You may have been told that corn is just a filler and that it should be avoided in your pets diet because it is poorly digested and is a common allergen. BUT… this is not true. Let me explain… 1. Corn is actually quite digestible. The outside shell of the kernel is not very digestible but the contents inside the kernel is! When corn is used in the kibble, it usually undergoes a preparation process prior to addition that extracts the digestible portions from the undigestible fibres. For example, you may see it listed as ‘corn gluten meal’. Corn gluten meal is a highly digestible, high protein product that contains nutrients that are readily available for your pet!
2. Corn is not a common allergen for pets. When pets develop a food allergy, it is commonly to a meat or grain protein in the diet. Corn can be an allergen, but more often it is to beef, chicken dairy, wheat, eggs, etc.
3. Corn is not just a filler and is an excellent source of nutrients! A filler is considered an ingredient that has little or no nutritional value. Corn, even whole, is still a great source of carbohydrates, proteins, and essential fatty acids. It also contains antioxidants like vitamin E and beta-carotene (precursor for vitamin A synthesis).
(PSA: don’t feed your dog whole corn cobs! They can obstruct your dogs intestines My dog did not get to chow on this corn - it was only for modelling purposes! ) Your pet food provider should be able to answer any questions you may have and provide scientific evidence for their claims. There is a lot of misinformation in the food world so don’t believe everything you hear!
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