The Truth About Corn

Corn has gotten a bad rep in recent years. It’s portrayed as an ingredient that is indigestible, a filler ingredient that can even cause allergies in some pets.

The truth is corn is 90% digestible!

The kernel is broken by grinding, making the germ (fat), starch (carbohydrates), and gluten (protein) available.

A “filler” describes an ingredient that has no nutritional value.

Corn is jam packed with protein, amino acids, fiber, vitamins, fat and fatty acids.

Unfortunately, the quality of corn used in pet foods can vary. You can not tell the quality of an ingredient by looking at the ingredient list on a bag of food. Foods purchased at your veterinary clinic use ingredients that are traditionally reserved for human foods.

It is estimated that only 10% of dogs with allergic skin conditions actually have an allergy to food. While it is possible for an animal to develop an allergy to any protein, corn is not on the list of common food allergens in dogs and cats.

Written by Moncton Animal Hospital