# Grains vs Grain Free



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

My 12 week old puppy does not have allergies. What are the benefits of grain-free kibble? Right now I have her on Grandma Mae's Country Naturals, and she is doing great. She loves it, and has good, solid stool. Should I keep her on what I have now, or maybe look into a different (grain-free) kibble?


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Well you get more nutrition from grains. My boy dint display allergies til about 8-10 month old. Coincidentally that's when his selective Dog Aggression started to pop out too. Never thought about that before, hmmmm lol anyway. Dogs didn't eat them in the wild to survive. Why do they need them now. That's how I look at it. There is also more water content per kibbles of grain free vs. non grain free. The quality of kibbles also varies. I don't know who Grandma's food is, but have you checked out the ratings if the kibbles?


----------



## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

it is possible for allergies to appear later in life as the body chemistry and metabolism of a dog changes.
but aside from allergy issues, generally, grains are biologically inappropriate for dogs. especially corn and rice. dogs lack the enzymes to properly digest them. and the high levels of carbohydrate can lead to problems like canine diabetes. dog food companies use them as cheap "fillers". to inexpensively increase the amount of food per serving, without increasing the amount of quality ingredients.
not all grains are bad though. like steel-cut oats. they are low in carbs. and hypo-allergenic. still, dogs don't have flat grinding teeth. they were meant to eat meat. veggies. and some fruits. not grains.


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

For me its a preferance. If I were to feed a grain food it would still be a no corn feed. Steel cut oats or brown rice. From what I have learned, the startch from the corn dries out the skin and leaves a flaky danruff like mess. No thanks.


----------



## BullyGal (Jun 25, 2012)

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/grandma-maes-country-naturals-dry/

It actually doesn't look bad. Not Corn based which is good.


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks everybody. Im going to keep her on this kibble, for awhile atleast. No corn,brown rice, and chicken is the 1st ingredient. Another question.... how often is ok to change flavors?


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

If its the same brand you can switch easier than if its a whole different brand. But it's always better to be safe than sorry. I do a 1/4 of the new with 3/4 of the old. For a week. Then half and half for a week. Then 3/4 new and 1/4 old my dog had really bad issues so I take the month and do it real slow. Others have done it much faster over a week or so, totally up to you


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

My avatar, new pic @12weeks


----------



## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Cheap quality meat sources, high in chicken fat, contains high amounts of ''natural flavor'', high in grains... Your better off switching.


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

KMdogs... what do you feed? Let me guess.... either the most expensive kibble you can find or raw?


----------



## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Cannon from NJ said:


> KMdogs... what do you feed? Let me guess.... either the most expensive kibble you can find or raw?


I feed orijen part of the year and in season raw as the hounds earn their portions.. However kibble wise Acans regional formulas you can pick up for around or less than 70 per 29.7 pounds.. The cost difference sets itself off as you feed less as the nutrional values and digetable values are fsr greater than feeds like what has been mentioned.

If i were home id just copy and paste many posts where ive discussed such as im not ill leave it at that for now


----------



## zmanic (Feb 14, 2013)

food for my dog, BARF only:










day meal:
- 100g of raw beef heart
- 150g of cooked rice
- 100 grams of raw beef tripe 
- 50g of cooked oats
- 100g of cooked beef spleen 
- fresh carrot
- 50g chicken back 
- parsley
- 50g of cooked beef liver 
- Linseed
- Bone marrow 
- Sunflower seeds


----------



## allaboutdogs (Jan 2, 2013)

Both grain free and non-grain free are beneficial to your dogs. It is upon you on how you observe the results or behaviour of your dogs if you feed that food to them.


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

Cannon from NJ said:


> KMdogs... what do you feed? Let me guess.... either the most expensive kibble you can find or raw?


i feed Acana btw. made by the same brand as Orijen but a bit cheaper. and honestly because when u feed a high quality kibble, ur dog eats less. one 30lb bag will last my 75lb boy all month. heres a link if u wanna check it out ACANA Wild Prairie Regional Formula Grain-Free Dry Dog Food


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

I have never in all my research seen anything saying grains are beneficial to dogs. Can you show me the studies that you saw that explain it being beneficial? All research points to grains jut being filler like the rice is, and it's just added calories not added nutrition.

And my Acana is like $72 for 28.6lbs (Canada must be on kilograms and crap lol) and it lasts me 3 times longer than blue buffalo wilderness $28 for 24 lbs so in the end it's cheaper...

Origen has more protein than Acana my pup didn't do that well on it.

Sent from Petguide.com App


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

ames said:


> I have never in all my research seen anything saying grains are beneficial to dogs. Can you show me the studies that you saw that explain it being beneficial? All research points to grains jut being filler like the rice is, and it's just added calories not added nutrition.
> 
> And my Acana is like $72 for 28.6lbs (Canada must be on kilograms and crap lol) and it lasts me 3 times longer than blue buffalo wilderness $28 for 24 lbs so in the end it's cheaper...
> 
> ...


off topic but i always laugh at the price differences from different states. i found a feed store that sells it for $55.99 +tax (%8 here) comes to like $60. but yeah... on with the conversation.


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

Ames - "you get more nutrition from grains"
Joke - "not all grains are bad"

Question for KM.... What makes it cheap quality meat? High in natural flavors and grains compared to what?


----------



## Sean_C (Apr 29, 2012)

I think it would differ from dog to dog....I mean how many "normal" dogs are there out there with "normal" owners that just buy them whatever is on sale at Wal-Mart, and they live fine.

For my dog I don't like grains....he's been on both TOTW and BB wilderness, which are both grain free, and has done great....unfortunately I had to switch him off to something less expensive that wasn't grain free....I noticed in just one bag he got thinner and seemed a lot more hungry when I'd feed him....cuz of that I will be switching him back to a grain free feed....now I see it's worth the extra money for grain free


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

Sean_C said:


> I think it would differ from dog to dog....I mean how many "normal" dogs are there out there with "normal" owners that just buy them whatever is on sale at Wal-Mart, and they live fine.


to some degree... but then again i see a lot of these "normal" dogs that eat this wal-mart food that look like crap. like the 70 lb doxie or the typical over weight lab. some of these people are feeding there dogs full bowls of this food twice a day at least. i mean yeah some dogs will stop eating when they are full, but if i were to do that with Odin, he would eat that whole bowl.

so yes, they live although im not sure about "just fine".

and i looked up the size of a typical food bowl and 48oz seems average (Heavy Weight Stainless Steel Bowls) So if you fill the bowl up thats 6cups! that is far more than what "normal" dogs should eat at once. and yes i know that people feed like this, ive seen it on several occasions....


----------



## BullyGal (Jun 25, 2012)

Odin's_BlueDragon said:


> to some degree... but then again i see a lot of these "normal" dogs that eat this wal-mart food that look like crap. like the 70 lb doxie or the typical over weight lab. some of these people are feeding there dogs full bowls of this food twice a day at least. i mean yeah some dogs will stop eating when they are full, but if i were to do that with Odin, he would eat that whole bowl.
> 
> so yes, they live although im not sure about "just fine".
> 
> and i looked up the size of a typical food bowl and 48oz seems average (Heavy Weight Stainless Steel Bowls) So if you fill the bowl up thats 6cups! that is far more than what "normal" dogs should eat at once. and yes i know that people feed like this, ive seen it on several occasions....


Dang, a 48oz bowl? I think mine are just big enough for 2 cups, except the puppy bowl, its a bit bigger. And I think my dogs would eat a whole bag of food if I were to leave it out lol.


----------



## Sean_C (Apr 29, 2012)

Odin's_BlueDragon said:


> to some degree... but then again i see a lot of these "normal" dogs that eat this wal-mart food that look like crap. like the 70 lb doxie or the typical over weight lab. some of these people are feeding there dogs full bowls of this food twice a day at least. i mean yeah some dogs will stop eating when they are full, but if i were to do that with Odin, he would eat that whole bowl.
> 
> so yes, they live although im not sure about "just fine".
> 
> and i looked up the size of a typical food bowl and 48oz seems average (Heavy Weight Stainless Steel Bowls) So if you fill the bowl up thats 6cups! that is far more than what "normal" dogs should eat at once. and yes i know that people feed like this, ive seen it on several occasions....


Yea that's true, I'm just saying that there more of the normal dogs and owners out there than like us that actually really cereal what our dogs eat....my dad is one of them norms, he gets the Walmart special and fills his bowl twice a day....I do 2 cups in the morning and at night with snacks or a bone in between, and on the grain free he dis very well with that....with this food I have now that has grains he's always real hungry when I feed him cuz all the fillers they put in it to make him "feel" full....my dads dog is my dogs brother from the same litter, but my guy is a lot better looking and has a lot more energy and he's snipped the other isn't.

Bottom line, I personally dont like grain feeds from experiencewith my dog.:cheers:


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

BullyGal said:


> Dang, a 48oz bowl? I think mine are just big enough for 2 cups, except the puppy bowl, its a bit bigger. And I think my dogs would eat a whole bag of food if I were to leave it out lol.


that was just the middle one listed on that website... i just checked Odin's bowls and they dont list the size...



Sean_C said:


> Yea that's true, I'm just saying that there more of the normal dogs and owners out there than like us that actually really cereal what our dogs eat....my dad is one of them norms, he gets the Walmart special and fills his bowl twice a day....I do 2 cups in the morning and at night with snacks or a bone in between, and on the grain free he dis very well with that....with this food I have now that has grains he's always real hungry when I feed him cuz all the fillers they put in it to make him "feel" full....my dads dog is my dogs brother from the same litter, but my guy is a lot better looking and has a lot more energy and he's snipped the other isn't.
> 
> Bottom line, I personally dont like grain feeds from experiencewith my dog.:cheers:


oh i dont like grains either, but u and ur dad are proof of the difference in food quality...


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

Another question.... When is the right time to switch to adult food? When the time comes, do i gradually introduce adult kibble the same way switching puppy kibbles?


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

Cannon from NJ said:


> Another question.... When is the right time to switch to adult food? When the time comes, do i gradually introduce adult kibble the same way switching puppy kibbles?


i think most grain free doesnt have lifestages. but if u were to change u woould do 3/4 old food 1/4 new food for a week, then half and half, then 1/4 old 3/4 new....


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

How old was yours when you made the switch?


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

Cannon from NJ said:


> How old was yours when you made the switch?


i didnt get Odin as a puppy, he was a year old when i got him from the shelter. but the new dog im gettin is 8 months old and on "adult" food


----------



## Cannon from NJ (Feb 4, 2013)

oic, cool. My 1st was a rescue. She was also 8 months when I got her. She turned out to be the perfect dog, very very obedient. I would still recommend anyone to get a dog from a shelter, but I wanted a brand new pup this time


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Odin's_BlueDragon said:


> off topic but i always laugh at the price differences from different states. i found a feed store that sells it for $55.99 +tax (%8 here) comes to like $60. but yeah... on with the conversation.


That's how much the chicken and beef ones are. Duck and lame are about $65 but the Pacifica is the expensive one. Weird you get it so much cheaper. How cheap is your chicken one? Like $50?

Sent from Petguide.com App


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

ames said:


> That's how much the chicken and beef ones are. Duck and lame are about $65 but the Pacifica is the expensive one. Weird you get it so much cheaper. How cheap is your chicken one? Like $50?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


I'm not sure... I feed the Wild Prairie which has chicken, turkey, whitefish and duck I think. And that's $55.99 but its $60.99 on chewy.com... I think my feed store only carries the regionals...


----------



## Sean_C (Apr 29, 2012)

Odin's_BlueDragon said:


> oh i dont like grains either, but u and ur dad are proof of the difference in food quality...


Yup exactly....his dogs just fine just doesn't look as good as mine or have the same amount of energy cuz he feeds pedigree and I do grain free.


----------

