News — Cereals & grains

Opting for grain-free dog food? Make sure it’s nutritionally complete

Your dog’s diet is critical to their overall health and wellbeing. If your dog’s food isn’t satisfying their nutritional demands, they simply won’t thrive - and may even become poorly down the line.

What does my dog actually need? 

So what does a well-balanced dog diet actually look like, you ask?

Well, veterinary experts claim that for optimum canine health, dogs need a suitable amount of minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids - all of which play an important function in maintaining a healthy and happy dog.

Essential amino acids, for example, you’ll find in proteins, and essential fatty acids, from healthy fats - of course. The quantities they need, just like for us humans, will depend of a range of factors, such as the size of your dog and their stage of life i.e. if they’re a puppy, or a senior dog. 

Is grain-free good or bad? 

There’s a lot of different opinions on whether grains are harmful to a dog’s digestive system, while some have also claimed a grain-free diet isn’t a substantial one.

Of course, some dogs simply suffer from intolerances - leaving owners with very little choice than to opt for gluten or grain-free.

If opting for an easily digestible grain-free kibble, it’s essential to do some research first and ensure the food you choose for your dog is balanced and nutritionally complete.

To make the process easier, we’ve done all of the research for you - and only sell grain-free kibble that’s formulated with the finest ingredients to guarantee your dog’s diet is nutritionally complete.

Nutritionally complete foods 

Belcando and Smolke are two excellent examples of brands that understand canine nutrition and have therefore developed a remarkable formula to provide a healthy and adequate replacement to grain.

Belcando, for example, has included a composition of vegetables including valuable amaranth, peas and potatoes - perfect for taste but also your dog’s health, containing the fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they need to ward off illnesses.

Cereals and grains - Good or bad for our dogs?

As dog owners, we’re becoming more and more aware about exactly what it is we’re putting into their bodies and whether or not their nutritional demands are being satisfied by the very food we spend our hard earned money on. One question we get asked a lot here at Pooch DVD is whether or not we should be avoiding pet food containing cereals and grains and whether they’re damaging to our pet’s health. 

Firstly, cereals and grains refers to anything from wheat, rice and barley through to oats and maize - all of which tend to be the usual accompaniment to the meats you’d expect to find in pet food. But are they good or bad? 

Anyone that knows us here at Pooch DVD will know that we’re big supporters of protein based diets for dogs. After all, canine bodies flourish when fed nutritional, high energy meats. We’re not supporters of the processed pet foods found in most supermarkets - these are by no means beneficial to your much loved pet. You’ll probably find that brands whose pet food contains cereals and grains haven’t done so for your dog’s nutritional benefit - instead they’re there to act as a cheap filler, to make your dog’s tummy feel fuller and to ultimately increase their profits. 

Just like us humans, every dog and the way in which their body reacts to food, is unique. Some dogs may have sensitive tummies that aren’t able to easily digest certain cereals and grains, while other dogs may well be able to. Grains and cereals may not necessarily be damaging to your pet’s health, but if the food in which your pet is eating has substituted healthy ingredients for more filling material, this could pose a health problem later down the line. It’s also worth noting that if you notice that your dog is producing unhealthy stools or their skin/coat is looking unhealthy, opting for grain-free pet food such as Smolke can often work wonders.