Grain Free For Dogs Or Not

Grain free and low carb do not go hand in hand.

Grain free for dogs or not.

Also grain free does not mean that the meat sources are trustworthy grain free foods can also use animal by products that are not necessarily healthier than grains. Despite the benefits for some dogs there are downsides to feeding a grain free dog food. The fda received 515 reports of dcm in dogs between january 1 2014 and april 30 2019. They d sooner grab the chicken or the steak than the granola bar.

Overall it may be a suitable choice for some dogs but not necessary for most dogs and there are a few other reasons why feeding grain free dog foods may not be the best option for your pooch. While they aren t obligate carnivores like cats and can and do benefit from an omnivorous diet meat is meant to be the primary source of nutrition for them and many. Dogs would likely not naturally take it upon themselves to chew on wheat or oats. This could result in unintentional weight gain.

To replace grains grain free pet foods often use ingredients such as potatoes sweet potatoes lentils quinoa and peas. While grain free dog foods do not have grains they do substitute other carbohydrate sources such as potatoes sweet potatoes lentils peas or quinoa. Please research about grain free dog food associated with heart disease in dogs. Grain free does make sense.

Many people assume grain free means low carb but that s not the case. That was enough for me to realize to get my dogs off the grain free diet i went back to a quality grain dog food. According to the veterinary nutrition specialists at tufts it s not only grain free foods that have been associated with heart disease but also foods containing exotic ingredients for dogs. Veterinarians also frequently hear from pet parent confusion regarding grain free and low carb.

Unfortunately her other dog has a enlarged heart also not looking good was also on grain free diet. This is true whether or not the food contains grains. In some cases a grain free food may be equal to or higher in carbs than dog foods with grains. Therefore grain free foods are not carb free.

In the fda s july 2019 update on diet and canine heart disease they examined labels of dog food products reported in dcm cases to determine whether the foods were grain free defined as. In fact some dog foods without grains are higher in alternative carbohydrate sources like potatoes and peas. When they looked into what these dogs were eating they found that 90 were on a grain free food and 93 were on diets that contained peas and or lentils.