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Interested to know what everyone is currently feeding their dog. Is grain free actually better?
Eh, I think most vets who say that do it because it's easy - human "scraps" are probably a leading cause of pancreatitis, acute GI upset, and (I'd wager) obesity.I have always been told not to give dogs human food, i think small amounts are OK.
I hate the term "Human food". Fresh food should not be reserved especially for humans, my dog gets more fresh food than dog food. Some people call it human food, i call it fresh, real food.I have always been told not to give dogs human food, i think small amounts are OK.
“We are concerned about reports of canine heart disease, known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in dogs that ate certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legumes or potatoes as their main ingredients. These reports are highly unusual as they are occurring in breeds not typically genetically prone to the disease,” said Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Surveillance and Compliance. “The FDA is investigating the potential link between DCM and these foods. We encourage pet owners and veterinarians to report DCM cases in dogs who are not predisposed to the disease.”
It bugs me that so many grain free foods are loaded with potatoes and Legumes.. The kibble i feed is Potato and legume free. No peas, beans, lentils or potatoes. It uses Tapioca as it's starch, and is a max of 20% carbs.Saw this recently, and it's interesting:
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm613355.htm
Is tapioca healthier for dogs?It bugs me that so many grain free foods are loaded with potatoes and Legumes.. The kibble i feed is Potato and legume free. No peas, beans, lentils or potatoes. It uses Tapioca as it's starch, and is a max of 20% carbs.
Who knows, probably not.. But judging by the size and un-uniform shape of the kibble, it's not a whole helluva lot. This particular kibble only just hold it's shape, and i can crumble it with my fingers.Is tapioca healthier for dogs?
We feed Fromm. They add taurine to their kibble mix.Yes, tapioca is purified starch. Nearly devoid of any nutritional value other than carbs same as white sugar.
I think it is the fiber in the grain free kibbles causing the trouble. It serves as substrate for bacteria that destroy taurine the dog's gut is supposed to form. That's the theory with cats and ground raw rabbit experiment anyway. Lamb and brown rice kibble for dogs caused some taurine deficiencies in heart disease prone breeds as well.
Only problem is, if the food contains legumes as a filler, it will destroy the taurine that's added to it. Kinda like adding probiotics then processing the food so much it ruins any live bacteria that may have been there.We feed Fromm. They add taurine to their kibble mix.
It's the answer I got from a food company too 'but we add taurine'. That's just not going to do much if legumes prevent taurine absorption.Only problem is, if the food contains legumes as a filler, it will destroy the taurine that's added to it. Kinda like adding probiotics then processing the food so much it ruins any live bacteria that may have been there.
They don't know for sure yet if it's the legumes that's causing this illness, though.