I know two posts in one day. It might turn into three, I am on a roll today. Anyway...
I have been goggling treat recipes today and I found a lot of crazy ranting about corn out there on the interwebs. I thought I would put out there my stand on the plant just so we are all clear on it in the future.* Feel free to agree or disagree, for I am no corn expert.
Firstly- Corn is used as a filler in a lot of dog food. So is potato, grains, pea fiber, tomato, rice and lots of other plants. All kibble use carbohydrate fillers- to me no one of them is any better or worse than another. Especially the way it is done in kibble. That's why I don't feed commercial dog food.
Secondly- Using corn gluten as a replacement for meat protein in dog food is also not so good in my opinion. This is where corn as an ingredient in dog food gets it's well deserved bad rap.
Thirdly- Corn is not evil. I am about to bake treats using cornmeal as an ingredient. Corn had gotten a bad rap because it is used rampantly in kibble as a protein source. Using 1/2 cup of it in my treats is no worse than using rice or oatmeal. It is just another carbohydrate that I don't believe will do any harm in the small amounts I need it to hold my treats together. The people on the internet raging in the comments about every treat recipe I find with corn clearly don't understand this complicated issue. Putting a little corn in treats is a totally, totally different issue than the use of highly processed corn gluten as a protein replacement in your dogs diet.
Lastly- Lots of dogs have allergies to corn. If your dog is allergic to corn then don't give them corn. My dog is intolerant of potato, sweet potato and carrot. I don't go around telling everyone I meet to stop feeding their dogs carrots.
Thanks for listening to my rant, feel free to rage at my non hatred of corn. I am sure some of you are convinced the pet food companies are paying me to say this as part of some massive conspiracy. Others I am sure will think me a crazy granola muncher (or whatever) for not accepting corn gluten as a legitimate protein source. I will take that as a compliment. Pissing off both sides is what I do best :)
*Only in the dog world would something like corn cause rage of this magnitude on the internet.
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I don't hate corn. I don't really care what anyone else feeds his or her dogs/cats, BUT when I tell people DO NOT give my dog a treat (at the vets, PetSmart, where ever) and they do it anyway it makes me want to choke someone. Now I have to take home a dog that's breaking out in hives and having diarrhea galore. Thanks a lot
ReplyDeleteDachshund Nola's Mommy
That is an entirely different issue- but I feel you. People really need to get a grip and listen to a dogs owner before shoving food in their mouth. If you said "my kid has a peanut allergy" to someone trying to give your kid a PB&J they would back right off. But when you tell someone "my dog is allergic to carrots, don't give them that" they say "one baby carrot wont hurt" and shove it in your dogs mouth before you can stop them.
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