Grains? In Commercial Pet Food?

While this may come as a surprise to you, commercial diets are not well-suited to the dog's and cat's physical make up and metabolism. In other words, they are not 'biologically appropriate.' They are primarily made up of grain products and cooked/processed until no true nutrition is left.

Contemporary canine nutritionists agree that dogs do not process complex carbohydrates (grains & potato products) well nor do they need them.

Studies demonstrate that unlike humans/omnivores, dogs (carnivores) do not 'carbo-load,' that is, store up energy from meals high in complex carbohydrates. While human athletes successfully practice this technique, it results in an accumulation of lactic acid in dogs (which causes the muscular pain experienced after unaccustomed exercise).

Based on research in the dog and with other species it has been found that dogs can be more healthfully maintained without carbohydrates, especially when the diet supplies enough fat and protein from which the metabolic requirement for glucose is derived.

Dogs do not produce the necessary amounts of enzymes in their saliva (amylase, for example) to start the break-down of carbohydrates and starches; amylase in saliva is something omnivorous and herbivorous animals possess, but not carnivorous animals. This lack of the necessary enzymes, places the burden entirely on the pancreas, forcing it to try to produce large amounts of amylase and cellulase to deal with the starch, cellulose, and carbohydrates in grains and plant matter. (The carnivore's pancreas was not designed to secrete cellulase to split the cellulose into glucose molecules), nor have dogs "evolved" to become efficient at digesting and assimilating and utilizing gains or plant material as a source of high quality protein. Herbivores do those sorts of things. Read Canine and Feline Nutrition Case, Carey and Hirakawa Published by Mosby, 1995

Grains are full of carbohydrates which can be easily converted to sugars. Cancer cells feed on sugars, and it is believed that by decreasing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, we may greatly reduce the risk of cancer (which is a growing problem among modern dogs and cats).

Grains and or grain based foods are the main cause of yeast infections, such as Candida Albicans in our pets. Symptoms include: chronic ear infections; incessant licking of the genitals or the paws or both; lick granulomas; habitual scratching, usually the ears, sides of the torso and underbelly; rashes, most often on the underbelly; and when the yeast begins to move into the head; loss of hearing; loss of eyesight; loss of intelligence, memory and comprehension.
Yeast infections always start somewhere in the digestive system; then move to the genital area, on to the ears; then finally to the brain, taking over the entire body. It is insidious. Very often these problems are treated with antibiotics or steroids, which only make matters worse by killing off the friendly flora or bacteria in the body and thus lowering the immune system.

For more on Yeast Infections click HERE

The makers of "prescription dog foods" advertise the use of high-quality, whole grains in their food. They say these provide and "excellent source of protein" for dogs. Large amounts of grain may be an appropriate source of protein for some species...but NOT so for animals primarily designed to eat meat!

Which brings me to what 'grains' in commercial pet food really are. When whole grain is used in dog food, (and even cat food), (be it oats, barley, wheat, rice or corn) it has often been deemed unfit for human consumption due to mold, contaminants, or poor handling practices. Some brands reportedly contain damaged, spilled, and spoiled grain known as "the tail of the mill." This can include the hulls, chaff, straw, dust, dirt, and sand swept from the mill floor at the end of each week, which are totally unnatural nutritional ingredients! Most of these ingredients, such as peanut hulls, are used strictly for "filler" and have no nutritional value at all! They are also economical for the pet food companies!

Imagine AAFCO approving 'the tail of the mill' as acceptable grains in your pet's diet! Unbelievable!!!

GRAINS - Could this be why my pet scratches constantly?

Yes, grains (all grains and mainly wheat and 'the tail of the mill' ingredients) are one of the most common causes of allergies in pets. Grains can also be responsible for "gunky" ears, yeast infections in the ears or on the skin, ear infections, head shaking, allergies, skin irritation, itchy feet and genitals. Other symptoms of grains and yeast infections may be as broad ranging as: mal-absorption of food nutrients, joint problems, arthritis, diabetes, colitis and kidney or bladder infections.

Too much money has already been spent by American pet owners to their veterinarians, to find out the cause of the above-mentioned symptoms. It's a shame that most veterinarians do not take their patient's diet into consideration FIRST, when, in fact, most of these symptoms are directly related to what the pet is eating. Instead, great amounts of needless money are spent on steroid pills and creams to treat the symptoms of itching, antibiotics either just in case or because an infection is "suspected", injections, blood work and frequent vet visits.

Potatoes -
With the word out on grains not being digestible and causing allergic reactions in our dogs, the latest trend in pet foods is the addition of potatoes to help bind the processed product together and be a source of carbohydrates.

Potatoes contain a carcinogen- *acrylamide- As a daily maintenance food, potatoes are not a health food! They may actually be a part of the cancer epidemic in pets! The August 14, 2002 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reported presence of high levels of acrylamide in carbohydrate rich foods like potatoes.

*Acrylamide induces gene mutations and has been found in animal tests to cause malignant stomach tumors. It is also known to cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous system.

Be a step or two ahead of your veterinarian...look at the ingredients in the food you're presently feeding, study them and see just what particular ingredient could be causing your pet's allergic reaction(s). If you're still feeding one of those popular commercial pet foods, I can almost guarantee that there will be more than one ingredient that is the culprit!

Dr Jeannie and The Whole Dog recommends an all raw SARF diet of meat and bones. However, for those who still don't feel right about feeding raw yet, we are proud to represent a very few all natural lines of dog foods that do not contain grains or potato products!

For More Info On Grains Click Here

Copyright 2003 -2008 This article is the sole property of Dr Jeanette (Jeannie) Thomason and The Whole Dog and is for educational purposes. It cannot be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the expressed written consent of the author.