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Find out what exactly a grain-free diet is and why it is important to consult veterinarian to select your dog’s diet if you think he has food sensitivities.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
Some dogs prefer dry dog food to wet, and vice versa. Learn how dry, wet, and other food forms can enhance your dog’s nutrition during mealtime.
Updated on August 7th, 2025
Get insights into natural dog food ingredients and learn how they support your pup’s overall health and well-being.
Updated on June 19th, 2026
See what options there are with a raw dog food diet.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
You’ve likely heard plenty about grain-free diets and natural dog foods, but you might be wondering: What is human-grade dog food?
Updated on June 19th, 2026
Grain-free foods aren't really necessary unless Apollo has an allergy to a specific ingredient and needs to eat a grain-free diet. Any balanced food should be fine to give, but brands such as Nutro, Science Diet, and Eukanuba all offer a great variety of foods including grain-free, specific health issues, large breed, etc that Apollo may enjoy eating. They also all carry wet-food varieties of their dry foods so you can easily mix and match without upsetting Apollo's stomach. If you do switch foods be sure to do so over a period of 7-9 days, gradually adding in more of the new food over time to help Apollo's GI tract adjust and minimize digestive upset.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
What food is appropriate will depend on how sensitive your dog's GI tract is to these ingredients. There are some over the counter foods without these ingredients in them. A low cost version available at Tractor Supply is the 4Health Salmon and Potato formula: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-salmon-potato-formula-for-adult-dogs-5-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10005 Another option available at most pet stores would be Purina Proplan grain free formula such as the Savor Turkey and Chicken formula https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/savor-grain-free-adult-shredded-blend-turkey-chicken-formula#ingredientsandguaranteedanalysis However, over the counter foods are made in facilities that produce many different foods so contamination of a food with an ingredient not on the label is a possibility. If the food allergy is severe, then a prescription diet available from your vet may be necessary (these special foods are made in a facility where contamination doesn't occur). These foods are unfortunately much more pricey. Another option is cooking for your dog. You can use the website Balanceit.com to find a properly formulated homemade diet for your dog.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not known at this time if grain free diets are actually better than diets with grain. I usually recommend feeding a high quality diet. Purina is an excellent diet but if you do not have access to this diet, there are others that you could consider that are also excellent such as Hill's Science Diet, Royal canin and Iams foods. Grain does not necessarily make dogs gain weight so I would be more focused on the quality and balance of the diet per se. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I like hydrolyzed protein diets for the hypoallergenic diet trial. Hills z/d and Purina HA are my 2 favorites. They make the protein sources so small that the immune system can not recognize it as an allergen. Diet trials should be continued for 12 weeks to know if they are helping. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025