FDA names 16 brands of dog food linked to canine heart disease

[matese]

The FDA is investigating more than 500 reports that appear to link dog foods that are marketed as "grain free" to canine dilated cardiomyopathy.
The FDA has been investigating reports of canine heart disease in dogs eating certain pet foods which contained a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes as main ingredients.
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
Most of the reports were associated with dry dog food formulations, but raw food, semi-moist food and wet foods were included. The FDA has not suggested owners change their pets’ diets.
“We’re not saying don’t use these brands, we’re just telling pet owners to work directly with their veterinarians because we’re still investigating,” Lindsay Haake, a spokesperson for the FDA, said.
While the vast majority of cases have been in dogs, there have also been some in cats.
Veterinary cardiologists told NBC News that they aren’t waiting for the FDA investigation to conclude before advising owners to stop feeding the suspect pet foods.
When a dog comes to us and we learn during the history that it’s on a grain-free diet, we advise switching to a non-grain-free diet,” said Dr. Anna Gelzer, a veterinary cardiologist and an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “There’s no scientifically proven benefit to grain-free foods, so why take a chance?”
If you think about wolves, they may ingest the contents of ruminant animals they preyed on, so they are certainly capable of eating grain. There’s no scientific reason for going without grain.
Heart failure is a known issue for larger breeds of dogs, such as Great Danes and German Shepherds, Gelzer said. The breeds most frequently reported to the FDA for the heart disease were golden retrievers, mixed and Labrador retrievers.
But recently the condition started showing up in smaller breeds, which is what caught the attention of veterinarians and eventually the FDA.

[Lovetodream88]

I know of at least 4 yorkies that have been effected by this. One in a very short amount of time and had to be put to sleep. To many of those dog food companies were the pop up fly by night company’s that didn’t put any science into their food. There really isn’t anything wrong with grains. When a dog food comes out it should have to go through a certain process or something with the FDA like with medications.

[Mike_and_Me]

Since you opened a new thread about it I thought I'd copy the link I posted on another thread about food. Our vet also says there's nothing wrong with grains and that a lot of time grain free prescribred/suggested for no reason.
.
.
I found a link with all of the complaints submitted from dog owners to FDA before and after their report in 2018 was published. For those concerned about this topic I think it's worth checking if the food we feed came up in complaints.
Also, out of hundreds complains only 5 of them are yorkies.

https://www.fda.gov/media/128303/download

[matese]

Originally Posted by Mike_and_Me

Since you opened a new thread about it I thought I'd copy the link I posted on another thread about food. Our vet also says there's nothing wrong with grains and that a lot of time grain free prescribred/suggested for no reason.
.
.
I found a link with all of the complaints submitted from dog owners to FDA before and after their report in 2018 was published. For those concerned about this topic I think it's worth checking if the food we feed came up in complaints.
Also, out of hundreds complains only 5 of them are yorkies.

https://www.fda.gov/media/128303/download

Thank you for the link.

Helpful information for pet owners to decide to risk the chance and keep their babies on grain free or change to regular dog food.

[matese]

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.

[matese]

What’s taurine?
Taurineisan amino acid. (For those of us who scraped by in biology, amino acids are the building blocks of protein and our muscles.) This amino sulfonic acid helps some of the most crucial systems function properly. Amino acids for dogshelp in the same way as they do humans. Taurine aids in cardiac function, eye health, immune system function, and in multiple other systems. Taurine is especially concentrated in the heart muscle and contributes to it functioning properly. Basically, taurine rocks.
Why is it important?
Besides, the long list of systems that taurine helps, there’s cause to believe it can benefit animals suffering from Dilated Cardiomyopathy, otherwise referred to as DCM. A heart is a muscle and its main function is to circulate blood. Taurine is the amino acid rockstar friend we never knew we needed. It turns the heart into one mean, blood pumping machine. When taurine levels are low though, the heart becomes weaker and pumps less efficiently (that’s no good). A dog with DCM will have a dilated heart muscle with a bigger heart chamber containing more blood. Because the heart muscle is weaker (taurine is M.I.A.), blood doesn’t circulate through the system the way it should.
Fatigue
Less Energy
Heavy Breathing with Exercise
Coughing
These are all signs associated with DCM. If your furry friend shows any of these signs, please contact your veterinarian immediately. Dilated Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart murmurs, arrhythmia, and fluid in the lungs.
Why kibble just doesn’t cut it.
In order to explain why kibble just isn’t up to snuff, we have to travel back in time, to a decade where denim, big hair and pastels reigned supreme. Hello, 80’s. During this time, a troublesome trend came about that worried a lot of pet parents. Dilated Cardiomyopathy was becoming prevalent in cats. Cats, being true carnivores, really need taurine (which again, is found in meat proteins). Because of the trend, AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, decided to make this a requirement in all cat foods, almost eradicating Acquired Cardiomyopathy in cats (wow!). For dogs, it was presumed that they could develop taurine in their bodies with the help of other sulfuric amino acids. (Some dogs can.) Fast forward to today and AAFCO still doesn’t require taurine in dog foods because sulphur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine, big words, even bigger job) are included in kibble formulas.
So besides those amino acids, what is included in kibble? The Pet Food industry pivoted from high-grain diets to grain-free in recent years. This doesn’t mean that most kibbles are now high in meat content but rather, other fillers have taken grains place. Starches such as potatoes, peas, and tapioca are now commonplace in pet food ingredients. While it’s certainly not bad to give your pets plants and grains, it’s important to understand that these food groups have minimum amounts of taurine. Research out of UC-Davis found that dogs with DCM had grain-free diets and that those dogs’ taurine levels were low.
The main takeaway is that taurine comes from a diet rich in high-quality meats and organs. Proteins come from plants and meat but plant-based proteins alone just don’t have the amount of taurine needed for your pet. Most kibble relies heavily on plant-based proteins which means it’s not a good source of taurine by itself.
Is my dog at risk?
DCM is a chronic disease and effects mid to older aged dogs. It’s important to note that not all dog heart conditions or Dilated Cardiomyopathy can be attributed to low taurine levels but some can. Taurine deficiency is cumulative and takes time to effect organs. Generally, after two to three years, dogs can start exhibiting symptoms. DCM can range from mild to severe and seems to affect larger dogs, 40-50 pounds and above. Larger dogs that are marginal in nutrition will have a larger deficit which accumulates. Also, though all dogs have the potential for DCM, these breeds may be more susceptible:
Dobermans
Boxers
Golden Retrievers
Great Danes
Cocker Spaniels
Dilated Cardiomyopathy can certainly be fatal but dogs can also live for years based on the severity of the disease. Even better, quality of life for dogs affected with DCM can improve once meat-based proteins high in taurine are added to their diet. Improvements were seen in dogs with DCM in as early as one month’s time. So remember, meat is good for your dog (they’re carnivores after all).

[lilgidget]

Thanks for all your suggestions and info on various dog foods. Now I just have to decide what is best for her very dry skin and weeping eyes. The Royal Canin which she's been on for 3 years isn't solving the problems.

[matese]

Have you seen your vet about your babies dry skin and weeping eyes.

Does your baby have dry skin all the time or just in the winter when we have to use heat.
Weeping eyes, does she have this year round.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Mike_and_Me

Since you opened a new thread about it I thought I'd copy the link I posted on another thread about food. Our vet also says there's nothing wrong with grains and that a lot of time grain free prescribred/suggested for no reason.
.
.
I found a link with all of the complaints submitted from dog owners to FDA before and after their report in 2018 was published. For those concerned about this topic I think it's worth checking if the food we feed came up in complaints.
Also, out of hundreds complains only 5 of them are yorkies.

https://www.fda.gov/media/128303/download

Something to keep in mind is that just because only 5 yorkies were reported doesn’t mean there are not more. I know 4 this happened to that were yorkies, one of which is an extremely close friend. It’s justs not worth the risk because ONLY 5 listed were yorkies. No yorkies listed would still make me not use those foods and ingredients. Grain free was an unfounded fad that popped up with really no science behind it. It’s not just grain free though it’s foods using the ingredients of peas, lentils and potato’s as protein sources.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by lilgidget

Thanks for all your suggestions and info on various dog foods. Now I just have to decide what is best for her very dry skin and weeping eyes. The Royal Canin which she's been on for 3 years isn't solving the problems.

I know I have said this before but please listen. Those aren’t necessarily issues caused by the food they can be caused by environmental allergies, the wrong shampoo and so many things. Food allergies no matter what you read online are rare very rare. You would be much better off making a vet appointment and talking to the vet about what they think is going on. Switching shampoos and bathing more often might fix the skin issue or adding in a conditioner. Some dogs no matter what you feed and change still have leaky eyes. All of mine have some kind of eye boogers or drainage no matter what food they were on. Some will have those issues and some won’t. I have no issues cleaning eye areas if it means they are on a safe food.

[matese]

My last vet visit Dec. 22, 2019, I was discussing grain free and limited ingredient foods with my vet. My vet told me in one year she has had 100 dogs die from heart disease. She told me to switch to a regular dog food, not limited ingredients. My vet did not say big or small dogs. Size, breed, matters not, it's the food that matters.

[Mike_and_Me]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Something to keep in mind is that just because only 5 yorkies were reported doesn’t mean there are not more. I know 4 this happened to that were yorkies, one of which is an extremely close friend. It’s justs not worth the risk because ONLY 5 listed were yorkies. No yorkies listed would still make me not use those foods and ingredients. Grain free was an unfounded fad that popped up with really no science behind it. It’s not just grain free though it’s foods using the ingredients of peas, lentils and potato’s as protein sources.

I didn't say it's WORTH the risk. I simply stated the statictic of the complaints. The research on taurine says larger breed dogs are more at risk for taurine deficiency than small breed.
Also, I keep writing in several messages that I'm not a fan of grain free and we don't feed grain free and you keep answering my messages with "grain free is a fad" etc. Why? I'm not arguing with you.

[Lisa and Pic]

So, what do y'all think is a good dog food now?

[matese]

Originally Posted by Lisa and Pic

So, what do y'all think is a good dog food now?

Anything that is not grain free or limited ingredients. It's a roll of the dice.


My kid had been eating Natural Balance LID for 1 1/2 years until he stopped eating it, then I went to Wellness Core grain free for appox. 4 1/2 years. Reason I choose limited ingredients then grain free was because Cody has allergies, not knowing if it was food related or environmental. He was on Apoquel pills then Cytopoint monthly injections as soon as Cytopoint was released.

I figured I had all bases covered by giving him a grain free diet and Cytopoit to take care of environmental allergies. Then this taurine deficiency over grain came out, so it's back to regular dog food. I am sure a lot of ppl give grain free for the same reasons I choose.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Mike_and_Me

I didn't say it's WORTH the risk. I simply stated the statictic of the complaints. The research on taurine says larger breed dogs are more at risk for taurine deficiency than small breed.
Also, I keep writing in several messages that I'm not a fan of grain free and we don't feed grain free and you keep answering my messages with "grain free is a fad" etc. Why? I'm not arguing with you.

Since I am an early bird and Taylor (Lovetodream) is not, let me answer your question. Many ppl new and old members reads these threads, Taylor is only re-enforcing grain free is not worth the risk to feed our dogs. Taylors replies are not aimed at you regardless of how many threads or replies you put out here, she is going to re-enforce grain free is not worth the risk. Everyone reading a thread does not read ALL the replies, they see the last one and reason Taylor always replies the same. Please do not take it as being directed at you it is not. The longer you stay with YT you will see many ppl only read the last post, it is imperative they know the reasons why. I do hope I have cleared this up.