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Old 08-16-2018, 03:23 AM   #6
Wylie's Mom
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Originally Posted by pstinard View Post
I've been waiting for SkeptVet to weight in on this. I've also read this elsewhere, but he seems to think that the issue is more with low taurine content or availability in the food rather than the fact that it is grain-free. Also, he says not to panic unless you have one of the dog breeds that is susceptible to the heart condition, but instead speak with your vet.
Yes, this is true. And that's why we have to really be SO careful to make sure we're correctly interpreting the info that's out there. For example, he quotes Dr. Jennifer Larsen, a nutritionist from UC Davis - pay attention to the following 2 excerpts:

"In the past we have also seen cases of dilated cardiomyopathy and taurine deficiency in dogs eating home-prepared diets (with either cooked and raw ingredients and those with and without meat), and other commercial diets with various ingredients and nutritional profiles. Some of those cases and investigations have been published (others can be found on PubMed):"

"Due to the variable and sometimes incomplete reported diet history information for recently affected dogs, the inability to predict diet performance in any individual from nutritional profile/ingredient information, and lack of proof of causation, it is not possible to identify specific dietary characteristics nor specific products that are or are not recommended at this point."

She also lists SIX different ways a dog can become deficient in taurine, and says "Any of these or a combination may impact taurine status in the dog."

So basically, from my nursing perspective - what I'm reading is no different from when something like this happens in the human medical world and it sounds like this: "We've noticed a *possible correlation* btwn X and Y, but cannot prove it, nor can we prove causation or predictability, nor is there adequate data available. The disease state can also be caused by other factors. We cannot make any recommendations about the correlation bc we have no proof that it's accurate at this time."

When you read more info out there about the correlation, it makes you kinda wonder why they released the info in the first place, ya know...?! It seems way too early to do that, given the "but, wait! we're not exactly sure" tone out there. Kind of strange.

I still think higher protein diets are good for dogs *and* humans, rather than higher carb diets -- just based upon the inflammatory response alone...but really for so many reasons. That said, based upon the possible correlation - I do think it's a wise idea to avoid foods with a high amount of "legumes – beans, lentils, and peas – and root vegetables – white and sweet potatoes" until they gather conclusive data.
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