Is grain free food a fad?

The other day I went to buy Misha a new bag of food. I get her Nature's Recipe Toy Breed. It was out of stock. The only thing that was available from the same company in kibble small enough that she could eat was the new grain free food by the same company. I bought it because there wasn't any other option and I didn't want to switch brands.

I think it's great that they are trying to address the needs of different dogs. I was pleased to have choices when Sierra turned out to be allergic to lamb. (It made her itch terribly.)

But, I felt there has been a bit too much hype about grains in dog foods. I understand that some dog food is better than others and the scandals with Chinese products in American dog food a couple of years ago.

Are grains really bad for a healthy dog that has no problem with them? I feel like they are marketing this way too much.

 

Is it a fad? Yes, yes it is.

The main reason is because it is a fad for humans. People all over are talking about the benefits of going "grain free." To be honest, yes, most of them do benefit from cutting out grains, but it's not because they are sensitive to grain itself. It's because they are cutting out junk....they aren't eating junk food, pasta, etc, so they feel better. They claim it's because they cut out gluten, but it's usually the kind of junk that they cut out that really made the difference.

So when it comes to dogs, they are apply the same rule of "cutting out grain." Yes, a lot of grain is simply used as filler....is filler necessarily bad? Maybe. Maybe not. Personally, I don't mind adding rice or bread to my dog's diet to stretch the food a bit so that he doesn't whine when he gets a normal portion of food. If I only fed him the protein and whatnot, it would be a tiny portion and he would ask for more. The grain helps him feel fuller, longer.

 

Hi Melody. It must be warming up there by now.

Since changing Mishka to a grain free dog food from a regular brand her sloppy poop has stopped. The products dietry fibre is all vegetable based. It's maybe a coincidence that her problem has stopped but we gave it a go and it seemed to have worked.

Check out this sites pages.http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dog-food-fiber-part-2/

 

Argon, It's great that it has worked for your dog. I do agree that the type of food can cause a problem. I remember when Sierra was a a year old. First, I had her Science Diet and later Iams. It wasn't until I talked to other dog owners and my veterinarian that I realized she had too much stool each day (pooping multiple times a day). I decided to change her food and she began doing her business at a more normal rate.

So, I do believe what you feed them can have an impact on their health. But, I think that wheat free has been promoted as a panacea to all dog's health woes and it may not really be a necessary change one has to make. What I mean is there is no "one size fits all" approach to dog food.

 

True. A lot of fads come and go. Though I guess we really need to get it right for our furry friends. Even the tenancy to overfeed to compensate because dogs being left home all day is a problem.

 

I switched to a gluten free-diet a few years ago and although I feel better now, the change isn't big. Also, I simply have to follow this diet, I didn't have any choice. Since I eat gluten-free food, my Homer sometimes eats it too. But I believe that grains aren't bad for healthy dogs that aren't gluten intolerant.

 

I also think it was just a fad just like any other fad. Our dogs are just fine with their with grains diet and so we just stick with it. Maybe if ever there will be a problem, I might try grain free diet for our dog.

 

If you're talking about brands like BLUE, then I'd probably say yeah, it's a fad. A lot of dogs, especially in smaller breeds, are actually allergic to the corn meal that's in some 98% of dry dog food as filler. And it can be bad, one of my Chi's would lose fur, bite and itch so bad you'd think he was flea infested... NOPE. He was having terrible allergic reaction to corn, kind of gave him doggy eczema. But yeah, brands like BLUE that want you to drop 75$ on a "big" (it's medium at best c'mon blue) I'd say are a fad, or spoiling rotten their pups . Especially since I can pick up an actual BIG bag of brown rice/lamb meal dry food for 16-23$