Grasses are not GrainsUpdated 2 months ago

In botanical terms, "grass" refers to plants in the Poaceae family, which includes species like wheat, barley, oats, and rice. These plants start as grass in their early growth stages—leafy, green, and not yet producing seeds. 

They become a "grains" later when the plant matures and develops seed heads, which are harvested as cereal grains.  Wheatgrass, barley grass, oat grass, and similar ingredients are the young, pre-grain stages of these grains but not yet grains.

Many top veterinarians including Dr. Billinghurst believe wheatgrass is not the same as wheat grain.  Grasses are highly beneficial and not the same as the grains they produce later in life.

It is only when they later transform into the grain itself that they become any issue to some dogs and cats.  

In simple terms, even people with wheat sensitivities or allergies can have wheatgrass.  The grass form has not produced the sensitive grain or kernel.  That grain (or kernel) is the problem - not the young grass.  The young grass does not in most cases, produce any allergic response associated with the grain that it becomes later in life.

In the context of legal and regulatory labeling laws — especially when using the term "grain free"— this is different and where we have to be more conservative. "Grain free" is a  claim often used in food, pet food, or supplement industries to indicate the absence of ingredients derived from cereal grains, regardless of whether they’re in the seed (grain) or grass stage. The key word here is "derived".  It gets a little murky but we regulatory bodies like the FDA don’t provide a strict legal definition of "grain free".   Industry standards and consumer perception tend to lump grass from grain-producing plants (like barley grass or oat grass) into the "grain" category, even if it’s harvested before seed production.  

So at Gussy's Gut, we just avoid making the claim it's grain-free even though Dr. Billinghurst says it is not the same.

Dr. B says even most sensitive dogs can without reservation take in the Youthful Grasses & Sprouts ingredients!  We always recommend consulting your veterinarian or veterinary dermatologist if you have any concerns about your particular pet.  Show them this article.