Despite being very similar in their makeup, dogs and wolves are not completely identical in their genetics. This was discovered by Swedish researchers, who discovered that dogs unlike wolves have amylases in the genome.
These are enzymes that enable the dog to digest small amounts of grain. A dog’s digestive system cannot cope with large proportions of grain because their intestinal transit too short. However, despite understanding this information, many manufacturers still mix various levels of grain and cereals into their food for profit optimisation.
Added grains and cereals into dog food can be in the form of oats, corn, barley and wheat or millet, rice, spelled and others. Often, these cereals are mixed in as cereal flour or as flakes. However, if this is too much for the animal, many dogs can develop digestive problems and other health disorders. Many dogs also suffer from gluten intolerance and are even allergic to cereals in dog food.
If you feel that your dog is not healthy and not reacting well to grains or cereals, it is important to think about the contents of their food and whether switching to grain-free dog food could not be the solution to the problem. Sometimes a change in a dogs feed can positively affects a dog’s health without any treatment by a veterinarian.