any they would get are natural from vegetation. Many pet foods these days consist of fillers and byproduct. I don't see why a high protein low carb diet would really be all that bad for your pet. But taking to the extreme of testing their urine to confirm ketosis is a little much.

Coyotes are opportunistic feeders. I see their scat almost everyday, sometimes it has seeds and sometimes he has fur. When they are hungry, and I’m sure they more hungry than full, they will eat anything. I have even seen phone wire in their poop.

fuzzylop72

kommodevaran wrote: »

Aren't predators, even domesticated predatotor like dogs and cats, but especially cats, natural carnivores?

Cats are (they need taurine and vitamin a -- they can't synthesize vitamin a from carotene). However, dogs are omnivores, and not carnivores.

Dnarules

First world problems.

Nony_Mouse

If your cat is showing positive for ketones, get them to a vet asap. This is potentially a sign that your cat has unregulated diabetes and is heading towards diabetic ketoacidosis. When I had a diabetic cat, and tested her pee regularly for ketones (yes, it is possible), the only times she showed positive were when her blood glucose (yes, you can test that on a cat too) was out of whack. She was on a very low carbohydrate, species-appropriate diet. If the reading is high or moderate, you're potentially looking at a medical emergency.

In my experience, even cats fed a raw diet using the 'whole prey' model (ie very low carb) will not produce ketones, because that is their natural diet.

100_PROOF_

She told me that she waits at the litter box with the strips and sneaks it under the cat when he goes to make pee pee.

I'm not a cat owner though so don't have a litter box and don't have keto strips. Lol!

My dogs like potatoes too much for a keto diet but it did peek a curiosity when I heard about people doing this. I was wondering just how popular it was amongst pet owners. Apparently there's many people who think the keto diet is the saving Grace for humanity so I guess it trickled down to their pets diets as well.

100_PROOF_

newmeadow wrote: »

I think if you release your pets into the wilderness, the menu in the natural habitat will not include ice cream, hydrolized vegetable protein or modified corn starch. They might swing by once a month or so if they're within walking distance to say hello. But the rest of the time they'll be paleo and feeling great.

Now this is an idea too ! They'd miss getting ice cream from the ice cream truck though and probably would miss the lovely D&G perfumes that they like to wear so often. @newmeadow

fb47

Is this a joke...the poor animal has a 10-15 years life span and you want to force them on a keto diet? Unless the vet gives you the order to do that because of health reasons, just let the animal be.

Nony_Mouse

100_PROOF_ wrote: »

She told me that she waits at the litter box with the strips and sneaks it under the cat when he goes to make pee pee.

Yep, that's how you do it! You have to wait for kitty to start peeing though, once they start they won't stop, but they will look at you with horror and indignation. I've also heard of people sticking a ladle under kitty's butt mid-stream (my Goo would never have allowed that!). The easier way is to replace the litter with something non-absorbing, such as aquarium gravel (unpopped pop corn kernels work well too), then just test once kitty has done their business (my cats are indoor/outdoor, so stalking Goo in the garden was my only option). Also useful if you need to collect a specimen for the vet if you suspect your cat has a UTI, though of course not as good as a sterile sample collected via cystocentesis at the clinic.