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Find out what exactly a grain-free diet is and why it is important to consult veterinarian to select your dog’s diet if you think he has food sensitivities.
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Did you know that what's printed on your dog's food package isn't always straight forward? Learn all the insights behind what's printed on the label.
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Get insights into natural dog food ingredients and learn how they support your pup’s overall health and well-being.
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Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about your dog. I think Hill's Science Diet is a great food. I'm not sure why your vet would recommend a grain free food especially since with information coming out about grain free diets and an increase in dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. The FDA is investigating this link. I never recommend grain free unless the dog have a proven allergy to grains, which is very rare. I personally see no reason to switch to a grain free food but you could feed her a senior dog food for the lower calories. Hill's has an excellent senior dog food. I hope this helps!
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Basically, there is proponent of people in the media and in the "natural" food sector that would like to make everyone believe that grains are the devil and that dogs are wolves. This is, in fact, incorrect. Wheat and soy, grains, contain valuable nutrients including proteins that dogs can readily digest and utilize appropriately. While it is true that there are dogs that get GI upset from consumption of these, the same can be said about beef, chicken, and any other meat protein. Rice, oats, and potatoes are acceptable in small quantities, but do contain starches which are complex sugars, and are a little more difficult to digest. In terms of by-products, this is usually referring to any part of the animal that is not the flesh of the beast. Usually this includes certain organs, bones, blood, etc. These products can be ground up and made into a byproduct - meal of sorts. Obviously, the actual meat is going to contain more appropriate nutrients but if a dog were left to it, the
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. Until more is known, I recommend avoiding grain free diets. Aside from the recent association found linking these diets to heart disease, they are typically higher in carbohydrates and calories than standard diets. This leads to weight gain. I recommend diets from Hill's, Purina and Royal Canin. These are large trust worthy pet food companies. They have veterinarians on staff to research and formulate their diets. Smaller companies just do not have these resources available. I hope this information helps!
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! It is not known at this time if grain free diets are actually better than diets with grain. I usually recommend feeding a high quality diet. Purina is an excellent diet but if you do not have access to this diet, there are others that you could consider that are also excellent such as Hill's Science Diet, Royal canin and Iams foods. Grain does not necessarily make dogs gain weight so I would be more focused on the quality and balance of the diet per se. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on August 12th, 2025