The Best Grain-Free Dog Food (Vet Review)

Foods which are ‘free-from’ have become increasingly popular in the supermarket. You’ve probably noticed as you browse through the aisles, that many foods are ‘dairy-free, ‘gluten-free’ or ‘soy-free’, and consumers lap them up on the assumption that ‘free-from’ foods are healthier or more natural.

Over the past decade, consumer interest in pet nutrition has been on the rise. And it’s no surprise, as after all, pets are part of the family, so why shouldn’t they also have the most healthy, natural foods? The ‘free-from’ craze has also toppled over into the market, and many owners are now seeking boutique, exotic-ingredient and grain-free (BEG) diets.

In 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, $31.1 billion was spent on the development and manufacturing of pet food. This huge sum of money has been exponentially increasing year-on-year, and the demands for grain-free and BEG diets have been a large influence.

TOP-10 Dog Food without Grain Reviews

Below you will find the 10 the best grain free foods.

1. Orijen (Six Fish) Grain-Free Dog Food

ORIJEN food is rich in protein and does not contain grains. The feed contains the following ingredients: chicken and turkey meat, eggs, and other healthy products. The food does not contain preservatives. With 38% richly nourishing protein, and 20% carbohydrates to nourish dogs of all life stages according to their evolutionary and biological needs.

Key benefits:

• Quality protein-fortified ingredients to ensure balanced nutrition and higher energy.
• Fortify with lutein to ensure good vision health.
• Made with grain-free natural and animal components to support dog overall immune system.
• Contains lutein and freeze-dried cod liver

2. Primal Freeze-Dried Dog Food Nuggets (Venison)

This food contains the following ingredients: venison, venison hearts, venison liver, crushed venison bones, cabbage, organic vegetables, organic herbs, as well as vitamin E, and other useful ingredients. Finely ground venison bones provide a sufficient level of calcium in the diet. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. The percentage of protein in the feed is 59%.

Key benefits:

• It contains organic nutritional supplements to give your dog a well-deserved meal.
• Fresh venison livers, hearts, and ground bones to help provide good nutrients, strong bone, and easy digestion and circulation process.
• Made in the USA.
• Features zero grain and corn.

3. Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free (Duck)

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Wild Formula Dry Dog food will provide your dog with a proper diet and well-being. The feed does not contain grain fillers. This product includes ingredients from protein-rich duck, boar, and rabbit, as well as healthy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, and broccoli. Wellness CORE Wild Game Formula has 54% protein. The protein formula is also free of potatoes, gluten, and grain additives!

Key benefits:

• Contains 100% grain-free dog food
• It contains high protein and healthy veggies concentrates to give your dog balanced nutrition every day.
• Fortify with antioxidant properties, vitamins A and C to foster functional gastrointestinal operations
• Made in the USA

4. Taste of the wild (High Prairie) Dry Dog Food

This food is a balanced diet for your pet. The feed contains natural proteins, peas, and sweet potatoes. The feed formula does not involve grains. Ingredients from real fruits and vegetables act as antioxidants.

Key benefits:

• It contains zero-grains. Real buffalo is used to enhance the muscles of the dog.
• It contains strong antioxidants, real veggies, and fruits, essential minerals and vitamins to ensure healthy skin and brighter coat.
• Formulated with other protein-concentrated ingredients to ensure immense nutritional benefits. 
• No fillers, corn, wheat, or grain.

5. Merrick Grain-Free (Bison Beef and Sweet Potato) Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Provide your pet with a balanced meal. The formula of this feed was developed in the USA. It contains no grain ingredients (corn, wheat, soy, gluten, or artificial preservatives). The food is also enriched with vitamins.

Key benefits:

• It contains deboned bison that improves dog energy levels, strong bones, and joints of the dog.
• Features omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that ensure healthy skin and brighter coat.
• It contains essential nutrients and vitamins needed for puppies’ healthy living.
• Zero preservatives, corn, gluten, soy, or fillers.

6. Halo Holistic Grain Free (Surf and Turf)

The Halo formula uses natural meat, poultry, or fish. This product is produced from non-GMO plant sources. It contains vitamin E, which supports a healthy skin tone and shiny coat.

Key benefits:

• It contains omega-3 fatty acids which helps dogs to maintain a smooth coat and healthy skin.
• Made with whole meat for essential nutrient and easy gastrointestinal activities.
• Features grain-free ingredients from non-GMO natural sources to give your dog super nutritional worth.
• 100% natural grain-free with no artificial preservatives, additives, or flavor.

7. Earthborn Holistic Venture (Duck Meal and Pumpkin)

The company Earthborn Holistic is engaged in creating specific diets for dogs. Feeds are created from high-quality ingredients. Earthborn Holistic Venture is made from duck meat. This recipe contains methionine for a healthy heart. This food is made without the use of grains, gluten, and peas, lentils, legumes, potatoes, eggs or chicken, dyes, fillers, by-products, artificial preservatives, or GMO ingredients.

Key benefits:

• Made with specially crafted vine-ripened pumpkins to help fortify the meal with essential nutrients with healthy digestion. 
• It contains 100% grain and preservatives-free ingredients to give pet a perfect meal.
• Protein is 96% derived from animal sources and it contains top-quality fiber to give dog essential nutrients and easy digestion.

8. Canidae Grain-free Pure (Real Lamb)

CANIDAE PURE Real Lamb is a premium dry dog food that does not contain grains. This recipe consists of eight natural ingredients, without corn, soy, wheat or preservatives. To prepare the feed, lamb meat is used as the first ingredient. The grain-free formula and fresh meat help your pet avoid allergies. 

Key benefits:

• It contains up to eight ingredients to ensure a balanced diet
• Contains grain-free, flavor-free, and preservative-free ingredients which makes a perfect meal for dogs with sensitive digestion.
• It contains substances like antioxidants, probiotics as well as omega-3 and -6 acids to improve the immune system and overall wellbeing of your dog.

9. Dr. Tim’s Rpm Grain-Free (Salmon & Pork)

The salmon and pork formula is designed with the perfect blend of carbohydrates, fat, and fiber to support health. The feed does not contain grains. It contains probiotics, prebiotics, and natural antioxidants.

Key benefits:

• Perfect for picky eaters.
• Method of cooking is usually slow and this improves the quality of the ingredients as well as the rate of digestion.
• The composition of the high antioxidant derived from artificial-free salmon helps to improve the mental ability and overall health condition.
• Omega-3 fatty acids help your dog derive a healthy skin and shiny coat.

10. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain-Free (Turkey)

Honest Kitchen Embark dog food is created for active dogs. This product is made from healthy foods such as Turkey. The composition of the feed is rich in antioxidants. This product does not contain undesirable ingredients such as corn, soy, rice, beet pulp, or wheat.

Key benefits:

• Made with 100% grain-free quality ingredients for better digestion and nutrients.  
• It contains natural ingredients with no by-products, preservatives, additives or GMO ingredients to give your dog the expected taste of food.
• It is fortified with a high concentrate of calories than carbs suitable for your active and adult dogs regardless of the size.
• Packed with 80% protein recipe.
• This top-quality product satisfactorily meets the FDA’s safety standards and it’s labeled “Human Grade”.

*Ratings are formed by the author of the article based on own research and combined with customer reviews.

Buying Guide

The truth is, the idea that grain-free dog food is better for your pup has been rooted in a non-scientifically backed myth. It’s a common misconception that grains are linked to allergies or gluten intolerance, or are filler ingredients and linked to high carbohydrate contents. Yes, many grain-free diets are excellently constructed, and some dogs do much better on a grain-free diet, but if your pet isn’t one of them, grains can be very healthy for him.

So, what are the Most Common Grains found in Dog Food?

• Wheat
• Barley
• Corn
• Oats and oatmeal
• White rice
• Brown rice
• Rye
• Sorghum  

Grains are an excellent source of fiber, protein, vitamin E and omega oils. They are particularly healthy if they are whole grains, which are more natural than refined grains. 

Some grain-free dog food brands have, in fact, been associated with health implications. Heart disease is more commonly observed among dogs fed a BEG or grain-free diet due to’ dilated cardiomyopathy’ or’ DCM’. DCM is a heart condition where the walls of the heart become thin and flaccid, resulting in less ability to deliver effective pumps of the blood around the body. Eventually, the blood pressure inside the heart causes the weak walls to dilate and increase the heart’s size. 

The exact link between DCM and grain-free diets is still not fully understood, however, it is believed to be linked to a taurine deficiency in dogs who eat these diets. There have been suggestions that the deficiency could be from a primary dietary deficiency in taurine, reduced bioavailability, increased losses of taurine in the feces, or a change in the metabolism in the body of taurine.

The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has been passively recording data on the topic, and due to recent awareness, many grain-free diets are now adding taurine to their ingredients list, to avoid the development of DCM.

However, not all grain-free dog foods are bad. In fact, many are excellently compiled. Also, a small minority do benefit from a grain-free diet, as each dog has its own unique nutritional needs. So, if your pet is particularly sensitive to grains, finding the right grain-free dog food is important. You should look for high-quality food which is fully nutritionally balanced. Your vet can be a great resource for information on which brands might suit your dog.   

Advantages of No Grain Food for Dogs

While the advantages of grain-free diet are not rooted in science, their popularity indicates some advantages to feeding certain individual dogs on grain-free formulations. 

These include:

1. Not all Grains are healthier than vegetables

Whole grains are wonderful, healthy ingredients that are full of nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, protein, and omega oils. They can help regulate digestion and boost health. However, not all grains are healthier than vegetables. Many cheaper companies will use refined grains. Whole grains contain the endosperm, germ, and bran, whereas refined grains only contain the endosperm. This reduces their nutritional value considerably. Refined grains are considered ‘filler’ ingredients, creating bulk and adding fewer valuable nutrients than their weight is worth. In these cases, healthy vegetables and fruit are much better alternatives.

2. Some dogs have intolerances to Grains

Grain allergies and intolerances are uncommon. Food allergies account for <1% skin allergies, and <10% of general allergies. Among them, most food allergies are to animal proteins and not grain. However, it is important to note that even though they are rare, they are not impossible. Some dogs truly are intolerant and have reactions to foods containing grains. 

3. Grains can increase Flatulence

In comparison to other ingredients, grains can ferment more than other ingredients during the digestion process, leading to excess gas being produced. This is low down in the intestinal tract. Therefore, it doesn’t cause gastric bloating, but for some dogs, it can cause flatulence. Low-quality, refined grains are more likely to cause this issue, rather than whole grains. It should be noted that other ingredients such as lactose, potatoes, and table scraps are also common causes of flatulence. Also, an imbalance in the gut microbiome (friendly, commensal bacteria) also increases methane production. The good news is, many grain-free diets have additional probiotics to aid digestion.

What to look for in Dog Food without Grains

When searching for new food, whether it is normal or grain-free, there are many things to consider. It is not as simple as picking one off the shelf based on how appealing the packaging is. Doing your research, and even contacting the manufacturer directly is really important. Therefore, it takes more time than just making a decision in the pet store. The following questions should be considered:

Does the manufacturer employ a qualified nutritionist?

• An animal nutritionist should either have a Ph.D. in animal nutrition, or be board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, or the European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition.

Does the Diet formulation meet AAFCO nutrient profiles?

• These are guidelines set out by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), which detail how much of every nutrient and mineral the food should contain based on the life-stage of your dog (for example, puppy or adult). Some packaging will show an ‘adequacy statement’ stating that it meets AAFCO standards, others you will need to phone the manufacturer to confirm.

Where is the Food manufactured?

• Sometimes the packaging will state ‘produced in the USA’. Home country products are the best, as you can be assured that the ingredients are of a higher quality and that there is less of a carbon footprint on the manufacturing of the food.

Are the Ingredients of high quality?

• The ingredients list is in order of weight, and therefore the first ingredient has the highest quantity. Meat proteins should be first on the list, followed by high-quality carbohydrates, such as pumpkin. Some grain-free diets substitute grain with highly refined starches such as potato and cassava, which do not add nutritional value, so this should be considered when looking at grain-free diets. 

Does the recipe have added taurine?

• The addition of taurine may lower the risk of grain-free diet-associated DCM, although specific levels needed to prevent DCM have not been scientifically established.

Does the food suit the life-stage of your dog?

• Different foods are formulated for different life-stages. A young, growing dog should be on puppy food, as this has higher levels of protein and calcium to aid growing muscles and bones. A senior dog should be on a senior food, as this has higher levels of omega oils for aching joints as well as a lower calorie content to address a more sedentary lifestyle.

What do the consumer reviews say?

• Looking at consumer reviews will give you a good understanding of how the food is at ground level. Reading how the food affected dogs first-hand, for better or for worse, is a valuable insight into the product.

READ MORE: How often should you Feed a Puppy

It can be confusing and frustrating to choose a new dog food, so if there is something you want to know, contact the company directly. If they truly want to improve your dog’s health, they will answer you with what you want to know. Your veterinarian is also a valuable source of knowledge and can aid you in your decision. 

FAQ – Veterinary Recommendations

Take-Home Message

Grain-free diets are very popular, but the reasons commonly cited for their popularity are not based in science. Nevertheless, there are some excellent grain-free diets on the market, and if you do your research well and are cautious of the health implications associated with some grain-free diets, you will find many products that will greatly benefit your dog’s health and wellbeing.