Can you imagine the dog in the picture above eating the grain for its nutritional value? Grains are not part of a dogs’ natural diet and they would never choose to eat a form of grain in the wild unless it was a matter of survival. Here are some reasons why you should be feeding your dog a grain-free diet:
1. Allergen:
Grain is one of the most common causes of allergies in dogs. It is not natural for a dog to consume grain and this is evident from the harmful effects it can cause, outlaid in this article. If your dog has an intolerance, grain consumption can cause itchiness, swelling, hives, inflammation/rashes on skin, poor coat, vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms.
2. Digestibility/Pancreatitis:
Since grains are not part of a dogs’ natural diet, they are difficult to fully digest. This can lead to some very serious health conditions such as Pancreatitis. The Pancreas becomes overworked attempting to break down and digest forms of grain, causing painful inflammation amongst other symptoms.
3. Cheap Filler:
The reason grain is so prevalent in dog foods today is because it is a cheap bulking/filler ingredient for companies to put in food, maximising their profits. Any grain-filled food will of course be lower in ingredients that provide high nutritional value for your dog.
4. Cost:
Grain-Free foods will contain a much denser composition of nutritional richness as they are not full of bulking ingredients. This means you will typically feed far less of a food with high animal content than you will a food with high grain/carbohydrate content. So, whilst some grain-free foods appear more expensive on the surface, they can often work out cheaper when you evaluate the difference in feeding quantities.
5. Low Protein:
Dog foods with a high grain content tend to have lower Protein values, due to a lack of quality animal ingredient. Not only that, but whatever Protein levels are shown on the bag are also based on inferior proteins provided by the carbohydrates, as opposed to quality Proteins provided by animal sources. Double whammy!
6. Common Grains:
Some common forms of grain used in dog food for you to avoid are: Cereal, Maize, Rice, Corn, Oats, Barley and Wheat.
7. Pros to Feeding Grain:
None!
You are always welcome to contact us at Bentley’s for unbiased nutritional advice, we will be honest if we feel our food would not be suitable for you and your dog. Our philosophy is simply to see more dogs on a healthier diet.
