Is a grain free diet recommended by Dr. Treat?

With lots of attention on gluten-free diets for humans, it’s natural to question whether a similar diet might benefit your pet. It might seem like a grain-free diet would be a good match for your dog, but focusing exclusively on meat and excluding grain without veterinary supervision could result in an unbalanced diet. In addition, recent studies have suggested that there may be a link between grain-free diets and a diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a life-threatening heart problem.

At Dr. Treat, we would not recommend any dogs be fed a gluten-free or grain-free diet unless they have sensitivities or allergies to a specific grain.  In order to determine this, you’ll need to work closely with your Dr. Treat veterinarian to diagnose the specific ingredient and determine a diet that will be best for the overall health of your pet.