Is Grain-Free Worth It?

Ann

Ann

Moderator
This is my day to post articles...it's what happens when you're home sick. :sick: I catch up on all my reading. Here's a very good article about grain-free foods versus those with grain. There's so much misinformation out there about what's good for our dogs and what isn't that I'm happy to see articles like this one. As long as you feed a good quality,nutritious food, not all grains are evil!
http://www.akc.org/content/health/a...ZeHk3M2k1eU91Qloxa2JGbXI0dGZaSk50b2g2QzFJPSJ9
 
That's a good article. While it doesn't say anything new she sum things up well and gives food for thought - just because it's grain free doesn't mean it's healthier.

My dogs love grains, Deska's loves dipping into horse feed, they love oats and rice is another grain I regularly add to their diets. I have to admit they don't get regular grains, just because I'm a one-pot cook and find making up several days worth of vegetables for them easier. But I wouldn't purposely avoid grains for the dogs. The cats do get grain free.

I think the trend to grain free has a lot to do with the over-reliance of corn in dog food.
 
I really liked this article. It pretty much takes the information out there and presents it in a very clear manner. I do have to agree with this statement
We’re made to feel guilty if we feed our dogs the dreaded grain.
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There have been times I've stepped away from food conversations feeling like I'm not doing right by my dogs because I choose to feed foods with grains or even kibble.

I do have a dog who is sensitive to wheat and/or corn. His symptom is weepy eyes which cleared up when I removed wheat and corn from his diet. I did try grain free but they were way to rich and resulted in explosive diarrhea half way through the transition. I now opt for the better grains like sweet potato, brown rice and barley. This is what works for my dogs.

In the grand scheme of things, whether you choose grain, grain free, or raw, all we can do, all anyone can do, is make the best possible choice for our dogs that we can comfortably afford. What ultimately matters is the dogs are healthy.
 
We use Fromm. Oberon doesn't seem sensitive to grain (or Kleenix, or cardboard, or any number of other pulp-based products that he manages to find) so we don't bother with grain-free for him. Casanova, our psychotic cat, on the other hand, does seem to be slightly less psychotic on grain-free, so we do use grain-free for him, still Fromm. Just like with people, I think individual animals have individual needs and sensitivities. Since we rotate flavors for Oberon, not sticking to grain-free gives him more variety, which we think is better for him. Casanova is limited to two flavors, but since it does seem to affect his behavior, it's worth the trade-off.
 
Maddie gets Nourish Essentials, mostly the grain-free ones, although I occasionally rotate in one with rice or quinoa. I figured out the hard way that she definitely has a reaction (loose stools) to grain - especially corn. Here in Portland, everybody everywhere seems to have a stash of (cheap) dog treats, and wants to offer her one. I've taken to carrying her treats, and letting them give her one of those - totally beats the inevitable consequences about 12 hours later......:-P

So, yes - for us, grain-free is worth it. Especially corn-free.
 
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