31 Dog Food Myths Debunked [Infographic]

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There are far too many mythswhen it comes to dog food and eating .

Some are one-time tale , some are open as misinformation through poor resources , and others arelies from pet diligence businesses .

Here are the 31 most common dog food for thought myths that , through time , has been debunked by science .

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31 Dog Food Myths Debunked By Science

1All Human Food is Bad for Dogs

Not all human intellectual nourishment is bad for weenie .

Certain food aredangerous to dogs , butsome foodscan actually provide the necessary nutrition in your firedog ’s dieting .

This is why homemade dog solid food repast are becoming the new trend .

Dog - friendly human foods that are non - toxic to dogs are usually healthy for them .

When the nutrient are very nutrient - dense ( vegetables and fruits , for model ) and cooked healthily ( e.g. , steam versus electrocute ) , they can be keen for your canine tooth .

Some human foods are considered very beneficial . Check out a couple of our article about them below :

2Grains Don’t Cause Food Allergies

The accuracy is that not all cereal product are hefty for your dog .

Recent FDA report show that metric grain - spare foodsmay cause heart disease in dog , but there is some skepticism about how that study was done .

The Sojourner Truth is that many grain - based ingredients can be   nutritive given in minuscule amounts and cooked at low temperatures than process kibble .

If this is the case , they serve well as a healthy addition to your dog ’s diet .

The only thing to keep in mind is that grains should not become the legal age of your pet ’s nutriment , but a little is generally safe for most dog .

Take edible corn , for example .

Studieshave prove   that dog can benefit from having Zea mays in their dieting , while most say the opposite without any grounds to back this up .

It can dish up as an additional source of non - animal protein ( 2,3 ) .

What about allergic reaction to corn ?

Again , the grounds shows that most dogs are more potential to be hypersensitised to different meats , include beef , dairy , chicken products , and straw , with corn , fish , and soy being on the lower scaly of dog intellectual nourishment allergic reaction ( 4,5 ) .

dog-iron are also more potential to be allergic to environmental factors such as pollen and cast rather than corn whiskey or even most foods in general ( 6,7,8,9 ) .

3Grains Are Healthy For Dogs

go along with more on grain for dogs , another pawl nutrition myth I hear and read about often is that dog and their body are adequate to of processing grains .

Not true .

A dog ’s digestive tract is not optimized to serve grain the agency that , say , cows might be able-bodied to .

There are several experiments that show that dogs can , in fact , process different grain starch , but much more enquiry want to be done for that to be conclusive ( 10,11 ) .

grain are not necessary for a dog ’s dieting , however , if you must give them grain , the best choice would be cooked .

saccharide that hail from highly processed dog food come in gamy sum that cause the dog to acquire a lot of insulin .

Insulin induce the consistence to halt the metabolization of fat .

And by chance , if you are overfeeding and underexercising your heel , then the result will be that the dog will become fleshy .

On top of that , dog food companies do not provide a lower limit or maximum portion on how much saccharide should be in the food .

4Dogs Should Not be Fed Raw Eggs

This one is partly genuine , but the dangers of raw eggs for hot dog have been magnified .

While feeding tender eggs may be a headache for hound with compromise resistant system , most healthy dogs can eat raw egg with no difficulty .

The dog ’s digestive tract is much shorter than the human tract , which has a high resistance to bacteria like salmonella .

Additionally , there is a business concern for some thatavidinfound in raw egg whites destroy the biotin found in your dog ’s body .

However , there is no reason to worry about this   since the vitellus of the orchis provides enough vitamin H to make up for the biotin lost ( 13 ) .

In fact , egg yolk has one of the high-pitched amounts of biotin of all intellectual nourishment that be .

That pronounce , it ’s still better to eat your weenie boiled egg rather than bare-assed egg .

That is because the stewing process itself ( hotness treatment ) does n’t absent the nutrition from the egg , and it even increases the digestibleness of eggs ( 14 ) .

5Premium Dog Food Contains the Same Ingredients as Regular Dog Food Brands

There has indeed been a heap of misleading information come from wienerwurst food for thought companies and manufacturer where they blatantly lie down about their pet food products .

However , it ’s not the instance when comparing premium dog food for thought vs cheap dog solid food ; finding thebest andiron intellectual nourishment for the moneyis heavily .

Premium dog food is not just a standard dog food with a gamy Leontyne Price tag .

Premium dog foods take higher price tag end thancheap dog foodsbecause they incorporate better - quality constituent .

Some companies choose constituent , human - grade , or humanely grow options and manufacturing process , all of which cost more for the company to do .

That does n’t mean that premium dog food will always be good than cheaper Canis familiaris food brands .

There are specific cases , some of which I analyzed in mytop heel food brand reassessment , where cheaper firedog food is really healthier for a canine .

6Raw Food Gives Dogs Salmonella

Again , this one is partially straight , but it has been seriously exaggerated .

Dogs with a respectable immune system can eat a peeled diet without becoming ill because of a inadequate and more acid digestive parcel of land .

Their bodies break down the raw food ingredients more quickly and reduce the time that this raw food is in the consistency .

This is especially true for raw dog intellectual nourishment that is either commercially farm or produced for human consumption , such asdehydrated foods .

In these case , raw dog food provide safety precautions to prevent the spread of sickness like salmonella in dogs .

That said , there really is a risk of dogs pay back nauseated with salmonella from eat a raw diet .

Several subject field have evaluate feeding dogs raw intellectual nourishment and found a theoretic nutritional peril for dog ( 15,16 ) .

These studies do not render conclusive evidence that would intelligibly show   how raw food causes salmonella in bounder , but more research is definitely needed .

7Dogs Cannot Process Dairy

One more clip – this is only partly dependable and does not apply to all canid universe .

Just like humans , some wienerwurst may be lactose intolerant while other dogs are not .

This mean that some dogs are capable of consume and treat dairy farm products .

to boot , not all dairy farm product have the same levels of lactose ; thus , some dairy farm products are more easily digested , even by dog with sign of lactose intolerance .

However , the higher the lactose content in the merchandise , the more unmanageable it is to digest for firedog .

So it all comes down to your specific dog rather than to what firedog can and can not eat .

It is usually okay to feed solid food humiliated in lactose and sometimes even food with moderate lactose content .

Malva sylvestris , for example , is often a smashing innate treat for a dog .

In term of dog allergic reaction to dairy mathematical product , the same apply – some dogs may be supersensitized while others are not .

But dairy farm is generally on the higher end of nutrient allergies in dogs ( 5 ) .

8Dogs are Omnivores

With everything we ’ve see in term of how dogs act and what they eat , it ’s hard to conceive that some people still consider heel to be carnivores .

There is a more specific full term to this , called “ obligate carnivores , ” which refers to beast that only eat meat .

All member of the cat familyFalidae — Lion , tigers , and domesticated cats , just to name a few — are obligate carnivores that can only rust meat and can not suffer vegetation .

Surprisingly , while wolves , a very close cousin of dogs from whom dogtooth have develop ( 17 ) , are strictly carnivore , blackguard , in fact , are not strict carnivores .

Many make the mistake of take over that domestic dog are omnivore because the commercial-grade pet food for thought industry consistently bank on carbohydrate to bind their solid food . It is the cheapest ingredient to

A carnivore , by definition , can not digest flora , period .

Dogs , on the other hand , can endure flora and even do good from it , as the above subject field have shown .

Another false program line is that dog , like all carnivores , do not haveamylase , an enzyme that breaks down sugars .

This is not honest – weenie do have amylase ( 18 ) . It ’s located slightly further in their digestive tract , but it ’s there specifically to endure these food .

9Prescription Food is the Only Choice

Dogs with specific nutritional motive are often recommend prescription medicine diet by veterinarians , but recently , we ’ve been uncovering some truths about theseprescription nutrient .

These high - priced best-loved foods are not always necessary .

While giving - name ethical drug dog intellectual nourishment provide cut sustenance for your dog , this “ tailoring ” can also be ascertain in sure non - prescription food for thought for much cheaper .

All that a pet owner need to do is do some research and dig into what stimulate specific food for thought allergies indogs with sensible stomachsand how to feed dogs with certain health conditions .

Homemade hound food that ’s fed alongside a commercial diet can also be highly helpful .

10Grain Free Means Carbohydrate Free

All grain are sugar , but not all carbohydrate are grains .

If you ’re worried about feed your frankfurter a carb - detached diet , picking metric grain - destitute dog foods is not the only way to keep your pawl away from carbohydrate because carbs are not only found in grains but in many other nutrient .

Fruits , vegetables , and legumes are all sources of carbohydrates that are frequently include in commercial-grade click foods .

In fact , just like with human foods , it ’s quite difficult to discover wienerwurst food brands that have a 0 % carbohydrate substance in them .

11Dog Food is Manufactured and Packaged by the Brand Name It Is Sold Under

This is one of thosepet food for thought controversieswe’ve been seeing a fortune of .

Many brand - name frank intellectual nourishment are owned by parent companies , which are huge multinational corporations ( e.g. , Mars , Nestle , and Procter and Gamble ) .

These companies use heavy yield plants to make and package their pet foods .

For example , Mars Petcare production plants manufacture Royal Canin dog nutrient .

Whether this is a good or a bad thing remains to be seen , but many expert and vocal pet owners alike opposite corporations buying out minuscule pet food for thought companies and brand .

This is also why bounder food echo often impact more than one brand of dog food for thought .

12Dogs Like Variety Just Like Humans Do

man have far more taste budsthan dogs doand as such , frump do not go through cravings or any need for mixed bag in their dieting the same means that we do .

The only potpourri that you as an owner must provide should always be geared toward a complete and balanced diet for your frankfurter , where he get all the nutrient , vitamin , and mineral from the eat food on a weekly basis .

The salmagundi of specific nutrient is the only reason why varying proteins from dog intellectual nourishment and even human foods   can be beneficial .

It can also aid in preventing the growth of solid food predisposition , but do n’t feel you have to shift solid food to prevent “ boredom ” .

13Homemade Dog Food is as Easy as Cooking for Yourself

Some people believe that most vets have sell their souls to multinational pet food corporations , and that ’s the understanding why they apprise not feeding dogs homemade food .

In world , vets oppose recommend homemade dog nutrient diets because most people do them faulty and , as a resultant role , provide poor nutrition for their canines .

Dogs have different nutritionary need than humans ; thus , simply cooking a repast you would eat and pass it to your dog does not provide a well - balanced eye tooth diet .

What you commonly fudge – heart and soul , veggies , and some grain – is only the foundation of the whole meal .

But your homemade dog food dish must also be supplemented and gird with other extra vitamins , fatty loony toons , and mineral for every firedog ’s case-by-case needs .

14Dog Foods Marketed as “Complete” and “Balanced” are Right for Every Dog

It ’s very important for every dog owner to understand dog solid food and its labels .

What it means when dog foods are advertise as “ double-dyed ” and “ balanced ” is that they are nutritionally balanced for their target market place .

For example , good puppy foodis poise specifically for healthy puppy nutrition .

No puppy food trade name can   fulfill the pauperism of senior dog or even grownup dogs that require fewer Calorie and less productive content .

The same applies to   puppies with specific health conditions .

15All Bones are Beneficial for Dogs

Bones can be incredibly beneficial to domestic dog . However , cooked bones are notand never will be more good than they are damaging .

Raw center castanets are a great informant of stimulation , dental cleaning , and alimentation for a click . As long as you do n’t give those that break open easily ( volaille bones ) and may harm your dog , rude dog bones can be a large thing to give to your dog now and again .

Cooked bone for dogs , on the other script , are unfit — they well bust down fragment and can cause tears in the gullet , belly , or intestines and may also cause choking .

16Kibble Cleans a Dog’s Teeth

Many pet owners select dry cad kibble because they ’ve been told that its body will clean house the dog ’s teeth . That is not true .

Dogs gulping or crush and eat up their food ; they do not chew it like we do .

This means that there is little chance for kibble to “ clean the teeth ” of your frank .

The only edible that does that aredental frankfurter treatslike Greenies that force your cuspid to chew on them for a while .

The best room to secure your dog has clean teeth is to embark on the most necessary readjustment to your wienerwurst care procedure — day-to-day tooth brushing .

To accomplish that , all you ask is a simpledog toothbrush , a decentdog toothpaste , and a fate of dedication .

17Lamb is a Hypoallergenic Protein Source

I have no idea how this myth is still alert because it could not be further from the truth .

Lamb is often used in sore dog food convention , but there is nothing about lamb that make it hypoallergenic or why dog would never be allergic to it .

I believe the reason that lamb is used as the main ingredient of foods for dogs with sensitive stomachs , as well as many hypoallergenic dog foods , is that at one time , it was a less common protein origin than , say , beef or chicken .

The fact that lamb was rare made it a “ unique ” protein , and it seemed that it would be less probable that lamb would cause allergic reactions .

However , studies have show ( 5 ) that lamb does cause allergies in some dogs , although on a lower scale than squawk or pork .

18Dog Food Can be Hypoallergenic

Just like humans , dogs can be sensitised to any range of ingredients in their intellectual nourishment .

Where one dog may be supersensitised to chicken , another hot dog may be allergic to peas . It varies based on the specific dog , and no canine is the same .

What this means is that no dog food for thought can ever be considered hypoallergenic for all dogs because allergens are so far - vagabond for item-by-item dogs .

While some hypoallergenic dog foods may hit the fool , others will not .

best-loved owners should instead explore the region and get hold out what their dogs may be allergic to through a discussion with a vet and using theelimination diet(4 ) .

It takes metre and effort , but once you have a go at it the cause , your and your frump ’s life will be much easier .

19All Vets Are a Good Source of Nutritional Advice

Although a vet should always be your first compass point of contact related to any wellness or victuals question for your dog , they should not be the end of your inquiry .

Vets understand specific canine nutritionary needs ( for example , lower salinity intake for dogs with heart disease ) , but not all vets are experienced in sodding canine nutrition .

Just as not all doctors are nutritionists , most veterinarians are not specifically train in canine nutrition .

They do receive a adept and well - rounded animal nutrition instruction as part of their degree ; however , most do not persist up to date with the tardy inquiry .

For example , a ex-serviceman may recommend a commercial-grade dog food plenteous in fillers because it meets the need for small salt message .

This recommendation does not entail that this is the good food for your frank ; rather , it means that it meets their need for a scummy - sodium diet .

When it comes to advice from veterinarians , it ’s best to take it from those who abide by an grounds - based approach .

signification , they will not only order you their opinion on why something is good or bad but will also dig up the facts and scientific evidence to prove that what they say is indeed right and supported through clinical trial .

20A Begging Dog is a Hungry Dog

Begging is one of the most coarse heel demeanor trouble that we are all familiar with .

A thirsty blackguard may beg , but that does n’t intend that all begging dog-iron are hungry .

Often , our andiron beg for intellectual nourishment because they have learned that by begging , they are rewarded with tasty board scraps .

This is one of the things they learn very quickly .

This has nothing to do with your dog being thirsty and everything to do with wanting a tasty “ loot ” .

Dogsunderstand very wellthe patterns that ensue in them getting intellectual nourishment .

21The Dog Food Bag Tells You How Much to Feed the Dog

Feeding guidelines on a bag of click solid food are just that – guidelines .

These guidelines are based on your dog ’s weight and his life phase .

However , there are other factors that regulate how much your dog will eat .

For illustration , how alive your dog is during the day and any health conditions he may have will be very important to take into consideration ( which is where your research and a vet are ready to hand ) .

The best thing you’re able to do is discuss your dog ’s dieting with a civilise professional , whether it ’s a qualified veterinarian who understands dog nutrition or a special eyetooth dietitian .

Your veterinary or a eyetooth dietician will be able to pass you in selecting the right-hand dog food diet for your positron emission tomography and measure the right portions based on that diet and your pup ’s individual nutritional want , amounts , and feeding figure .

22Meat Meal Contains All Kinds of Things

Meal repast are often included in bounder food , and it ’s true that meat repast are rendered from animal tissue .

However , there are regulation that govern what it may contain .

Meat repast may not take hair , blood , hoof , hide , trumpet , manure , trimmings , stomach , and first stomach cognitive content except for inescapable tracing amounts .

That pronounce , some part of the animal include in inwardness repast may still be disgustful to humans ( but they are not to dogs ) .

record this articleto understand more about label .

However , I will say that a sum repast is NOT the best rootage of protein , and if it is in your andiron intellectual nourishment , the more specific , the better , for example , “ beef meal ” or “ chicken meal . ”

23Pork is Unhealthy for Dogs

That is not true because while pork barrel may be lesser caliber meat than beef ( mostly due to the protein - calorie - to - fat ratio ) , porc is still a big beast source of protein .

While some dogs may be specifically hypersensitized to pork , others are hypersensitised to beef or fish , which is when porc can dish up as a unique protein source for these dogs with allergies .

The exception to this rule is when you fee your wiener a raw food diet .

Raw porc meat place a threat oftrichinosisand should not be fed to domestic dog in most cases , if at all .

24Dogs Should Be Fed All-meat Only

This goes back to our treatment above on grains and dogs being omnivorous .

Dogs prosper on a carnivorous - based diet , and they are definitely not as omnivorous as some other beast ( meaning they do prefer more meat in their dieting than flora ) .

That said , frank still require vitamins and minerals that are provided by other foodstuffs ( like fruit and vegetables ) and unavailable in meat .

This is the reasonableness that most dog intellectual nourishment are fortified with additional vitamins and minerals and contain fruit and veggies .

25Garlic… Good, Bad, Good, Bad, Good for Dogs

Garlic is one of those foods that all weenie owner reverence , like attack .

It can be toxic to firedog , but to cause toxicity , garlic must be fed in large measure ( based on your dog ’s physical structure weight ) .

However , recently , somehomeopathic websiteshave been mentioning the “ health benefits ” of giving ail to dogs in small amount .

They claim that when fed in right proportions ( read : little ) , ail can be very beneficial to your frump ’s health .

I ’ve scoured for the grounds on how garlic can be good to dogs to no help . Most of the health claim made for course garlic to frankfurter are based on how it can benefit humans , but there ’s no evidence that it can really be beneficial to dogs .

I will admit that I sometimes make claims that some people ’s foods can be good to dog based on human trials ( likehere , here , andhere ) .

However , I only do this for foods that are all dependable for firedog and always cite that we do n’t have any evidence .

So far as we know , right now , garlic is toxic to dog ( 19,20 ) , and we are yet to see any test copy of how feed garlic to dog-iron can really profit their health ( at the risk of perniciousness ) .

26Raised Feeders are Best

Pet owners concerned with the risk of cuspid bloat often tout the benefits of lift feeder base on one small discipline .

In that study , it was indicate thatraised food bowlsmay forestall cuspid bloat . However , another study came out after that , which has shown completely the opposite — elevated detent feeders are not always the respectable solvent to feed dog , and for more than one reason .

Our colleague , Patrick , has take a close look at the fact and myth ofelevated dog food bowl in this articleand expand further on the subject I mentioned above , which I commend you read .

27Older Dogs Need a Diet Low in Protein

Protein has earned a bad name among hound with kidney trouble and older dogs .

However , the myth that old hound can not consume too much protein has   no basis to it .

Senior dogs do not requirelow - protein firedog foodssimply because they are older yet are still comparatively sizeable .

With the exclusion of dog with compromised nephritic function and other kidney - related problem , where they ’ll have to be place on alow - protein dietpermanently , senior dogs actually have mellow protein needs than young grownup bounder .

There are many differentsenior dog foodsdeveloped by dogtooth nutritionists , all of which contain plenty of protein and other essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids .

28Holistic Food is Best

The full term “ holistic ” has been making its mode into many pet proprietor ' hearts , making them believe that it ’s the best and most natural solid food to feed their Canis familiaris . Sometimes , it ’s dependable .

But not always , especially if businesses have a way to manipulate this .

In the pet food industry where labels aregoverned by AAFCO , there is no sound definition for criteria a click food brand name must meet to be labeled “ holistic . ”

This imply that literally any dog-iron food , even if it contains the worst ingredients for your dog , can be labeled as “ holistic ” even when it does not provide rightful holistic benefit .

29Organic Dog Food is 100% Organic

This is bear on to the above honorable mention of “ holistic detent food , ” which is where dog owners are often on purpose misguide by pet food for thought manufacturer .

Dog foods that are judge as “ organic ” only need to contain 85 % organic content by exercising weight , not include salt or water mental object .

hound food may be mark as “ made with organic ” ingredient if 70 % or more of the food capacity is organic .

While this is still not a horrific deal , and manyorganic dog foodsdo indeed seem to have better quality ingredient , it ’s important that dog owners are mindful of the contents .

30Meat Meal is a Bad Source of Protein

When pet proprietor read what meat repast actually imply and what it may turn back , they shudder in disgust . However , we must remember that dogs are not people .

Meat meal can in reality be a very hard author of protein , generate that the source is tone and GIVEN that it is n’t extremely sue kibble .

If that is the case , the heart and soul meal has been stir up to a temperature where the vitamin and amino group superman have been cooked and must be synthetically apply .

And since the water content found in essence has been transfer , the amount of animal protein that is stated may not be accurate , hence why many company impart plant - base protein to replace what was lost .

report have shown that substance meals are well digested by dog and are a great and nutrient - heavy addition to a canid diet ( 21 ) , dedicate that it is lightly prepare or , better yet , from a raw food brand .

In fact , meat repast can sometimes be a good source of protein for your blackguard if the origin and quality of the meat are good than the line of descent and quality of whole pith mathematical product .

31BARF and Prey Model Raw Diets are the Same

As the vogue of bare-assed dog feeding continue , more subcategories are down up .

The most well - experience two are theBARF dietand the prey naked as a jaybird dieting for dogs . But they are not the same .

BARF diets feed “ biologically appropriate in the buff food for pawl ” that admit cutting centre , offal , organs , bones , and fruit and vegetables . It ’s closer to thePaleo dietfor human beings .

Prey model diets for dogs , however , centre on feeding whole pieces of prey ( whole chickens or rabbits , etc . ) , do not incorporate fruits or vegetables , and rarely include big amounts of supplements . This is the most tender of raw dieting .

References

Footnotes , study citations , and further version :