Husky mum wrote:

We looked at this as well but a breeder/shower in Aus told us to avoid it at all costs as it has potato and sweet potato in the ingredients so we did. Ours are on Black Hawk holistic

Can I ask why your breeder recommends avoiding potato or sweet potato at all costs?

She's not our breeder but an friend. Because potato is part of night shade family which is bad for dogs - she said she would never feed a potato based product to a dog, she's a well know show-er in Aus so we respected her opinion and didn't go with it .

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I spoke to a lot of people before settling on Black Hawk and in Aus it is one of the better brands. They get kibble and a protein source as well as vegetables. I don't find Eearthborn much better for the extra $60 a week it would cost us to feed our two pups.. I

My apologies Husky mum. My intent was not to bash the food you are feeding by any means. I wanted to know the reasoning behind potatoes being bad because I've read nothing but the opposite, ESPECIALLY about sweet potato. Regular potato in excess, I know can cause issues, but sweet potato is supposed to be perfectly healthy from my understanding.

Val, Claudia... can you speak to this?

Sweet Potatoes are a perfectly fine addition to the diet of a dog, assuming that it is not the main ingredient of a food (see Natural Balance). They are hypoallergenic, naturally an anti inflammatory, help regulate weight and reduce obesity, and provide necessary fiber that a kibble fed dog so desperately needs.

That being said, sweet potato when fed in the raw needs to be cooked and mashed or pureed. If a sweet potato is not cooked it does not allow for the dog's system to break down.

The sweet potato is NOT a member of the nightshade family.. It's in a completely different botanical class than the regular potato.

Sweet Potatoes also offer natural forms of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Iron. It is also incredibly rich in antioxidants, which are known to promote good health in a many species, not just dogs.

Potatoes are one of those highly debated ingredients. I have to keep this short as the little one is crying but anything in excess is not good, that includes both white and sweet potato. Both are carbs and should not make up much of the dogs diet. Sweet potato is much better than white to include in the diet (Megan listed some of the pros of sweet potato), however there is nothing wrong with having some potato in their food. I would most certainly try to avoid anything that is made up primarily of potato but most foods are not, although Natural Balance's LID line is very potato heavy.

When it comes to potato, I don't worry too much about it as long as it is not in excess. And I do prefer sweet potato over white but I don't avoid foods with white potato either. This is yet another reason why I advocate rotational diets, a rotation of good foods tends to balance things out nicely over time.

Now if one has a dog dealing with special circumstances such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, yeast problems, etc then I would agree that you'd want to avoid both white and sweet potato. But for the average healthy dog I see no reason to entirely avoid foods just because they might contain potato. I would much rather feed a food with white or sweet potato than one with rice. As with anything, moderation is key.

Val, I have always heard and read that sweet potato has been great at regulating weight, coudl this just be propaganda?

Husky mum wrote:

We looked at this as well but a breeder/shower in Aus told us to avoid it at all costs as it has potato and sweet potato in the ingredients so we did. Ours are on Black Hawk holistic

I haven't fed gain inclusive in a long time and sometimes, i forget that grain isn't necessarily a bad thing in all dogs.

So I have a few questions - what else do they sell in Australia? Is it primarily the large name brands? Do they have regulations like we do?

I know nothing about regulations outside of the U.S. and Canada, so I am just wondering how it works abroad.

mheath0429 wrote:

Val, I have always heard and read that sweet potato has been great at regulating weight, coudl this just be propaganda?

I have actually never heard that before, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Just curious, what have you read backing that up? I know sweet potatoes are a starch and as such should be fed in moderation to prevent high carbs and obesity.

I read that in a few holistic veterinary manuals and one of the ladies on my raw food Co-op swears by it to help lose weight.

Let em right titles and such when I get home - at work without all the info on me.

I'm sure it's one of those in moderation things for the weight regulation. Take your time, I would like to read a bit more on that when I have some time. Sorry, normally I'd do my own homework but the little one is so demanding I have very little free time.

Why do your own homework when I can cite things here? Books can be a plethora of knowledge, and i find myself trusting them more than the internet lately.

General Guidelines
...
To help dogs lose weight, Lisa P. Weeth, DVM, Diplomate ACVN, a veterinary nutritionist with Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, N.J., has a list of recommendations. In addition to baby carrots and green beans, it includes plain, unsalted rice cakes; unsalted no-butter popcorn; vanilla or strawberry yogurt without artificial sweeteners; and even vanilla-flavored animal crackers.

“I have some dogs that love those and some pet owners who love to give them,” Weeth says.

Other generally safe foods include squash, peas, sweet potatoes, and ice cubes made with diluted chicken or beef broth. One note of warning: Dogs can crack their teeth on ice cubes.

Source: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/people-foods-your-dog-can-eat

Doesn't mention them in the lose weight category.

When you get a chance to post what you've read, I would love to read it. That's what I love about this place, I still learn new things all the time.

Do the sweet potatoes themselves have a property that helps dogs lose weight, or is it used more as a filler to help the dog feel full without feeding them a bunch of extra calories?

I think maybe we should make a separate thread dedicated to discussing sweet potatoes (and white potatoes?) rather than continue to hijack this thread. That way people looking for info on sweet potato/potatoes can find it easily.

I missed a lot - sorry...I'm trying to catch up. I haven't been on here much lately.

...I'll look for the other thread started on potatoes....

Don't look too hard Claudia, I don't think one was ever started.

I didn't see one

But here's what I have found on the potato matter regarding pet nutrition and weight:

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This vegetable ingredient is commonly used as an acceptable filler source - one that normally doesn’t cause stomach upset or other digestion problems. Sweet potatoes have much more nutrition than regular potatoes. They're rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and are classified as an anti-diabetic food. They received this title because animal studies have found that sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. They contain vitamin A which also protects against emphysema.


Notable Nutrients: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, Copper, Fiber, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Iron.


However, there are a few things to be cautious of when using sweet potatoes as an ingredient in your pet’s diet. A sweet potato is full of starch so weight gain is a possibility if too much is fed. Another thing to be weary of is that the skin of the sweet potato could contain harmful chemicals if moldy. Be sure to inspect all sweet potatoes to prevent feeding a moldy sweet potato to your dog and make sure to use them sparingly.


Robert Mueller, BSc, Pharm. is a registered pharmacist, author of “Living Enzymes: The World’s Best Kept Pet Food Secret”, and co-developer of BARF World’s BARF diets patties, nuggets and supplements - the first company to make the Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF) diet conveniently available to animals everywhere. He and his wife love to travel around the world with their dog, Ubi – a sheltie/beagle mix.

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So - from the statement above, I would assume the 'everything in moderation' rule applies.

I fed food with sweet potato to Storm while he was on his journey to a healthy weight. So in my own experience, sweet potato in moderation is perfectly fine in general pet nutrition. Again, the key here is in moderation.

Just a note, Earthborn does have potato-free formulas. Great Plains is potato free, which is why I fed it to Koda when doing kibble.

Heather! wrote:

Just a note, Earthborn does have potato-free formulas. Great Plains is potato free, which is why I fed it to Koda when doing kibble.

Geez welcome back!

You know I eventually pop back up after taking a couple weeks to calm my anger, haha.

Heather! wrote:

Just a note, Earthborn does have potato-free formulas. Great Plains is potato free, which is why I fed it to Koda when doing kibble.

I wasn't aware of this, is it available in Aus?

No idea. If I were you, I'd email them. The new Acana formulas are also free of potatoes.