Keto for pets? Keto strips for cats?

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

I'm sort of surprised at how some people are so against feeding cats or dogs a diet that is low in carbohydrates.

I'd be against feeding a cat a diet that high in fat (as a normal human keto diet), as it goes against the advice my vet gave me.

I am also in FAVOR of minimizing carbs in cat diets, they normally would have pretty low amounts (not none, freshly killed meat has some).

Trying to get a cat in ketosis would, of course, be irresponsible for the reasons Nony said.

I believe dogs have more carbs than cats do in their normal diet, but I don't have a dog so only go by my memory of what a friend of mine said when telling us about what she did to prepare homemade dog food for her dog.

I don't know much about cats. What sort of foods did your vet advise for your cat? Still all animal products but lean meat?

Dogs do eat carbs, just not much. I would be worried for a dog whose diet was moderate or high carb. Keeping a dog near its natural diet is smart. Probably ideal. Smart care for pets (including vaccinations, grooming, and shelter) is the way to go.

But yeah, testing for desired ketones in a pet is odd. Hopefully not many people are projecting their human beliefs onto their pets.

Lol. My dog is more selfish. He'd eat it himself or bury it for later.

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

I'm sort of surprised at how some people are so against feeding cats or dogs a diet that is low in carbohydrates.

I'd be against feeding a cat a diet that high in fat (as a normal human keto diet), as it goes against the advice my vet gave me.

I am also in FAVOR of minimizing carbs in cat diets, they normally would have pretty low amounts (not none, freshly killed meat has some).

Trying to get a cat in ketosis would, of course, be irresponsible for the reasons Nony said.

I believe dogs have more carbs than cats do in their normal diet, but I don't have a dog so only go by my memory of what a friend of mine said when telling us about what she did to prepare homemade dog food for her dog.

I don't know much about cats. What sort of foods did your vet advise for your cat? Still all animal products but lean meat?

Dogs do eat carbs, just not much. I would be worried for a dog whose diet was moderate or high carb. Keeping a dog near its natural diet is smart. Probably ideal. Smart care for pets (including vaccinations, grooming, and shelter) is the way to go.

But yeah, testing for desired ketones in a pet is odd. Hopefully not many people are projecting their human beliefs onto their pets.

Here's a lengthy source with a discussion of different commercial foods (probably more information than you want -- I told my vet I'd be interested, and this is what she offered): http://catinfo.org/

Shorter version: less than 10% carbs, less than 50% fat, more than 40% protein. Protein should be mostly animal protein. If you want to make your own food (I don't), make sure not to just feed meat but get help, as the natural cat diet will include bones and organs too (and while organs are meat some would just feed other cuts, I guess).

But the keto thing is that cats being fed their natural diet won't be manufacturing ketones. That's a sign of diabetes (from what I've read, I've not had a cat with diabetes).

Agreed that a dog would also have a lower carb diet and it should be close to what dogs would naturally eat. I'm not knowledgeable about dog diets except that I believe cats are obligate carnivores and dogs aren't. The diet my friend was feeding her dog was mostly meat, but she said there was a reason to include more variety than with cats.

Trying to remember if pumpkin was one of those things -- oddly enough, pumpkin seems to be helpful for cats (in smaller amounts, not as a replacement for meat) for a variety of health issues.

cmriverside wrote: »

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.

This is basically what I came to post.

What do they eat in nature? Is it kibble or is it meat and fat from prey? Do they seem to prefer corn such as in the corn-based garbage most people feed their pets? I wouldn't go crazy on the fats, but meat would be better for them than mass-produced corn-based "food" and if nature had intended for them to eat that it would have had them eating corn in nature in addition to whatever else. So far it seems to me that nature has dietary habits and needs of living creatures figured out far better than we have yet with all of our infinite wisdom and "expertise"

This keto *kitten* is getting out of control.

I think a diet that puts an animal in ketosis is different from a (human) ketogenic diet. For instance, to get a rat into ketosis the fat intake must be incredibly high and the protein and carbs much lower than what a human would healthfully eat. If a rat ate a human ketogenic diet, they would not be in ketosis.

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Are dogs and cats even capable of going into ketosis? I'm not familiar with their nutrient metabolism and energy usage. Would never do that to my dog (he loves carrots), but it made me curious about their metabolism.

I don't know about cats and dogs, but read about ketosis in cows and it's not a good thing at all. Can't imagine putting any other animal in ketosis on purpose.

Yikes. Why would anyone feed a cow fat? Their microbes make VFAs and a large portion of their protein for them.

Does playing Lionel Ritchie for your dog put it in a state of nutritional ketosis faster?

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

I think a diet that puts an animal in ketosis is different from a (human) ketogenic diet. For instance, to get a rat into ketosis the fat intake must be incredibly high and the protein and carbs much lower than what a human would healthfully eat. If a rat ate a human ketogenic diet, they would not be in ketosis.

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Are dogs and cats even capable of going into ketosis? I'm not familiar with their nutrient metabolism and energy usage. Would never do that to my dog (he loves carrots), but it made me curious about their metabolism.

I don't know about cats and dogs, but read about ketosis in cows and it's not a good thing at all. Can't imagine putting any other animal in ketosis on purpose.

Yikes. Why would anyone feed a cow fat? Their microbes make VFAs and a large portion of their protein for them.

It doesn't come from being fed fat, it can happen after giving birth or if she's under-eating or eating poor silage (last two instances I saw were farmers dealing with a cow in ketosis after she gave birth). Either way it makes them pretty miserable and unhappy cows, I just can't imagine potentially putting a dog or cat into ketosis either. Everyone in my house eats according to their needs (except the cats, I've run out of good foods to try and they snub everything except for fancy feast. I hate it but I'd rather they eat than go hungry 2-3 days in a row).

gives a whole new meaning to skinny cow ice cream.