Cereals and starches

Wheat

Average

Description

Gluten-containing cereal.

Benefits

Source of fiber and energy

Risks

Gluten: common allergen, carb load

Why this ingredient is used

Wheat is used in mid-tier and budget pet food for the same reasons corn is: cheap, binds the kibble well, extrudes reliably, and boosts protein percentage on the label via wheat gluten (around 75 percent crude protein). Wheat is slightly more digestible than corn for dogs and is the preferred cereal base in European mass-market brands (Bakers UK, Frolic, Chappi) where corn is less culturally acceptable.

Controversies and what to watch for

Wheat is the single most common cereal allergen in dogs. Unlike humans, dogs do not develop celiac disease in the autoimmune sense, but they do develop adverse food reactions to wheat gluten that manifest as chronic itching, ear infections, paw licking, and soft stools. An estimated 10 to 15 percent of dogs on wheat-based diets develop some level of intolerance after 2 to 3 years of daily feeding. The fix is usually switching to grain-free or rice-based formula, with symptoms improving within 4 to 6 weeks. Cats are slightly less affected but still show higher intolerance rates than to rice or potato.