What To Stay Away From
There are things that you should avoid when looking to add fiber to your dogs diet. If youre going the puréed pumpkin route, ensure that you are purchasing canned pumpkin only and not canned pumpkin pie mix. This is because canned pumpkin pie mix will have added sugar and spices that may upset your dogs stomach.
Canned green beans should also be avoided when possible. This is because they will have a higher sodium content than fresh or frozen. If all you have available to you is canned, look for low sodium varieties.
Fiber is an essential nutrient for dogs but some dogs may require more of it in their diet than others. For more information about your dogs dietary needs and how best to supplement their diet, speak to your veterinarian.
The Best 10 High Fiber Foods For Your Dog
Introducing high-fiber foods for your dog has lots of health benefits. But finding a high-fiber dog food that your dog will actually eat can be difficult.
We know. Some dogs can be picky when it comes to healthier dog food. Every dog wishes that garbage dog food had nutritional value. But it doesnt. And you value your pets health, so check out our buying tips and list of the best high fiber foods for dogs.
If you want to go a step further, consider Rogue Pet Sciences awesome fiber food toppers pumpkin for dogs and turmeric for dogs. We use these dog food toppers every day at home and know your dog will benefit too!
Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Chicken Recipe
First 5 ingredients: Chicken, Turkey Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Menhaden Fish Meal
If you need a high fiber puppy food, look out for FirstMate Endurance/Puppy Pacific Ocean Fish Meal Formula.
With 8% max crude fiber, this mix uses only a single, novel protein to provide heaps of benefits to your puppy as they are growing.
It is quite expensive though, which isnt suited to everyones budgets and the kibble size can be a little big for some puppies. Overall though, it is a good choice for high fiber puppy food.
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Whole Earth Farms Grain
Image courtesy Whole Earth Farms
Feed your dog with real ingredients straight from the farm! Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe Dry Dog Food is prepared in the USA using natural resources.
Field grown veggies are a fiber-rich, balanced natural dog food that’s high in vitamins and minerals thanks to the first ingredient, which is real, excellent protein.
This grain-free dinner is packed with chicken and turkey to help build strong muscles, has a Wholesome Harvest Blend that includes omega fatty acids for skin and coat health, and contains antioxidants for a healthy immune system.
It’s also low in carbohydrates, fat and sodium. It has a higher protein content than traditional kibble, which will help to keep your dog fuller for longer. And since it is vegan dog food, it’s completely devoid of corn, wheat, soy, chemical flavors, colors, preservatives, fillers or animal by-product meals.
Cautions Of Adding Fiber
If your dog starts to have diarrhea or excessive gas, you have added too much fiber and need to cut back.
Fiber is a valuable addition to the diet of any dog needing toimprove digestive problems or lose a little weight. However, too muchcan be a bad thing so monitor your dog’s bowel movements to ensureyou’re feeding the proper amount.
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How Can I Add More Fiber To My Dogs Diet
There are several ways you can add more fiber to your dogs diet. First, you can look for dog food that features a high fiber content. You can contact your vet for recommendations for a fiber supplement or high-fiber foods that are right for your pups needs.
Fruits and vegetables are also good sources of fiber as long as you dont give him too much and cause him to have diarrhea or loose stools. Too much insoluble fiber can have the same effect. While fresh food is best, you can also use canned goods that are low in sodium and do not contain spices and sweeteners that would provide unneeded calories and possibly upset a dogs stomach. Also, make sure you cut up larger pieces of fruit to accommodate your dogs size to prevent choking.
Brown rice works as a great high-fiber supplement that you can mix in with your dogs food. While white rice will work fine, brown rice has a much higher amount of fiber. Rice is easy to digest, and you can mix it with other foods to boost the fiber content of a dogs food.
However, if you start running out of ideas on how to add more fiber to your dogs food, you can always use a dog food delivery service. The best of these servers will tailor your dogs meal according to their dietary requirements, such as a high fiber diet.
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Healthy Weight Formula
Image courtesy Wellness
The Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Healthy Weight Formula is a good choice for those who are looking for an all-natural and grain-free option. This food is made with chicken as the primary source of protein. It also contains a blend of vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals.
This recipe features limited ingredients to minimize the risk of food sensitivities, and it is also grain-free. The recipe is complete with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support your dog’s overall health.
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Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets En Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Formula Dry Dog Food
Easy to digest, great-tasting, and full of beneficial nutrients? Yes, please! This carefully created formula was designed for digestive health by veterinarians and nutritionists, so you know your pup is getting exactly what they need: both soluble and insoluble fiber, antioxidants, probiotics, and more!
If you think this food might help your dog, talk to your veterinarian about getting their approval. Though this product is readily available in stores and online, a veterinarians prescription is required.
The Benefits Of High Fiber Dog Food
Dogs benefit from two forms of fiber for a healthy digestive system. Insoluble fiber absorbs water and draws moisture from outside the colon and into a dog’s feces, promoting regular bowel movements. Meanwhile, soluble fiber forms a thick gel, which may help food travel more easily through the digestive tract.
In fact, a study was done to see whether providing a meal high in soluble and insoluble fiber to dogs suffering from acute colitis would be more beneficial than eating a diet with standard fiber levels. Colitis is a condition in which the colon or large intestine becomes inflamed and can result in diarrhea. The findings indicate that increasing dietary fiber concentrations is effective in managing acute colitis in dogs.
But what are the other benefits of fiber in a dog’s diet?
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Good Fiber Sources For Your Dog
Similar to humans, dogs need an adequate amount of fiber in their diet to maintain proper health. It aids in their digestion and acts as a prebiotic food source for your dogs beneficial intestinal bacteria. Beneficial bacteria or probiotics help to prevent pathogenic bacteria overgrowth, promoting health in your dogs colon. Increased fiber intake can even reduce the risk of cancer in dogs by speeding up the elimination of any carcinogens your dog has consumed. Its essential for helping to maintain your dogs healthy weight and with such a myriad of benefits for your four-legged friend, its understandable that youre looking for ways to up their intake.
On this list, youll find 11 good fiber sources for your dog. Weve split them up into whole foods you can use as treats, fiber supplements for when your dog is deficient, and high-fiber dog foods for regular feeding.
Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain
Image courtesy Chewy
With Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Pieces Recipe Dry Food, keep your pet in top form.
This healthy high animal protein, boosted nutrition has bites of freeze-dried raw meat throughout. It aids in the promotion of a healthy weight with fewer calories and fat.
There’s also l-carnitine, which can aid in the burning of fat to promote healthy metabolism, and a perfect fiber level that makes your pet feel fuller longer all from the finest ingredients on Earth.
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The Surprising Truth About Dogs Fiber Requirement
Strictly speaking, dogs do not require any fiber in their diets. People are advised to consume in the neighborhood of 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day, which means eating plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. But its not because fiber contains any nutrients to speak of. It doesnt. Its not even readily digestible, meaning it passes through the stomach, small intestine, and colon pretty much without being broken down thus, whatever nutrients or other substances it does contain are not able to be absorbed by the bloodstream and taken up for use in the body. Rather, depending on its composition, fiber can be useful as natures broom, so to speak, helping to insure the timely passage of food through the body and voiding of waste without diarrhea at one extreme and constipation at the other. It is also believed to help regulate appetite for people working to manage their weight by virtue of the bulk it provides, and it is recommended for those with diabetes because its presence slows the uptake of sugar by the body and therefore keeps blood glucose levels on a more even keel.
Benefits & Risks Of Fiber In Dogs
Fiber is an important component in your dog’s diet. It helps to promote regular bowel movements and helps maintain a healthy colon.
Seeing that your pup’s food contains dietary fiber is important, but there’s more. Did you know that there are different types of fiber that provide different benefits to your dog? And finally, not all fiber is created equally so we looked at the best ways to get the fiber your pup needs.
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Can Dogs Have Metamucil
When people think of fiber Metamucila popular fiber supplement that is mixed with watercomes to mind. And if youre mixing up a glass for yourself, you might be wondering whether your dog can experience the same benefits from Metamucil.
Turns out, a small amount should be okayjust make sure to read the label carefully.
A pinch of Metamucil can be helpful for dogs, Feinman says. Just be sure its only Metamucil and not filled with artificial sweeteners like xylitol as those are dangerous for dogs.
Soluble Fiber Vs Insoluble Fiber
Dietary fibers are increasingly recognized as an important functional ingredient in pet food given their interactive role with the intestinal environment and the influence to the microbiome. The main distinctions in functionality are between soluble versus insoluble fibers or fermentable versus non-fermentable fibers. These different kinds of dietary fibers are equally important to cats and dogs, and can be found in many different plant-based ingredients. The two types of dietary fibers have specific functionality and unique benefits that should be taken into account, such as health benefit association, total fiber content and composition, palatability, and technical properties.
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Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Fiber Dog Food Best Overall
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Fiber Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble consisting of chicken by-product meal, brown rice, and brewers rice as its primary ingredients. Chicken by-product meal is not the most appealing of ingredients, being made from food processing leftovers, but it does have a high protein concentration.
It also contains corn and other corn derivatives. It has slightly lower than average protein and higher than average carbs. It has 3.6% fiber content, which is not the highest, but this Royal Canin high fiber food is well-loved by owners and dogs alike, is suitable for dogs of all sizes and breeds, but it is on the pricey side. Despite the cost, however, if your veterinarian has advised you to feed a high fiber food, this makes an excellent choice of dry kibble.
Overall, this is the best high fiber dog food for small breeds and large breeds alike.
With primary ingredients of chicken and chicken meal, Rachael Ray Nutrish Little Bites Small Breed Dry Dog Food is packed with carbohydrates to give your small breed dog extra energy. It also includes omega oils that will keep your dogs coat healthy and shiny. Cranberries help your dog control stress, and the formulation is rich in peas, beets, and carrots, which give the recipe approximately 4.5% fiber concentration.
Alfalfa meal is included in the food, which helps boost the fiber level, but is a common ingredient in horse feed.
- Includes garlic and dried yeast
- Protein could be higher for puppies
How To Introduce New Food To A Dogs Diet
When introducing a new food into your dogs diet, its important to do it gradually, especially with a high fiber food. This is particularly important if you have not given him fiber before since a sudden change in his diet can cause digestive issues.
Make sure you contact your veterinarian for recommendations and to help monitor your pets behavior after you first start giving him fiber. If you start without your vets help, just add a few green beans or carrots to your pets food. And remember that your dog will definitely let you know what types of food he likes.
Your vet will also be able to help you design a diet that will work along with your dogs individual needs. Remember that adding too much fiber to a dogs diet isnt healthy and will dilute certain nutrients and decrease some mineral absorption.
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How Much Fiber Do Dogs Need
This is where it gets tricky because not every dog needs fiber added to their diets. A dog doesnt need a diet loaded with fiber unless they have a lot of gastrointestinal problems, says Boehme.
According to Dr. Jeff Feinman of Holistic Actions, most dogs get their necessary fiber from their diets. But dogs with digestive problems like diarrhea may benefit from fiber supplementation. My rescue pup has colitis, which causes diarrhea and even tinges of blood in the . He does quite well with a little fiber, Feinman says. Some dogs need it and some dont.
Adding fiber to a dogs diet isnt difficult if they do need additional sources. However, its good to know that overeating fiber can also upset the gastrointestinal tract. Before adding additional fiber to a dogs diet, its best to consult your veterinarian.
Consistency Is The Key To Improvement
Youve learned a great deal about fiber for dogs. Lets recap.
Dogs need fiber to maintain a healthy gut. It also helps with issues like constipation, diarrhea, diabetes, and colon cancer.
Some human foods such aspumpkin, lettuce, and bran are brilliant for upping the fiber in your pets diet. But be sure to start slowly and monitor closely.
Some commercial supplements and dog food are also a good source of fiber for dogs and might make feeding your pup easier as they come with instructions. We hope this information will help you and your four-legged pal on the road to a happy and healthy lifestyle.
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Whole Life Pet Living Pumpkin Treats For Dogs
Image courtesy Whole Life Pet
Whole Life Living Treats Pumpkin Flavor Freeze-Dried Dog Treats are a wonderful way to spoil your cherished companion with the nutritional natural goodness and strong flavor of Whole Life Living Treats.
Small quantities are handcrafted and freeze-dried to minimize the processing and preserve all of the natural taste and vitality.
The majority of the ingredients in today’s raw diet recipes, including real USDA chicken, genuine pumpkin, and yogurt to aid your dog’s healthy digestion via whole food fiber and live active probiotic bacteria.
The highest quality ingredients are used to produce these paw-sitively irresistible snacks, which have been sourced, produced and safety-tested in the United States.
Wellness Core Natural Grain
Image courtesy Chewy
Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a good choice for those who are looking for an all-natural and grain-free option. This food is made with chicken, turkey, and fishmeal as the primary sources of protein. It also contains a blend of fruits and vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals.
The Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a good choice for those who are looking for an all-natural and grain-free option. This food is made with chicken, turkey, and fishmeal as the primary sources of protein. It also contains a blend of fruits and vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals.
This food is free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. It is also made in the USA with ingredients that are sourced from around the world.
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Talk To Your Vet Before Choosing New Food For Your Dog
Weve selected some great high-fiber dog food, but before introducing any new recipes into your dogs diet, we suggest consulting with your vet. They can help you understand any health issues your dog may be experiencing, and can recommend food that will best support their specific health needs. Find more articles on specialty dog diets below. Healthy and balanced nutrition should always be your top priority for your dog.
Fiber For Dogs: 10 Healthy Sources
Whether your pet has some mild digestive issues, your vet suggests a fiber boost, or you just want to provide some occasional fiber-focused snacks to keep your dog full and focused, there are lots of sources to consider.
Lets look at some of the most popular sources of fiber for dogs that are easy to add to your dogs diet.
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