What is the Best Grain Free Dog Food?

This article is written by Pet Circle veterinarian, Dr Carla Paszkowski, BVSC (Hons)

Grain free dog food has become exceptionally popular in recent years, moving in tandem with the rise in grain and gluten-free diets for us humans.

The grain free pet food industry is not only growing, but evolving, at a rapid rate. The popularity of grain free diets has led to an explosion of the number of brands and varieties available to Australian consumer. The grain free movement is also evolving to encompass concurrent 'real food', 'ancestral', 'freeze dried' and 'raw' movements.

So, with an ever-growing number of grain free diets gracing the store shelves (or in our case, the web pages!), how do we navigate what seems like a simple question: What is the BEST grain free dog food?

Contents:

What does 'GRAIN FREE' actually mean?

Is Grain Free Food GOOD For Your Dog?

Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?

1. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Puppies

2. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Adult Dogs

3. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Food Allergies (Novel / Single Protein)

4. Best Low Fat or Weight Management Grain Free Dog Food

5. Best Wet / Canned Grain Free Dog Food

Grain Free Dog Food

The definition of grain free dog food is a diet free from all grains, including wheat, corn, rice, oats and barley.

Is 'grain free' the same as 'gluten free'? No. Gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. These are all classified as grains. However other grains exist which do not contain gluten, such as rice. Therefore, grain free food is always gluten free, but gluten free food may still contain some types of grains.

Fun fact: true coeliac disease (gluten allergy) is almost unheard of in dogs and cats, with the exception of Irish setters.

Is 'grain free' the same as 'filler free'? Don't be fooled into assuming that 'grain free' also means 'filler free', or 'carbohydrate free'. It's basically impossible to create kibble without some form of carbohydrate holding the biscuit together. This means that when manufacturers remove grains from the recipe, they often replace them with other carbohydrates such as potato, tapioca, or chick peas. Always check the ingredients if you aren't sure!

For more information on ingredients included in your pet's food, take a look at How to Read Pet Food Labels.

Is Grain Free Food Good for Dogs?

This is a complicated question, but ultimately the short answer is: yes! Gone are the days when 'grain free' meant 'hyper alternative' and unbalanced nutritionally. Nowadays, most premium grain free dog foods are complete and balanced in accordance with international feeding guidelines. Furthermore, they actually tend to be very high in quality when compared to many cheap grain-based recipes, with most surpassing supermarket brands and hitting the premium bracket due to their ingredients. No empty husks of rice here, no sir!

"Can dogs digest grains?" There's a lot to be said on this topic, and you can read more about it in our comprehensive guide to grain free dog food. It's a common myth that dogs cannot digest grains, because their distant ancestors (such as wolves and wild dogs) ate a meat-only diet. The truth is, that while your poodle's distant relative may be the wolf, their digestive system has changed a lot over tens of thousands of years living alongside humans. To contrast to wolves, domestic dogs have evolved plant-digesting salivary and pancreatic enzymes which even cats don't possess! So, in general, most dogs can digest grains just fine.

However, grain free dog food may benefit your dog if they are allergic to grains. Much the same as a person with a dairy allergy avoiding milk, a grain free diet is required if your dog is allergic.

But it's important to note that true grain allergies are very rare in dogs. Sure, many people anecdotally report an improvement in their dog's allergies when they swap to a grain-free diet, but the benefit may lie in the quality of the food and its digestibility, rather than the simple lack of grains.

See our section on allergies below for more information on grains and food allergies.

Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?

In the last few years, veterinary cardiologists in the United States reported increased rates of a deadly heart condition, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in Golden Retrievers and breeds which are not typically predisposed to DCM. Frequently these dogs were noted as being fed 'boutique, exotic or grain free' diets, or BEG diets for short.

At this stage, research is still ongoing and it is unclear as to the underlying cause of the reported cases of diet related DCM. Some possible theories include nutritional imbalances in the foods themselves, unknown effects of certain exotic ingredients such as legumes, fruits, flaxseeds etc, or even potentially an unknown toxin.

For pet parents concerned about nutritional deficiencies, feeding a rotational diet may help. A rotational diet offers a your dog with some variety while also reducing the risk of a deficiency developing from feeding a particular diet over an extended period of time. Rotational feeding involves offering your dog a combination of high quality diets, ideally varying protein sources and formats (eg. dry, freeze and air dried, wet).

Want to know more? Read Dr. Teagan's full in-depth article Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?

1. Best Grain Free Dog Food For Puppies

While there are many factors that come into play when judging the best puppy food, we have based the following assessment on the quality of ingredients, customer reviews, reputability of manufacturing facilities, and palatability.

Winners: Top Grain-Free Puppy Foods