# benefits of grain free?



## zeke11 (Jul 21, 2009)

Every time I go dog food shopping, it seems there are more and more grain free kibble. 

I'm wondering if it is beneficial to go grain free? I know whole grains aren't that great as they have been cracked up to be for humans and now I'm wondering if dogs need any grains at all...

Can anyone point me to a reliable study on this topic? 

Kris


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I personally don't think dogs "need" grains, but lots of people think differently. Basically, grain-free is an option for dogs who don't do well on grains. Not necessarily allergic, but possibly intolerant. Ranger is one of these dogs. He doesn't do well on oats, corn, or rice. While corn isn't necessarily found in the more expensive bags of dog food, oats and rice generally are as they're hyped to be "good for you' grains. Ranger's digestive system begs to differ. The two times he's been on non grain-free kibbles, he showed the same upsets. After 2-4 weeks of being fed it, he started vomiting 6-9 hours after meals (vomited up completely undigested pieces of kibble), ear and eye infections, dry skin, less energy, and had the runs on and off. BOTH times he was fed regular kibble he had these 'symptoms'. The first time was the first year I got him and he was on IAMS. I chalked it up to allergies and gave him grain-free (Orijen). 18 months later, I realized it wasn't allergies and thought, "it's just a bad brand of kibble" and tried Acana (light and fit, and lamb and apple). Within 3 weeks, he started having the same problems. It wasn't the corn. It wasn't the 'bad grocery store brand'. He just can't handle certain grains.

So if your dog is okay with what you're feeding, there's probably no reason to switch. Sometimes it takes dogs awhile to make the transition to grain-free. Orijen gave Ranger the runs (if not mixed with Iams) for 2 months. At the end of the transitional phase, I had 1.5 cups of Orijen and a tbsp of Iams...if that tbsp wasn't there, Ranger would get the runs. But once he made the switch, he was fine and perked up like I'd never seen. He's thrived on his grain-free diets and now can have any grain-free kibble meal (EVO, Acana grain-free, Orijen, etc) at any point and he won't get the runs. It just took awhile for him to get used to the calorie density of grain-free.

and that's my novel!


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

The only reason I can see to go grain free is if your dog is allergic to grains. The other reasons are purely philosophical.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

msdogs1976 said:


> The only reason I can see to go grain free is if your dog is allergic to grains. The other reasons are purely philosophical.


I agree. We tried grain-free once and it didn't do very good things for their coats. They looked dull and limp. They look much better on a food with high quality grains. I wouldn't feed grain-free unless you have a dog with a specific allergy to grains.


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## daisysmam (Sep 5, 2010)

Grain free is great if your dog has shown an allergy or intolerance to grains. That being said, most grain free kibbles have simply replaced the grains with potatoes and peas. Some form of carbohydrate is necessary to bind the kibble ingedients together. Some dogs do great on grain free...some don't. Feed what works best for YOUR dog.


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

I switched to Canidea ALS Grain Free years ago. I thought one of my girls had allergy ears but as she has aged it seems to only happen in the summer when I swim her alot. She has very heavy tight ears the moisture locks in. I use a ear cleaner drying agent now after each swim and problem solved. When I changed I really did like what was listed. I feel it is better then a bag of corn. We were on a food my puppies did not do their best on which was another reason to change. We tried Innova EVO for our adults but the protein was just to high for some. That is when I found Canidea and I love it. They all look beautiful. Their coats are just beautiful. I have all ages here and it agrees with each one of them. I think the grain free does a good job of eliminated things in the bag the dogs don't need. It makes some of the dog food companies a little more accountable to be aware of what they put the food besides corn or grain fillers. Do you have to...no. Find what is right for your dog and stick with it.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

I personally believe in the raw diet- no grains at all. One year old Lola is on that now and does very well on it. I feed her EVO dry with raw veggies in the morning and an all raw meat and veggie meal in the evening. Her coat is thick and shiny. I had a small flea issue and itchy skin when I first got her- due to the poor diet she was previously on, but, with 2 1/2 months of the good diet and all the supplements I give her getting her immune system strong- I have that problem just about under control. Diet is everything from general health to keeping them parasite free.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I would love to try Evo or Orijen longterm, but whenever I do, the dogs' stomachs can't seem to handle it. Also, I worry about grain free on the kidney function when the protein is running that high, and I agree potatos or some other replacement is usually there when it is not. I feel best with a high quality grain that is a ways down on the ingredients list.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

My vet is absolutely smitten with the food PawNatureRaw.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Fromm, has around 32% protein, in their grain free.


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

Ljilly28 said:


> I would love to try Evo or Orijen longterm, but whenever I do, the dogs' stomachs can't seem to handle it. Also, I worry about grain free on the kidney function when the protein is running that high, and I agree potatos or some other replacement is usually there when it is not. I feel best with a high quality grain that is a ways down on the ingredients list.


 
EVO protein was to high for my guys. There stomachs just couldn't take it and they have stomachs of steel. Canidea grain free is 34% vs. EVO at 43%. Canidea's ration of calcium /phosphorous is good for puppies and young dogs. Sorry raw diet community, I am not a good cook for my family so they would be upset with me if I cooked for the dogs....haha. Can kids eat raw  I think I found a good food staying with a kibble diet. I have a friend who's dog is on raw and my dogs look just as wonderful. Her dog is actually having sever allergy problems but I don't know if is the food. She get the raw at a discount due to working at a vet but said she would switch if that wasn't available to her.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

daisysmam said:


> Grain free is great if your dog has shown an allergy or intolerance to grains. That being said, most grain free kibbles have simply replaced the grains with potatoes and peas. Some form of carbohydrate is necessary to bind the kibble ingedients together. Some dogs do great on grain free...some don't. Feed what works best for YOUR dog.


This is the most concise summary of the topic I've ever seen. Well said.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Ljilly28 said:


> I would love to try Evo or Orijen longterm, but whenever I do, the dogs' stomachs can't seem to handle it. Also, I worry about grain free on the kidney function when the protein is running that high, and I agree potatos or some other replacement is usually there when it is not. I feel best with a high quality grain that is a ways down on the ingredients list.


I used to worry more about high protein and kidneys, but I've read a lot of reliable stuff that seems to demonstrate very clearly that high protein won't damage a healthy kidney. If kidney function is compromised, high protein can make it worse (the excess protein ends up as waste products in the blood that damage the kidneys), but a normal kidney will have no problems.

There are plenty of other reasons I don't go that high with protein or feed grain free, but I don't worry that it will hurt the healthy kidneys of a young dog anymore.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the reason you see more and more of it at the pet store is that it has caught on as a fad. The philosophy is appealing even if there's no evidence that "grain free" food is automatically better than "traditional" food. When I say it's a fad, I mean lots of people have gotten on board because of its popularity. I _don't_ mean that everybody who feeds it only feeds it because of a fad. For example, lots of forum members I respect feed grain free for good reasons.

There certainly seems to be a group of dogs on the forum that do better on grain free. Those owners should certainly feed it. It's absolutely possible for a dog to be allergic or otherwise intolerant of a particular grain, and even if a dog isn't, he may do better on a high protein potato and duck food than he does on a moderate protein wheat and chicken food. 

For the majority of dogs, corn vs. wheat vs. potato vs. pea doesn't really matter. For that majority, I think a well-researched food is probably a better place to start than a boutique brand.


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## jweisman54 (May 22, 2010)

Izzy has been on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain (lamb) for almost a year now. It is a grain free, all life stages food. The protein content is 25%. She did not do well on any of the higher end foods with any type of poultry so rather than rack my brain and put her through allergy testing I switched over to TOTW. Her coat is beautiful, she never has any GI issues (no runny poops or gas) and has thrived on it. Her last weight check she was 58 pounds and she is almost 18 months. Would highly recommend this food.


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## allaboutourdogs (Aug 27, 2010)

Grains are for humans and not for dogs. Dogs need other nutrients especially protein.


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