Question:
I have thought long & hard about corn in human & pet food, & I have personally decided it's not the evil it's often made out to be. Check out this link: http://www.sojos.com/allergyarticle.cfm
I think it makes the point that corn isn't necessarily the problem, it's the low quality "feed grade" corn that contains cobb & waste products of refined corn.
I think cats & dogs are equipped to digest grains, as grains are usually found in the stomachs & intestines of their herbivorous prey. The problem is heavily refined, poor quality grains. I do not doubt that some cats & dogs have genuine allergies to corn, but I would suspect that most would do fine on a food that contained top quality corn.
I noticed that Purina Pro Plan has come out with a dog food for dogs with allergies to *lamb & rice* of all things!! (It's a turkey & barley formula). I think that dogs will continue to develop problems with this food just because the ingredients aren't human grade, not because a particular meat or grain is used.
Hank has zero problems with cat food containing corn: no vomiting, loose stools, constipation or other symptoms. She is big, playful & super healthy. And her food (currently 50% Nutro Natural Cat, 50% Precise) contains corn. Am I going to switch? No. Would she have problems on a corn-based food like Purina or Friskies? Probably. Those foods make 2 mistakes: (i.) using poor quality corn, &
(ii.) putting it above specified meat on the ingredients.
Again, I don't think corn is the devil here: I think it's terrible manufacturing practices & ingredient quality.
When my old cats were kittens, I remember then getting into a bag of fresh organic corn while me & bf were out, & eating everything but the outside lef parts & the cobbs!! They left the cobbs & leaves all over the apartment. And.........*THEY WERE NOT SICK AFTERWARDS*.
Moral of the story: whole foods rock, "pet quality" ingredients suck, & don't be duped into thinking your pet is automatically allergic to grain or corn. See what works for YOUR pet.
I am interested in hearing other opinions on this.........


Answer:
I agree, it still comes down to the quality of the ingredients. I think with commercial pet food I would avoid the corn, simply because I don't know what the quality is like.
I read that the grains found in the stomachs of prey animals has already been partly digested which makes it easier for the predator to digest the stomach contents.
The quality of pet food ingredients is definately a factor. Lavander is allergic to chicken in kibble, but some people who have dogs who are allergic to chicken in kibble do well with chicken in a BARF diet, and I think that is also due to the quality of the ingredient.


Answer:
I would hence avoid Purina corn but feed Precise corn.
I see where you are coming from with the BARF diet advice but like I mentioned, many people &/or their pets just can't get into it, so a human grade pet food is the reasonable alternative (well either that or having no pet... ).
I figure that the processing of grains that occurs during the making of a good pet food must ease digestion in the same way that predigestion by ruminants would ease digestion of grains in the wild.


Answer:
My previous dog was fed boiled chicken and cooked white rice all her life, with the occasional treats and veggies like cucumber and lettuce. She was healthy for all her 11 years except the monthly visit to the vet to expel her anal glands when she got older, and tartar buildup on her teeth from eating soft foods but I got her chew toys to clean her teeth. So I guess she digested the rice on her own.


Answer:
Isn't rice a very easy food to digest???
When my cat had the diarhea when she was pregnant,,the vet told me to give her rice,,,,,,,,,,it was one of the easiest foods to digest and should clear up the diarhea,,I never did it because the next day her diarhea was gone so I think she just had an upset belly possibly,,I'm not sure,,,
Now that shes nursing her kittens,,she has loose stools but its not diarhea


Answer:
I was thinking 'cos rice is also considered a grain, but quite a few dog food formulas include brown rice in their ingredients.
Don't pay attention to my post about rice, my brain was off-track, lol!
Okay, back on corn! neuro made good points, it's the quality of the corn that's a factor.