According to a warning from the Food and Drug Administration released last week, grain-free food might be giving dogs a life-threatening heart problem called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM. But as this link continues to be investigated, these new concerns tell a cautionary tale about how contemporary American culture approaches health and nutrition—and not just for pet owners.
Lippman says that more dog-food brands started making grain-free options, simply because consumers demanded them. The New York Times traces the shift away from grain back to a headline-grabbing recall of tainted Chinese kibble in , in which wheat gluten from a particular supplier was contaminated with melamine. That was enough to help fears about wheat, and then grains more generally, spiral out of control.
Although fewer than 1 percent of Americans have celiac disease, a damaging autoimmune response to gluten, diets that avoid gluten-containing grains such as wheat and barley as a health measure became very popular in the early s. They want you to buy a bag of kibble filled with a new collection of starches and carbohydrates. Kibble needs starch to hold it together, and most kibble uses grains as starch ingredients. Grains are the hard, dry seeds of grasses like wheat, rice, corn, oats, millet, rye or barley.
Grain-free dog food contains alternative carbohydrate sources instead of grains … usually in the form of legumes like lentils, beans, or peas.
Or that you might be getting a higher quality of ingredients or fewer calories. And these substitutes can cause even more health problems for your dog. Soy is biologically inappropriate, highly processed, and often genetically modified. Soy is difficult to digest and can lead to health problems. According to a Malaysian study by Sukalingam et al, soy protein can cause hormonal disturbances, carcinogenic and organotoxicity 1. Dogs are facultative carnivores meaning they thrive on meat and animal products … but they can digest plant material.
Just like other kibble, grain-free kibbles are made with highly processed meat and bone meals that are hard for your dog to digest. Some contain animal remnants that were unfit for human consumption. Starches like potatoes, green peas, sweet potatoes are sources of carbohydrates … cheap ingredients that hold the kibble together.
And they can be highly inflammatory in dogs. Like legumes, they are biologically inappropriate, add calories and contribute to obesity. Grain-free foods that use cheap plant proteins like lentils, legumes, and starches like potatoes, beets, and peas are poor-quality foods.
And they can lead to deficiencies in other important nutrients. Phytic acid can hinder the absorption of important nutrients including manganese, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. And phytic acid limits the retention of manganese in the body. And it plays a role in the health and maintenance of bone and cartilage in joints. A huge problem in plant-based foods grains and starches is glyphosate. Many food sensitivities and inflammation can be related to GMOs. Veterinarians receive training in animal nutrition while in school and at educational conferences throughout their career; they are much better suited to advise you about proper diets than a pet store employee.
You are here News. February 27, A recent study by Mueller, et al. Learn more. Overall, it's important to tailor your dog's diet to their personal needs. If your pup is one of the countless of itchy, allergy-prone dogs with tummy troubles, hot spots, or other allergic reactions to food, we recommend you check out our " Allergies " page - full of dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages thriving on plant-based dog food made with healthy grains.
Since our formula is highly-digestible, we've seen countless itchy, allergic dogs experience complete turnarounds on our kibble. Read their stories here or learn more about v-dog on our FAQ page!
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