Feeding grain to your dog

From my previous poll on LinkedIn: The majority of pet owners feed their dogs rice as the most common type of grain but they clearly were unaware of how much of rice was safe for the dog daily

Feeding grain to dogs #101

- Should you feed your dog grain? Yes
- Reason:
Grain are sources of carbohydrates including fibers and also sources of micronutrients
It's recommended to include grain in safe amounts to create a balanced diet but not essential as a daily inclusion

- Examples of grain: rice, wheat, barley, sorghum, quinoa, oats

- Refined grain is not healthy. Examples of refined grain: white rice, wheat flour and its products (bread, pasta), crackers, breakfast cereals, instant oatmeal

White rice is refined brown rice

- Choose healthy grain such as brown rice, barley, quinoa

- Feeding a grain free diet to dogs long term has been found out to be related to DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) in dogs - a heart condition in which the heart muscles get weaker and enlarged, weakning the functioning of the heart. As per the latest records, overfeeding legumes has been found out to be the reason for DCM.

Grain can benefit dogs in various ways
1. Aids digestion and promotes gut health
2. Prevents weight gain
3. Assists blood sugar regulation

Grain contain certain fibers that are hard to digest by the dog and that may result in gastric intolerances. The other reason they can be potential allergens to some dogs

- How should grain be served? choose whole grain options as much as possible to preserve nutrients. example: whole grain barley cooked in chicken broth

- How much of grain per day to feed your dog?
Ideally less than 15% of the diet

Is it essential to feed your dog rice?
1. It's NOT essential to feed your dogs rice and,

2. it is NOT necessary to feed dogs rice if the dog is fed other sources of carbs such as potatoes and other starchy vegetables for dog's energy needs

Responding to Dr. Mark Massaro's confusion from my previous poll (The World Famous brands of dog food contain all of these grains);

While even the most famous brands tick all or some of the above boxes above, here's something more beyond that:

1. Wheat, corn, sorghum : high in carbs and low in proteins. High carb diets are not recommended long term - chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity 

2. Contains whole grain but is kibble
During the process of extrusion the heat labile nutrients of grain get destroyed

3. Transparency of ingredients

 Grain and especially whole grain cannot stand for too long without going rancid or spoilt?? Is heat extrusion enough to prevent spoilage? Is it safe for pets? Will delve into detail in an upcoming post

Which ingredients do pet owners even pay for?

Feeding your dog mindfully chosen meals can help your dog as well as you to be happier and healthier