Thinking about grain-free dog food, most dog owners will only imagine about the food with “all meat” content and even the cheap meats from the farms of secondary products like milk or egg, which is fully sold out there in the current market for saving cost.
However, the trusted brands will invest more money to reach a balanced formula by using grain alternatives to get the heathy carbohydrates.
We will help you to save money and time by filtering some of the best grain-free dog food as follow.
Contents
- 1 Top 5 Best Grain Free Dog Food Update 2021
- 1.1 Top 1 best grain-free dog food Purina Beneful Adult Dry Dog Food
- 1.2 Top 2 best grain-free dog food Merrick Grain Free with Real Meat + Sweet Potato, beef flavor Dry Dog Food
- 1.3 Top 3 best grain-free dog food CRAVE Grain Free High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, Lamb
- 1.4 Top 4 best grain-free dog food Nature’s Recipe Grain Free Easy to Digest Dry Dog Food with Real Meat, Sweet Potato And Pumpkin
- 1.5 Top 5 best grain-free dog food Amazon Brand – Wag Dry Dog Food, 35% Protein, No Added Grains (Beef, Salmon, Turkey, Lamb)
- 2 What is grain free dog food?
- 3 Why grain-free dog food?
- 4 How should we use grain-free dog food?
- 5 FAQs
- 6 Conclusion
Related:
==> Best Low Fat Dog Foods Update 2021
==> Best Organic Dog Food Update 2021
==> Best Raw Dog Foods New Update 2021
Top 5 Best Grain Free Dog Food Update 2021
Top 1 best grain-free dog food Purina Beneful Adult Dry Dog Food
Brand popularity: this brand from Purina provide tasty grain-free meals for dogs of all breed sizes. The carbohydrate from pumpkin and pea creates the balanced and complete formula for your dogs.
Main ingredients: Chicken, Pea Starch, Cassava Root Flour, Soybean Germ Meal, Soybean Meal, Canola Meal, Beef Fat, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Salt, Blueberries, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Spinach.
Pros:
Base on real farm-raised chicken as first ingredient, this food supports heathy muscle for your dogs.
Grain-free formula plus dehydrated blueberries, pumpkin and spinach create crunchy and delicious taste for your dog to enjoy every bite.
Made with wholesome food and without fillers, corn, wheat or gluten.
Pro-vitamin formula (up to 23 vitamins) will help your dog to get a strong immune system and heathy lifestyle.
Precautions:
A transition course of 7 – 10 days should be introduced before switching to this food.
Always provide clean water together with this food. Watch it closely to regulate the feeding amount and avoid overweight.
Top 2 best grain-free dog food Merrick Grain Free with Real Meat + Sweet Potato, beef flavor Dry Dog Food
Brand popularity: this brand is a high-protein recipe with 65% protein from real meat. Fiber and carbohydrates are from sweet potatoes plus vitamin and mineral from other whole food really make it a balanced and protein-rich formula which support your dog heathy lifestyle it deserves.
Main ingredients: Deboned Beef, Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas, Pork Fat, Whitefish Meal, Pea Protein, Sunflower Oil, Beef Liver and Flaxseed.
Pros:
Deboned Texas beef is used as first ingredient plus poultry-free formula make this food delicious and protein-rich.
Carbohydrate source from sweet potatoes, potatoes and pea support energy for your dog’s active life.
Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids from sunflower oil and salmon support your dog healthy coat and skin.
Precautions:
The protein content of this food is around 65% and carbohydrate content is around 22%. Thus, put some fresh fruits as add-ins to your dog on a daily basis shall make more complete heathy meals for your beloved ones.
Top 3 best grain-free dog food CRAVE Grain Free High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, Lamb
Brand popularity: CRAVE creates this food from high-quality protein as main ingredient (35%) to satisfy your dog’s craving nature for meat. This brand is suitable for breed of all sizes and to help them build a strong body and lean muscle.
Main ingredients: Deboned Lamb, Chicken Meal, Split Peas, Lentils, Chicken Fat, Pork Meal, Fish Meal, Dried Chicken, Pea Starch, Dried Plain Beet Pulp.
Pros:
This wet dog food provides high-quality protein in mouthwatering flavors and free of corn, soy or wheat shall become a delicious topper for kibble and satisfy dog’s wolf ancestors’ nature.
Carbohydrates from peas and fiber source from beet pulp make the balanced nutrition and highly digestive formula.
Fatty acids from chicken fat support heathy skin and coat for your dogs.
Made with the finest ingredients around the world and crafted in the USA meeting AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
Precautions:
This brand is considered balanced and complete for adult dogs’ maintenance, however, not really complete for a senior dog.
Top 4 best grain-free dog food Nature’s Recipe Grain Free Easy to Digest Dry Dog Food with Real Meat, Sweet Potato And Pumpkin
Brand popularity: base on salmon as first ingredient plus carbohydrates from pumpkin and sweet potatoes to create a heathy and highly digestive formula for your dogs’ tasty meals and be suitable for
Main ingredients: Salmon, Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Menhaden Fish Meal, Pea Starch, Poultry Fat, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Natural Flavor, Dried Tomato Pomace.
Pros:
The ingredients are carefully selected by Nature’s Recipe to create a heathy formula from salmon, sweet potatoes and pumpkin without corn, wheat and fillers.
Poultry fat help support heathy skin and coat.
The natural and heathy balanced formula makes this food suitable for all sizes and breed, from puppies to senior dogs and even for very sensitive dogs.
Precautions:
Food is rich in carbohydrates from sweet potatoes and pumpkin so it may help your dogs gain weight quickly. Thus, adjust the feeding amount up to the individual situation is very important.
Add-ins from human fruits will be perfect snacks for your dogs to get additional fiber.
Top 5 best grain-free dog food Amazon Brand – Wag Dry Dog Food, 35% Protein, No Added Grains (Beef, Salmon, Turkey, Lamb)
Brand popularity: this brand is owned and distributed by Amazon. The formula is based on real beef as first ingredient plus animal fat and fiber from beet pulp shall make your dogs thrive.
Main ingredients: beef, beef meal, lentils, pea protein, peas, egg product, chicken fat, brewers yeast, wild boar, potato protein, dried plain beet pulp, flaxseed.
Pros:
Kibble size is in good size and provides a mouthful bite.
Real beef is source in the US only. Other additional ingredients are sourced from trusted sources all over the world. The food is proudly crafted in the USA and each batch get tested and quality control.
The omega-3 fatty acids come along with DHA from salmon oil and flaxseed help maintain heathy brain for your dogs.
Dried plain beet pulp helps to add fiber to the formula and makes this food more digestive.
Made without grains, corn or any artificial flavors or colors.
Precautions:
A transition course of 7 – 10 days or up to 14 days with sensitive dogs should be introduced gradually to your dog before fully switching.
Fruits or veggies snacks will be helpful snacks for your dogs to add fiber to their daily meals with Wag Dry and Grain-free dog food.
What is grain free dog food?
Below types of grains are common as ingredients for dog food:
- Wheat
- Corn
- Barley
- Oats
- Rye
- Rice
- Soy
However, any food without corn, wheat and rice could be considered as grain-free food.
Why grain-free dog food?
Grain-free dog food in some ways bring you some advantages.
Firstly, you do not have to worry about GMO sources of grains in the food, which is really not good for your puppy or pregnant dogs.
Secondly, reducing fiber and carbohydrates from grains means to increase protein sources. This may help your dogs to reduces gas and control intestinal system. This also help your puppy thrive and quickly gain weight to reach the expected body weight.
Thirdly, of course grain-free food is very helpful for grain-allergy dogs. In some case, grain-free diet helps your dogs quickly recover from food allergy which is not related to grain allergy.
How should we use grain-free dog food?
This question should be given to your veterinarian. According to Purina’s website, the number of grain-allergy in dogs is not over one percent. If your dog is not grain-allergic, the grain-free dog food should not be used for a long time as the only food. Because the wholegrains have many benefits to your dogs, we recommend using grain-free dog food with some add-ins to not only boost your dog’s body weight but also create a balanced nutrient strategy for your furry friend.
FAQs
What are the downsides of grain-free dog food?
According to ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), in the recent years, veterinary cardiologists noticed an increase in the number of dogs they saw who had dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart condition that decreases the heart’s ability to pump blood. Thus, Federal Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation. FDA found that in 515 cases of DCM in dogs reported between January 1, 2014, and April 30, 2019, there were 90% were on a grain-free diet and 93% were on diets that contained peas and/or lentils. Those foods were tested for minerals, metal and amino acids but no abnormality was found. The conclusion is that though the relationship between grain-free food and DCM has not been fully proven, if your dog is going on a diet with grain-free food, the work of closely checking dog’s heart condition is necessary.
The other side of grain-free dog food is that grain-free does not mean low-carb. Some dog food manufacturers have chosen the carbohydrate alternatives from potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Sometime carbohydrate rate of those grain-free foods goes over 20%. If your dog is not fed the suitable amount, he could get some unintentional kilos.
What are common whole-grain ingredients and its pros and cons?
The most common whole grains for dogs are oats, brown rice, barley, corn, millet and wheat. Whole grains mean the grains contain enough 3 parts of grain including endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.
Looking at the bright sides, whole grains bring many advantages for your dogs.
It helps to fuel the dog with energy for various activities everyday.
It is also a various source of vitamins and mineral to add to your dog’s health and reduce the risk of some certain diseases.
Looking at the down sides, excessive grains do no good to your dog’s stomach – the animal whose ancestors are eating meat creatures.
Unhealthy grains are fully available on the market so it is also not good for your dog if we buy from manufacturers who could not control their sourcing initiatives.
What is the best add-ins for grain-free dog food?
Looking at both the dark side and the bright side of grain-free dog food, we think that the best way to balance your dog’s grain-free diet is to give him some add-ins.
Because the grain-free food is lacking whole grains and some kind of vitamin B and a little of fiber. The add-ins of fruit snacks, whole grains snacks which dog is not allergic to and vitamin B shall help. Of course, you should consult your vet to balance with the current dog food ingredients.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the grain-free dog food has its downsides and specific benefits. It is not just simply a marketing technic for expanding choices for consumers. What’s important is you should have enough information and consultant before making your choice for your best friends.
