Grain-Free

Grain-free dog food contains no rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, or other traditional grains. The carbohydrate is usually replaced with peas, lentils, chickpeas, sweet potato, or white potato. Grain-free was a major marketing trend in the 2010s. The 2018 FDA grain-free DCM investigation flagged a possible link between grain-free diets heavy in pulses and dilated cardiomyopathy. The investigation has not been resolved. For healthy dogs without a documented grain allergy (which is rare), the cautious position is grain-inclusive food from a feeding-trial-validated brand. Grain allergies in dogs are uncommon despite the marketing emphasis.