Wellness Core Dog/Puppy: 26-lbs High Protein Grain Free Dry Puppy Food (Chicken) Expired

it doesn't show $23 for me.. why? It shows the $20 discount off from $67

I adopted a dog from the shelter back in November, and have deep dived (dove?) into the topic of pet food and nutrition. Not to sound alarmist, but I feel I should warn people that grain free may not be the best food for your puppy. In fact, the FDA recommends against it, too: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/07/grain-free-dog-food-fda-warning/593167/

If you visit the r/dogs or r/puppy101 subreddits on Reddit (where a lot of vets hang out), there's a lot of arguments against grain free diets, as they have apparently been linked to heart disease in dogs. I believe it hasn't been conclusively proven that the grain free food alone was the cause, but there was a strong correlation found between dogs on those diet and those with the heart disease issues, and there's been no research done to prove any benefit for dogs on grain free diets... Which is why the FDA came out and advised against it. Essentially it's a huge gamble at this point with no proven positive outcome for your dog, but a whole lot of potential risk!

The only five pet food brands that have been endorsed across the board by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, to my understanding, are Purina Pro, Hills, Royal Canin, Iams and Eukanuba -- but none of the grain free formulas, just the regular kibble. Here's a discussion for example - https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/comments/j28cdo/be_careful_about_grain_free_foods/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

Google "grain free dog food heart issues" and you'll see more info on the possible link between grain free diets and heart issues.

As someone on Reddit said, grain free is a big marketing fad right now for humans, but we have to remember that dogs don't care about what we feel good buying - so we might think by paying a premium for grain free that we are doing right by them, but their stomachs did not evolve to prefer grain free nutrition. If you think about how dogs were domesticated over time from wolves, they thrived on human table scraps - which included grains.

So, unless your dog actually has a grain intolerance (which is unlikely) I highly caution you to do your due diligence and research this topic a little more before jumping on a marketing bandwagon.

Just as anecdotal evidence... My dog was malnourished by previous owners, so at first she hungrily devoured anything I fed her. But once she reached a healthy weight, she began to turn her nose at the grain free food I bought her at Costco (and paid a premium for). Puzzled, I asked on Reddit what could be causing the sudden aversion and had so many people warn me against grain free.

I went to Target and bought Purina "True Instinct" venison and turkey blend (with grains) and now she sits by her bowl and can't wait for me to feed her. 🤣 So that was kind of eye opening.

Edit: here are a couple more Reddit discussions for those that want to read more about the issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/nfabl1/update_switching_from_grain_free_back_to_wsava/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/nz3upy/discussion_thoughts_on_kirkland_brand_dog_food/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share (*this thread has the five brands vets recommend listed in replies*)