Without a doubt, there are a lot of things dogs should not eat.
Most people, not necessarily pet owners, know that things like onions, chocolate, or pastries are on the list of food that is not ideal for a dog.
What they might not know is that corn is also on that list.
They can be excused, of course, since they don’t have pets, but what is sad is that many pet owners also don’t know this, and don’t understand the importance of dog food without corn.
Corn is a grain that has become a very common ingredient for many packaged dog foods.
It is most often found listed as corn meal, though it can also be listed as ground corn, corn girts, corn bran, corn gluten, polenta, and maize.
No matter how it is listed, however, the primary purpose of corn is to add volume and weight to dog food.
One problem with corn is that it has no nutritional benefits for dogs.
Why?
Simple. Dogs, like humans, cannot digest corn!
Though it contains niacin, which is good for a dog’s system, the niacin found in corn cannot be absorbed by a dog’s intestines.
Corn also contains lectins, which are part-protein and part-carbohydrate.
But, the lectin found in corn is resistant to the enzymes found in a dog’s digestive tract.
As a dog’s stomach acids try to break down corn in an attempt to digest it, the lectins found in corn only pose a threat to the lining of the digestive tract.
Damage to this lining can lead a toxic accumulation of lectin, which has been related to problems like Crohn’s disease, leaky gut syndrome, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.
If that first problem wasn’t enough to convince you of the importance of dog food without corn, there’s more!
The second problem with corn is that some dogs are allergic to it.
It has been proven that some dogs are allergic to corn meal.
Symptoms of allergies include itchy skin, flaky skin, red skin, a dull coat, hair loss, ear infections, butt biting, and bloating among others.
The third problem with corn is that it is high in calories and sodium, and because of this characteristic, it can lead to certain health problems in our pets.
Two health problems that are linked to corn are obesity and diabetes.
Obesity has been linked to corn because of its high calories, while diabetes has been linked to corn because it can attack the sugar-controlling functions of the liver and the pancreas.
Fourth and finally, corn has a tendency to develop aflatoxin fungus, which can make your dog very sick.
They can exhibit allergic reactions, such as head shaking, but they will also have internal problems, like inflamed kidneys, hyperthyroidism, tumors, inflamed liver, heart diseases, moles, warts, deafness, and blindness.
In a nutshell, it is very important to give our pets dog food without corn.
Though there may be some dogs who can take eating corn, the risks are hardly worth it.
Also, dogs do not often show these symptoms or problems till after several months of eating corn, by which time, it may be too late.
