[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Setrina –

Grains are not species-appropriate for dogs. Dogs have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates. A dog’s diet should be high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates. Most (not all, but most) grain-inclusive foods are low in protein and fat and high in carbohydrates. Grain-free foods tend to be higher in protein and lower and carbohydrates – but you still have to be sure to check the label, there are some companies that just remove the grains and replace them with equal amounts of starches like white potato, tapioca or peas (these aren’t species-appropriate foods either so you want to look for a food with minimal amounts of starches). Because a grain free food will contain some sort of starch, just make sure protein content is at least 30% so you know there’s a high volume of meat in the food. Some other downsides of grains are that many contain gluten (a common trigger of sensitivities), they contain lectins, antinutrients and phytates and grain-inclusive foods are more likely to be contaminated with alfatoxins.