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Grain Free Dry Dog

4K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  Subnetwork 
#1 ·
If I may ask, what are the benefits of feeding Grain Free Dry Dog Food to German Shepherds? What are it's advantages over Dry Dog Foods with grain and vice versa?
Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Assuming we are talking about a healthy dog with no food allergies...

There is no benefit to grain free food.

There is, however a benefit to feeding a LOW CARB food though for many, if not most dogs.

Not all grain free foods are low carb. The whole grain free thing is a marketing ploy by the dog food companies banking on hype and buzzwords. Nutritionally there isn't much difference between feeding a chicken and brown rice diet vs a chicken and potato diet (though the later gets to claim being grain free)

I feed my dog low carb. Primarily 70 - 80% animal protein. Another 15% or so being fats and dairy. And the last bit carbs - mostly in the form of fruits (emphasis on berries) and veggies (emphasis on leafy greens) . Oh and sometimes I will toss him the crust from my pizza so I can't even claim to be completely grain free ;)

I find my dogs do better with their primary calories coming from animal protein and fat. They have more stable energy (No blood sugar spikes and crashes), lower stool volume, they have an easier time with weight maintenance, better teeth, better coat condition (high gloss finish) and I think most importantly - seem to enjoy their meal times better! :)

I think it comes down to nutritional availability. Omnivores and herbivores produce salivary amylase in order to digest carbs. Dogs do not. They produce some pancreatic amylase but it doesn't kick in to break down the nutrients in starchy foods until much later in the digestive process. So many of the nutrients pass right through the dog.

If you were to feed a higher carb diet for whatever reason - price, your dog does better with more bulk in the diet, etc - it might be a good idea to add a digestive enzyme to the meal prior to feeding.
 
#3 ·
Basically everything that voodoo said. My current dog is allergic to grains, so grain free food is necessary. My previous dog had no allergies, and ate grain, pretty junky dog food most of the time (unfortunately, bc my family was not educated on the importance of high quality dog food at the time), and she was really healthy and didn't have any energy or health problems until she developed cancer at age 12.

As long as the food is high quality, grains should be just fine, just have to check their percentage in relation protein, especially when they are growing.
 
#8 ·
I just had 30lbs of this delivered. Passed the taste test....52.49 for the big bag. They have a grain version that's cheaper as well. I've brought them up a few times recently, because i think its a good bang for your buck...

Grain and Potato Free Dog Food, Whitefish | Sport Dog Food

•Protein (29%), Fat (14%) and calories (449 kcals/cup)

Whitefish Meal, Yams, Freeze Dried Sweet Potato, Freeze Dried Green Lipped Sea Mussel, Freeze Dried Pumpkin, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Freeze Dried Blueberries, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Squash, Kale, Freeze Dried Papaya, Inulin, Cranberries, Parsley, Probiotics (Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium ThermophiluFermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bacillus Subtillus Fermentation Product Dehydrated), Kelp, Artichokes, Salmon Oil,Herring Oil, Vitamins (DL-Methionine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Minerals (Calcium Pantothenate, Selenium, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acids Chelate, Manganese Amino Acids Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acids Chelate





).
 
#11 ·
I just had 30lbs of this delivered. Passed the taste test....52.49 for the big bag. They have a grain version that's cheaper as well. I've brought them up a few times recently, because i think its a good bang for your buck...

Grain and Potato Free Dog Food, Whitefish | Sport Dog Food

•Protein (29%), Fat (14%) and calories (449 kcals/cup)

Whitefish Meal, Yams, Freeze Dried Sweet Potato, Freeze Dried Green Lipped Sea Mussel, Freeze Dried Pumpkin, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Freeze Dried Blueberries, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Squash, Kale, Freeze Dried Papaya, Inulin, Cranberries, Parsley, Probiotics (Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium ThermophiluFermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bacillus Subtillus Fermentation Product Dehydrated), Kelp, Artichokes, Salmon Oil,Herring Oil, Vitamins (DL-Methionine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Minerals (Calcium Pantothenate, Selenium, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acids Chelate, Manganese Amino Acids Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acids Chelate





If I may ask, isn't 29% Crude Prtein to high for an adult German Shepherd?
Thanks.
 
#13 ·
Hmmmm, I'm the wrong person to ask. I have a chubby senior Shepherd mix.

I actually intended to get the whitefish 20/10 and they sent me the more expensive gf formula by mistake. They have very good customer service, but it wasn't a big deal to me. You can order samples and they'll send you a coupon with them as well.
 
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