Grain free dog food formulas have been rapidly increasing in popularity. More and more dog owners are now attributing health benefits to feeding a grain-free diet to their dogs. However, some people still mistakenly believe that dogs “need” grains in order to be healthy. According to dog nutritional experts, this is not the case. While there are some healthy grains, most dogs will thrive when fed a completely grain-free diet. Here is a general guide to grain-free dog food formulas.
Why Grain Free?
Dogs in the wild do not consume a large amount of carbohydrates. In fact, most of the carbohydrates that a wild dog receives are by ingesting the nutritional contents eaten by its prey (who are mostly herbivores). The grain free dog food philosophy is that dogs are not designed to eat the same type of balanced diet as humans. Though dogs are not “obligate carnivores” like cats, they still consume a mostly protein-dominated diet in the wild. A grain free diet is said to more closely mimic this diet, since it relies mostly on protein sources to make up the formula, with alternate sources of carbohydrates.
Grain-Free Doesn’t Mean Carbohydrate Free
If your dog needs a low-carbohydrate diet, you may need to read the ingredients of a grain-free dog food formula closely. Not all grain-free dog food formulas are also low in carbohydrates. Many grain-free dog food formulas have alternate sources of carbohydrates, which may sometimes make up a significant amount of the formula. This is especially true of dry formulas, since they often need carbohydrates in order to maintain their shape. The carbohydrates contained in grain-free formulas may include potato, sweet potato, rice or other ingredients.
Benefits of Grain Free Dog Food
There are many health benefits that are associated with grain free dog food formulas. First, most dogs that consume a grain-free dog food formula have a lower chance of developing a food-based allergic reaction. Many of the common allergens in commercial dog food formulas are derived from grains, such as wheat. Grain free dog food formulas are also said to promote healthy digestion, since a dog’s digestive system doesn’t have to work so hard to digest the ingredients of the formula. Dogs in the wild don’t eat a lot of carbohydrates because they don’t need them – this is also true of domestic dogs. Your dog needs a minimum amount of carbohydrates in order to be healthy. Other cited benefits include more energy, healthy coat, clear eyes, good muscle development and a better temperament.
Drawbacks of Grain Free Dog Food
The main drawback of purchasing grain free dog food formulas is the cost. Since many companies use grains as cheap filler ingredients, they are able to sell their products for less. Grain free dog food formulas don’t contain these grain fillers, so tend to have a higher percentage of good quality ingredients. This is why the formulas are often much more expensive. Cost is the most commonly cited drawback of grain free dog food formulas.
3 Responses to “Grain Free Dog Food”
So far, NONE of the TOP RATED are PERFECT. Let’s face it, we are depending on a company to process food and make a profit. So far, I am looking at Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain Free Healthy, Holistic Chicken
Chicken is NOT organic, contains ‘natural flavor’ (think it’s a taste enhancer like MSG) If Riley, the 80# Golden didn’t require 5 cans of wet food per day, would go with canned over dry. As of now, I make him food and add a small amount of dry. I look at cost the same way for my food…pay the farmer or pay the doctor! Processed food is not good for anyone, however, we TRY to do our best. WE and not the dog have to make decisions based on research and comparison. Children would LOVE Fruit Loops due to the addictive artificial sugar, but it is harmful. If your dog isn’t very large, opt for homemade. It’s worth it in the long run. Don’t let your vet SCARE you into the ‘won’t have a balanced diet.’ THEY sell CRAP pet food due to $$$. Good luck.
I have been doing extensive research on dog food. Beleive me, it is not an easy task. I make food for my Maltese, because I KNOW what I am putting into it. However, Zoe is only 7 pounds so it is easier than for my 80# Golden Retriever!
I selected Innova EVO but now, I am not going to continue due to all the reports of quality changes and problems. P&G, like all the other large companies do not care about people or pets. It’s about CHEAP and PROFITABLE at the expense of our health and our dear pets. PLEASE reconsider buying from them. We can only control quality with our dollars.
Dr. Karen Becker on YouTube, had an informative video about reading labels and selecting food. DRY is last food to feed and ‘Human Grade’ canned from Weruva is rated good. RAW or dehydrated raw is EXTREMELY expensive. If you can, make food yourself. Buy ORGANIC chicken only or your dog will be eating GMO via the corn/soy the chicken ate. The first 3-5 ingredients need to be a named meat. AVOID GRAINS! I’m looking at Blue Buffalo/Duck. Don’t know how large your dog is, but I’d make the food unless the dog goes to a kennel for boarding. The Golden is my daughter’s dog and he will be boarded since she travels for work.He has to have either dry or canned food.Wish kennels had capacity to store homemade food! Don’t go by what your dog LIKES. Just like OUR food is tainted with ‘enhancers’ so are the dog foods. There is so much deception in marketing. Wish I was of more help, but so far there is either too many grains (rice, oatmeal, potato etc) not enough PROTEIN, GMO ‘canola oil’ and vitamins from China in even the GOOD rated food. Solid Gold and Wilderness are next on my list to check out.
We have been feeding our 10 year old English Cocker Innova Evo Chicken/Turkey formula dry food for a couple of months. He is doing very well with it, although he has gained a couple of pounds. He needs less of it than the Hills Natural we were feeding him. He really likes it and seems to have more energy. He loved the Salmon/Herring flavor, but it gave him extensive gas. I am a little concerned about the sale of this product to Procter Gamble. Any comments?