Grain-Free Diets for Dogs???

News flash!  Dogs are descendants of the Grey Wolf.

by Dr. John Hallett

photo by Thomas Calvy

Everyone knows that dogs and wolves are related but recent research shows that a dog's dietary needs are very different from wolves. A few months ago I heard a fascinating story on NPR about this research and how it applies to my canine patients. 

Apparently dogs have genes that allow them to digest carbohydrates, wolves don't have those genes so they eat almost exclusively meat. It seems that this was important in the domestication process because the dogs that survived best around people were those that could digest carbs in human food scraps.

I get daily questions from dog owners about what to feed their dogs. Many of them proudly tell me that they feed "grain-free" dog food. They read on the internet that this was important because wolves don't eat grain and dogs are like wolves. This implies that a lack of grain in the dog's diet will make them healthier so it is worth the extra money to buy the expensive "grain-free" diet.   

So, what do animal nutritionists tell us about dog nutrition? First, dogs are omnivores, meaning that they need a variety including both meat and grains and fiber. Second, corn (one of the most common grains in dog food) rarely causes food allergy or skin problems in dogs. A grain-free diet is not the answer to all your dog's health problems.

What should you feed your dog? Before you pay extra for a grain-free diet, ask your veterinarian for suggestions. Our hospital staff are very knowledgeable on nutrition topics. Kelly Neu, one of our certified veterinary technicians, has a special interest in nutrition and has put together a notebook with nutritional information on many brands of pet food. Dr. Heidi Hallett has also done a tremendous amount of reading on nutrition topics and is available to answer questions. 

The big news today is that dogs are different from wolves. Thank goodness!
Here are links to the NPR story  to the original research article in Nature. 

Cats are an entirely different topic that we will cover later. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must have meat.