Grain Free Dog Food Is A Good Idea

Wild hunting dogs are incredible athletes. As they leave their den at dusk to hunt in the night they present a good photo opportunity for anyone wanting to sell grain free dog food. They may never have taken a bite of especially balanced and nutritionally enriched dog food but they look ominously fit and healthy. Their flanks shine with good health and their eyes are bright and baleful.

Such canines are omnivorous. They will eat what they find as they set out on the hunt. There will be many piles of elephant and rhinoceros dung crawling with beetles. Birds eggs may be hidden in the grass and some fruits and berries are tasty snacks.

When the kill is done they will gorge on the contents of their prey's stomach contents which will be largely vegetable matter. Raw meat will be mixed with hair and bone. After the feeding frenzy water will follow, and some mouthfuls of fleshy grass growing in the damp soil near the water.

In all the variety available to them there will probably be little wheat, barley or maize meal. Meat will predominate and it is the search for pure meat protein that drives their search for nutrients.

Canned feed may contain too much water and maize meal for optimum nutrition. The few scraps of meat or meat flavor in a can may encourage an animal to wolf down the contents in preference to dry food but the preponderance of carbohydrates may lead to unhealthy obesity.

Some dry food brands announce that they are a complete formula. They encourage owners to feed nothing but the formula. Dogs often eat only a minimum amount of such foods, possibly because it is so distasteful or so salty that they can't ever satisfy their hunger and remain lean though unsatisfied. This scientific method does not seem to pay much attention to the emotional needs of owners or their pets.

A switch to a grain free dietary regime is often recommended because the carbohydrates in maize and wheat meal can make an animal feel replete without supplying the proportion of protein that is needed. This can lead to obesity and the associated health problems. Vets may recommend a switch in diet as a pet gets older and needs more protein.

Meaty foods will almost certainly be more expensive than foods with higher concentrations of carbohydrates. However, it is argued that an animal will not need to eat so much. Good brands of foods will contain a large diversity of supplements and elements that simulate to an extent the miscellany of nutritional morsels that animals enjoy in the wild. Especially in the case of older animals these will be beneficial.

Potatoes, tomatoes, peas and canola oil may be included as supplements, depending on availability. These will supply vitamins and trace elements that would occur naturally in a scavenger's diet. In fact, due to scientific formulations there could be a good chance that the commercial brand would be better than the completely natural diet.

Aside from costs, another consideration to be taken into account is the composition of fat in a grain free dog food. Again, economics might determine the use of inferior meats with large fat content. In this respect it might be a good idea to look for grain free dog foods that contain fish rather than chicken or beef.

I'm a pet health consultant who specializes in natural dog diets.