Grain Free For Dogs Bad

Why is this significant.

Grain free for dogs bad.

It is important to recognize however that very few dogs have allergies to the grains in dog foods. The fda is investigating a potential dietary link between canine dilated cardiomyopathy dcm and dogs eating certain grain free dog foods. One study found that 24 golden retrievers with dcm had low taurine and most of the dogs were fed grain free diets prior to diagnosis. The fda received 515 reports of dcm in dogs between january 1 2014 and april 30 2019.

Many pet parents who want to increase the level of protein in their dog s diet believe that grain free dog food is the equivalent but that s not generally the case. So is grain free food bad for dogs. Often you ll see an alternative to grains such as peas listed as the first ingredient rather than meat in a grain free dog food recipe. Fortunately the heart disease resolved for nearly all of the dogs after they received cardiac medications and taurine supplements and switched to a grain inclusive diet.

When they looked into what these dogs were eating they found that 90 were on a grain free food and 93 were on diets that contained peas and or lentils. For example in dogs suspected of having food allergies also known as an adverse food reaction a grain free diet might be recommended on a trial basis to see if symptoms improve. Of the dogs that developed dcm the fda found that 91 were eating a grain free diet. In most cases the answer is likely yes.

Gelzer doesn t know exactly how the grain free pet food trend started but suspects it had to do with consumer demand for what seemed like a healthier alternative. In large majority of instances. Grain free diet for dogs can be good only for certain pets and in very specific cases. It didn t come from the.

The foods were tested for minerals metals and amino acids and no significant abnormalities were found. Grain free diets don t contain the cereal grains we like to avoid like corn rice and barley but they contain large amounts of peas potatoes lentils and legumes. Grain free equals high protein. The foods of concern are those containing legumes.