The Benefits of a Grain-Free Diet for Your Dog: Understanding the Advantages For Your Dog’s Health

The Benefits of a Grain-Free Diet for Your Dog: Understanding the Advantages For Your Dog’s Health

The healthiest dog diet does not contain grains or the fillers that commonly replace grains.

While some sources indicate that a grain-free diet is healthier than traditional dog food, the Grain Free Diet Alert released by the FDA in 2019 left many dog owners concerned about the potential impacts of grain-free foods on their pets’ health. The alert came after the FDA investigated reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) — essentially an enlarged heart — in dogs eating certain types of dog foods, many labeled “grain free.”

We’ve put together key considerations from our expert animal nutritionist Dr. Richard Patton to help you decide which diet is best for your dog.

What Is Grain-Free Dog Food?

“Grain free” doesn’t mean low-carbohydrates or all meat.

“Grain-free” has become a label that we tend to associate with “healthy” or “high quality.” Dog food that’s free of grains can be a healthy choice for your dog, but Dr. Patton says that “grain-free” can be a deceptive term:

“When the grains are taken out of these foods, they’re just replaced with other ingredients — peas, lentils, sweet potatoes — which means they’ll often have more carbohydrates than foods that aren’t grain free. So, the problem with ‘grain free’ foods with these ingredients isn’t just about the risk of DCM, it’s about excess soluble carbohydrates.”

These excess soluble carbohydrates can lead to several problems in dogs. While your dog needs carbohydrates to produce energy, too many can contribute to obesity, the wrong bacteria in the gut, and a lack of energy. So, if a dog food is labeled “grain free” but the grains are replaced with other ingredients, it’s not necessarily a healthier option for your dog.

A raw dog food diet is a good way to reap the benefits of a healthy grain-free diet without having to worry about risks that come from fillers or ingredients used to replace grains.

Is Grain-Free Dog Food Good or Bad?

Gluten-free and grain-free diets for dogs have become increasingly popular in recent years due to concerns about food allergies or the high amounts of carbohydrates in traditional dog food. But, since this spike in popularity coincides with a rise in cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy linked to grain free foods, many dog owners are still trying to figure out whether grain-free diets are safe.

What Is the Best Grain-Free Dog Food?

Unlike most commercial grain-free dog foods, raw dog food is naturally grain-free rather than modified to exclude grains. Dr. Patton notes, “Raw food isn’t grain free in the sense that grain-free traditional kibble is. It’s grain free because the only ingredients are what nature intended: meat, vital organs, and bones, which means more protein and fewer soluble carbohydrates.”

Raw dog food products like those from Vital Essentials aren’t just grain-free, but they’re also free of any of the other ingredients that could potentially cause problems.

“Grain-free is a non-issue in Vital Essentials foods,” Dr. Patton says. “Vital Essentials doesn’t have to use special recipes to exclude grains because the grains aren’t there in the first place. And that’s how nature intended it.”

Not all grain-free dog foods are created equal; some grain-free foods simply replace the grains with other carb-heavy fillers that are just as unhealthy for your dog.

A raw dog food diet, however, is a good way to reap the benefits of a healthy grain-free diet without having to worry about risks that come from fillers or ingredients used to replace grains.

Learn more about Vital Essentials ingredients here or locate a store near you if you want to start giving your dog the benefits of a raw food diet.

For more information on Vital Essentials and our full product line, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. And if you have any questions, be sure to check out our FAQ page for answers. Together, we can ensure your pet gets the proper nutrition they deserve.