Is Corn Bad?

Corn on the cob is as American as apple pie. If you believe written history, gracious Native Americans first introduced harvested corn to Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving dinner. For generations since, corn crops have been cultivated by hard working American farmers across this country's heartland. By the turn of the 20th century corn became a substantial source of agricultural wealth throughout the United States. As most will agree, corn is warm and buttery, making life feel good and wholesome as it passes across our lips. Ironically, we derive more nutritional value by eating just one slice of your grandmother's cinnamon coated apple pie recipe than we do by downing ten ears of corn!

Proof: Corn Free Diet = A Healthy, Happy Hunting Partner!

Like those of us who walk upright, our four legged hunting partners find the nutritional value of corn equally unrewarding and anything but beneficial to their diet. So the question remains...why do some dog food companies include corn or corn variations as their main ingredient? I will tell you why. Because some dog food companies in this country are cheap and corn is the cheapest "real" ingredient available. More so, your dogs overall health is inconsequential and unrelated to their return on investment..a.k.a the corporate mantra called ROI. Sad as it is but very true.

Is corn bad for dogs? The answer is: not really...BUT it doesn't do much good either and can possibly cause further health issues then just nutritional deficiency

Factoid: whole corn has a natural cased cellulose shell. Left as a whole kernel, corn is indigestible. Any human who has taken a look at their own waste the morning after after eating an ear of corn for dinner would completely agree. Basically, the cellulose shell creates a wall blocking all the nutrients "inside" the shell from becoming digested. The process of mashing and dehydrating corn down to "meal" or "ground" only changes it's appearance, not it's composition. It should also be pointed out that corn is directly related to many forms of allergens in sensitive dogs. Breeds such as boxers, pointers, labs, and bulldogs are more highly probable candidates for corn related allergies. Allergic reactions can come in the form of excessive dry skin, chronic hot spots, chronic eye discharge, and far too many digestive irregularities to list here in this one post!

The filler called "cellulose" is still there and still equally indigestible. Yes, the inside portion of corn or the "meat" is a marginal source nutrients. Like other grains, corn is a carbohydrate and fiber food. Eighty-one percent of the solid material in the corn kernel consists of sugars, starch, and dietary fiber, including insoluble cellulose and non-carbohydrate lignin in the seed covering and soluble pectins and gums in the kernel(non nutritious ingredients related to the shell) Corn has a small amounts of vitamin A, the B vitamin folate, and vitamin C. Corn is a moderately good source of plant proteins, but zein (its major protein) is deficient in the essential amino acids lysine, cystine, and tryptophan. Corn is low in fat and its oils are composed primarily of unsaturated fatty acids.

When taken into account, the ratio of cellulose shell material to nutrients in the average gram of dog food "corn meal" results in a digestible ingredient that is extremely low. Hypothetically speaking, if milk was the only thing of true substance and a manufacturer ground up the plastic bottle holding the milk all together as one product and called it "milk meal" you have the working equivalent of what corn meal is to dog food. Sure the milk is there but the "filler" is the cellulose or "plastic" containment taking up 19%(as we learned prior) of the overall formula. Remember, those are ingredients that can not be converted into nutritional sources for any animal on this planet! For any kid who has ever swallowed one of those small green army guys(yes, I have!)...those things are not digestible! That is corn cellulose in a nut shell. No pun intended!

The bottomline is, low grade dog foods loaded with low grade grain products such a corn, wheat, and soy cheapen the product. A dog's intestinal tract and stomach process food 6 times quicker then humans. It is imperative to supply them with food that is able to be quickly digested. That only comes from high quality ingredients! In the end you will need to feed less if you invest in a high grade dog food! The result to your wallet and the benefit to you dog is spending almost the same for feeding him or her a top quality food!

I don't know about you guys but corn or corn in any form as a primary ingredient doesn't sound like something I want to feed my dog. I urge each of you to look at your dog food bags and read closely. There are some major dog food manufacturers out there who load top five ingredients with corn or corn related ingredients. Ask yourself...is this something I would want to feed myself as the majority of my own diet, let alone my dog's? Then go ahead and purchase a better food!

Best of luck to each of you out there. -Mark