無谷狗糧對你的狗狗好不好？

Grain-free dog food has become trendy in recent years, but that doesn’t mean its necessarily better for your pet. First off, dogs aren’t vegetarians. Andrea Antonelli, a veterinarian who specializes in animal nutrition at Hodes Veterinary Group, tells Reader’s Digest, “Dogs are omnivores—they need to eat everything, including grains and meats.” Just be sure your pup doesn’t sink his teeth into any of these foods that are toxic for dogs.

近年來，無谷狗糧已經(jīng)成為一種時尚，但這并不意味著它一定對你的寵物更好。首先，狗不是素食主義者。Hodes獸醫(yī)集團(tuán)的動物營養(yǎng)專家Andrea Antonelli告訴讀者文摘:“狗是雜食動物——它們需要吃所有的東西，包括谷物和肉類。“只要確保你的小狗不會吃任何對狗有毒的食物就好了。

Secondly, not all grain-free dog foods are created equal. Some replace grains with animal proteins, while others use legumes, lentils, potatoes, and peas as the main ingredient—and these varieties may even have more carbs than traditional dog food, reports PetMD. (Note that carbs aren’t harmful for a healthy dog.)

其次，并非所有的無谷物狗糧都是一樣的。一些用動物蛋白代替谷物，而另一些用豆類、扁豆、土豆和豌豆作為主要成分——這些品種甚至可能比傳統(tǒng)的狗糧含有更多的碳水化合物，PetMD報道。(注意碳水化合物對健康的狗沒有害處。)

An on-going FDA investigation may shed some light on grain-free dog good: An uptick in reports of a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)— a disease that causes loss of heart muscle strength, enlargement of the heart, and heart failure prompted the FDA to begin the investigation in 2018. DCM was found in dogs that ate commercial grain-free dog food varieties containing legumes, lentils, potatoes, and peas as the main ingredient. “There was an increase in reported cases of DCM in dog breeds who are not predisposed to this condition,” says Brian Greenfield, DVM and Good Dog advisor at Animal Clinic Northview, Inc. DCM is common in larger breeds like the Newfoundland and Great Dane and sometimes in smaller breeds like the American and English Cocker spaniel, but the reports of DCM were showing up in breeds not predisposed to the condition, including golden and Labrador retrievers, Whippets, Shih Tzus, bulldogs, miniature Schnauzers, and even some mixed breeds.

美國食品和藥物管理局正在進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查可能會讓人們對無谷物狗糧的好處有一些了解:一種被稱為擴(kuò)張型心肌病(DCM)的心臟病的報告數(shù)量有所上升。擴(kuò)張型心肌病會導(dǎo)致心肌力量喪失、心臟增大和心力衰竭，促使食品和藥物管理局于2018年開始這項(xiàng)調(diào)查。在食用含有豆類、扁豆、土豆和豌豆為主要成分的商業(yè)無谷物狗糧品種的狗中發(fā)現(xiàn)了DCM。動物診所Northview, Inc.的好狗顧問、DVM的布萊恩·格林菲爾德(Brian Greenfield)說:“據(jù)報道，不容易患DCM的狗的DCM病例有所增加。”擴(kuò)張型心肌病是常見的在較大的品種如紐芬蘭和大丹狗,有時在較小的品種如美國和英國可卡犬,但DCM的報道出現(xiàn)在品種不傾向于條件,包括金和拉布拉多,Whippets,西施犬,斗牛犬,迷你雪納瑞,甚至一些混合品種。

“This investigation has not yet yielded any conclusive results on the effects of feeding your dog a grain-free diet,” says Dr. Greenfield. “Other factors could also be contributing to the elevated cases of DCM, such as taurine deficiency (Taurine is an essential amino acid that acts as a protein builder necessary for healthy organs, with higher concentrations in the heart), the sourcing of the main ingredients, or how the dogs are processing the ingredients—regardless of whether or not the food they’re eating is grain-free.”

格林菲爾德博士說:“這項(xiàng)研究還沒有得出任何關(guān)于給狗喂食無谷物食物的確切結(jié)果。”“其他因素也可能導(dǎo)致DCM的升高的情況下,如牛磺酸不足(?；撬崾且环N必需的氨基酸，是健康器官所必需的蛋白質(zhì)構(gòu)建者，心臟中的濃度更高)，主要成分的來源，或狗如何處理這些成分，無論是否或者他們吃的食物不是無糧的。”

While there is no definitive scientific proof that grain-free dog food is better or worse for your dog, pet parents should consider their own dog’s dietary needs. “Each breed and individual dog has different nutritional needs,” says Dr. Greenfield. “A golden retrievers’ dietary needs can be colossally different from that of a Chinese Shar-Pei, so the best option is to work closely with a vet who is experienced with your breed.” In addition to breed, age and health issues like diabetes and arthritis, obesity, and genetics dictate what kind of food you should be feeding your dog. In some rare cases, grain-free dog food could have some benefits if a dog has a grain allergy or sensitivity, but Dr. Greenfield says that amounts to less than 1 percent of dogs.

雖然沒有確切的科學(xué)證據(jù)證明不含谷物的狗糧對你的狗是好是壞，但是寵物父母應(yīng)該考慮他們自己的狗的飲食需求。格林菲爾德博士說:“每個品種和每只狗都有不同的營養(yǎng)需求。“金毛尋回犬的飲食需求可能與中國沙皮犬大相徑庭，所以最好的選擇是與對你的品種有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的獸醫(yī)密切合作。”“除了品種，年齡和健康問題，如糖尿病、關(guān)節(jié)炎、肥胖和基因決定了你應(yīng)該給你的狗吃什么樣的食物。在一些罕見的情況下，如果狗狗對谷物過敏或敏感，不含谷物的狗糧可能會有一些好處，但格林菲爾德博士說，這一比例不到1%。