A Veterinarian’s Take on Grain Free Dog Food
Dr. Laura Wilson, DVM, DACVD, Board Certified in Small Animal Dermatology comments on one of the latest trends in dog food, “Grain Free” diets for dogs.
It seems that there are trends with food products that are out there for dogs and cats, and specifically with dog formulations. A big catch phrase that I hear in the appointments is “grain free”, and owners think they’re doing their dog a bonus by feeding grain free.
My personal opinion is that unless you have a confirmed allergy or intolerance to a grain — grains are not evil. So I don’t think that necessarily avoiding grains is going to cure the dog itching problems of the world.
Grains are important. If you can’t tolerate them, don’t eat them, just like a milk intolerant person shouldn’t have a milkshake. If your dog is fine with grains, they’re not the big evil monster that they’re sometimes made out to be.
Incorporating Grains into a Balanced Diet for Dogs
On a similar kind of avenue, grains get a big negative that they’re not nutritional, or they’re just a filler for the food. Remembering back to the food triangle, I think grains for people are a big item that we’re supposed to eat and it’s part of a balanced diet.
So if it’s a whole grain, it hasn’t been processed down to where you don’t recognize any part of the grain they are incredibly nutritious, and as long as your dog doesn’t have an allergy to it, grains are fine to eat.
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