Is Gluten Safe for Dogs? Uncovering the Truth and Why Vital Essentials Makes Gluten-Free Dog Food
5.3.2021
We’ve talked about whether or not your dog should be on a grain-free diet, but what about gluten-free? Dogs do not need gluten. Like people, dogs have different tolerances for certain foods depending on their health and breed. The goal is to find a balanced diet that gives your pet the nutrients they need to be healthy.
To understand what this takes and if gluten plays a role, let’s break down the relationship between gluten and your dog’s diet.
What is Gluten?
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, gluten is a general name for the proteins found in grains, including wheat, rye, barley, and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten acts like a glue that helps foods maintain their shape, giving food its chewy texture. Gluten is extremely common in dog kibble.
What Can Gluten Do to Dogs?
Luckily, gluten allergies in dogs are rare, but they can still occur. It’s called Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy, most commonly seen in Irish Setters. Symptoms of these allergies can include:
Diarrhea
Abnormal coat
Failure to thrive in puppies
Weight loss
Do Dogs Need Gluten?
No, dogs do not need gluten. Gluten was never a part of a wild dog’s natural diet, and it wasn’t until kibble became mass-produced that grains (and gluten) were added. Just because gluten can usually be digested by dogs just fine doesn’t mean it needs to be a part of a dog’s diet.
Does Grain Free Mean Gluten Free?
Yes, it does! Grain-free means that ALL grains have been removed from the food, including those that don’t contain gluten, like rice and oats. However, it’s important to remember that grain-free kibbles often include ingredients that act as grain substitutes, including peas, lentils, and sweet potatoes. This means that kibbles usually have more carbohydrates than foods WITH grains, leading to several health problems in dogs.
This raises the question: if I don’t want my dog to eat gluten, but gluten-free kibbles are not a healthy alternative, what should I feed them?
Naturally Gluten Free Dog Food
The best bet for ensuring doggy health is by giving them naturally gluten-free and grain-free foods. Raw pet foods that follow the ALPHA Prey-Model Diet do not contain grain or modified ingredients because they are made up of nature’s essential ingredients for carnivores: meat, vital organs, and bones.
Because Vital Essentials pet food does not contain grains, there is a very low carbohydrate content. This small amount of carbohydrates naturally occurs from animal tissues, so your pet gets all of the nutrients nature intended. Besides reducing the risk of gluten and other food allergies, raw food can also lower the risk of obesity in dogs.
You can watch this video to learn more about how your dog can benefit from the ALPHA Prey-Model Diet. Ultimately, the decision to seek gluten-free food should be based on the specific needs of your dog. Vital Essentials foods offer precisely what the name implies: the essentials crucial to your dog’s health and happiness.
For more information on Vital Essentials and our full product line, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. And if you have any questions, be sure to check out our FAQ page for answers. Together, we can ensure your pet gets the proper nutrition they deserve.
