Long time lurker here!

Just a quick intro. My dog is 3 and has arthritis. I recently read that grain/maize/corn can contribute to the inflammation of the joint, true or not, it got me thinking about grain free foods.

So far I've come across AG Sensitive, Taste of the Wild and Orijen.

My dog is currently on AG Lamb & Rice and although she does well on it (shiny coat, healthy weight, 2 poos a day) if grain is contributing to her inflammation then I'd like to switch her over.

I realise that there is nothing more grain free than a BARF diet but would like to have some opinions on other grain free alternatives.

I've used this before and found it v good value for money Duck and Potato Working Dog Food 30kg

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"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own”

Acana do a grain free range, Wild Prairie, Pacifica, Ranchlands and Grasslands

Thank you for the suggestions!

Are there any experiences on here of the connection between grain and arthritis?

I understand my dog is quite young - could she be put on to a grain free senior dog food? The reason I ask is of the added glucosamine etc.

my dachshunds are on arden grange sensitive and love it, i only changed from burns as dai had anal gland infection before christmas and after thinking what he eats as he never had anal gland problems while on james wellbeloved and after emailing both burns (said he should only be having 7-8g per kg body weight so he'd be getting roughly 40g daily and to reduce if he had treats) and arden grange (suggested he was allergic to something that was in burns that wasn't in james wellbeloved also suggested trying arden grange sensitive they sent some samples to try) they have been on the arden grange sensitive for roughly 3 months now and fingers crossed dai hasn't had any anal gland trouble, they still get food with rice in mainly naturediet and lily's kitchen.

found this article DogAware.com Health: Arthritis in Dogs

quote from article If possible, reduce the amount of grains and starchy carbohydrates in the diet and increase the amount of protein. This can be done by feeding a better quality food, by using canned instead of dry foods, by adding fresh foods such as eggs and meat to the diet, or by feeding a home made diet. Many arthritic dogs improve when grains are removed from the diet, but if this doesn't help your dog, you don't need to continue to avoid them

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mammy to dai bach a sausage & dinky mash

Other brands of dog food which do grain/cereal free products are:

James Wellbeloved
Fish4 Dogs
Applaws

This is all very useful information - thank you.

I've read through this thread - The Dry Dog Food Index - and have to agree that I don't see any reason why grains are needed in my dogs diet, however, I understand it's a matter of opinion and not all would agree.

The research continues!

One of my bitches is fed AG Ocean white fish and potato sensitive because she has a food intolerance and she does very well on it.

Whether it would be suitable for a dog with arthritis I really don't know but it does contain glucosamine and crondroitin.

HTH

Although my dogs are raw fed, I always keep kibble in and went to the pet shop today to buy a small bag. I wanted something grain free and without any fillers in. Most of the salmon and potato varieties had beet pulp in so I gave them a swerve. In the end I bought Wafcol Salmon and Potato whilst trying to listen in on the awful nutrition advice the PAH assistant was giving somebody about their sensitive dog

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Has your dog definitely got arthritis?

Just that there has been research into connections between arthritis and the plant family solanaceae (potatoes, tomatos, peppers). All these plants contain alkaloids that may worsen arthritis in some cases, so you might be swapping something that doesn't do much harm for something that could do more harm.

Maybe raw feeding would be a better way ahead, excluding all cereals and potato too.