There are many options when it comes to finding a product to feed your dog or cat without cereals, or with reduced cereal content. The product range has grown significantly to cover a wide range of alternatives and among the new foods available for our pets, we can now also find products with cereals but gluten-free.
But is everything always so crystal clear to the owner? Probably not.
While it is true that what is on offer to consumers has broadened extensively over the years, information about the real properties of these types of products is not as extensive.
Grain-free and gluten-free pet food for dogs and cats
Pet food can be made with a reduced grain intake, 100% grain-free, or exclusively gluten-free grains.
Here are the main differences:
- Grain-free pet foods are formulated without the use of grain. Starch is obtained from alternative sources. The most commonly used starch sources come from peas, lentils, tapioca and potatoes;
- Low-grain products generally have 15% less cereals than cereal-based formulations, and in many cases declare the use of unrefined ‘ancient or whole grains’. Low-grain products based on oats, spelt, barley, buckwheat, etc. belong to this group;
- Gluten-free products, on the other hand, are products that may include cereals but are totally gluten-free.
Products tailored to every dietary need
The most common mistake is to think that these are products created for commercial needs or a market trend, as if they were a passing fad.
On the contrary, these products have been created to cater to real dietary needs and to cope with adverse reactions to food, whose symptoms we see in the form of food allergies, intolerance to cereal proteins, etc.
Furthermore, these foods are favoured for their easy-to-digest carbohydrate content.
The right pet food is one that provides specific nutrition based on the needs of our animals. Therefore, given these needs, we can choose a grain-free product, or grain-reduced product, or even one that only excludes gluten.