Is Merrick grain-free dog food good for my puppy? What about proteins?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on April 20th, 2018

  Puppies do need higher amounts of protein to help them grow correctly, and the current researched recommendation is no more than 28%. If Mushu is doing well on his food, there is no reason to switch him. Do not worry about switching to a grain free food, there is absolutely no research or proof that grain free food is beneficial to dogs. It's actually a fad. In dogs who have allergies, only 10% of these dogs have food allergies and the majority of them are protein related. Grain allergies in dogs are truly very rare, and I never recommend feeding a grain free food unless the dog has a diagnosed allergy. In addition, grains are beneficial to dogs, they provide a source of fiber and sustained energy. Finally, recent research has come out that grain free diets with lentils in it has negatively affected the absorption of taurine in dogs. This had lead over time to dogs developing heart problems due to taurine deficiency. I say it's fine to keep him on his current food, but other brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 17th, 2018

  You can start feeding her an adult food in two weeks, but you can start making the transition to it now. Dogs need to be transitioned slowly to a new food to prevent GI upset. I strongly recommend not feeding a grain free diet to Panay. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets, and the FDA is now investigating that link. Grain free food has been a fad, grains are actually beneficial to dogs. Less than 1% of dogs have a grain allergy, so it's actually very rare, and now we are seeing that it could be quite detrimental to their health. I recommend feeding her Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on February 4th, 2019

  Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Ivar. In my opinion, I never recommend grain free food, even before the questions about it's safety came up. Grain free is a fad, grains are good for dogs, and it's very rare for a dog to have an allergy to grains. The most common allergies are environmental, and only about 10% of dogs with allergies have food allergies. Of those dogs, the majority is protein allergies. I personally have not found a vet in my community (both in person and online) that recommend a grain free diet unless there is a proven allergy. You can add rice to a grain free diet, but please know as well that evidence is emerging that it may not only be the lack of grains in these foods causing the heart problems. It's believed that the exotic meats, fruits, and veggies in these boutique foods contribute to it, and I will put a link below to an article about it. There are foods that have grains and are super healthy, and brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. I'd suggest using one of those brands for Ivar. I hope this helps!
  
  http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

  

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