PSA: Your pets don't need grain-free diets.
More than half of my clients proudly tell me they've switched their pets' food to "grain-free." This is often in conjunction with a bit of puzzlement at how the pet's allergic skin or intestinal issues haven't resolved yet. Even my mother's vet told her to try grain-free for their little dog's weepy eyes. Guess what? It didn't help. Because it doesn't help. Because it doesn't matter.
There's no science-based evidence that grain has effects on pets. It's a big fad in humans, and anyone with Coeliac disease will tell you how aggravating it is that healthy people cling to it as this trendy superfood type deal (though it's also made gluten-free products much more mainstream and available, so that's a plus). So already, the benefits of grain-free are largely exaggerated even in humans. In pets? Nada.
In the grand tradition of vet students, I slightly threw out all but the most essential of my notes, so I no longer have specific primary literature to back this up. However, if you even just google "do pets benefit from grain free food?" you'll see that all the top hits--far from screaming "yes, it's a must!" like many breeders do--go into a detailed discussion and point out that there may be a benefit, but it's minor, and it's not associated with food allergies.
There can be a correlation due to uncontrolled variables: often grain-free diets are produced by more reputable companies and/or with higher quality ingredients. It's not because it's grain free, but because it's an expensive, high-end diet. A junk food diet full of bulk and fat is no good for anybody, whether that's the grain's fault or otherwise.
When it comes to allergies, the main culprit is the protein component. Beef and chicken allergies are the most common, because those are the most common protein ingredients. When there are grain allergies, we think it's due to the protein attachments on the carbohydrate, not a reaction to the carbohydrate itself. Treating food allergies involves addressing the protein, either through...
I have no complaints about using a grain-free diet, especially if it means the pet's getting a higher quality food than they wood otherwise. However, don't fall under the misconception that it's going to have an impact on your pet's health, fix allergies, or that food with grains in it is going to harm them.
There's no science-based evidence that grain has effects on pets. It's a big fad in humans, and anyone with Coeliac disease will tell you how aggravating it is that healthy people cling to it as this trendy superfood type deal (though it's also made gluten-free products much more mainstream and available, so that's a plus). So already, the benefits of grain-free are largely exaggerated even in humans. In pets? Nada.
In the grand tradition of vet students, I slightly threw out all but the most essential of my notes, so I no longer have specific primary literature to back this up. However, if you even just google "do pets benefit from grain free food?" you'll see that all the top hits--far from screaming "yes, it's a must!" like many breeders do--go into a detailed discussion and point out that there may be a benefit, but it's minor, and it's not associated with food allergies.
There can be a correlation due to uncontrolled variables: often grain-free diets are produced by more reputable companies and/or with higher quality ingredients. It's not because it's grain free, but because it's an expensive, high-end diet. A junk food diet full of bulk and fat is no good for anybody, whether that's the grain's fault or otherwise.
When it comes to allergies, the main culprit is the protein component. Beef and chicken allergies are the most common, because those are the most common protein ingredients. When there are grain allergies, we think it's due to the protein attachments on the carbohydrate, not a reaction to the carbohydrate itself. Treating food allergies involves addressing the protein, either through...
- A novel protein - something your pet hasn't been exposed to before (fish, venison, something not so mainstream), or...
- A hydrolyzed protein - a prescription hypoallergenic diet where the proteins have been broken down (hydrolyzed) into little teeny tiny bits that are too small to stimulate the immune cells.
I have no complaints about using a grain-free diet, especially if it means the pet's getting a higher quality food than they wood otherwise. However, don't fall under the misconception that it's going to have an impact on your pet's health, fix allergies, or that food with grains in it is going to harm them.
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