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The misconception is that "grain-free" is mostly protein. That is incorrect. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots are not considered "grains" and are in many grain-free foods. More importantly is the increase in legumes in these foods which reduce the presence of taurine in diets; which is what studies are tying to the heart disease in dogs.
“Upon analyzing 150 studies regarding the hypothesized link between grain-free diets and heart disease, researchers found no definitive link between dogs consuming a grain-free or legume-rich diet and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).”
“Upon analyzing 150 studies regarding the hypothesized link between grain-free diets and heart disease, researchers found no definitive link between dogs consuming a grain-free or legume-rich diet and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).”
Hard to know the truth but I have owned dogs that were on cheap Purina that lived to 15 years, no
heart problems. My last dog was fed Taste of the Wild grain free and lived to be fourteen with no heart problems. Hmmm what to do?
I can believe though that legumes might not be the best for a dog . Do dogs eat grains in the wild?
We are not sure either of the change we had to make to our 12 yr old Wonton ,for 5 years now he has been on a grain free diet,not only does it affect the heart we had severe skin issues to deal with .We thought it was mange but a allergic reaction to the grain free -Our Vet said Kangaroo or alligator meat dry food ,and to also try whitefish ,salmon dry food ,at your local pet store ,Chewys or Amazon .
There is no reason to avoid grain unless your dog is allergic to grain. It would be quite rare for a dog to be allergic to all grain, so you only have to avoid the specific one he is allergic to.
Some of the ingredients in "grain-free" I feed to my dogs with no problems. Some of the ingredients, I won't feed. I don't feed Irish potatoes because I have seen too many dogs that will yarp them up, which I interpret to mean low digestibility. I'm uncertain about the digestibility of beans and I assume when they say "peas" they mean field peas, which seems like an odd thing to feed to dogs. On the other hand, my dogs love yams and don't have any problems with them. Yams are bordering on the expensive side for dog food, so I wonder about the quality used in commercial dog food.
I feed brown rice, but rice is lower in nutrients than some of the other grains.
Quote:
.......Do dogs eat grains in the wild?.....
Actually, they do. There aren't a lot of domestic dogs in the wild, but wild canids, cousins of a sort, will eat grain if they can get it. They eat mice that have grain in their stomachs. They will pick and eat wild grain. They will eat wild fruit. Everyone in the extended canine family will eat anything they can get a hold of, which includes not only meat, but grain, fruit, tubers, insects, vegetables, weeds, flowers, grasses.... if it will fit down their gullet, they will eat it.
Last edited by oregonwoodsmoke; 06-26-2020 at 12:49 AM..
There is no reason to avoid grain unless your dog is allergic to grain. It would be quite rare for a dog to be allergic to all grain, so you only have to avoid the specific one he is allergic to.
Some of the ingredients in "grain-free" I feed to my dogs with no problems. Some of the ingredients, I won't feed. I don't feed Irish potatoes because I have seen too many dogs that will yarp them up, which I interpret to mean low digestibility. I'm uncertain about the digestibility of beans and I assume when they say "peas" they mean field peas, which seems like an odd thing to feed to dogs. On the other hand, my dogs love yams and don't have any problems with them. Yams are bordering on the expensive side for dog food, so I wonder about the quality used in commercial dog food.
I feed brown rice, but rice is lower in nutrients than some of the other grains.
Actually, they do. There aren't a lot of domestic dogs in the wild, but wild canids, cousins of a sort, will eat grain if they can get it. They eat mice that have grain in their stomachs. They will pick and eat wild grain. They will eat wild fruit. Everyone in the extended canine family will eat anything they can get a hold of, which includes not only meat, but grain, fruit, tubers, insects, vegetables, weeds, flowers, grasses.... if it will fit down their gullet, they will eat it.
That makes sense , I see my two dig up roots and they also want to eat every piece of fruit
they can find. Thanks for explaining!
Cats are obligated carnivores: when's the last time you heard of lions eating rice or potatoes?
I can only speak for myself; every cat I've ever had that I switched to grain free is more satiated, more playful and energetic and not as nippy/biting and is generally happier. That's all I know. We do don't have a dog currently.
Your second and third tier pet stores (i.e., Chuck N Don's comes to mind) wouldn't be investing in growth of all these stores on a fad: plus they carry a mixture.
Experiment slowly and see what works best for your love bug. ��
This is a thread about dogs...Dogs are not obligate carnivores.
I tried all of the high end grain free foods on my dogs years ago and they refused to eat them. Been using Purina One for the past 7 years and have had nothing but healthy dogs. Grain free as someone said is just a fad and maybe not a good one at that.
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