Myth: Corn in pet food is just a filler and is often the cause of food allergy
Fact: Corn is a high quality ingredient rich in carbohydrate, protein and essential fatty acids.
Corn is a good source of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid required by dogs and cats. Additionally, corn is abundant in antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta-carotene. This being said, the quality of the corn in pets foods can vary greatly. For this reason Birdneck Animal Hospital always recommends the higher quality pet foods.
Regarding allergies, pets can develop allergies to any protein including grains and meat. Corn does not appear on the most common food allergy list for dogs and cats. The most common food allergies in cats are beef dairy and fish. Dogs are most frequently allergic to beef, dairy, and wheat, followed by lamb, egg, chicken and soy.