MollyMuiMa

I think a lot of people are opting to go grain free because of allergies. That being said, the ones most likely to 'spark' alllergies are corn, wheat, and soy. and rather than having to put my dog through being itchy I avoid any food with these grains in them! Things like oatmeal or barley are ok though. Also, many dogs have problems with gluten(soft bowel movements) and wheat can be the culprit!

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outwest

I don't think there is anything wrong with feeding a high quality food with grain. I would not feed anything with corn or wheat, but wheat because I think the food companies wimp out and use those ingredients for the bulk of the food.

I do feed grain free 'just because' and my dogs are healthy, but Jazz can be a struggle to keep him in weight even though he eats well and a lot. He is active and a big, growing puppy. I have thought about switching him to something with grain for better weight gain, but am trying some full fat plain yoghurt in his food and fish oil plus a high calorie canned to top everything off first.

There are some great foods out there with grain in them.

Lene

Storm gets Advance puppy food...

These are the ingredients:

Ingredients



Chicken, Corn Gluten, Chicken Tallow, Rice, Corn, Sorghum, Chicken Digest, Tuna, Beet Pulp, Sunflower Oil, Iodised Salt, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, Choline Chloride, Turkey, Taurine, Plant Extracts (Tomato Powder (source of Lycopene), Marigold Meal (source of Lutein)), Vitamin E, Dicalcium Phosphate, Zinc Sulphate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Colostrum, Antioxidants, Beta-Carotene, Iron Sulphate, Copper Sulphate, Vitamin B5, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B3, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9.


from this site:

Puppy Plus Rehydratable Toy Small Breed, Chicken 3kg - ADVANCE

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Lene

Lene

Oh, and he also get a chicken neck or wing daily..

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Lene

MollyMuiMa

Lene.......You may want to google 'THE DOG FOOD PROJECT' & click on 'ingredients to avoid' a few of the ingredients in the food you are feeding are kinda questionable IMO......But the chicken wings & necks are a good thing!

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I pledge allegience to Ms Royalty
In the United States of her kingdom
And to her rules for which it stands
One Princess under God
In the visible
With diamonds and bones for ALL

caroline429

Technically, dogs are omnivores. There is no question they prefer meat but they are fully capable of digesting and extracting nutrition from grains. Dogs can even do well on properly-formulated vegetarian diets, unlike cats which are obligate carnivores and must eat meat to survive.

Grains have gotten a bad rap as being useless fillers in dog foods. Since they supply vitamins, minerals and some essential amino acids, they are definitely more than fillers. Like everything else, some grains are better than others. It's not so much the type of grain, but more the quality of the grain. A whole grain, like brown rice, with its nutrition intact is preferable to leftover scraps, such as brewer's rice.

Unless there are allergies or medical conditions that demand a certain type of diet, I think most dogs can go either way and do well as long as the overall diet is of good quality. As someone else pointed out, the best diet for your dog is the one that suits him best, whether it contains grains or not.

Ruso

I think (it's a very personal opinion, but based on some experience) that a lot of dogs do great on grain free and some do great on foods with quality grain like oats. It's a bit like humans; there are coeliac people and persons on-the-limit: I'm not coeliac, but with no doubt grains like wheat and corn upset my digestive system and I feel better in an almost grain free diet (for example, I have rice with no problems but no wheat)
Based on my dogs and a lot of friends' doggies, many of them are healthy and superb on Orijen (no grains), but some can't tolerate it and are much better on Acana (steelcut oats) (I mention this brand because is the most used here between the doggie people I know and a couple of vets)
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but toy dogs or small breeds are the ones who do best on grain free, and bigger breeds or mixes tend to be better on the grain versions (I insist that this is just based on my personal experience)

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Lea

We switched to Acana from orijen because of the less protein and his poops were like soft serve ice cream. Once we switched all was much better.

Murphy wanted nothing to do with food with grains. Blah. Tasteless and smells bland. He basically turned his nose up and walked away.

Acana and orijen are made by the same company. You can't go wrong with leaving grains out if you can. Although food with grains can be less expensive its because grains are more like a filler.

Keep the food simple!

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caroline429

Calling something a filler implies it has no nutritional value. Grains contribute essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber to a dog's diet. If anyone is interested in seeing just what type of nutrients are in common grains, you can look up nutrient analyses at the USDA food lists Foods List Grains also provide a quick source of energy and have a protein-sparing effect. I'm not advocating for or against grains, I'm just presenting facts.

I've had dogs for the past 40 years and I've fed raw, I've fed cooked and I've fed kibble. I've fed diets without grains and diets with grains. I have always believed in feeding whatever type of diet my dog did best on. My only criteria was that the diet be of high quality and properly balanced.

Poodlemama99

I switched my guys to blue buffalo wilderness grain free to see if Omar's flatulence would get better and it has. He hardly farts at all anymore. So he must be a dog who had grain issues. The other kids have not had any noticeable change except their poop is a bit smaller and firmer. They all seem a bit perkier on the grain free.

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Poodlemama (Omar 13, Maggie 8, Nicholas 6, Penelope 1 (RIP Lila)