# Grain free food



## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

I think a lot of dogs are allergic to grain.


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## Buck (Oct 22, 2009)

Grain free foods are very high in protein. Would that cause them to gain to much weight?


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

Actually the opposite. When you are on a high protein low carb diet you tend to gain a lot of muscle as you work out instead of fat.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

In my experience, grain free doesn't cause the dogs to gain weight. BUT, you have to watch your portion and really measure our weigh your dog's food and adjust it as needed, depending on your dog's activity level, metabolism and weight. I really like Orijen Grain Free, or for a little less fat and protein Acana grain free. They both make puppy, adult, senior etc. The food is made in Canada all from local sources. Here's the link to their company and there you can find stores that carry it.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/

I also really like Evo dog food, which is grain free. They also make the variety with grain called Innova.


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## Mister (Sep 10, 2008)

I will only give my dogs grain free food....they do not need rice, corn, oats, wheat etc! Its poison and causes them to get allergies and become fat. Im now switching my two younger dogs to raw also for even better results


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

I think that it all depends of a dog and I definitely would not call "grains" poison :wacko: - it is just that they are overused in dogs food as a "filler" ! 

I can definitely see some benefit in rice - especially with dogs who have digestive problems. Although - I would rather have best quality food than mixed with home-cooked rice and mixed together fresh for each feeding.

In my opinion, raw diet would be of the most benefit to any dog, but it is not as convenient as pre-packed - so one has to make decision based on personal preference and experience.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Not all grain-free foods are high in protein, although many are. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream is less than 30% protein (28%, I think). Grain is simply filler and causes more poo because dogs don't digest it. Corn is especially bad. Beet pulp and sorgham are also common fillers. Rice and oats aren't quite as bad. Look at the ingredients on the bag of food. Many foods are grain heavy and have these ingredients listed at or near the beginning of the list of ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order of the % of that ingredient compared to the total.


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## DPH (Nov 20, 2009)

KPoos said:


> Actually the opposite. When you are on a high protein low carb diet you tend to gain a lot of muscle as you work out instead of fat.



This is true in humans if carbs are practically eliminated from a diet i.e. Atkins Diet. I'm not sure that the metabolism of a Poodle works that same way. I do know that a diet too high in protein can cause strain on a dog's internal organs like the liver and kidneys.


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

I do believe in no grain dog food. Idealy a Raw diet, which is what I feed primarily, but you are right it is a lot of work so I have to say I sometimes feed Orijen dog food. You just can't feed them together because the raw digests faster than the kibble and together they can cause stomach upset. I love that they eat less and on the flip side there is less poop to clean up and it is a lot firmer so eaiser to pick up. My dogs are thriving on it and all are a healthy weight even the dacshund!!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Buck said:


> What are the benefits of feeding a grain free food?


A lot of folks (myself included) believe that dogs cannot digest grains enough and don't benefit from having them in their diet. It just becomes filler, makes for larger messier stools and can cause medical problems. It's not a natural part of a canine diet. 

My guys eat a grain free diet, but DO get treats that have grains in them.


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

I agree with you, dogs do not digest grains. Did you know that the advent of dog food started in the great depression as a way to use the grains that could not be sold. It was marketed as a cheap way to feed your dog. Before that they got they scraps from the family be it dinner scraps or leftovers from butchering meat or game. The best quote I read was "would you feed your snake cherrios?" I can't remember where I read it but it was right on. You never see dogs sneaking out into the corn fields gobbling up all the corn lol.


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

gingersnap said:


> I agree with you, dogs do not digest grains. Did you know that the advent of dog food started in the great depression as a way to use the grains that could not be sold. It was marketed as a cheap way to feed your dog. Before that they got they scraps from the family be it dinner scraps or leftovers from butchering meat or game. The best quote I read was "would you feed your snake cherrios?" I can't remember where I read it but it was right on. You never see dogs sneaking out into the corn fields gobbling up all the corn lol.


They might if they were starving of course it would do no nutritional benefit to them if they did. I hate corn personally and practically everything we eat has some form of corn syrup in it.


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

We visited Wolf Haven here in Washington this summer and They feed a raw diet with limeted fruits and veg. The fruits and veg were a very small percent of the diet and there were no grains included. They mostly fed whole small animals. While that is not pratical for the pet owners, raw meaty bones like raw chicken wings etc.... and a variety meats growned or cut up work well. I add salmon oil, seameal, yougert, msm, berries and maybe some carrots or yams. The vegtables need to be either frozen and then thawed or par boiled to break them down a bit so they are eaiser to digest. My cockapoo Harry who is allergic to everything does very well on this diet. This is why I started doing reserch into no grain or raw feeding in the first place. I have some good web sites if anyone is interested.


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

gingersnap said:


> We visited Wolf Haven here in Washington this summer and They feed a raw diet with limeted fruits and veg. The fruits and veg were a very small percent of the diet and there were no grains included. They mostly fed whole small animals. While that is not pratical for the pet owners, raw meaty bones like raw chicken wings etc.... and a variety meats growned or cut up work well. I add salmon oil, seameal, yougert, msm, berries and maybe some carrots or yams. The vegtables need to be either frozen and then thawed or par boiled to break them down a bit so they are eaiser to digest. My cockapoo Harry who is allergic to everything does very well on this diet. This is why I started doing reserch into no grain or raw feeding in the first place. I have some good web sites if anyone is interested.


Share the links, please!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

:dito:


taxtell said:


> Share the links, please!


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

Gingersnap _ YESSSSSSS !!! Links pretty pleeeease :elefant:

THANKS in advance : )) !!!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Curious since we are on a food thread and I didn't want to add another one - maybe there should be a dog food section as well

What could be the disadvantages or bad side effects to feeding grain free? I am always curious to all pros and cons, always looking at bothe sides of thing's - I am fully aware of the good and bad ingredients but all dogs are different, so I wanted to hear from anyone that had a bad experience.

Thanks


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## 814 (Jul 3, 2009)

http://www.rawdogfood.com.au/benefits-of-raw.html http://www.marquisdiamondstandardpoodles.com/RawDiet.html http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html 

Here are a few of the ones I have saved. There are also many good books on the subject and there is a feeding raw food group I used to belong to but they kept blowing up my e-mail with too many messages. There are a couple different lines of thought about feeding raw. There is the BARF diet, which includes more fruits and veg and there is the prey model that goes 80% meat 10%bone and 10% organ meat no fruit or veg. I am somewhere in the middle myself. I follow the prey model but I do add some fruit and veg and a few other things I feel are healthy. Once you get the hang of it, it really isn't hard and the benifits are healthy coats and fit dogs.


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

THANKS A BUNCH !!!!!:flowers: 

I am going to those links right now


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## dbrazzil (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks for the links. I am going to read up on these right away!


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