>Ferrets do not need carbs!  Cats don't need carbs, dogs do.
 
 From the Merck Veterinary Manual:
"The carbohydrates added to pet foods are mainly in the form of
polysaccharides (starch and cellulose), disaccharides (sucrose and
lactose), and monosaccharides (glucose and fructose).  Carbohydrates are
a less expensive source of energy than fat or protein.  In dogs, except
for the lactating bitch, there appears to be no dietary requirement for
carbohydrate.  In cats, carbohydrates apparently are not essential in
the diet when ample protein and fats supply glucogenic amino acids and
glycerol.  Properly cooked nonfibrous carbohydrates are utilized well by
dogs.  In both dogs and cats, if starches are not cooked, they will be
poorly digested and may result in flatulence or diarrhea.  Except for
the occasional case of lactose or sucrose intolerance, most cooked
carbohydrates are well tolerated. "
 
*imagining wild dogs with their cookpot on the side of the wheat field!*
 
Assuming we are talking about polysaccharides as carbs not simple sugars,
how would a dog (or any animal) have a requirement for something which
requires cooking for it to even be digestible?
 
I did have reference to a later study which showed that dietary
carbohydrate was not required at all, as long as the bitch was fed
sufficient gluconeogenic precursors (ie a diet with around double the
26% protein that was available in the diet used in the earlier study).
Will try to find the details.
 
(:
shona
[Posted in FML issue 4835]