Corn used as a Dog Food Ingredient

[RawFedDogs]

That is funny, but the same thing happens when humans eat it. So, why isn't it a big 'no no' for us? lol

Humans have flat teeth capable of chewing corn. Dogs don't. Humans have the ability to move their lower jaw from side to side while chewing to crush the cellulose covering on each cell of corn kernels. Dogs don't.

Therefore humans have the ability to extract what little nutrients are in corn. Dogs don't.

[BoxMeIn21]

Can I politely ask where the original post got this information? From what I've learned, whole ground yellow corn is 99% digestible by dogs. It is an excellent energy source and one of the best natural Omega 6 fatty acid (Linoleic Acid) sources aside from meat. Dogs and cats require this acid in order to maintain healthy skin and coats. Without it, pets may experience dull coats, dry skin and even hair loss.

;)

You can feed things like Green tripe instead of corn for those fatty acids. ;)

[BoxerMommie]

Can I politely ask where the original post got this information? From what I've learned, whole ground yellow corn is 99% digestible by dogs. It is an excellent energy source and one of the best natural Omega 6 fatty acid (Linoleic Acid) sources aside from meat. Dogs and cats require this acid in order to maintain healthy skin and coats. Without it, pets may experience dull coats, dry skin and even hair loss.

There are other more nutritious ways of getting Omega 6, if there wasn't my dogs would be bald as they are fed a no corn diet. Their coats are great, they shed minimally, and their coats are very soft and no skin problems.

[RawFedDogs]

Dogs have molars just like we do and are able to grind their food just like we do. Their teeth were made for grinding.

Hehe, I see you haven't studied canine dentation. Dogs have back teeth called carnassial teeth. They are not flat in the least. Open your dogs mouth and both look with your eyes and feel with your fingers. THey are by no stretch of the imagination flat. They work like a pair of sissors with the teeth sliding by each other. They are designed to slice meat and crush bones.

Also to grind food, you need the ability to move your lower jaw from side to side while you chew. Dogs don't have this ability. Their lower jaw only moves up and down.

My vet has a plastic model of a dogs mouth with teeth and gums. See if your vet has one and take a look at it and move the lower jaw up and down and you will see what I mean about how the teeth fit together.

I put some corn in a deer feeder a couple of years ago and one of my dogs got into it. His stool was almost pure corn with a little feces. The corn was in whole kernels. I COULD have washed them off and you woudln't have been able to tell they were ever eaten. Probably 3/4 of that stool was corn kernels.

Yes, it may be a filler, but this forum makes it sound like corn is the plague.

You could use cardboard. It would be just as nutritious as corn.

[threedognight]

My question is why feed corn, even if its DECENT, if there are many SUPERIOR things out there?

[RawFedDogs]

My question is why feed corn, even if its DECENT, if there are many SUPERIOR things out there?

It's cheap. I hear the price is going up because of biofuels so before long you may not see corn in dog food.

[rannmiller]

Hooray! Of course then you have to wonder what they'll replace it with, especially in the really low quality foods like Kibbles N' Bits, Alpo, Pedigree, Science Diet, Grrreat Choice, etc. Good ol' fashioned sawdust I suppose. With SD's incredible marketing skills, I'm sure they'll be able to convince millions of Americans that sawdust is a scientifically proven, digestible, superior, and healthful ingredient for dogs...

[CinnamintStick]

Corn, Corn Meal or Corn Gluten are hard for dogs to digest.

Pet Promise is a non profit pet food owned by Dr. Weil. This is from there website.

Is there corn in Pet Promise?
Pet Promise is formulated with "corn gluten meal" which is different from the traditional corn grain used by many pet foods. Corn gluten meal is the high-protein part of the corn kernel that remains when the starch, bran, and germ are extracted. It provides a rich source of the essential amino acid methionine, which is important to overall pet health, as well as essential vitamins and minerals.

Corn gluten meal is also a highly digestible ingredient. Corn and corn gluten meal are often blamed as the source of allergic reactions in companion animals. However, corn gluten meal is - in fact - among the least allergenic ingredients for pets. Additionally, according to veterinary dermatologists, corn is not considered an ingredient most often suspected of causing food allergies.

[rannmiller]

I've heard that about the corn gluten meal but not that corn isn't an allergen in dogs. Most dogs I see with issues are usually allergic to corn...

[LPacker79]

I've heard that spiel from the Pet Promise rep in my store (Petsmart recently started carrying it).

To be honest, I rarely believe anything a food rep tells me. After all, they are trying to sell you on their product.