Myths and facts about dog and cat kibble - Grain-free kibble is healthier for dogs and cats than grain-based kibble

Grain-free foods have recently gained a lot of popularity among dog and cat owners. They believe that they are closer to their natural diet and that they are healthier for them, easier to digest and less likely to have allergic reactions. However, not all of these assumptions are supported by the facts. It would be naive to assume that grain-free foods contain no starch or other carbohydrates. Such pellets cannot even be produced. Cereal grains are merely replaced by other plant sources of starch. These are most often legumes (peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas) or tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca, Jerusalem artichokes). From a nutritional point of view, these raw materials have no major advantages over cereals. It is always more down to the individual which ingredient suits them better. Legumes have a higher protein content compared to other sources, so they can mask the lower proportion of animal raw materials in the feed. They also contain significant amounts of anti-nutrients which impair nutrient utilization and can cause bloating and other digestive problems. Many grain-free pellets have a high proportion of animal protein and less carbohydrate, but there are some where the starch content is equal to or even higher than in pellets with cereals. There is no significant difference in the digestibility of cereal and cereal-free pellets. Many scientific studies have found very similar digestibility for cereal-containing feeds and for feeds containing legumes, potatoes or tapioca instead of cereals. Cereal-free feeds may have a lower glycaemic index compared to cereal-based feeds and less risk of contamination with toxic mould products. However, the main health benefits are for dogs and cats that suffer from adverse reactions to cereals. For healthy animals, they do not provide any overall health benefits. Some caution should be exercised in dog breeds that are predisposed to develop nutritional dilated cardiomyopathy, given that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating a possible link between the consumption of grain-free foods and the development of this heart disease. As a preventive measure, it is advisable to ensure that these dogs receive adequate intakes of taurine and the sulphur amino acids methionine and cysteine.

MVDr. Eva Štercová, Ph.D.