When dry dog food started being mass-produced around the late 1940s, cheap “fillers” or “bulking agents” such as rice, barley, wheat, and corn were used to produce more food at a lower cost in order to boost profit margins. Although many of today’s big dog food brands promise to deliver optimal nutrition for your beloved furry friend, the truth is that most commercially produced dog foods still list grain as one of the main ingredients… in fact, many contain more grain than they do anything else! This is concerning because grain is of much lower nutritional value than the other ingredients, and dogs cannot digest it properly.
Feeding your dog a grain-free diet has many benefits. Removing all the grain from a dry food recipe leaves much more room for the high-nutrition and healthy stuff, like meat, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, which are better for your dog than grain. This is why a grain-free diet is a powerful tool in keeping your dog happy, healthy and an ideal weight.
Digestion
As dogs never ate grain naturally in the wild before we domesticated them, it is unsurprising that they are not biologically capable of fully digesting it. Dogs do not have enough amylase (an enzyme which breaks down starchy carbohydrates) in their bodies to fully break down and digest carbohydrates the way that humans do. Grain-free dog food typically has more protein and less carbohydrates, so is easier for dogs to digest fully than recipes that include heavy grains.
Flatulence
With improved digestion comes less wind! Grain causes bad smelling wind, which aside from the smell, can be quite uncomfortable for your dog to endure.
Nutrition
Since grain-free dog food is not packed with unnecessary, low-value grains, your dog will enjoy more meat, fish and vegetables which delivers better nutrition and a complete, balanced diet.
Activity Level
Meat is often partially substituted for grain in cheaper dog food recipes, but it is specifically the protein in meat which contains the building blocks to replace muscle tissue... Feeding a grain-free, high-meat diet therefore helps to keep your dog active because damaged muscle tissue is more easily regenerated.
Poop!
Dogs eating a grain-free diet produce smaller, firmer stools that are super easy to pick up, and they go to the toilet less often too! Since there is no grain in the diet, more of the food is digestible and is actually being broken down and absorbed, leaving much less to be passed as waste.
Skin and Coat
A grain-free diet can be beneficial for your dog’s skin and coat too! Grains do not supply the omega 3 fatty acids that fresh meat, and particularly fish does, so a grain-free diet with lots of fresh meat or fish can help to keep the skin and coat healthy and shiny. The additional protein in a high meat or fish diet also strengthens the coat and can even reduce shedding.
Allergies
Many dogs are sensitive to grains such as corn and wheat, which are frequently included in commercially produced pet food. The most common symptoms of food allergies are itchy paws which your dog will lick and chew frequently, and chronic ear infections. If your dog has a suspected food allergy or intolerance, switching to a grain-free diet is the first thing to try.
Weight Management
A grain-free diet can be particularly beneficial for dogs that need to lose weight or are prone to becoming overweight. The excessive grain content in most dog food means that unutilised carbohydrates are stored as fat. Cutting grain out of the diet and replacing it with sweet potato (which has less carbohydrates but more fibre, potassium, and vitamins) helps to ensure that there is not an oversupply of carbohydrates being stored as fat.
If you are ready to make the switch to a healthy and nutritious grain-free diet for your dog, with lots of fresh meat and wholesome vegetables in a convenient dry kibble, check out the tasty superfood recipes on the Paw menu here.
