A grain free diet is an increasingly popular diet for dogs for a variety of wellbeing reasons.

A grain free product has no wheat (no gluten), corn, rice or soy. Feeding dogs a grain free diet allows for them to avoid food ingredients (like wheat) that they may not thrive on, potentially reducing grain related food allergies, reducing skin problems, improving the quality of their coat, reducing digestive problems and leaving them in better health overall.

Protein based grain free dog foods more closely mimic, but not match, the canine’s natural or ‘ancestral’ diet as a carnivore. The risk with feeding an ancestral inspired ‘raw meat’ only diet is that our dogs may be missing out on much needed nutrients which they did get in the wild (e.g. through eating their prey’s stomach contents and organs).

Additionally, a specifically formulated grain free dog food that is gently cooked offers a safe, high meat content, complete and balanced diet for your dog that is free of pathogens.

A small amount of vegetable inclusion to the diet benefits your dog by providing a source of fibre. Fibre aids the overall digestive health of your dog.

PERFECT Grain Free dog roll is designed to not only be grain free, but also low in carbohydrates and high in protein.  This high protein, low carbohydrate diet is great for dogs that:

• Are diabetic.  A low carbohydrate diet helps manage this disease, but you dog’s diet needs to be discussed with your vet.
• For the athletic / hard working dog.  A high protein diet is recommended for increased stamina.
• For the dog that could benefit from losing weight.  High protein diets can increase how full your dog feels after eating, helping your dog through the weight loss journey.

While the PERFECT Grain Free range offers benefits to dogs with particular diet induced health issues, it has been designed as a great, complete and balanced food for all dogs.  So, if your dog is just a happy-go-lucky, much loved family pet, they still get the benefit of a meal made from everything they need, and nothing they don’t; a diet designed for both growing pups and mature adult dogs.

Grains are often used in dog food as they are a cheap source of energy. PERFECT Grain Free dog roll is grain free as we believe that our dog roll should offer more nutritionally to your dog than some quick calories. 

However, if you dog is perfectly happy and healthy, a good ‘rule is thumb’ is to consult your vet on any major changes to your dog’s diet.

If you do decide to change your dog’s diet from a grain based diet to a grain free diet, slowly introduce the change over time. Refer to the How to transition your dog from grain based to grain free food?

A grain free diet is a diet free from wheat, rice, soy, corn and is gluten free.

As grains are often used as a cheap source of energy in commercial dog food, a grain free diet allows your dog to have a nutrient dense diet.  Refer to the Nutrient dense food article.

PERFECT Grain free dog food is made with only 100% New Zealand sourced fresh meat, a small addition of either fresh beetroot or fresh pumpkin, flaxseed oil (a rich source of Omega -3 and -6 fatty acids) and added vitamins and minerals to provide all of the essential nutrients for your dog.

High quality protein sourced from either red or white meat contains important amino acids that your dog needs to thrive.

Equally, a diet rich in protein is beneficial for performance dogs and is recommended for highly active dogs to help build muscle strength and support their energy levels over periods of extended exercise.

A high protein diet also has benefits for a dog who needs to lose weight as protein is involved in satiety (feeling full). So all things being equal, the higher the protein level in the food, the less your dog needs to eat to feel full and satisfied.

For aging pets, high protein diets are considered by many to be a healthy diet option. Senior or aging dogs tend to slow down as they age, so while their calorie requirements may reduce, their need for healthy food is never greater and their need for excellent nutrition to keep their immune system as strong as possible and their joints in good working order is important.

All PERFECT Grain Free dog rolls are made from a single meat source so you know exactly what meat your dog is eating, and allows you to avoid meat sources that you know to upset your dog.

PERFECT Grain Free Beef dog roll is made with only beef as the animal protein source and PERFECT Grain Free Chicken dog roll is made with only chicken as the only animal protein source.

The single meat source allows distinct and different flavours, allowing you to offer your dog choice and variety.

Dog roll is a great choice of food for your dog.

The high moisture content of dog roll as compared to a dry dog food, helps to keep your dog hydrated in addition to allowing you to offer a larger meal size than a dry meal, helping your dog feel fuller from its meal, making it easier to maintain your dog’s ideal weight.

Dog roll is a nutrient dense food for your dog. Nutrient dense foods supply a generous amount of one or more nutrients compared to the number of calories. PERFECT Grain Free dog roll is nutrient dense.  Refer to the What is a nutrient dense dog food article for more information.

The dog roll is gently cooked for easy and efficient digestion, and retains the natural nutrient content in the ingredients while the heating process kills any potential pathogens.

The high protein nature of dog roll is a healthy diet for growing dogs. During puppyhood, when young dogs need more protein to grow, the high protein content of PERFECT Grain Free provides the extra protein a growing dog needs.

Feeding dog roll to your dog offers variety for your dog. Dog roll is easy to serve, and can be offered to the specific needs of your dog; slice, shred, cube, mash, grate or crumble, feed as a meal, a complement to a meal or as a snack treat for your dog.

We define foods that supply generous amounts of one or more nutrients compared to the number of calories as nutrient dense. 

PERFECT Grain Free dog roll is a nutrient dense food that contains a rich level of fresh animal sourced protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats to deliver your dog a complete and balanced diet.

If you are transitioning your dog from grain based to grain free food, it is recommended to do so gradually over several days, by slowing adding a little of the new diet into the old diet.

Any sudden change of diet can cause an upset in your dog’s digestive system causing constipation or diarrhoea. To avoid the risk of this occurring, it is best to gradually introduce the new food over a +/- ten day period. Starting with 10% of the new food mixed into 90 % of the old diet, and increasing the proportion of the new diet addition slowly over time, for instance by 10% a day and reducing the amount of the old diet by 10% a day. This allows your dog’s digestive system to adjust to the new diet.

Keep an eye on your dog’s bowel movements during the transition period to ensure that the speed of the diet transition is not causing digestive upset.

The reality is that it’s completely your choice whether you want to feed your dog grain based or grain free dog food. The most important thing is to choose a food that’s complete and balanced and appropriate for his age, size, and activity level.

One of the best ways to keep your dog healthy is to feed them the right amount of a complete and balanced dog food. Too little food and your dog could suffer from nutritional deficiencies, and too much could lead to obesity and other health problems related to being overweight.

The correct amount of food to feed is very much individual to your dog, and varies greatly depending on your dog’s breed, age, activity, what type of food you are feeding, their metabolic rate, the amount of exercise they get and even the weather, so the best advice is use the feeding guide as just that, a guide and feed to your dog’s condition.

To begin with, review the recommended feeding guide on your dog food’s label. The amounts are usually stated as the recommended amount for your dog over a 24 hour period.

Most adult dogs eat two meals a day (puppies often require three or more feedings), so you will need to divide the amount recommended on the feeding table by the number of meals you are offering your dog each day.

It is important not to over feed puppies as this can cause health issues later in life. Consult  your vet or the breeder who you got your puppy from.  They should be able to give you good advice. The key with puppies is you don’t want them to grow too quickly by over feeding them. Each breed is different so again, talk to your breeder or vet about the rate of weight gain that is healthy for your puppy.

Check your dog’s condition every 2-4 weeks and if your dog is inappropriately gaining or losing weight (body fat), adjust the portion sizes appropriately. In general, dogs who are a healthy weight have an ‘hourglass’ figure from a top down view. Their abdomen should be narrower than their chest and hips. When viewed from the side, they should look ‘tucked up’. This means that when they are standing, their chest is closer to the ground than their belly and lastly, their ribs should not be readily visible, but easily felt with light pressure.

A useful guide on whether you  have the amount that you are feeding your dog right is to reference a ‘Condition Score Chart’ from a reputable organisation such as World Small Animal Veterinary Association.  www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/Body-Condition-Score-Dog.pdf.

Talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your dog’s health or diet.