Grain Free Diets, Are they best?

Hi, and welcome back.

Through my observations and research I feel GRAIN FREE diets are a MUST for cats. They are the true carnivore. To be technical, cats are obligate carnivores. By definition these are animals that subsist only on meats, and lack the ability to digest plant matter. So to you cat companions I say, grain free is the only way to go. Those who have made the switch rarely go back, and often have remarkable results from going grain-free. More later on how to achieve this.

Now for dogs. In recent years much has been written for and against raw feeding. Not being a veterinarian, nor a scientist, I can only give you my opinion based on experience and study. That said, stay away from grains with dogs! It is NO doubt in my mind grain nearly killed my dog.

Do wild dogs eat grain? Not usually. They may come across a minor bit in the intestines of their prey , but they do not pick grains, eat corn, boil oats, or otherwise ingest grain. They are, of course, opportunists when scavenging for food, and if hungry enough they nibble rotted fruit and any number of other plant materials. However, the bulk of their nutrition comes from meat, bones, cartilage, and organ meats. This is what they were built to consume. It has been stated by those who are scientists that when a dog eats grain from the intestines of their prey, the digestion has been done by the rabbit, deer, etc. The digestive enzymes were provided not by the dog or wolf.

I was surprised to discover that vegetables and plant matter tends to go right through my dogs undigested. By that I mean it shows up in the poop looking remarkably like it did when it went in the other end. After some research I discovered the reason. Dogs lack the ability to break down the cell wall of plant matter. So if feeding them plants, I need to grind and pulverize the material for them, as though I were the deer or rabbit chewing it. Only then can my little canines access the nutrition.

For the most part, I feel that grains are bad for dogs. Some dogs can tolerate grains, others, like my Sheriff Tom, have no tolerance for them. At best, is it a good idea to feed your companion something they can "tolerate"? I suggest a much wiser approach is to feed only what is optimum. If plant matter is consumed, let it be a very small part of their treats. And then use caution.

At www.sherifftom.com we have some great suggestions for grain free treats and food. Stop by sometime.

Happy Trails, Posse Pals!