We are often asked "What is the difference between Grain Free dog food and dog food with Grain?"
Let's start by telling you that here at The Natural Dog Hub we only sell Grain Free dog and cat food.
However, the truth is that Grain Free might not be the best option.
You may find that food with Grain is a better option for you.
We will explain the pros and cons of each type of dog food, enabling you to decide which is the best fit for you and your dog(s)/cat(s).
Pros and Cons of Dog Food with Grain
Pros -
Price of this type of food is dictated by the cost of the raw material/ingredients.
Grains are perfect for producing a very economical product.
Grain based food is very cheap to buy and so can be used effectively for dogs with no allergy issues to Grains or specific meat sources.
Most are available to buy in a Supermarket, a convenient choice.
Cons -
Dog food containing Grain is often made up of low cost ingredients.
The "Grain" being ingredients such as wheat, maize, cereal and rice.
These ingredients are known in the pet food industry as "fillers" .
These foods are harder for the animal to digest and have a high glycemic index.
Some dogs/cats can be allergic to Grain.
This in turn can cause health issues such as itchy skin, poor skin, yeast infections in ears and feet, excessive gas, loose stools and gut inflammation.
Some meat will also be used to make these lower cost foods, mostly in the form of meat or animal meal.
Meat meal is made up of meat which has been cooked at a high temperature and then ground to form a powder or a meal.
Lower cost meat is made to make this meal, sometimes it is mixed with other meat sources.
Where it is necessary to determine which meat source is the cause of the allergic reaction; a food trial maybe conducted.
It is very difficult to pin point exactly which meat source has caused the problem
when the food is made up of several mixed meat sources.
Due to the amount of low quality ingredient (both Grain and meat meal) it is normal for the stool size to be large.
This is because most of the input food has very little digestibility or nutritional value and so is expelled.
Pros and Cons of Grain Free Dog Food
Pros -
Grain Free dog food is often made up of higher cost ingredients.
Fresh meat or fish is the main ingredient, along with varying amounts of easy to digest ingredients such as sweet potato, potato or vegetables.
These ingredients have a low glycemic index and so are easier to digest.
Many health conditions such as ear infections and itchy skin may be avoided.
The main ingredient of Grain Free dog food is normally meat/fish or vegetables.
This can vary in percentages of each ingredient.
Some Grain Free food will have more vegetables than meat/fish, while others will have more meat/fish than vegetables.
Most Grain Free dog food is made up of single source proteins, which are very useful in pin pointing potential issues in food trials.
Cons -
Price of this type of food is dictated by the cost of the raw material/ingredients.
Freshly Prepared meat/fish, along with sweet potato and potato are more expensive than Grains.
Some Grain Free dog food is very expensive to buy due to the high percentage of fresh meat/fish used in the product.