Grain Freed Dog Feed Linked To Heart Disease!

[Birdsong 82]

There's a website called balanceit.com to help create homecooked diets that do not have any nutritional deficiencies. Dogs need a specific ratio of macro and micro nutrients and it allows you to pick from a list of common items like sweet potato or other starches, proteins and veggies to come up with the right balance. You can avoid items you know she is allergic to pretty easily, I'd think.

That is another reason I don’t try to make food for them all the time I don’t want to give them a diet off-balance. I may check out that site and see if I could even afford to do that but that seems pretty interesting. Thanks for the info

 

[SilberHenne]

I wish I could feed her a raw meat diet. Then I’d be feeding to 60 pound dog a raw meat diet. Unfortunately at that point to humans couldn’t eat

You can find bulk boxes of leg quarters at meat markets for about 50 cents a pound. Add some liver and fresh eggs and you have the basis for a pretty cheap but healthy diet. I feed 200 pounds of dogs for about $60 a month.

Some are replacing it but not all of them

It is hard to find a dry food that doesn't contain either grains, lentils, soy, chickpeas, potatoes, or pea protein. I think a few wet foods may be safe. I did find some wet cat food with just chicken and spinach.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Sadly enough there is no meat markets in my area. The cheapest I can get chicken is probably a little over two dollars a pound. I’m going to try to keep finding ways I’m just glad right now she’s happy and healthy. Poor girl spent 11 years being in it she mess and what the last year and a half she has been full of hair and full of spunk. Never seen her so active and happy

 

[Zinjifrah]

Ultimately, dogs aren't true carnivores. Cats are carnivores. Dogs are omnivores, with a need for meat. I don't feed grain free to my dogs, never have - but I don't feed anything with corn or soy in it. Mine get plenty of grain grazing on the wild wheat in my yard, too, if they can get it before the horses do. Not to mention their annoying delight in nibbling on the horse hay, particularly the alfalfa...

 

[Birdsong 82]

It is also a matter of knowing which dog food to buy and whether the protein is plant-based or meat-based. It seems like every dog food company is now making this green free food but there are only certain ones I will purchase. It is very difficult having a dog with this many allergies because along with no wheat or corn I do like her to have limited ingredients. Because she’s allergic to many many other things. Even beyond just food . Before this new medication she used to have to take allergy pills just so she can go outside. She’s allergic to several types of trees and grass.

 

[SilberHenne]

Ultimately, dogs aren't true carnivores. Cats are carnivores. Dogs are omnivores, with a need for meat. I don't feed grain free to my dogs, never have - but I don't feed anything with corn or soy in it. Mine get plenty of grain grazing on the wild wheat in my yard, too, if they can get it before the horses do. Not to mention their annoying delight in nibbling on the horse hay, particularly the alfalfa...

Fecultative carnivores. They will eat plants but don't thrive on them or require them. True omnivores do not require meat to thrive, but they will eat it, whereas fecultative carnivores require meat to thrive, but will eat plants. I'm guessing all this plant protein in kibble is allowing dogs to survive, but not thrive. Hopefully more studies will look into the legumes vs grains and heart health debate.

 

[Birdsong 82]

The only thing I don’t like about the study is the way it reads. It makes somebody assume because the food is grain free it is automatically going to have only plant-based proteins. Just about every dog food company now it’s making this grain free food and most of them are probably plant-based proteins but not all of them and I feel like the way this study reads it’s putting all of grain free food under The same unbrella.

 

[Folly's place]

It's an interesting article, and worth noticing, BUT it doesn't, won't and can't, list specific brands/ diets that MIGHT have been involved. And it's a small subset of dogs. If some brand or other is making a taurine deficient diets, they will, or should, be paying attention to this information and acting on it.
Decades ago, some cats developed dilated cardiomyopathy due to taurine deficient diets, and most manufacturers worked to fix this problem. It's now fixed, and this problem doesn't turn up any more, again, unless a deficient diet is fed.
Jumping on every new fad in feeding your pet is not a good plan! Advertising can convince people that 'fantasy' is actually 'reality', and sometimes the pet, or the person following a new 'wonderful' diet, suffers.
Mary

 

[Birdsong 82]

That’s why it’s a good idea to consult with your vet on these sort of things I think

 

[Conan]

This is interesting. I always fed my dogs grain free, but recently switched to raw because I get very cheap organs, bones and meat from my uncle who butchers/hunts a lot.
I, too, have a dog with severe food allergies. Wheat, corn, soy, what have you. Twelve years I've been dealing with this. I switched to raw meat, raw eggs and the occasional vegetables from the garden and apple sauce from canning every year and a month later, she is looking better than ever. No more hot spots or dry skin.
From my research into this topic, I derived that while dogs can eat many things and survive, they do not necessarily require them in their diets.
I'm sure that there are lots of opinions on this topic. I'm also sure that one size doesn't fit every dog. They are all different and what may work for one, will not work for another.
Neat topic, though. I am interested to see what other folks have to say.