Carbs are “not technically required” in dog food, says the PFFIA.  Find out why.

If you are new to the dog food game, you might wonder what makes a good COMMERCIAL dog food?  THREE simple rules.

1 Meet the minimum standards of AAFCO (American VOLUTEER dog food ‘standards’ association)

2 Add enough salt and sugar that all dogs will eat it.

3 Have a massive Advertising budget to distract from the fact there is minimal meat and quality offal in it.

Now I know that many people who buy our treats also feed their dogs a lot of vegetables.  They have been told that these are vital to a dog’s health. And coincidently those vegetables cost only a fraction of real dog food (meat).

And true raw feeders typically DON’T use vegetables at all.

But how does the PFFIA (The Pet Food Industry Association of Australia) , hold the smoking gun, or act as the messenger for AAFCO?  And what does PFFIA have to say about carbs in dog food?

AAFCO make the global dog food standards (because no other country wants to),  and these are watered down version of the original American NRC rules.   The PFFIA basically just passes on what AAFCO comes up with, and occasionally enforces these rules.

On the PFFIA website, they say “ (PFFIA) was established in September 1972 to promote standards of excellence in the pet food industry in Australia. Even if it accepts ALL of the AAFCO guidelines lock stock and smoking barrel.

And most importantly for the food you give your dog. They say they assist in the “promotion of prepared pet food as the preferred method of pet nutrition and reinforced through establishment and self-regulation of industry standards.”

So yes, they basically help promote massive companies that put what they like into kibble, which in theory meets the lax standards of AAFCO. And how do they enforce this vital task?  Self-regulation of course.

You might almost think that this was in conflict of a corporation’s main aim which is: “Its core tasks include operating as a business to generate profits, protecting its owners from personal liability, and providing a stable structure for raising capital.”

WHY CARBS ARE NOT NECESSARY in dog food, in the PFFIA’s own words

“While carbohydrates aren’t technically essential, they are helpful because they:

• Provide a quick and convenient source of energy
• Allow foods to have moderate fat or fewer calories, which helps manage weight
• Reduce the need to rely solely on animal protein, which is a limited resource”  (Blog on PFFIA website 2026)

The Devil in the detail of Dog food in Australia.

We have written numerous articles about how the AAFCO standards are controlled by external businesses highly motivated by profit than anything else. And that means ensuring the dog food standards require minimal meat (and its protein), while having a high level of vitamins – to ensure a barrier to entry for dog food companies who don’t have a ready supply of surplus vitamins to add to the mix.

LET’S look at these specific THREE reasons PFFIA gave n their 2026 article why THEY THINK carbs are so important for your dog  but are actually NOT NEEDED.

1    Provide a quick and convenient source of energy

Yes it is true that – carbs encompass several types of ingredients:

A   Simple carbohydrates (sugars)- these include glucose, fructose, lactose, and sucrose

• B   Complex carbohydrates – “most carbohydrates in pet foods fall into this category, including:
  • Starches – “found in grains, potatoes, and legumes. Starches are broken down into ‘simple sugars’ in the small intestine and used for energy.”

• Fibre  “Fibre – found in fruits, vegetables, beet pulp, psyllium, and other plant ingredients. Fibre isn’t digested in the same way as sugars or starches, but it supports gut health and stool quality.”

ANALYSIS

Many high-end (costly) dog kibbles feature simple carbs in the way of berries like blueberries etc,  but these are in very small amounts, and are way down the ingredient list.

Complex carbohydrates are the main thing that should draw your attention.  Because Grains, potatoes and legumes happen to make up the bulk of what you pay for in your kibble bags.

Why do these get such a bad rap ?

Well for instance, the fact that domestic dogs evolved from wolves around 20,000 years ago, and are still geared internally to be carnivores. From their teeth, low amount of amylase, high stomach acid (low pH), to short intestines. EVERYING about them screams feed me more meat.

BUT the main hidden headline here is the phrase carbs or Complex carbs, provide a “convenient source of energy.“

Yes, Complex carbs can be converted in the dog’s body to energy.  But you know what is more natural, and works just as well for supplying energy?   MEAT AND OFFAL.

‘Blackhawk pet care ‘ says it this way meat provides energy to domestic dogs “through high-quality animal proteins and fats, which are more bioavailable and efficient for canine metabolism than plant-based sources. Unlike humans, who rely heavily on carbohydrates for energy, dogs are metabolically adapted to use fat as their primary energy source.”

But the other massive consideration that the pffia argument neglects to mention is that if a dog has a limited number of kilojoules it can consume in a day,  and you are supplying those mostly by filler vegetable matter, THEN you can’t add any more meat to the mix because you will go over the energy requirement. And so, kibble ensures that you vastly limit the bio-available protein that you can provide to your dog.

The reason that this is an issue, is that aafco only requires a very low 18% of dog kibble to be in the form of protein.  Meat like kangaroo and beef, pretty much all meats, provide over 60% protein in dry form.

Having a large amount of your kibble as vegetable matter just fills up the bag, and provides low-quality protein (the kind that dogs cant use for the many body maintenance and energy functions within its body). That’s right, meat provides high quality protein, and excess protein can be used for energy use in your dog’s body.

And that is why “carbohydrates aren’t technically essential”  (PFFIA). Meat can supply high quality protein AND the energy your dog needs.

The second PFFIA point is that, THEY think that carbs “allow foods to have moderate fat or fewer calories, which helps manage weight.”

While technically correct, its less than half the reality. As mentioned, animal fat is vital for many of your dog’s internal functions. Dogs metabolize up to 95% of the animal fats they consume for energy, growth, and repair. Ironically, aafco only give a minimum fat level in their guidelines, but also give a specific minimum amounts for Omega 3 and Omega 6 (but not the sources, of course). Again, animal versions of Omega 3 (EPA and DHA) are the only ones that should be used.

Here is the Energy values of the Three main types of ingredients: Fat provides 37 KJ per gram,  protein AND carbs both provide approximately 17 KJ.

Many dog food brands provide kibble at levels of 10-15 % Fat of the total food.   Most 100% single ingredient dog treats are NATURALLY around 10% Fat.  Dog treats are considered low fat when Less than 4%.

AAFCO minimum fat requirements for dry dog food are 5.5% for adult maintenance and 8.5% for growth and reproduction (puppies/gestation).

But because fat is often seen as a waste or by-product of drying, most brands would rather keep it in, than replace it with meat or vegetables.

But here’s a great idea, kibble companies could always allow the natural amount of fat from a good cut of meat (which also provides energy), and just suggest owners use less kibble per meal. That means they get MORE PROTEIN, for the same TOTAL amount of energy a dog gets in its meal.

But that would mean that a 2 Kg kibble pack would last longer, and that’s the opposite of what a dog food company wants.

The other alternative that many companies use for dog weight management kibble bags is to add more non-soluble fibre. This essentially acts as an inert substance for keeping a dog full, and cleaning their intestine, without adding energy to the mix.

Fun fact, in the wild, when dogs would eat a whole animal, they consumed enough non digestible parts like hooves and fur or hair to provide the fibre function. Hence why we have kangaroo ears and cow ears, with hair on.

AGAIN, dogs don’t need fat from plants, they need it from animals, making carbs NOT REQUIRED.

THIRD PFFIA POINT on carbs:  “Reduce the need to rely solely on animal protein, which is a limited resource.“

PFFIA have already told you that carbs are not technically required in dog food. Then they tell you that carbs reduce the need to solely rely on animal protein.

You know what animal solely or at least 95% of the time, rely on animal protein to stay healthy ?  Wild dogs (if not living on a trash tip) and wolves.

It just so happens that the very nature of domestic dogs requiring mostly meat in their diet, is linked to the bio-availability percentages of Meat versus plant matter (like grains, potatoes and most legumes).

SEE   https://healthydogtreats.com.au/amino-acids-bioavailability/

In the above article we actually look at the specific bio-availability (how much a dog can use) for each of the TEN essential amino acids that make up protein that dogs eat.  And why MEAT is the species specific protein of choice of this largely carnivore-based animals like domestic dogs.

Why is meat singled out as a “limited resource”?  Well these words appeals to the conservationist in all of us.  But you wouldn’t feed a panda meat any more than you should feed a carnivore-based dog, mostly plants. Regardless of cost. If you weren’t continually advertised to do so for the last 70 years by these profit making companies.

‘Limited resource’ is Code for (costs the manufacture more to provide, or they make less profits) – so in the interests of keeping corporations high profit margins, we should all feed our dogs the bare minimum of protein, from any cheap source we can find?

I am not sure if that is what most owners think when they are shelling out the big bucks for bags of vegetable-based kibble at the supermarket.

Does that make sense? Because that is the opposite of what most dog kibble brands push on their packets. Their packaging usually tries to show meat as a prominent part of the pellets.

Dog food companies don’t want to join a race to the bottom by discounting their inflated prices, so they mostly use aafco as a shield to maintain the ‘whole and complete “ dog food story,  and feed your dog whatever is cheapest.

There are a couple of companies like ZIWI that have gone out on their own niche, by providing high meat kibble, but most owners find their price prohibitive.

It almost makes sense to provide your dog with their regular best of the batch kibble, and top up their protein with healthy dog treats single ingredient MEAT protein sources !

A final concession. 

The ‘domestic dog and feline manual’ have a big chapter on semi-soluble fibre. It makes the case for specific types of plant fibre hitting the sweet spot for providing just the right amount of sugar to feed the healthy bacteria in a dog’s gut biome.  But at around 4% of the total kibble, that amount could be provided with the other 96% of your dogs food being animal sourced nutrition.

The truth is carbohydrates aren’t essential, yet make up around two thirds of most kibble packets. This is the economics of health, in a human world. Where if every company in a niche say it often enough (ie that carbs are good for a dog) – then eventually EVERYONE will believe it.