Just like humans, dogs may develop gluten sensitivities – although their reactions tend to be far milder than ours.
Grain-free dog food may be beneficial as it usually contains more protein due to being made using meat as its primary source, rather than carbohydrates such as rice or peas as its main source.
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1. It’s good for your dog’s skin
Grain free food for our dogs often boasts its skin benefits. Grain-free diets often contain vegetables like carrots that provide valuable vitamin A – helping protect against UV rays that could otherwise cause sunburns.
Cheaper dog foods often rely on grains such as wheat gluten and corn as sources of energy for their protein content, providing temporary energy boosts but failing to meet all their nutrient requirements for proper growth and health. Furthermore, such grains often spike blood sugar levels which leads to lethargy and an irritated coat appearance in your pup.
High quality dog foods rely on alternative carbohydrates like green peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes that are nutritionally dense to provide rich sources of carbohydrates that don’t contain gluten; rather they serve as cost-cutting substitutes to grains. While many believe a gluten free diet would benefit their dog with sensitivities or allergies to wheat gluten, this isn’t always true as wheat allergies in dogs are extremely rare.
2. It’s good for their breath
Grain-free dog food refers to recipes that do not include cereal grains like wheat, barley, rye or triticale. While many dogs may tolerate these grains without issue, some canine patients are sensitive to gluten present in these grains and should only eat those which also lack it in the recipe.
Diets rich in grains may cause unpleasant-smelling gas in your dog, as the grains absorb much-needed moisture that causes bacteria to proliferate in their stomach and ultimately get sucked up by their intestines. When this happens, your pup’s breath becomes foul-smelling.
Quality dog foods typically employ nutritiously dense ingredients like sweet potatoes to provide carbohydrates, helping reduce bad breath while simultaneously improving digestive efficiency. So if you want your pup’s breath to smell better then switching to a wheat free diet could be just what’s needed!
3. It’s good for their teeth
Wheat-free diets will be better for the oral health of your dog. Wheat can cause inflammation and buildup which lead to gum disease; plus many of the ingredients found in wheat-free food products provide your canine with additional oral benefits like vegetables, fruits, fatty acids and proteins that support optimal dental care.
Care should be taken when shopping for grain-free foods for your dog, however. Check carefully at the ingredients list as some contain starches which could be unhealthy. Potatoes, green peas and sweet potato contain carbohydrates – inexpensive ingredients used to hold together kibble. Too much starch in their bodies has been linked with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Choose food that is designed as complete and balanced and meets Association of American Feed Control Officials pet food guidelines – for instance Taste of the Wild offers grain-free dry formulas featuring proteins from bison/venison/lamb and salmon sources.
4. It’s good for their digestion
Grain (or cereals) are an excellent source of carbohydrates, providing energy to our canine companions. Many mass-produced dog foods use wheat and corn fillers to cut costs, yet these grains digest quickly, leading to spikes in blood sugar that leave your pup feeling lethargic. EUKANUBA products use multiple carb sources like whole grain wheat, rice, and maize grits that digest at different rates for healthy blood sugar levels in your pet.
Carbohydrate diversity is vital to your dog’s overall health and wellbeing and supports the philosophy of Full Circle Feeding. Premium grocery store brands like Rachael Ray’s Nutrish or Taste of the Wild provide both grain-inclusive and grain-free formulas, so that you can meet their protein and carb needs while meeting food sensitivities such as wheat allergies as well as corn, rye and barley proteins or legume seed pulses like peas beans and lentils.
