# Is grain free good for puppies?



## Always51 (Feb 19, 2012)

My dog has been feed raw and grain free from 4 months old ...so far so good..he is an itchy and hot spot dog which is why I feed him this way....

It suits some dogs and not others..is there a reason the vet suggested grain free for your pup?


----------



## tomw (Jul 9, 2012)

My Lacie was put on a grain free puppy kibble when she was about 9 months old because she was continuously scratching and biting her hind quarters and paws. As she does not have fleas or ticks and there was/is no sign of a skin infection or dryness or irritation, the vet said that it could be food related and said go for a grain free diet. It has helped considerably. I decided on Merrick grain free, which is recommended by Whole Dog Journal and also receives highly recommended check on Petfoodadvisor.com


----------



## Mom28kds (Mar 8, 2013)

My girl is 15 weeks and has has coccidia and guardia. My vet seems very "natural" minded. I'm good with that. She also said not to use ALS. I just thought I read on here not to do grain free on pups. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## CrazyZane (Jan 28, 2013)

Why would your Vet say to to use a all life stages kibble?


----------



## Mom28kds (Mar 8, 2013)

RichsRetriever said:


> Why would your Vet say to to use a all life stages kibble?


I don't know. I'll ask next time I go in.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## CrazyZane (Jan 28, 2013)

Mom28kds said:


> My girl is 15 weeks and has has coccidia and guardia.


What did your Vet give you to treat the giardia and coccidia?


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Did you ask your vet why grain free? Sometimes it is a personal preference for the vet, but often there is a legitimate reason for their suggestions. If your pup is doing well on the food she is on there is no reason to change it, but if she is experiencing health issues, the vet may feel that a grain free diet may help to clear up those issues.


----------



## Gold Digger (Sep 19, 2012)

You're lucky to find a "natural minded" vet... It seems like that doesn't exist where I live. My vet recommends science diet and says grain free is bs. I still do feed grain free though. Merrick grain free duck and sweet potato has worked very well for Pedro and he gets excited for it too.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

> *Is grain free good for puppies?*


No!

If you got a pup from me and fed a grain free diet you would be in violation of the purchase agreement and void the warranty.


----------



## CrazyZane (Jan 28, 2013)

Swampcollie said:


> No!


Why do you think it's not safe?


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I feed mostly raw, supplemented with grain free. The only time I would feed grain would be to add weight to my dogs and then I usually cook up rice or potatoes (not a grain but it is a starch . If they really need to extra calories because they have lost weight or because they are training a lot, pasta and/or bread will be added. They never get corn or soy.

The dogs start this diet as soon as they come home, although I do feed my Towhee Purina Pro Plan Puppy when she is pregnant/nursing for the extra calories needed


----------



## tomw (Jul 9, 2012)

@Swampcollie Why? Why do you feel so strongly about not feeding any of your puppies a grain free diet and, as a breeder, is there an age where you would not object? I am curious.


----------



## Bolledeig (Aug 10, 2012)

My breeder had her puppies on Hi-Tek Naturals, ALS grain free. So our puppy has been on this food from before 8 weeks and still is at 8 months.
He has done great on it so far, so I haven't switched.

My vet was not extatic about an ALS food, but he didn't seem to mind it being grain free.


It's really hard to feed "right", since everyone disagrees on what that is..


----------



## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Swampcollie said:


> *No!*
> 
> If you got a pup from me and fed a grain free diet you would be in violation of the purchase agreement and void the warranty.


That's painting a very broad brush stroke considering grain-free kibbles are available in everything from low protein / low fat to high protein / high fat and everything in-between.

It is the guaranteed analysis that matters more for a puppy rather than if the carbohydrate sources come mostly from rice versus sweet potatoes.


----------



## ataylor (Dec 28, 2008)

Before domestication, dogs ate little to no grains. When they were domesticated and introduced to dry kibble with grains, many dogs get allergies towards them. The grain-free diets are higher in protein and help maintain a healthy weight. Plus you feed less than what is on the recommended feeding guidelines.

I work at a pet food store, so I usually recommend a grain-free diet for all ages. Both of my dogs are on a grain-free diet and supplemented with raw. Kailey is on NOW Senior and Jackson is on Nature's Variety Raw Boost Duck & Turkey. I really like grain-free diets.


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

I have great dislike for food manufactures who dump untested products on an unsuspecting public. Grain Free diets are poor choices for rapidly growing puppies.


----------



## CrazyZane (Jan 28, 2013)

Swampcollie said:


> Grain Free diets are poor choices for rapidly growing puppies.


Why? What exactly is it about GF formulas that makes it a poor choice for a growing puppy?


----------



## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

There was a study that was just published back at the end of January.


http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7441/full/nature11837.html (about the study)

The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet

Here is a comment from a blogging vet. He seems to totally be against the BARF diet so he does have an agenda (opinion) but he quotes part of the study in the blog.
I didn't copy his actual opinion of raw as it doesn't actually apply to the discussion at hand.
What does apply is they have found that the domesticated dog has evolved to eat starches. 

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2013/01/repeat-after-me-dogs-are-not-wolves/
The study consisted of a thorough comparison of dog and wolf genomes, identifying a number of differences related to the domestication process. Many of these differences have to do with genes involved in brain development and function, which will hopefully help us to better understand the behavioral differences between dogs and wolves related to domestication. But a significant subset of the genes found to be different between dogs and wolves involve the digestion of starch. Starch was an important energy source for humans at the time of the domestication of the dog, and so dogs adapted to the available food in ways that distinguish them from their more carnivorous ancestors.
Our results show that adaptations that allowed the early ancestors of modern dogs to thrive on a diet rich in starch, relative to the carnivorous diet of wolves, constituted a crucial step in early dog domestication…The results presented here demonstrate a striking case of parallel evolution whereby the benefits of coping with an increasingly starch-rich diet during the agricultural revolution caused similar adaptive responses in dog and human.​This genetic information, and the already well-known anatomic differences between dogs and wolves, make it clear that domestication has dramatically altered the structure and function of the dog body. Extrapolating from the natural diet of wolves to the nutritional needs of dogs is not reasonable nor supported by the data, which instead indicates that dogs are more suited to an omnivorous diet. The current fad that identifies carbohydrates in general, and grains in particular, as inappropriate and harmful for dogs is irrational and contrary to the clear evidence that dogs are well-adapted to such food sources.


----------



## ataylor (Dec 28, 2008)

A lot of vets are against any kind of raw diet. But I still give my dogs raw. I worked with a vet of the summer and she liked to recommend Taste of the Wild, which is a grain-free food.


----------



## ataylor (Dec 28, 2008)

solinvictus said:


> There was a study that was just published back at the end of January.
> 
> 
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7441/full/nature11837.html (about the study)
> ...


I really like the title of the blog, "Repeat After Me: Dogs are not wolves". But, I already know that.

I am still all for grain-free and raw diets.


----------

