Why grain free?

[Jennett Pulley]

I truly don't know and all the food recommendations are making my head spin.  Anyone want to give me the short and simple?

What the advantages? 

Thank you!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Some dogs don't do well on a diet with grains in it, since dogs can't digest the grains properly.  Intolerances usually show up as irregular/soft poops.  Luna's digestive system can't really handle anything with wheat/corn (we never figured out which one), so we have her on a grain-free diet.  Since we switched her to grain-free she has been as regular as a clock, has lots of energy and is at a great weight :)

[Jennett Pulley]

Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some dogs do better on grain-free diets. Others do just fine on diets that include what we refer to as the "healthier" grains: rice, barley, oats, and sometimes rye. Wheat and corn are problems for most dogs, as they promote food allergies and can exacerbate allergy symptoms, so none of the foods we recommend contain wheat or corn, but many of them do contain some of the other grains.

There is a growing school of thought that dogs are carnivores, who in the wild eat little to no plant foods (carbohydrates) and a lot of animal proteins. That's the basis for the idea of a grain-free diet. Of course, most grain-free diets do contain a good amount of plant foods, such as potatoes and other vegetables and fruits; these are thought to be easier for dogs to digest than grains.

Grian-free diets are usually higher in protein. You usually feed less, because they are more nutrient dense, more of the food is utilized and there are less fillers.

The only way to know what is right your particular dog is trial and error. Every dog is different, and there's no one "best" diet for every dog. Most healthy dogs will do well with any of the foods on the recommended list.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I want to second the "trial and error" thing.  We went through a few brands on the recommended list until we found one that was readily available and where several flavors agree with Luna's digestion.  

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

I'm with you on that one Jennett.  I am totally confused and still do not know which is the best food and treats. My head has been spinning for months and everytime I feed something to Libby I feel like I am doing her harm.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wwell, if you stick with a food on our recommended list, you're fine. With treats, you want something that's made in the USA and is not sold at Walmart, Target, grocery stores, etc. If you do a search of the FG discussions, you'll see lots of suggestions for good safe treats. Any treat made by one of the recommended food companies is fine. Also, Zuke's, Jones naturals, Plato, Wet Noses, and there are many more.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

THANK YOU Karen!  I do feel a little better and I am sorry if I looked stupid about this, but I was really confused.  We are new to Doodlehood and overwhelmed with the food situation. We just want to do right with Libby and so many people added their two cents and I just did not know what to do.  I do really appreciate your discussions on the FG and I just couldn't put it all together.  Thanks so much!

[Jennett Pulley]

Glad I'm not the only one! 

[BG and Gavin]

For us:

- feed smaller portion

- smaller poo

- good for a dog that is NOT a chow hound

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna is a chow hound and would happily eat until she was completely round like a ball and could just roll around everywhere. :p  We discovered she's equally hungry eating the larger portions of a healthy grain food and eating the smaller portions of a grain-free diet so it makes no difference.  

[Jennett Pulley]

We've been open feeding Lolli almost from day 1.  She went from a little sausage to a gangly looking pup.  Her feeding pattern is very much like our Chocolate Lab's was.  She eats a HUGE breakfast, almost no lunch and a medium dinner.

During the day she spends hours playing with a treat dispensing toy that she chases all over the floor.  We fill it with her kibble instead of the treats it recommends and I really think she would prefer eating all her meals out of it instead of her bowl.  It's the cutest thing ever!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

When we first got our vet we were recommended to meal-feed Luna, since it makes it easier if she ever gets sick and needs to be on medication.  It's worked out fine, she now knows exactly when it's dinner time, and bugs us about 1/2 hour before by putting her head on someone's lap :p