Grain-free dog food has become popular with many pet owners who are avoiding grains in dog food for numerous reasons such as allergies, health, costs and unnatural sources. While grains are not entirely bad for your dog because according to studies, dogs have evolved genes for digesting starch. In the study, its said that dogs have been able to adapt to human diets, including eating carbohydrate food. However, not all grains are good for your dog. When feeding dogs with food that contain grains, you can ensure that it comprises of small quantities of grains or carbohydrates. It would not hurt to serve your four-legged friend dog some grain-free food. Outlined below are some of the top reasons why dog owners are avoiding grains in dog food:

Allergies

Some dogs exhibit symptoms of food allergy when they ingest grains, which can be risky to their health and may lead to death. Some of the common symptoms of an allergic reaction include excessive flatulence, loose stool/diarrhea, rash and skin irritations, chronic licking, chewing or biting to relieve itchiness, vomiting, and frequent ear infections. When they feed on grain food, some dog breeds such as Retriever, Boxer, Chinese shar-pei, Cocker spaniel, Collie, Dachshund, Dalmatian, Lhasa Apso, Miniature schnauzer, Soft coated Wheaton terrier, Springer spaniel, and West highland white terrier are more prone to exhibit allergic reaction.

Natural versus unnatural nutrients

Some pet owners avoiding grains in dog food because they believe grains are an unnatural source of nutrition for the dog. They understand that dogs are carnivorous hence should not be tortured into eating food that their ancestors did not feed on. Fortunately, research indicates that dogs have evolved to be able to digest grains and other sources of carbohydrates as long as they are served in small quantities.

Health

Wheat and corn are more of a filler ingredient and common allergens. Whole grains can be good sources of digestible carbohydrate and dietary fiber for dogs. However, wheat contains a protein called gluten that can cause serious allergic reactions in dogs. Wheat is also difficult for dogs to digest causing problems with the dog’s digestive system that may lead to inflammatory diseases.

Quality and Cost

Dog food manufacturers add grains to the dog food to lower the cost of the food in order to sell it at a lower price. Lowering the quality of an ingredient then lowers the price of the food. This, however, increases the visits to the veterinary for the pet owner. In addition, for the manufacturer, this results in lowering the costs of production while still charging pet owners the same price or even higher making them more revenue and profit.

While we can merely suggest healthier options for your pet’s health, whether you are currently avoiding grains in dog food or not, the choice to change is entirely yours!

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