Potato and sweet potato

Potato and sweet potato are carbohydrate sources used in [grain-free](/glossary/grain-free) foods, supplying starch, energy and fibre, with sweet potato adding fibre and micronutrients such as beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor in dogs. Botanically the two tubers differ: the potato is a nightshade, the sweet potato a bindweed relative, and their shared role is to replace cereals as a starch carrier in extruded kibble, a choice that often answers a marketing demand around grain-free claims rather than a proven nutritional need. Dogs normally digest cooked starch well, but cooking is necessary, because raw starch is poorly absorbed and raw potato contains solanine, which should be avoided (FEDIAF). Like legumes, these tubers are among the ingredients examined in the FDA investigation into [dilated cardiomyopathy](/glossary/dcm-dilated-cardiomyopathy-grain-free-debate); no causal link is established, and a vet should be consulted before changing diet (FDA CVM, Dec 2022 update). A label-reading marker: a large tuber share leaves correspondingly less room for animal-derived ingredients, and the presence of potato is neither a quality guarantee nor a flaw in itself. Assess it the same way you would [peas](/glossary/peas) and [chickpea](/glossary/chickpea), and compare with cereal carriers such as [rice](/glossary/rice) in the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

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