If you followthe gluten-free dietand want to eliminate every trace of gluten in your house, you need to look to your pets' bowls along with your own food: dog and cat foods—especially dry foods—frequently contain whole wheat and pure wheat gluten, and many also contain the gluten grain barley.
Westend61/Getty Images
Manufacturers use wheat gluten along with protein from corn in pet foods because those foods need to contain protein to be nutritionally complete, and wheat and corn are much less expensive than animal-based proteins from beef, poultry, or fish. Barley, on the other hand, is added to pet food to provide fiber, plus calories from carbohydrates.
Some people choose pet foods without gluten grains (or even without any grains at all) because they believe those gluten-free or grain-free foods are best for their pets. But for people withceliac diseaseand non-celiacgluten sensitivitywith pets in their households, choosing a gluten-free pet food actually can become a way to improve their own health.
Why Choose Gluten-Free Pet Foods?
However, some people don’t feel better right away, and others feel better initially but then feel worse again after a while.There are several possible reasons this may occur (including reasons which have nothing to do with gluten). But one possible reason is that those who don’t feel better or who relapse happen to bemore sensitive than most to trace gluten. For them, having a gluten-free kitchen and gluten-free household is important. These sensitive people also may react toairborne gluten, such as the dust from dry pet food.
At the same time, many people with pets allow those pets to stay in pretty close contact with their humans—on their laps, in their beds, and in their kitchens. Lots of people feed their pets in a corner of their kitchens (where that dust from dry food could spread), and some people even kiss their dogs on the mouth (yes,you can get glutened from kissing someone, even your dog).
You can see how feeding your pet gluten-filled dog or cat food could be a problem in this instance. Anecdotally, there are some people with celiac and gluten sensitivity who say gluten-free pet food was the final puzzle piece that allowed them to feel better. It’s not clear how many people might fall into this category—researchers have never studied the issue. But it’s certainly helped at least a few people with celiac and gluten sensitivity.
In addition, if you have a young child with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you definitely should consider feeding your pets gluten-free food. Toddlers and younger children tend to get into everything, and it’s not that unusual to find them sharing kibble occasionally with Rover or Spot. Supplying gluten-free kibble will eliminate yet another possible source of gluten-y trouble.
Gluten-free and grain-free pet foods do have one downside: they tend to be more expensive than other dog and cat foods (mostly because they contain more expensive ingredients). If you’re interested in purchasing gluten-free dog or cat food, below are lists of possible brands.
Gluten-Free Dog Foods
The following dog foods don’t contain gluten ingredients:
Gluten-Free Cat Foods
The following cat foods don’t contain gluten ingredients:
How to Find Gluten-Free Pet Foods
You should be aware when shopping for gluten-free pet foods that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s rules on gluten-free labeling don’t apply to these products (those rules apply only to food products aimed at humans, not humans' best friends).
For example, a dog or cat food product might be labeled “gluten-free,” but that could mean the food is free of the ingredient corn gluten (corn gluten is more commonly used than wheat gluten, but despite the confusing name doesn’t actually contain the gluten protein that makes people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity sick). In this case, a product labeled “gluten-free” still could contain whole barley or even whole wheat grains. It might also contain barley malt, another gluten-containing ingredient. Yes, this would be inaccurate labeling, but remember: no one’s policing these labels, and it does happen sometimes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between gluten-free and grain-free pet foods?
Gluten-free pet foods don’t have grains that contain gluten, such as wheat, rye, and barley. However, they may contain other grains such as rice or corn. Grain-free pet foods shouldn’t have any grains at all.
Where can you buy gluten-free pet food?
You can find it both online and in stores. Check with your veterinarian if you have questions about which one would be best for your pet.
A Word From Verywell
Not everyone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity needs to worry about buying gluten-free pet food. Some people do just fine feeding their cats and dogs food that contains barley or wheat ingredients, just as some people do just fine sharing a kitchen with someone who prepares and eats gluten-containing foods.
But if you have pets and you continue to experience symptoms despite following a careful gluten-free diet, you might want to look to their food bowls as one possible source for your symptoms. You might ultimately find it helps you to switch your pets to a food that’s gluten-free.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Kennel Club.Wheat in dog food: What you need to know.Jones AL.The gluten-free diet: fad or necessity?Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(2):118-123. doi: 10.2337/ds16-0022National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Gluten and food labeling.Additional ReadingKasim S. et al.Nonresponsive Celiac Disease Due to Inhaled Gluten. New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356:2548-2549.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Kennel Club.Wheat in dog food: What you need to know.Jones AL.The gluten-free diet: fad or necessity?Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(2):118-123. doi: 10.2337/ds16-0022National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Gluten and food labeling.Additional ReadingKasim S. et al.Nonresponsive Celiac Disease Due to Inhaled Gluten. New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356:2548-2549.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Kennel Club.Wheat in dog food: What you need to know.Jones AL.The gluten-free diet: fad or necessity?Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(2):118-123. doi: 10.2337/ds16-0022National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Gluten and food labeling.
American Kennel Club.Wheat in dog food: What you need to know.
Jones AL.The gluten-free diet: fad or necessity?Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(2):118-123. doi: 10.2337/ds16-0022
National Celiac Association.Airborne gluten.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Gluten and food labeling.
Kasim S. et al.Nonresponsive Celiac Disease Due to Inhaled Gluten. New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356:2548-2549.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
