Wheat

Wheat is a cereal used as a source of carbohydrate and binder in some dog and cat foods, supplying starch, energy, fibre and a share of plant protein including gluten, which helps hold extruded kibble together. Wheat attracts misconceptions similar to those aimed at [maize](/glossary/maize-corn): it is often cast as a mere filler and a major allergen. The evidence is more nuanced. Well-cooked wheat is generally well digested, and wheat allergy exists but stays less frequent than allergy to beef, dairy or chicken (veterinary literature). Wheat gluten is involved in rare, specific disorders, such as a gluten-sensitive enteropathy described in certain Irish setter lines: a particular and uncommon genetic situation, not a general rule. For most dogs, wheat is not problematic. Like any cereal, it supplies little essential amino acid compared with an animal protein, and wheat gluten can be used to raise the stated protein figure, which warrants checking on the ingredient list (FEDIAF). The marker to keep in mind: cooked wheat is a digestible carbohydrate for most animals, and its rejection owes mainly to a marketing trend rather than nutritional fact, apart from documented gluten-sensitivity cases. Weigh it against [barley](/glossary/barley) and [sorghum](/glossary/sorghum) when comparing cereal bases, and see [food allergy versus food intolerance](/glossary/food-allergy-vs-food-intolerance) for the wider picture.

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