Dry dog food without corn is becoming more popular since more people are aware of the disadvantages to corn-based foods. There are several corn-free brands available at prices competitive with the cheaply made corn-filled brands.
Benefits to Corn-Free Food
Corn has no nutritional value for your dog since he can't digest it. The reason it is so widely used in dog food is that it is much cheaper than the proteins and vegetables that your dog needs.
Foods that don't utilize corn as a cheap substitute utilize a higher percentage of proteins and include vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. Those foods that do include grains use barley or brown rice, which are much healthier for your dog.
Since there are more nutrients in corn-free food, you can feed your dog less while providing more quality nutrients. The cost is a little higher, but it will improve your dog's health, reducing allergies, ear infections and veterinary visits.
Finding Corn-Free Foods
High quality foods are becoming more readily available, but you still might not be able to find them at your grocery store or commercial pet store. However, all local pet stores carry a wide variety, and commercial pet stores are slowly beginning to follow suit.
The best way to determine the quality of your food is to look at the labels. The first three ingredients should contain protein unless you are looking for a low-protein food, in which case those first three ingredients can contain a high-quality grain source.
Many low quality foods use both corn and cornmeal in the first three ingredients. This is just corn and processed corn, meaning your dog's food is more than 75 percent corn! Also avoid foods with food coloring, preservatives and meat byproducts, which are also unhealthy for your dog.
Quality Corn-Free Foods
There are several brands of food that produce only corn- and wheat-free products with a wide range in cost.
On the more expensive end are brands such as Orijen, which use organic ingredients and provide only grain-free options. Innova is also more expensive but provides several high-quality protein options, including grain-free Evo, which is as close to raw meat as you can find in kibble form.
More cost effective options include Solid Gold, California Natural, Natural Balance, Candidae and Merrick's, all of which have a variety of choices for corn-free food, including puppy formulas, low-protein senior formulas and high-protein working dog formulas.
Many of these brands also offer organically produced options, which follow the same guidelines as organically labeled human food. Brands such as Blue Buffalo, Organix, Karma Organic, Natural Balance, Innova and others provide organic dry foods.
Foods to Avoid
Many foods that are marketed as premium foods consist largely of corn and wheat. Brands such as Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba and other commercial pet store brands use a high percentage of corn as a staple ingredient as well as meat byproducts and additional preservatives.
While buying a dry food without corn is a little more expensive, you can feed less while maintaining as many or more nutrients. There are many brands available so read your food labels and find a quality food for your pet.