Grain free foods

[emilyann]

Originally Posted by Keely_momma

Well, I wasnt really arguing before. I was stating the truth, But then i was called stupid. Sooooo

Well, everyone has their own opinions and in this great country we're allowed to have them and state them. However, it's always good to respect another opinion instead of arguing back and forth about it. Just agree to disagree

[katelin]

I talked to the representative from Canidae foods today and they have come out with a no-grain food. She said the protein was about 40%, so did not recommend it unless the dog was getting plenty of exercise.

[wemple2]

I do worry about some of the higher rated foods having too much protein for these little guys. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?
In Winston's case, my vet has actually suggested a food higher in carbohydrates...which I would assume is grains, right? This is to stabilize his glucose readings, and to prevent hypoglycemic attacks, and also to keep his weight down.
I have read numerous posts about Yorkies eating a high quality food and getting pancreatitis. In most of those cases, the dog ends up on prescription dog food...yep, from one of those "crappy" dog food company's that know nothing about dog nutrition.
Go figure...

[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by wemple2

I do worry about some of the higher rated foods having too much protein for these little guys. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?
In Winston's case, my vet has actually suggested a food higher in carbohydrates...which I would assume is grains, right? This is to stabilize his glucose readings, and to prevent hypoglycemic attacks, and also to keep his weight down.
I have read numerous posts about Yorkies eating a high quality food and getting pancreatitis. In most of those cases, the dog ends up on prescription dog food...yep, from one of those "crappy" dog food company's that know nothing about dog nutrition.
Go figure...

That's interesting. I'd like to read some of those posts, as I haven't seen them. Do you happen to remember any specific ones?

[mybear]

Im newbie! But Ive called and asked 7 different vets and they all recommended the food they sell! Now my little Bear is soooooooo picky! i could choke him and i get scared at the same time. Well last nite for supper he wouldnt eat again. So i took another kibble and offered it to him as a treat. one peice at a time, my neighbor had it for his pup. well it ended up being pro plan lamb and rice! He would not eat it in the bowl. But the very second i gave him one peice at a time on the couch watching tv, that little brat ate every little peice. The secong i put it in the bowl, he turned his nose up. So we went today and got soft canned food to add to it! and sure enough snubbed it. now if i go with out him eating he will throw up foam! now how hard headed is that? lolol! i have had dogs all my life and different breeds. i am 58 almost 59 yrs old. and have NEVER in my life ever bumped into a dog that wont eat! this is totally mind blowing to me! Today my hubby said that jarred food looks good enough for us to eat and smells good too! We mixed it and he could not believe he would not eat it! So back on the couch and fed him one at a time and told him it was a treat! well he ate! now who has who trained! whats up with the yorkie eating thing! guess i just dont get it. They are hard headed or what?????? someone please explain! H e smells our food we eat and wants that! We twell him to go eat his own food! You would think they would get hungary eventually and eat! but no, not mine! lol! Faith and brat Bear! lol! with love of coarse

[Woogie Man]

Originally Posted by Yorkiekids

Are grain free foods better for dogs with allergies? Do they pump up the protein to make up for the lack of grain? How much protein is too much, and what could it do to them. Can someone recommend some good grain free foods that they've used with success. Piper is such a picky eater.

I'll take a stab at answering your questions. I don't think grain free foods are automatically better for dogs with allergies. It would really depend on what your dog is allergic to. It could be a protein source that might also be in a grain free food. There are grains that more dogs tend to react to (corn and wheat being most common) and that might be your real question. Is your dog allergic or just a picky eater? Grain free foods tend to have better ingredients throughout than some foods with grain but there are also some quality foods with grain. Grain free foods don't 'pump up the protein'. The high protein % is due to a higher meat content. Most grain free foods range from 30+% to in the 40+% range. I believe it's not so much how much protein is there as how digestible it is. That being said, I wouldn't personally feed a very high protein food unless my dog was very active. My dogs are VERY active and I use a food that's 36% protein. It's not grain free but uses millet, which is supposed to be one of the 'better' grains that you may find in dog food. I've used grain free as a back-up food when I ran out of my regular food. I've used Wellness Core and Evo and mine ate both equally well. The Wellness is (I think) 34% protein and the Evo is 42%. I would suggest checking out The Dog Food Project online to get some good basic nutrition info and then maybe looking at some brand reviews on dogfoodanalysis.com. Hope this helps but there are many choices available. What's most important is to look at foods that have high quality ingredients and then find something from those that your dog will actually eat. I like brands that have several varieties (protein choices) so mine don't get tired of the same thing every day. They will get tired of anything, no matter the quality, and may develop an allergy to the food if fed the same exact thing over a long time.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

What's most important is to look at foods that have high quality ingredients and then find something from those that your dog will actually eat. I like brands that have several varieties (protein choices) so mine don't get tired of the same thing every day. They will get tired of anything, no matter the quality, and may develop an allergy to the food if fed the same exact thing over a long time.

This is really the bottom line here.

For some of the other posters, I think it's important to ask why you think dogs will gain weight on protein and not carbs? There are studies and papers out there that actually link dog obesity more to an excessive carb diet, not an excessive protein diet.

A calorie is a calorie, at the end of the day. Whether you feed a high carb diet or a high protein diet - if your dog is *not* active, you feed less food -- if your dog is active, you feed more food. Just like in humans.

[JRP]

We use Wellness Core (regular and ocean). Our dogs love it.They also like Fromm's Surf and Turf and Evangers Pheasant