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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.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
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Discover how to choose the right dog food based on your dog’s breed and size to support their unique nutritional needs and health.
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You’ve likely heard plenty about grain-free diets and natural dog foods, but you might be wondering: What is human-grade dog food?
Updated on June 19th, 2026
Most pets do not have grain allergies. More commonly it's the protein source that causes allergies. For most dogs, grain free is not recommended. For general food, I recommend the brand Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible and this results in great stool quality, minimal quantity and low odor. I also like Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. If you want to rule out a food allergy, the fastest way is a proper food trial using a hydrolyzed protein diet. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I understand. I should have clarified. It is probably not the kibble so much as the canned food. If I remember correctly you also give that? If so, just cut that out completely or give only a tiny amount (like 1 -2 teaspoons per day). You can stick with Blue Buffalo if you'd like. They have an adult weight management diet that is grain free. ( https://bluebuffalo.com/natural-dog-food/grain-free-blue-freedom/dry-food/freedom-adult-healthy-weight-chicken-recipe/ )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Great question! In my opinion, grain free diets are a current fad. There is actually no scientific evidence that grain free diets are beneficial to dogs at all. Grains are fine for dogs, they provide a source of fiber which helps fill them up and keeps them satisfied. It sounds like Koda is letting you know he likes grains if he's picking the Royal Canin over Blue. Also in my opinion, Blue is a terrible food and you will find many, many veterinarians agree with that opinion. It is not a well regarded food in the veterinary community. Many vets have seen terrible cases of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs in Blue, as well as a lot of gas. In addition, they have been caught a number of times lying about what goes into their product, false advertising, and no quality control over how their food is made (they don't own their own factories, they send the recipe out to be made). Royal Canin is an excellent brand of food, and the best part of it is that they have veterinary nutritionists on staff. Blue, as far as I'm aware, does not. I would think a veterinary nutritionist would be best to know what a dog does and doesn't need in a diet. If Koda likes the Royal Canin, I recommend feeding that to him. Just be sure to switch his food over slowly so that he doesn't get GI upset from a quick change. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Trusty is a good looking pup! I don’t recommend to feed grain free diets unless you know that your dog has a grain allergy. Just so you know, food allergies are uncommon and represent less than 10% of all dogs who have allergies. When pets do you have food allergies, it is usually to the protein, not grains or other carbohydrate sources. Well the connection is not clear yet, there does appear to be a link between grain free diet and heart disease. This likely involves a genetic predisposition to heart disease that the diet exacerbates. I recommend to stay on the diamond food between the two but there are diets I think are better. Royal Canin, Nutro and Purina Pro Plan all produce very high-quality diets that are highly digestible and formulated correctly. Your puppy does need to be eating a large breed puppy food to help avoid skeletal issues as an adult. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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 September 24th, 2025