It Is important to get a handle on the facts and then make a choice that is in the best interest of your pet. My opinion is that the titles of the articles are misleading. Several articles have appeared in lay publications that have brought the issue to the public. This is a serious disease so until we know better, pet owners that are feeding this type of food need to be informed. THAT’S RIGHT! WE DON'T KNOW!! There is enough suspicion for the FDA to issue a warning however, and that is significant. The fact is the veterinary medical community JUST DOES NOT YET KNOW WHETHER THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN GRAIN FREE DIETS, TAURINE DEFICIENCY AND DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY. S everal veterinary cardiologist across the country are in the process of evaluating the issue and have yet to draw a direct causal association among grain free diets, taurine deficiency, and DCM. On Jthe FDA issued a public notification about the agency’s investigation into reports of DCM occurring in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients. As of July about 150 cases have been reported through the veterinary Cardiology community. The concern is that DCM is occurring in breeds not typically genetically prone to the disease. A recent article in the New York Times provides a decent overview of the issue ( ). Those diets were determined to be taurine deficient. What is interesting is that this same issue arose in the 90’s in regards to lamb and rice (rice bran) diets. Some (but not all) saw signs of clinical improvement. Since taurine deficiency has been determined to be a cause of DCM, these dogs were placed on a taurine supplement and the diet changed. Some of these dogs were tested and found to have low or very low blood levels of taurine. A suspicion that these diets may lead to taurine deficiency and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) raised the alarm among veterinary cardiologist. ANECDOTAL reports implicated some grain free diets or diets containing legumes (peas, lentils, chick peas, beans, etc). A pattern emerged that several of these dogs were being fed a grain free diet. In early 2018 several cases of Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) were recognized in dogs that do not typically have the disease. At the end, I will provide my opinion and reasonable plans of action that should alleviate some of your concerns about your best friend's best dietary health. However, I will do my best to present the FACTS regarding this particular issue. That's all. There is no perfect diet for every pet. The choice to feed grains or grain free is simply a choice. And even when you do "research" on the internet, how reliable is the source of the information? What you should know is that there has never been any truth to the statement that grains are harmful to our pets and even less evidence (if that is possible) that grain free diets are healthy. There is A LOT of information out there - some accurate and some misleading. Prescription diets are nutritionally balanced some over the counter limited ingredient diets may not be.Ĭertainly opinions abound on the merits of a raw diet, or a grain free diet, or paleo, gluten free, etc etc. I do prescribe limited ingredient diets for my food allergic patients and many of these are grain free. I am not a boarded Cardiologist or Nutritionist. In full disclosure, I am a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist with 35 years of practice experience and I have a Masters degree in Nutrition and Skin. The concern is that Grain Free Diets may lead to taurine deficiency and that taurine deficiency has been linked to Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. This article is designed to sort out fact from conjecture and answer some of your questions. I would imagine that many of you have heard or read about recent concerns regarding grain free diets and the potential for heart disease in dogs eating them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |