Grain-free Dog Food

Can dogs digest grains?

Most dogs are perfectly capable of digesting grains. It is important that the grains are ‘unlocked’, this is often done by heating. Once this is done, the grains will provide a good supplement in nutrients and fibre to dog food.

Of course there are also dogs that react less well to grains. This is usually due to the proteins. A gluten allergy as we know in humans is actually rare in dogs. The Irish Setter is actually the only breed that has been shown to have a gluten allergy.

When do you choose grain-free food for your dog?

If your dog is sensitive on his gastrointestinal tract (so easily has diarrhea or suffers a lot from a bubbling stomach and flatulence) it can certainly make sense to feed a grain-free or gluten-free food. What is the difference?

Grain-free food means that there are no grains in a food at all. So no wheat, millet, barley, oats, rye, teff, and spelt, but also no rice or corn! These last 2 are often less known as grain. Rice and corn are often added to animal food as an alternative to wheat because they are easily digestible and are a good source of carbohydrates. But if you really want to give grain-free food to your dog, then the food must also be free of corn and rice. Examples of grain-free dog foods are Acana and Orijen . These foods contain potato, sweet potato, pumpkin or other vegetables as a carbohydrate source.

More common are gluten-free foods. Wheat, rye, barley, spelt and kamut are grains that contain gluten. These are therefore avoided in a gluten-free dog food. These foods can therefore contain rice or corn. This category includes hypoallergenic dog foods and FarmFood HE Gluten-free for example.

Grain-free foods often have a higher protein content than dog food that do contain grains. This can also be a reason to choose a grain-free food for your dog.

You will find our range of grain-free dog food below.