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Originally Posted by Ellie May  I really don't get the soy is so cheap thing either. When I go look at the frozen food section for vegetarian soy burgers, protein bars, etc., it doesn't appear any cheaper than meat to me.
A can of corn and a can of peas are priced the same at the store, so then do we say peas are a cheap filler too? Corn is used as a carb for the most part an d it is first on the list of ingredients because carbs are supposed to make up the majority of the food. Anyway, you get a can of corn for what, 75 cents? It's maybe about a pound. Potatoes run about $2 for 10 pounds here. So 5 pounds of potatoes for $1. So I can get more potato with my $1 than I can get corn. I'm just really confused about this. |
Yes, but let's face it: the soy most are using in dog food is NOT going to be coming from top-of-the-line grocery stores, either. So comparing the cost of human products is kind of irrelevant because those companies are not going to the grocery store and shopping for the best products out there. The same can be said for meat, too, though of course.
Soy is one of the top allergens for dogs and it's also been known to cause bloat in large breeds. It can also irritate the bowels but foods with soy usually also contain beet pulp, which will harden the stool and a lot of people think that makes everything okay and healthy. Of course, soy is not the only thing. The most common allergens are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, eggs, corn and soy so that's kind of a long list. It's nice that we have the options out there for a kibble to contain corn and soy, for example, for a dog who may thrive on a food like that. But I would say most dogs would be perfectly healthy, maybe healthier, not eating them. It is nice to have all the kibble options out there that we have and I don't think a few major companies should be the only food to feed. That would suck.
Why are carbs supposed to make up a majority of the food? That doesn't make sense to me. Some carbs aren't bad, IMO, but canines bodies aren't entirely meant to process a ton of them. I think having lower carb (but not zero) can be good for energy and digestibility. But I don't see why it's important for a food to be made up mostly of them. Yep, grain-free foods have carbs too (usually in the form of potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, etc) but
usually it is less (not all the time). And maybe not every dog will do good on low-carbs, I am sure there are some that thrive more on a higher-carb diet. But I don't think most healthy dogs require them. And luckily for us, most dogs digestive tracts are very adjustable. So while they can survive solely on protein and fat, they don't HAVE to, unlike cats who are obligate carnivores.
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Originally Posted by Ellie May
Corn is not necessary in dog food, but then no grain is technically. So I still don't get what makes it worse than the others. And then we could say carbs aren't truly needed, but I'd never cut them out of my dog's diet and overfeed them protein.
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I agree with you. I think corn is not really worse than other grains.
I'm still iffy on grains. Though I used to only feed a grain-free diet, I am more along the lines now that some grain can't be that bad, and the dogs who were eating nothing but table scraps in the past were most likely getting grain as well. I still don't feel they are entirely necessary but I don't think they are harmful either (I've always felt this way), and maybe they could even be beneficial.