Is beet pulp in dog food really that bad?

[Karie]

I started feeding my dogs Kirkland Chicken and Rice dog foood. I was on DDF and they were posting about this food and about beet pulp. Is it really bad for the dogs? I was feeding them Canidae, but with 3 dogs and their prices getting higher, I swithced them to a cheaper dog food,but still a good dog food. I was told it was a good dog food anways. I am questioning myself now, because of what I read. Any thought!!

Karie

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is what the "Dog Food Project" has to say- this is a very reputable web site, and they find there to be no problem at all with beet pulp:

Fiber is the part of carbohydrates that can not be digested by the dog. Depending on nutritional goals, varying levels of dietary fiber with different properties are necessary to make a highly processed food source like commercial kibble "work", since a dog's digestive tract is not designed to process a diet with such high levels of carbohydrates - most commercial dry foods contain 40-50%, low quality ones even more.

Depending on the inclusion of ingredients that are naturally high in fiber (e.g. brown rice, oats, certain fruits or vegetables), a food may or may not include specific, isolated types of fiber.
Beet Pulp, the isolated fibrous material from sugar beets, is another ingredient that has an undeservedly bad reputation. It is a very gentle, beneficial source of fiber that is not only generally very well tolerated, but also has specific properties that make it suitable as a source of nutrition for the beneficial bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract. The sugar is almost completely removed, what is left in the pulp is only about 1/5 the amount of sugar that you would find in a serving of carrots of equal size. It is also colorless and does not turn a dog's coat turn red, like urban legends claim. The argument that beet pulp is an "unnatural" ingredient is often brought up, but people who present this complaint seem to forget that it is also not natural for dogs to eat highly processed commercial products with a carb content of generally 40% and more, and a moisture content of only around 10% as opposed to a more natural 60-70%. Added fiber is required to make such formulations work for the pets who eat a dry diet.

[Adina P]

Thank you Karen! And as I said in the food group, I'm a big fan of safe fillers :-) 'cause my dog needs filling!

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Karen while investigating various ingredients and what it represented when listed on dog food I remember that beet pulp was not considered dangerous, but was considered a filler and didn't provide a lot of nutritious value for a dog (I think in large part due to the sugar content). The first thing I spent a lot of time on were ingredients before I progressed to food brand selection. Like I told Adina there are sooooo many sources of info on the internet and it can be mind boggling with respect to validity vs opinion and fact vs fiction. Of course, if I had a vested interest in quantifying results with respect to my affiliation, sponsorship, occupation, and/or published material...I would be partial as well and support my opinion, etc. Still, I respect trials and studies for more accurate info....as long as animals and people are NOT hurt in the process.