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Aren’t dogs carnivores? And if they are, why do we feed them grain and vegetables? A very interesting question, reader Dianne, I’ll do my best. Though dogs are natural hunters, they aren’t strictly speaking carnivores. Sometimes they’re classified as omnivores, but that doesn’t quite capture it either, since dogs can’t make a living eating shoots and leaves. “Scavenger” is another term I’ve heard, though to my mind “opportunist” seems more apt, since dogs will take their protein pretty much wherever they can get it, whether in the form of meat (fresh or carrion), grain, eggs, insects, vegetables, roots or, ehem…less appealing forms. I’m not a zoologist or vet so someone with some real expertise ought to weigh in here. Suffice to say, however, that grain is well within the spectrum of what a canine’s system is capable of assimilating. Of the ingredients in the below biscuit recipe, the only thing they don’t digest well is corn — at least in its uncooked state (but we’re going to bake it).