Hello,

If you buy dog food (which is highly likely, given the fact you’re reading this), there’s a 99% chance you’ll know the term ‘grain-free’. Indeed, we have a whole list of Best Grain-Free Dog Foods.

In recent years, it’s become a much-discussed term surrounded by a lot of hearsay and confusion, not least because of (thus far scientifically unsubstantiated) links to DCM — a potentially fatal heart condition in dogs. 

Much of the confusion arises because there are foods labeled ‘grain-free’ — which often have grain substitutes such as legumes and potatoes — with food that simply has no grains in it, such as raw dog food.

To go beyond the understandably worrying headlines and look at the subject of grain-free dog foods in more detail, we spoke to the highly experienced nutritionist Dr. Richard Patton, who often consults for the raw dog food community.

He offers his expert opinion in this article: The Truth About Grain-Free Dog Food: Insights from a Nutrition Expert

The DCM issue aside, there’s some valuable nutritional advice in there about what we feed our dogs, not least on the levels of carbohydrates in dog food.  

Please note that these are Dr. Patton’s expert opinions and not those of Dog Food Advisor. We’ve had some emails asking why Expert X has said one thing while we or Expert Y have said something different. 

We like to hear from a range of experts — but only credible ones — some of whom may not fully agree with each other, because that’s how we all learn!

Take care,

The DFA Team
The Dog Food Advisor
Saving Good Dogs From Bad Dog Food

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