Beyond grain free: Chia as a modern ancient grain for dogs and cats

Chia seed has a lot to offer as the next new ingredient option in pet food.

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Greg Aldrich, Ph.D.
June 7, 2017
photo by Marilyn Gould | Dreamstime.com
photo by Marilyn Gould | Dreamstime.com

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is a pseudocereal with ancient roots. It gets a great deal of coverage in the human nutrition press as a prospective superfood, especially for novelty cereals, specialty breads and other baking applications. Does this translate in any way to pet foods? Absolutely. Thus, a more thorough coverage of this ancient Central American seed is probably overdue.

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