Good news, buddy, oats are gluten-free! Well, that is, they’re gluten-free if they’ve been properly processed and remain uncontaminated in any way. What you need to be aware of is that, quite commonly, the ingredients used in mass-produced foods- no matter how high quality they are- may come into contact with one another during processing. So, even if oats are the only grain present in your puppy’s food, you cannot rule out the possibility that they haven’t come into contact with ingredients such as rye, or corn. If you’ve got a gluten-free puppy, it’s usually best to stick to a specially crafted grain-free puppy food.
On the plus side, if you’ve got a puppy who’s just fine with grains, oats are a very nutritious source of both protein and the skin-friendly silicon. That’s one of the main reasons why premium brands such as the ones in our NutriSource food reviews include oats and oatmeal into their puppy food and dog food formulas.