Whole Grain Oatmeal

Oat mills make flakes from harvested grain. They remove the hard outer hull but keep the edible kernel, then use steam and rollers to make oatmeal. Flakes may be ground for kibble.^2,5

1. 01 // Source Harvested oats Grain arrives at the mill with a hard hull around each edible kernel.
2. 02 // Process Clean and hull Screens remove stray material, and an impact huller separates the hull from the groat.
3. 03 // Process Steam and roll Steam softens the groats before rollers flatten them into flakes.
4. 04 // Process Grind if needed Rolled oats may be ground before they are mixed into an extruded dog food.
5. 05 // Output Whole grain oatmeal Flakes or ground oats reach the kibble plant with the edible kernel retained.

1. 01

   Supplies kibble starch

   Oat starch cooks during extrusion and helps form kibble. Once digested, it supplies energy; a dog trial found an oat groat diet highly digestible.^1,4

2. 02

   Adds fermentable fiber

   The edible kernel retains fiber. In a dog feeding trial, the oat groat diet produced more fecal fermentation products than the rice diet.¹

3. 03

   Uses existing mills

   Mills already clean, hull, steam and roll oats in bulk. That gives kibble makers a grain ingredient supplying starch, fiber and some protein.^4,5

4. 04

   Offers another grain option

   Manufacturers can use ground rolled oats in extruded recipes alongside other ingredients. A controlled trial made complete diets with oats as a substantial grain source.²

How much Dog trials tested oat ingredients at 25% and 40% of complete diets; neither amount is a published norm for commercial recipes.^1,2

1. Brands say

   Oatmeal supplies digestible carbohydrate

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dehulled oats average about 61% starch on a dry basis. In a controlled 10-dog study, a diet with 40% oat groats had macronutrient digestibility above 80% and formed stools. Oatmeal is a useful energy source.^1,4

2. Brands say

   Oat fiber improves gut health

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 10-dog crossover study, a diet with 40% oat groats raised fecal short-chain fatty acids compared with rice. That shows fermentation, but the study did not measure a lasting health benefit or test smaller amounts.¹

3. Brands say

   Oatmeal lowers a dog's cholesterol

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In an 18-dog crossover trial, a diet with 25% ground rolled oats did not lower cholesterol versus wheat. A separate 14-dog trial found a reduction with concentrated oat beta-glucan. The extract result does not support the oatmeal claim.^2,3

4. Brands say

   Oatmeal keeps blood sugar steady

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 10-dog oat groat study found no glucose advantage over rice. In an 18-dog crossover trial, the diet with 25% oats produced higher post-meal glucose exposure than wheat. Neither result supports a blood sugar promise.^1,2

5. Critics say

   Oatmeal is just cheap filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dehulled oats average about 61% starch, and a diet containing 40% oat groats remained highly digestible in 10 dogs. Oatmeal supplies energy and helps make kibble; calling it filler ignores those jobs.^1,4