Should my allergic dog eat grain-free food or can I add rice?

Question

I know that grain free has speculation, but it seems like every vet has a different opinion on it, there are also very few foods on the shelves that have grain. Can I add rice to a grain free food to help add healthy grains to his diet? I just started him on the dog food attached below. He has environmental allergies so I put him on a fish food diet. Is there a kind of food you would recommend? Pet's info: Dog | Olde English Bulldogge | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 55 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Ivar. In my opinion, I never recommend grain free food, even before the questions about it's safety came up. Grain free is a fad, grains are good for dogs, and it's very rare for a dog to have an allergy to grains. The most common allergies are environmental, and only about 10% of dogs with allergies have food allergies. Of those dogs, the majority is protein allergies. I personally have not found a vet in my community (both in person and online) that recommend a grain free diet unless there is a proven allergy. You can add rice to a grain free diet, but please know as well that evidence is emerging that it may not only be the lack of grains in these foods causing the heart problems. It's believed that the exotic meats, fruits, and veggies in these boutique foods contribute to it, and I will put a link below to an article about it. There are foods that have grains and are super healthy, and brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams, and they love it. I'd suggest using one of those brands for Ivar. I hope this helps! http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

Should my allergic dog eat grain-free food or can I add rice?

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