Kibble crack: is your animal addicted to sugar?

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Last month on my way to a meeting downtown, I slowed my pace to peer into some bins set up on Market Street and a 20-something guy with long hair and a visor shoved two sample packages of "Simple Essential Treats" for dogs ("Training" and "Light"), courtesy of Science Diet, into my hand.

The ingredients on the back of the bag labeled "Training" listed "sucrose" as the third ingredient. The "Light" version was sugar-free and, according to the marketing copy, the "perfect, healthy treat for rewarding your special pet." (By special, do they mean fat? I wasn't sure.) Both formulas were chock-full of fillers, including wheat flour, soy flour, corn meal, brewers rice and powdered cellulose. (TheDogFoodProject.com identifies brewers rice, soy flour and cellulose as ingredients to avoid. Read the complete list here.)

intheknowmom.net

Dr. Ernie Ward, the founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention refers to sugar-laden, high-calorie pet treats as "kibble crack" and says that more and more pet food companies are adding sugar to the mix to keep our furry friends wanting more.

"Pudgy pooches and fat cats are now the norm," says Ward referring to the more than 50% of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese. He grimly adds that "this is the first generation of pets that will not live as long as their parents." The most significant health risks associated with obesity include osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes (cats), insulin resistance (dogs), kidney disease and cancer.

What's the biggest cause of the pet obesity epidemic? (Hint: it's the same for us.) Yep. You guessed it: too many carbs. According to Ward, today's pets consume high-carbohydrate and sugary foods that create changes in their brain chemistry, causing them to crave them even more.

So what can we do to combat this crack...er, carbs calamity? There's no easy fix, but here's a good place to start: Put down the biscuit and pick up a carrot and a leash instead.

Check your labels at home. Are you inadvertently feeding your pet sugar?

Posted By: Amelia Glynn (Email, Facebook) | June 09 2010 at 03:48 PM

Listed Under: Nutrition, Pet Obesity