# Beet Pulp, is it bad? (its in WainWrights)



## snadge (Nov 9, 2011)

the breeder we bought our lab from sent me a link to this website Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble which has reviews of most known dog foods.

it doesnt have any for wainwrights that I can see (which is what we feed her) but I read this about beet pulp (which I know is in wainwwrights) on the Vitalin Dog Food which is what we were gunna change her onto (it also has corn/maize)

*is it true that it causes the dog harm?*



> Beet pulp is a controversial filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required.


thanks


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## Redice (Dec 4, 2011)

I think it is one of those ingredients that different people and nutritionalists have differing opionions.:mad2:

You have quoted the opinion against Beet Bulp. Here is one of the opinions for it.
'A small proportion of beet pulp added to pet foods is a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibre. The soluble fibre is a good food source for the friendly bacteria in the large intestine. It also slows the rate of food passage through the gut ensuring a preferential transit time of food, leading to maximum digestion and absorption of nutrients. The insoluble fibre increases peristalsis, helps an animal to feel satisfactorily full and provides a crunchy texture to the kibbles to aid oral hygiene. Fibre is important for maintaining normal gastrointestinal transit time and motility and cats and dogs with stomach upsets can be found eating grass or other vegetation, possibly in the attempt to soothe their gut with increased fibre. A quality fibre source in the correct proportion may help to reduce the incidence of conditions such as diabetes mellitus and obesity. It may also help to prevent constipation and diarrhoea'.

So it doesn't seem like there is a difinitive answer. I feed Arden Grange which has beet pulp in it and the dogs have always done well on it.


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## snadge (Nov 9, 2011)

bit of a grey area then... :mad2::mad2::confused1:

SURELY if it were bad for dogs they wouldnt stick it in dog food or at least in dog food that is supposed to be half-decent?


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

I think between the two first posts explain most of the problems of dog nutrition and ingredients.. no wait that also goes for human nutrition as well 

I think one of the key factors would be determining where information comes from and at the end of the day, what influences the findings and reports. Dog food companies using sugar beet pulp will naturally have "scientific" reports stating it's benefits. It may be that manufacturer's who don't use it fund and influence anti beet pulp reports. Of course no one will admit any report is not independent. :mad2:


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## snadge (Nov 9, 2011)

+1 @ goblin

its a case of asking whoever said it where they got their info/proof from and repeat until you get to the source..maybe I will contact the editor of that website as it seems thats who posted that its bad


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## brackenhwv (Mar 28, 2010)

EEK ! Beet in dog food, used to use it to put/maintain weight on horses !! Glad we're raw ! The more I hear and read about processed foods the more I wonder just what are companies happy to stick in processed foods and that includes humans !


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

To begin with EVERYTHING in excess is potentially toxic, including water and oxygen.

The facts are this.

In order to maintain a healthy gut the body must produce SCFA which it does from the ingestion of prebiotics from FOS a source of which is beet pulp.

The type of fibre that is consumed will aid or not the production of the SCFA depending upon how soluble/insoluble the fibre is and how fermentable it is. Thus beet pulp fits both bills.

Chicory is another source.

Those of us who feed raw can provide this fibre by feeding fruits and vegetables for example.

Demonising a particular ingredient is rarely useful as, unless it is totally toxic like onions, it is patently obvious that it is not the dietary scourge its decriers make it out to be.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

However dogs are carnivores, not herbivores and nutritional requirements based on vegetable matter could be debated until the cows come home  Those supporting either side, for and against vegetation in food can, I am sure produce, what they consider, "evidence" supporting their viewpoint


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## sarelis (Aug 29, 2011)

Interesting thread, my JRT loves sugar beet, my horse broke into the feed room one day & chucked a whole bucket of soaked beet everywhere, by the time I got there he & Lu (JRT) were scoffing it together!! Now every time I make up the horses feeds she is in there, nicking it out of their buckets


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

brackenhwv said:


> EEK ! Beet in dog food, used to use it to put/maintain weight on horses !! Glad we're raw ! The more I hear and read about processed foods the more I wonder just what are companies happy to stick in processed foods and that includes humans !


Speedibeet etc is generally used for fibre or as a bulker for food, (for horses) not for weight gain. It's the residue of sugar production, not nutritionally outstanding and very unlikely to encourage weight gain.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Many people misinterpret the term "carnivore" it does not mean that an animal can ONLY consume meat or ONLY get any nutrition from meat.

We know that is not true because dogs thrive on food which contains more than 50% non meat nutrients and even vegetarian diets.

So, whilst scientifically classified as a carnivor, it is ominivorous by nature being a scavenger and opportunist feeder as well as a predator.

Whether you support the use of vegetables and fruit in a diet does not change the FACTS regarding what the beet pulp is designed to do and does do.


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

snadge said:


> the breeder we bought our lab from sent me a link to this website Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble which has reviews of most known dog foods.
> 
> it doesnt have any for wainwrights that I can see (which is what we feed her) but I read this about beet pulp (which I know is in wainwwrights) on the Vitalin Dog Food which is what we were gunna change her onto (it also has corn/maize)
> 
> ...


Erm i m think didn't even know they had it in Dog food.. But used to feed sugar beet pulp to horses in the winter.. Its believed to help maintain weight and tbo honest makes some horses a bit fresh..

And.. Pulp has to be soaked.. so it must be like the finest of bits in the dog food..


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

smokeybear said:


> Many people misinterpret the term "carnivore" it does not mean that an animal can ONLY consume meat or ONLY get any nutrition from meat.
> 
> We know that is not true because dogs thrive on food which contains more than 50% non meat nutrients and even vegetarian diets.


Which is why those people who feed vegetation need to "process" it to allow the dog to extract the nutrients. Perfectly natural I do get your point



> So, whilst scientifically classified as a carnivor, it is ominivorous by nature being a scavenger and opportunist feeder as well as a predator.


Scientifically there is no such thing as an omnivore, many herbivores aren't adverse to eating a bit of flesh and many carnivores eat vegetation. It doesn't mean it's required which is what you were stating. From end to end the digestive system of a dog is a carnivore with no biological adaptations to process vegetable matter. Things like badgers have molars for instance despite being carnivores as they eat and process vegetable matter. I'm not against vegetables for dogs, we do feed our own dogs vegetables on the odd occasion, they like the taste and it doesn't do harm.



> Whether you support the use of vegetables and fruit in a diet does not change the FACTS regarding what the beet pulp is designed to do and does do.


Or what you STATE is facts. I know commercial dog food companies have scientific studies (known by many as FACTS) showing a high percentage of grain in food is also needed and does the job it's supposed to. I can't imagine you feeding cereal in the same percentages somehow.


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## GarethMills (Feb 23, 2010)

Hi there, 

The sugarbeet present in dog food is there purely as a prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in the gut, not all feeds use it, but a high percentage do. My advice though would be to move away from wainwrights to something with better quality ingredients. I have a small pet shop and we have found that those people on Green Dog seem to be having fantastic results.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Goblin said:


> Which is why those people who feed vegetation need to "process" it to allow the dog to extract the nutrients. Perfectly natural I do get your point
> 
> *Actually there is no NEED to process it if it is extremely ripe, which is how and why wild canids eat vegetation (as well as that "processed" by the animal which they find in the gut and consume) *
> 
> ...


There are studies to support and refute EVERYTHING, there are some people who still believe the world is flat. 

If a dog could NOT digest vegetable matter then it would come out the same way it went in.

So when dogs eat grasses they are often not "digested" but other things are, depending on the cellulose and fibrous content.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

GarethMills said:


> Hi there,
> 
> The sugarbeet present in dog food is there purely as a prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in the gut, not all feeds use it, but a high percentage do. My advice though would be to move away from wainwrights to something with better quality ingredients. I have a small pet shop and we have found that those people on Green Dog seem to be having fantastic results.


I guess it depends on what you mean by better quality ingredients.

Green Dog uses vegetables to provide the prebiotic content and many grains, in the Turkey and rice for example it includes not only rice but also barley and oats.


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## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

smokeybear said:


> If a dog could NOT digest vegetable matter then it would come out the same way it went in


So you don't puree or otherwise process the vegetation you feed your dogs?


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