Grain Free? Is it really better for my pet?

Post by Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/Feline)

I wish I had a dollar for every time a pet owner tells me they’ve switched their pet to a “grain free” diet because it is SO MUCH BETTER than diets containing evil ingredients like corn or rice. I was actually thinking about this after work last night while watching the news. A big commercial flashed on TV touting the benefits of a grain free diet.

Soooo… is it all hype? Or is there really something legitimate to the alternate sources of carbohydrates?

Let’s be clear, those pet food companies must put a carbohydrate in their foods, but instead of grains they’re using barley, tapioca, millet, quinoa, and even garbanzo beans. Are so many dogs out there having adverse food reactions to things like corn, rice, wheat, or other grains? Or is it that there are just so many foods of variable qualities that we are seeing more adverse reactions to ingredients that most dogs tolerated well in the past? I've always been told by the food companies (ie, Hills, Purina and Royal Canin) that "grain free" is largely a marketing hype - so is it?

According to veterinary nutritionist,Dr. Jennifer Larsen from UC Davis, “I do not think I've ever seen a patient with confirmed adverse responses to all grains. Plants that make seeds categorized as food grains are not all that closely related, so a generalized response doesn't make sense. I think this is a hugely successful marketing strategy. I'm sure the growers associations for potatoes (white and sweet), legumes, tapioca, etc. are very happy about it. However, I do not think they are inherently harmful to the individual aside from significantly limiting dietary options (which is more significant the more diseases and other criteria you have for diet selection). Its often an "owner philosophy" we can work with…”

Veterinary Dermatologist Joseph Bernstein says, “…this is a big fad right now. It is based on the problems with gluten allergies in people. We do see wheat as one of the causes of food allergy in dogs, but it doesn't do us any good to just use a "grain-free" diet for an exclusionary diet trial. We require a true hypoallergenic novel protein trial for 2-3 months to rule out food allergy. There are no over the counter diets that are acceptable for this. Our colleague, Kathy Tater, proved this by performing protein analyses on these OTC diets in which she demonstrated contamination with other proteins regardless of the labeling on the bags. As a result, dermatologists typically require either a prescription novel protein diet or a home-cooked diet trial. It is difficult to explain to owners that this is needed as they are being bombarded with marketing campaigns purporting the benefits of "grain-free" and "all-natural" diets.”

I think I’m going to stick with my belief that this is a marketing ploy and continue to recommend if we are worried your pet has a food allergy, use a prescription hypoallergenic diet that offers PURE novel ingredients (no contaminants).