Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Do all dry dog foods have carbs, even grain-free Taste of the Wild?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Male | unneutered | 58 lbs

Hello. Do all dog dry foods contain carbohydrate? What about No- grain dog dry foods like TASTE OF THE WILD ? How can we guess how much carbohydrate do they contain?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 21st, 2018

Yes, typically all dog foods contain carbohydrates, even Taste of the Wild. They have them in the form of foods like legumes, which contain a significant amount of carbohydrates. You can look at the nutrition label to get an idea of the percentage of carbs in the food. Carbs are fine to feed dogs, they provide a source of energy for them, and fiber from carbs are also filling. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on January 21st, 2018

    Yes, all dry foods will have carbohydrates because carbohydrates are needed to make a food dry. If they don't use grains for carbohydrates, they will use sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, etc which are carbohydrates, but not grains. There is some calculating to be done to figure out the amount of carbohydrates. The minimum amount of protein and fat is listed, but carbohydrates do not have to be listed on the label. If you subtract the amount of protein and fat listed from 100%, you have the maximum amount of carbohydrate that could be in the food, but the amounts are a little skewed by the moisture content, so that number will be high, but will give you a way to compare different foods. For example, Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine formula has a minimum of 32% protein and 18% fat, so it would have a maximum of 50% carbohydrates. Don't forget that dogs are omnivores and can utilize carbohydrates for nutrition, so carbohydrates are an important part of their diet (which is different than cats). I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is sweet potato, potato, brown rice and white rice considered "good" fillers in dog food? Why or why not?
The word "filler" is not exactly accurate and has been perpetuated by a great deal of false information spread about dog food lately. The truth is that these ingredients actually have a great deal of nutrients and properties that make them an important part of the diet. Dogs are actually omnivores (similar to humans) and are not meant to eat an all meat diet, so it's expected that some degree of carbohydrates are in the diet and all the packaged dog foods are formulated to meet the known nutritional demand of dogs. Additionally, carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes are good for promoting a healthy digestive system. For these reasons, all the mentioned ingredients are good ingredients to have in dog food. The benefit of brown vs white rice is not well known and any claims that one is better than the other are usually not well supported by the facts. Same goes for different types of potatoes. The easiest way to sift through the vast amount of information about dog food is
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hi, today I visited my vet with my dog and I was asked which dog food I feed my dogs when I said I feed my dogs 'Taste of the Wild' my vet told me that the dog food causes problems with the heart. Is this true? And should i continue giving my dogs ta
This is true. Vets are seeing an increase in dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed grain free diets, and Taste of the Wild is one of those diets seen in the FDA investigation of this link. I would change Thunder's food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Why is wheat considered bad in dog food or treats? Is wheat comparable to potato in grain free foods? Why or why not?
This is a great question! There is currently no evidence that wheat or other grains in pet food and treats is 'bad' unless a pet has an allergy to wheat. Grains provide important nutrients, and even strict carnivores like wild cats probably ingest some grain contained in the stomachs of their prey. All pet foods need some way to provide carbohydrates, and the potato or pea in grain free foods is just an alternative source of carbohydrate. In summary, the 'grain free' pet food trend is mostly about marketing, and probably reflects the popularity of grain free and gluten free diets for people.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
What is your opinion of Taste of the Wild? A lot of people don't seem to like it, but it's made in the US and seems to have better ingredients than other brands I've seen. My vet recommends Royal Canin, but the 2nd ingredient is a by-product so I don
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Skye. Personally, I agree with your veterinarian. Royal Canin is a superior product to Taste of the Wild. They have many veterinarians on staff to formulate their diets and out extensive research into their foods. Taste of the Wild seems to spend a ton of money on advertising. There is a lot of misinformation regarding pet foods. By-products are not lower quality ingredients. For example, if a wolf in the wild kills a moose to eat, it does not eat the skeletal muscle of the limbs first. It eats the internal organs as.these have a higher concentration of nutrients. I recently had a chance to speak with an ecologist at a university on this very topic. By-products are typically organ meat. Bottom line though, you need a food that works for your individual dog. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My terrier mix (DNA pic attached) turns 1 today (estimated birth date-she's a rescue). I feed her Hills Science Diet large breed puppy formula-I would like to transition her to a new food. She is mildly overweight in which she is active but her hips
Taste of the Wild is a great food, but it is what we call a premium food. Premium foods do not contain any fillers, so the food is more bio-available. What that means is that Luna will need to eat less of Taste of the Wild than Science Diet. Usually, I recommend starting on the low end of the feeding recommendation on the bag, but sometimes we have to go even lower than that depending on an individual dog's metabolism. So, be sure to monitor Luna's weight because keeping her lean is the best thing for her health. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 5 month old miniature bernedoodle. When I first got him we were feeding him Wellness Complete Health -Grain free. After a while he didn't eat as much so I switched over to Taste of the Wild. He seems to love it but when I researched the bran
There are various opinions about Taste of the Wild and I personally prefer not to feed it. Since your dog is still a puppy I would strongly recommend feeding one of the reputable scientifically computed brands such as Hill's Science Diet , Royal Canine or Iams. Feed a puppy feed suitable for the size and age and your puppy will have the best start in life. What you feed into Bruno now, will pay off later in that you will have a dog who developed and grew up to his best genetic potential without health issues caused by insufficient nutrition.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Orijen formulas only contain 20% carbohydrates. Is this enough for my dog? (She's on the six fish right now)
For a dog without allergies, they should be getting between 30-70% of their daily diet. This is a little low for a dog, and I don't recommend feeding grain free or low carb diets unless the dog has been diagnosed with food allergies.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Is taste of the wild puppy food is good for my golden retriever puppy
No, I do not recommend it. It's a grain free diet, and vets are seeing a rise in heart disease in dogs who are fed grain free and boutique diets. Dogs are dying from this, and the FDA is now researching it. Grains are fine for dogs, grain free is a fad. I recommend brands such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What is the best for dogs dry food grain free or normal dry food with wheat, yeast etc.?
The vast majority of dogs tolerate cereal very well and do just as well on such diets as they do on grain free diet. A small minority will have dietary sensitivities and require specialist diets without certain ingredients, sometimes cereal and sometimes different protein groups. If a pet is doing well on a particular diet i would not recommend changing
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I've heard more carbs are not good for Golden Retriever's? Is 25% too much carbs?
Scientific research has shown that an adult dog's daily diet can contain up to 50% carbohydrates by weight, so 25% is not too many carbs for Chloe. I'm not sure where you have heard that more carbs are not good for Golden Retrievers, but as long as the carb amount of her diet is kept to 50% or below daily, that is perfectly fine. I had a Golden Retriever, and I did not feed her a reduced carb diet at all and she lived to 12 years of life with rarely having any health problems.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Dog Food With Grain Dry Dog Food with Grain Dry Dog Food Grain Free Dog Food Wet Dog Food with Grain Wet Dog Food Wet Cat Food Dog Treats & Chews Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food with Grain Taste of the Wild Dog Food With Grain Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food Taste of the Wild Grain Free Dog Food Taste of the Wild Wet Dog Food with Grain Taste of the Wild Dog Supplies Taste of the Wild High Protein Dog Food Taste of the Wild Dog Food Taste of the Wild Taste of the Wild Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored