A couple weeks ago, Rochester’s veterinarian took time out of her busy schedule to speak with him about grain-free diets and whether they’re healthy for dogs. He wanted to share it with all his readers.
Rochester: “Dr. Raines, thank you for taking time to speak with me today. I know all my readers are excited to learn more about how to feed their dogs the healthiest food available. So let’s get started.”
Q: There are a lot of foods commercially available today. How do you even know where to start when you’re selecting the proper diet for your dog?
A: There is no one-size-fits-all or best food on the market. It’s best to start by checking the bag for an AAFCO statement. AAFCO is the American Association of Feed Control Officials. It is a non-governmental agency that publishes guidelines for pet food quality and labeling.
AAFCO does not inspect or ensure food for quality or safety. An AAFCO statement lets you know that your food meets basic ingredient requirements and labeling. The nutritional standards and safety of a food are ultimately regulated by the food manufacturer. I recommend you have some knowledge of and trust the manufacturer.
Q: What role does brand and price play in whether a food is of high quality?
A: Maybe less than we previously thought. Good quality ingredients cost more, but that doesn’t mean every expensive food is good quality. Quality ingredients also don’t ensure a properly balanced diet.
Q: What about consistency? Is wet or dry better?
A: Both wet and dry food can provide good nutrition. Remember, canned food is about 30% water and may contain fewer calories by volume than dry food. Preference and some health reasons may dictate whether canned or dry is best for you.
Q: As you said, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to choosing a commercial food. How do we determine what’s most important?
A: Individual dietary needs are most important. We treat a lot of food allergies and chronic gastrointestinal problems. Your veterinarian can help you navigate the options for individual needs.
Q: Before we get down to the nuts and bolts of this interview, let me ask one more superfluous question. What about all these designer brands the chefs and celebrities are coming up with?
A: Be wary of designer brands. Some are well-known companies with special labeling for the brand. Others may be less established and less concerned with long-term reputation and customer relationships.
Q: Now let’s talk about commercially produced grain free diets. Is it the direction we should be taking? After all, dog’s don’t eat cornbread and biscuits in the wild.
A: No, Rochester, they don’t eat cornbread and biscuits. However, there are a couple things to consider. Canines in the wild are herbivores. Their stomachs and intestinal tracts are full of partially digested grains. Also consider that domesticated dogs have been living alongside humans and eating what they eat for more than 15,000 years. Dogs have been benefiting from the calories and nutrition in grains for as long as there have been dogs. We really shouldn’t compare the domesticated dog to a wolf because they have survived under very different conditions for such a long time.
Q: But our digestive systems are still much the same as our ancestors’, aren’t they? Doesn’t that mean we don’t have as much natural digestive support for breaking down and metabolizing complex carbohydrates and cereal grains? Can’t this end up damaging our digestive systems, causing bowel inflamation and even obesity?
A: There is plenty we don’t know. I can’t tell you the grain requirements of a wolf. Evolution in its most basic form is survival of the fittest. The most fit live longer and have the most babies. When humans started growing grains thousands of years ago, their survival improved. We can safely assume that the scraps of their diet were given to their new canine companions. Back to our fireside canines, the dogs who ate the grains lived longer and had more pups because they had more and easier access to calories would have lived longer and raised more pups. After countless generations, most dogs should be able to digest grains and benefit from them. However, everything is best in moderation. We should be vigilant about too much grain and obesity.
Q: Are there any scientific studies to back up what you’re telling me?
A: Tufts University has published several articles on the subject. Unfortunately, when we started feeding grain free, we made our pups guinea pigs for a new and unstudied diet. As a result, there are countless case studies and new cases emerging every day.
Q: Okay. If grain-free diets are not good for us, why are they so popular?
A: Grain-free diets were an easy option for dogs that may have had an allergy to only a single grain. Owners also fed them because they thought it was a better diet. We just didn’t have the information we have now.
Q: What can happen to us medically if our owners insist on feeding this to us?
A: Some dogs will develop heart failure.
Q: Are there some dogs who should go the grain-free route?
A: I don’t recommend grain free for any dog. Allergy testing and diet trials are a great way to determine which diet will be the healthiest.
Q: What about puppies?
A: Grain free isn’t for puppies either.
Q: And dogs that are diabetic or have food allergies?
A: There are tons of options available for diabetics and food sensitivities that also include grains.
Q: If our people had the time, would we be better off if they cooked for us instead of feeding us stuff out of a bag?
A: Have your person consult with a veterinary nutritionist. Remember, healthy ingredients don’t automatically mean well-balanced.
Q: I’ve read the FDA is investigating a possible link between grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy. What do you know about this?
A: We know there is a very real connection between grain-free diets and cardiomyopathy. More recently, this link has been extended to other BEG diets. BEG stands for boutique, exotic and grain-free.
Q: Something else I read indicated that grain-free foods based on peas, lentils and potatoes were often the diets of dogs that were diagnosed with canine dilated cardiomyopathy. Does this mean we should avoid these ingredients?
A: There is no need to totally avoid these ingredients, but they should not be one of the main ingredients and should not be used in lieu of a grain. We thing they may be inhibiting taurine absorption. Even when taurine has been added to the food.
Q: In conjunction with these reports, I also have read something about taurine deficiency. Isn’t that an amino acid type thing that is essential for us carnivores? Doesn’t it help us build protein or something like that?
A: Taurine is necessary for many biological processes. We are seeing taurine deficiency manifest as heart failure as the individual cells have all become weakened.
Q: I know you mentioned exotic ingredients earlier when you spoke of the BEG diet. Should exotic ingredients like kangaroo and chickpeas be totally excluded?
A: We aren’t sure why the exotic ingredient diets are causing taurine deficiency. We do know that these diets were not tested adequately and many times the manufacturers did not perform any research at all.
Q: And what about those people who choose the RAW diet? What should they include/exclude? Or should they abandon the RAW concept altogether?
A: There are no proven benefits of feeding a RAW diet. My concerns are for bacterial exposure and that the RAW diet may not be well-balanced.
Q: Okay, should I tell my mom I should have prime rib and chicken for every meal?
A: Some fresh, lean meat is okay, but don’t forget your balanced diet!
Q: And speaking of chicken. I’ve heard that many people believe it can be a cause of prolonged periods between estrus cycles. But that’s a topic for another conversation.
A: I’m not familiar with this occurrence. However, Eastern medicine suggests that chicken as a “hot” food is best for estrus and cold food such as whitefish for pregnancy Possibly neutral foods such as beef and quail would be best for diestrus. Or a cold food for diestrus if the female is yin deficient. I agree, this is best for another conversation.
(Rochester: I think I’m gonna have to do a lot of research before we get to that subject.)
Q: Just a couple more questions before we stop. Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? How did you become interested in veterinary medicine? What about your family – both human and canine? What aspect of treating animals do you like most?
A: I’m from just outside Columbia, SC. I went to undergrad at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, and to veterinary school at University of Georgia. (Dr. Donna Raines currently lives near Landrum, SC, and practices veterinary medicine at Landrum Veterinary Hospital in Landrum, SC.)
Rochester: Thank you for taking the time today. It has been very informative for me and I know it will be for my readers as well.