The rising popularity of grain-free dog food is attributed to customer preference more than the nutritional needs of a dog. If you’re feeding your dog grain free dog food meals then you would like to reconsider your pet’s diet after reading this article.

We’d do anything to keep our pets happy and healthy. But there are always chances of things going wrong due to misinformation or deception product marketing creates nowadays. So it is really up to you to decide what is the best food for your four-legged furry friend and how often you should feed her.

Grain-free dog food’s rising popularity is for a reason. Some dogs have sensitivity towards several types of grains so pet parents these days have an inclination towards grain free. In addition, some dog food companies use grains as cheap fillers in kibbles as a lucrative strategy. But do you think this is it? Some dogs are not allergic to grains and they need grains as a part of a balanced diet. Grains are not at all unhealthy for dogs unless your pooch has sensitivity for any particular grains.

What Is Grain-free Dog Food?

In simple terms, the food for dogs which doesn't contain grains like wheat, corn, and barley (which are high in calories) is called grain-free dog food. Grain-free dog food generally costs more than normal dog food because grains are replaced with other nutrient rich ingredients.

So when you see "grain-free dog food" on the label, you'd simply believe the food inside is grain-free, has more nutrients other than carbohydrates, and is a balanced diet. Here is a deception. Some of the grain-free food have some alternative grain-free carbohydrates like white potatoes and some other veggies. That said, grain-free food doesn't always mean healthier or wholesome food. For that, check the label for its ingredients and their proportion in dog food.

Every pet parent should know how to read the label of the dog food packaging.

What Purpose Does Grain-Free Dog Food Serve?

Some dogs are allergic to gluten present in grains like corn, wheat, and barley. So, this is the most important benefit of feeding your dog grain-free dog food. As discussed in the previous section, grain-free dog food also improvises the quality of dog food; by replacing calories in the form of carbohydrates with protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

But is it really ok? First thing, there is no alternative to grains. Grains provide dietary fibers, energy, carbohydrates, and some other nutrients which generally good and essential for their overall health. Second, one is supposed to remove the allergic ingredient from the food instead of featuring food grain-free. Lastly, grain-free food becomes an unbalanced diet, no matter what other ingredients you add to it to compensate grains.

As per the FDA study, there is a link between grain-free dog foods which have sweet potatoes, peas, and lentils as an alternative to grains and heart disease in canines.

Considering this, you can never say grain-free dog food is the best ever dog food. There is a special need for it. If you think your pooch is not allergic to any substance and is healthy, then feeding him a combination of diets where grains are a part of food would be great. Moreover, also make sure the filler doesn't have too much of grains that replaces other wholesome nutrients.