In the last decade, the number of pet food manufacturers has increased dramatically. These companies all offer a wide variety of recipes for your pets. Raw, organic, holistic and grain-free formulas are all the rage, but are they really safe for your companions?
In recent years, commercial grain-free recipes have been identified by veterinary cardiologists as potentially responsible for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. Dogs developing DCM will be asymptomatic at first but will exhibit symptoms of heart failure such as coughing, exercise failure and shortness of breath as the disease progresses.
It has long been established that DCM can be the result of a deficiency of a protein (taurine) to which certain breeds are genetically predisposed (Golden Retreiver, Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, Saint Bernard and Irish Wolfhound). In these cases, the addition of taurine supplements was generally sufficient to control the condition.
However, in recent years, several large and medium breed dogs, not genetically predisposed, have been diagnosed with DCM. In the Montreal area alone, veterinary cardiologists see between 2 and 4 cases per week. Although these are mainly large and medium-sized dogs, small dogs and even cats have also been diagnosed with DCM. With this dramatic and unusual increase in DCM cases, specialists have tried to find out if a common factor could be identified. In July 2018, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the United States) began official investigations to evaluate the link between the use of grain-free food and DCM.
Even if we are talking about grain-free diets, the problem also affects foods with exotic ingredients such as kangaroo and venison and vegetarian diets. Lentils and chickpeas are also being singled out.
It appears that an improper nutritional balance or poor proportion of food impacts taurine absorption and therefore makes the animal susceptible to developing dilated cardiomyopathy. To date, very few cases of dogs fed a veterinary formula have been reported compared to those fed the pet store formula mentioned above.
Veterinary cardiologists recommend that owners of dogs consuming these diets change their diet to a choice that is not considered grain-free and have them evaluated by a cardiologist. An ultrasound is generally recommended because, in the case of DCM, the associated heart murmurs are often inaudible to auscultation and the condition may be advanced before symptoms manifest.
Fortunately, the majority of dogs diagnosed with DCM associated with grain-free diets have had their condition improved (and sometimes resolved) with a change in diet. Adding grains or taurine to a suspect diet is generally insufficient and therefore not recommended.
To avoid this cardiac condition, it is recommended to offer your pet a veterinary diet or a diet from a well-established company that develops its recipes with a veterinary nutritionist. Over the next few years, we will therefore be closely monitoring the results of this investigation, which will allow us to further clarify the link between certain recipes and dilated cardiomyopathy and thus prevent this potentially fatal condition.
Companies under surveillance identified by the FDA:
These brands are classified according to the number of cases associated with CMD (between 67 to 10)
- Acana
- Zignature
- Taste of the Wild
- 4Health
- Earthborn Holistic
- Blue Buffalo
- Nature’s Domain
- Fromm
- Merrick
- California Natural
- Natural Balance
- Orijen
- Nature’s Variety
- NutriSource
- Nutro
- Rachael Ray Nutrish