FDA: Dog Foods & Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy Diet

The FDA issued the following pet food consumer alert today (July 12, 201:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting pet owners and veterinary professionals about reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients. These reports are unusual because DCM is occurring in breeds not typically genetically prone to the disease. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network, a collaboration of government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, are investigating this potential association.
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-in...connection-to-diet-and-heart-disease-in-dogs/
I was aware that grain free feeds were linked to heart problems in Golden Retrievers and other breeds as Kim Kalendar wrote about her concerns with peas/legumes back in 2012.
Recently ive noticed that a few food manufactures are now adding Taurine to the food.
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/grain-free-equals-peas-peas-and-more-peas/
They key seems to be that most grain free formulas and/or legume-based diets (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, alfalfa) may be causing this problem because they either lack an adequate amount of Taurine in their formula, or the legume-based diet interferes with the dog’s ability to absorb the Taurine in the food.
http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/...e-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/
https://www.planetpaws.ca/2015/07/05/the-pea-problem-in-pet-food/

https://biglickvet.com/taurine-defi...omyopathy-golden-retrievers-grain-free-diets/
http://marinretrieverclub.com/dog-dying-congestive-heart-failure/

OMG. I need some time to digest this - no pun intended!

I know that Taurine has to be added to cat food as they cannot get it from meat - or something, and was advised to add it to Pereg's food when she was changed from kibble to raw food.

So many additives in kibble and tinned food - it is like a nightmare at times to know what is or is not necessary for our pets food.

Look at the first 7 ingredients in the grain free kibble that I’ve been feeding, taste of the Wild “pine forest”.

Venison, Lamb Meal, Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Powder. It has no taurine added.

I haven’t read the links yet..

I can’t even count the various different foods I’ve fed my pets over the years, thinking that I was giving them a good food. I had cats before I had dogs, and had both for awhile. Who can you trust...

A bit of a coincidence, but because I thought my two were looking a little portly, I actually changed my dog food last month. The Beags are now 10 and 9 years old, and as I am having hip and knee problems, I will admit that they are not getting as much exercise as they should be having - a two miles walk and a 15 - 20 minute jumping session being their norm these days. Eddie is also maize sensitive, so I have to avoid corn.
I have stuck with the same maker, Wainwrights, but this time went for their Mature 7+ recipe.
This formula is Lamb, meat, meal and gravy 31%.
Brown rice 28%,
Barley 28%,
Linseed 5.5%,
Sugar beet pulp 5%,
Alfalfa (which is a legume) 2%
Minerals, Glucosamine and Chondriatin make up the rest, but there is no mention of Taurine.
Added to this they have a heaped tablespoon of cooked mixed veg. and about 80g of either tinned, tray or real minced meat, to which I add turmeric, fenugreek, parsley, milk thistle, and Omega 3/6 supplements.
I think I may stick to this formula as it doesn't seem too bad, but perhaps add taurine to the supplements.
Comments anybody?

Hang on. I believe people are over reacting. These "studies" always come out. This type of stuff is why "grain free" diets came about in the first place. Tons of "studies" that discovered this and that and sent people into a panic and out to BUY something else their dog "needed".

Online posts that claim deficiencies in some foods and gear people to buy more expensive foods. That's what the "grain free" train started with and this new "study" simply takes it further and tries to get people to buy the even MORE costly "grain free" diets. What a surprise! NOT!

"Grain free" foods aren't necessary at all. Truly they aren't. People who feed "grain free" diets don't have healthier or longer lived dogs. Show me a LEGIT study that proves they do. Seriously. I've always said... Since when was white potato healthier than barley or brown rice. Since never but oh no... Be scared of THE GRAINS.

The allergies, advancing cancer, and poor health in dogs as a whole should signal that these "advances" aren't making much of a difference. I wouldn't go changing a dog's diet because of this. If your dog seems fine, then I think it's wiser to keep doing what you're doing.

Rarely do I find a dog on these sites that is in perfect health and doesn't have some sort of issue. Doesn't matter what they're fed. If they're fed special expensive diets, it's usually BECAUSE they have some sort of food sensitivity.

Carole, please DON'T be hasty to follow up on these studies. I think your dogs are fine and they're already entering senior years and seem like happy enough puppies. I wouldn't change a thing. Not trying to be offensive and wouldn't normally say anything but you did ask for comments.

I believe high amount can be found in the dark meat of turkey and chicken

Please do not forget that Pereg had a NON-diet related condition, and due to the fact that that she needed strong doses of Phenobarbtone,she needed far more supplements to support her liver than a non-epi dog would, and even a no-grain diet would not help an epi Being on a raw diet had nothing to do with it. Neither did grains.

I mentioned cats because if they do not get enough meat in their diet, they need supplementing with taurine, which is why taurine is added to cat food as it is only in meat.

There are plenty of dogs on Breedia who are in perfect health. Pereg was in perfect health, she just tragically had a genetically problem her. Being a mutt of unknown origin of no known back ground called epilepsy Rarely do I find a dog on these sites that is in perfect health and doesn't have some sort of issue. Doesn't matter what they're fed. If they're fed special expensive diets, it's usually BECAUSE they have some sort of genetic problem and/or extreme allergic reaction.

My Lexi? She just died in her sleep. Nothing to do with what I did or not feed her on.

And somehow I am still alive so what I eat must be correct for me.

I think grain free is just a marketing gimmick, some of the grain-free foods are not higher in meat protein, some of them just replace the grain with some other carbs (potatoes, tapioca, peas, etc.), not more meat. Grains are often inexpensive ‘filler’ so they just find some other inexpensive filler.

I have never fed grain free, feed mine on a Lamb and Rice formula, which is also low Taurine ,but they have always been in good condition, with no problems, so i'll stick with it.

You are probably correct Myra.
Thinking back, the Cavaliers etc., had long, happy lives being fed on frozen chicken and tripe with wholewheat biscuits! Canovel tablets or SA37 were pretty standard as supplements, with Stress - extra balanced calcium for puppies and lactating mums. Super Solvitax, cod liver oil with vitamin E, for glossy coats. All probably completely wrong now, but it was very simple in those days.

Similar here.
I remember the days when we could pop into the slaughterhouse and pick up whole tripes, sheep’s heads ect: when that was stopped I fed mostly green minced tripe/beef and tripe with terrier meal biscuits, added some SA37 and seaweed powder.

I never went down the whole tripe route, as we had a good supplier for raw and cooked/minced, but I have pressure cooked many a sheep's head until it fell to a mush. Spleen and ox lips were good value too.
My giant breed friend has never really changed - she has dabbled with kibble, but has gone back to feeding chopped raw beef or tripe, with either biscuit meal or flaked maize, (depending on how much weight they are carrying).

I'm sorry but an Epileptic person or animal is not considered to be in perfect health (at all, even the slightest actually). Epilepsy is a chronic health condition and it can kill or shorten lifespans. Same as cancer or other health issues. That isn't how the word "health" really works. That's not really relevant to the original post but I had to put that out there.

Some people smoke cigarettes daily and neglect their health and live to be 90 etc. Sometimes what you eat isn't the whole of it. I saw a study the other day that said that obesity in women is NOW linked to a LOWER rate of Breast Cancer. For ages they said the rates were HIGHER. It's like what?

Dogs used to do fine on all sorts of diets. I just don't think we need to react so quickly to each and every study that is released. Who knows? Maybe the next study will link a prevalent cancer to the Taurine they're telling people to add and then they say we need to add more Magnesium or something. Where does it stop?

Myra - you know eff all about epilepsy. So do not try to pretend that you do. It is NOT a chronic health condition.Not in humans or in animals. Neither is cancer. And do not dare think you do. The same as you think that just because you read a "study" that said obesity in women have a lower rate in breast cancer.

Oh yeah?

Oh, and epilepsy in humans and animals is NOT a chronic health condition. It is a brain problem. And breast cancer has nothing to to with whether someone is obese or not.

Malka, as usual... You need to be quiet. And censoring the F word is still using the F word. Very mature of you, someone over 70 years old. Bravo. Saying someone or something that is epileptic is in perfect health is actually hilarious. I'm not even going to argue with you about it. And the other points you made weren't actual points so I won't even address them. I don't too much care about you or epilepsy but to say someone or something that has it is in perfect health is absurd. Plainly absurd. I'm not going to go back and forth about this because it deviates from the original topic. Anything else you write will be ignored if it does not pertain to the original topic.

Perhaps unwisely, I have returned to the thread to say that I know quite a few epileptic collies which compete in obedience every weekend. Their disease doesn't prevent them from doing what they have been trained for, though I think we would all hope that it would prevent them from being allowed to produce the next generation.
Another friend does three different dog sports with her much loved and very talented BC, - one of them being Working Trials, which requires the dog to be able to demonstrate a fair degree of fitness. For recreation, he climbs mountains with his owner, but this boy is also an epileptic dog. Would it be fair to describe him as an unhealthy dog?
I don't know whether I am making my point very clearly but, can you be in peak physical fitness and still be called unhealthy?

There are diabetics who are in perfect physical shape and can run marathons with ease. Are they in perfect health too even though they need synthetic insulin to survive and their organs don't all function properly... just SOME of them do? Not sure what point you're trying to make. Is health measured by the level of physical fitness one has? Is that how the word health works? I really don't think so but I mean I guess I could be wrong. Also, you'll notice that I didn't say that epilepsy means one is UNHEALTHY. I said that saying someone or something that is Epileptic is in PERFECT health makes zero sense to me.

Being able to manage an illness or issue with medicines doesn't mean you're in perfect health. I don't get the notion that it does. Even if you're able to function perfectly with the medicine, how can you be called in perfect health? Something is wrong. You have a condition. Medicine just keeps it at bay. And medicine usually isn't foolproof and the issue can often rear it's head despite that. Epilepsy killed her dog young. The dog was in perfect health even still? What? Maybe it's just me but that's not how we use the term perfect health here. Not at all.

And to add to the example...

My last dog Brownie was still physically able to run and jump like a champion... But had a cancer. He could outrun many dogs half his age easily. He wasn't fat. His heart and everything was still strong.

Physically fit + life threatening (health?) issue = perfect health?

I REALLY don't see how it makes even a shred of sense... But again maybe that's just me.

And MANY HIV and AIDS patients are physically fit and look like the picture of health but aren't. These people would be considered in perfect health too using the example that you guys tried to use. It doesn't really work if you ask me. Physical fitness is really not all there is to the word health. It just isn't.

Much like Epilepsy... diabetes, cancer, and HIV are all potentially life shortening and incurable issues. And you can be BORN with any of them (except some may argue cancer). To have any of these and be called in perfect health is odd.

Sorry for the deviation again but I felt like the questions Carole presented were for me and I just wanted to explain my position.