Grain: Hurting Pets or Hurting Pocketbooks?

You can find sensational and frightening headlines everywhere. Self proclaimed consumer advocates dedicate lots of time on a myriad of causes ranging from how you should not live near power lines to what chemicals are creeping into your food when you microwave it.
How do you know which ones have merit? I cannot tell you whether or not you should be afraid of many things, but I can tell you if your pet needs to be on a grain free diet.  I will not use my psychic powers or my crystal ball to tell you though, because there is no shortcut.  I will employ my other "magic powers" in the form of diagnostic equipment and medical training.  If a breeder or a self proclaimed nutrition expert tells you that your pet requires a grain free diet, you need to ask to see the results of the food trial and diagnostic testing.  You also need to know the name of the veterinary professional that made the diagnosis for future reference because if your pet is truly allergic to grains, it will a lifelong challenge. I am not sure why it is such a "hot topic" and I know how convincing these headlines are, but I am telling you that you can spend A LOT of money and time searching for special diets that your pet will eat and you may be burning your money and your time. Spend your money on premium pet food.  I am certainly a believer in "you are what you eat" so high quality diets are vital to good health, but it is much harder to have a nutritionally complete diet when certain ingredients have to be avoided. Spend your time reading labels and talking with your veterinarian. Being "grain free" is difficult and expensive.  Just make sure that this is the place that you really need to pour your time and money.  I searched the web for  "how many pets are truly grain allergic?" and I found several sites (not posted by veterinarians) that all say "many". I do not know exactly the number they mean, but "many" is not accurate. They cite no medical sources. In my experience during 14 years of clinical small animal practice and 2 month medical externship with a veterinary allergist, it is a very rare diagnosis and a very common misconception based on anecdotal evidence.
The greatest "consumer advocate" is your vet.  He or she KNOWS your pet and knows you. With a few publicized exceptions, veterinarians are like other animal lovers...good people with big hearts. I will always try to help you wade through all the free advice out there and choose what is right for you and your pet.