Are corn and grain considered fillers?
Corn and grain are often criticized and mislabeled in the popular media as “fillers” in commercial pet food — a cheaper alternative to more expensive animal ingredients. However, this perception is not true. Nutritionally, “fillers” are ingredients that contain little or no value to the animal, but grains provide a range of essential nutrients that support optimal health in our pets.
What benefits do grains provide?
Animals (including humans) have requirements for nutrients, not ingredients. An essential nutrient is one that cannot be created by the animal and so must be provided in the diet. For that reason, it is important to consider the nutrients that ingredients like grains provide, rather than focusing solely on the ingredient list on a pet food label.
- Corn is one of the richest dietary sources of linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), which is required for skin and coat health.
- Grains like wheat, oats, rice, corn, and barley provide protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals.
- Grains provide an easily digestible source of carbohydrates (energy) for dogs and cats.
Do corn and grains contribute to allergies in dogs and cats?
Food allergies occur when an animal’s immune system incorrectly identifies a dietary protein as “foreign” and mounts an immune response against it. Ultimately, this immune response results in dermatological disease (e.g., itching, scratching, recurrent ear infections) or gastrointestinal disease (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea).
In dogs and cats, the most common dietary triggers for allergies are animal proteins, such as beef, dairy, chicken, and fish. Adverse reactions to individual grains are possible but far less common than those associated with animal proteins. For that reason, avoiding grains altogether (e.g., feeding a grain-free diet) is not an effective or reliable way to manage food allergies in pets.
Should I feed my pet a diet that contains grains?
Corn and grain have been included in commercial pet foods for many years. Although not a new industry trend, these ingredients have been vilified as poor sources of nutrition for our pets. Grains are a dense source of essential nutrients for dogs and cats.
In fact, the inclusion of grains in pet food offers many health benefits for pets and contributes to a complete and balanced source of nutrition. The popular aversion to grains and the promotion of grain-free pet diets is a trend based on marketing, not grounded in science.
A diet recommendation for any pet should be made from a nutritional assessment that includes a medical history, dietary history, and physical examination performed by a veterinary care team. Your veterinary care team is one of your best resources for dietary information. Together, you can work out the most appropriate nutritional plan for your individual pet.
