Two Pet Food Proteins to Skip for Happier, Healthier Dogs, Plant or Animal Based?

Keep Your Pup’s Tummy and Tail Wagging with Better Choices

Let’s talk about two sneaky proteins you’ll want to avoid in your dog's food. These are cheap fillers that pet food companies love, but they can cause upset stomachs, allergies, and even mess with your dog’s muscle health. Spoiler: they’re not the good stuff your furry friend deserves!

Always choose Animal-Based Protein over Plant-Based Protein for your Dog

Proteins are super important for dogs—they’re like the building blocks for their muscles, bones, and shiny coat. Animal-based proteins, like chicken, beef, or eggs, are the gold standard because they have all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive. Plant-based proteins? Not so much. They’re often harder for dogs to digest and can lead to health issues.

Avoid these Plant-Based Proteins

Two proteins you should steer clear of are corn gluten meal and soybean meal. These are super common in commercial pet foods because they’re cheap, but they’re not doing your dog any favours. Corn gluten meal is a high-glycemic filler that can spike allergies and cause tummy troubles like gas or bloating. Plus, most corn in pet food is genetically modified, which can carry risks like aflatoxin contamination—a big no-no for your dog’s long-term health.

Soybean meal isn’t much better. It’s packed with anti-nutrients that make it tough for your dog to digest protein properly, which can lead to allergies or nutrient deficiencies. Soy also has estrogen-like compounds that might mess with your dog’s hormones, especially if they’re spayed or neutered.

Plant-based proteins aren't the best options for your dog. A key study by a major pet food company backs this up. They fed adult and senior dogs diets with either 100% chicken or a mix of chicken and corn gluten meal. The dogs on the all-chicken diet had better muscle mass, less body fat, and healthier blood markers compared to those eating corn gluten meal.

Senior dogs on the chicken diet even kept their

muscle strength like younger pups! This shows that high-quality animal proteins are the way to go for keeping your dog fit and healthy.

Why are Grains and Legumes used in ultra-processed Dog Food?

They are used for two reasons. Firstly they are much cheaper than Animal-based ingredients. Corn is cheaper than chicken! The second reason is a lot more sneaky. Have you seen the Guaranteed Analysis panel that is on the bag next to the ingredient list? Most of us know that a higher Protein percentage generally means a better quality food - more protein means more meat, right?

Not the case when these ingredients are included in the formula. They up the protein percentage so we think it's better for our dog, but this type of protein is not the type your dog's body can use efficiently.

The Top Five Ingredient Rule in Dog Food

So, what’s the fix? Check your pet food labels and skip anything listing corn gluten meal or soybean meal high up in the ingredients. As a general rule, the first 5 Ingredients listed on the packet make up 95-98% of what's in that bag. Go for foods with real animal proteins like chicken, beef, or lamb. Your dog’s wagging tail (and happier tummy) will thank you!

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