Yes, Your Pet Food Can Have Gluten In It Too!

Go look at the bag of your pet food/treats and read the label right now. Did you find wheat as an ingredient? I am betting that it either never occurred to most of you that you were handling wheat each day when you feed them, or you have contemplated whether that trace amount touching your skin is important.

In our home, we had not even thought of cross contamination from gluten coming from our daughter handling our dog treats and food until about a year of having a gluten free kitchen. After all, you don't exactly equate feeding the dog in the same realm with your own food.

Our daughter was the one who caught the sight of the label and added 1+1 together, likely because for her, that might have equaled a gluten attack. I felt like a complete idiot for not catching it, but this is a part of the gluten free journey. We quickly went to the stores in search of gluten free dog food and treats. They were not easy to find in the beginning unless we ordered online. Today, just like other gluten free foods, gluten free animal foods are becoming more popular and easier to find. Below are two brands available online showcasing the whole foods movement in pet owners.

Now, sure, you may not want to spend as much on your pet's diet as your own and especially if your own is already breaking the bank? In this case, if you have the time to make your own food, you may want to do as we do and make your dog's food at the same time. 

We purchase bones from our local farmer when we pick up our grass fed meats or I purchase things like chicken livers and other less choice meat cuts from the butcher. We use these to make bone broths and cook their rice in it along with vegetables and other vitamin rich foods which are known to be safe for their diets. These along with any kind of homemade biscuits can make for a much healthier nutrient dense pet food that is safe for you and your family to be around. As a matter of fact, our dogs have healthier coats and, not that we like discussing things like this but, their stools are always firm.

Here are some Homemade GF Dog food recipes:
Cherry's GF Dog Food
The Gluten Free Chef Dog Food
Yummly Recipe

Here are some Homemade Treat recipes your pets will beg for:

Peanut Butter & Bacon Dog Treats

Beef & Peanut Butter Biscuits

9 Scrumptious Dog Treats Easy to Make

Either way, you may find that going gluten free was the best thing that ever happened to your pet too.