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FDA Update to DCM Investigation clarifies a few things

In a surprising move, the June 2019 FDA update names brands of pet foods linked to DCM in dogs. (Perhaps that’s why they told industry first – giving them time to prepare.)

In a surprising move, the June 2019 FDA update names brands of pet foods linked to DCM in dogs. (Perhaps that’s why they told industry first – giving them time to prepare.)

In a full year of FDA investigation into an increase of pet food/feed related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) cases in dogs, the Agency appears to be no closer to providing pet owners any answers. FDA did provide pet owners with a massive amount of data in their June 2019 update, most significantly the FDA released the brand names associated with the more than 500 case reports they have received.

The FDA compiled all brands that were reported more than 10 times:

If we rearrange the same data as above into categories of manufacturer, the numbers look a bit different. As example, Acana and Orijen pet foods are both manufactured by Champion Pet Food. Nutro and California Natural are both manufactured by Mars Petcare. Taste of the Wild is a Diamond Pet Food brand, and though it can only be confirmed by the brand (who often claims it is proprietary information) – it is believed that Nature’s Domain and 4Health is also manufactured by Diamond. Rearranging the FDA data by manufacturer looks like this:

Pet owners have – previous to this June 2019 FDA update – been told far too many times that the cases of DCM were directly linked to boutique brands of pet food. Thanks to this FDA update we know that information wasn’t very accurate. The U.S. leaders in pet food sales are Mars, Purina, General Mills, Smuckers and Diamond; all listed with high numbers of FDA DCM reports.

Pet owners have also been repeatedly told – previous to this June 2019 FDA update – that exotic protein ingredients were directly linked to cases of DCM. This update proves that information wasn’t very accurate either. The FDA provides this information on protein types linked to DCM cases:

What would have been a proper investigation by FDA (but hasn’t been discussed thus far), is determination of the quality of the Chicken, Lamb, Salmon and so on ingredients of each pet food.

Example: when “Chicken” is listed on a pet food label ingredient panel – the ingredient can be USDA inspected and passed chicken, USDA inspected and condemned chicken, whole chicken, chicken bones (no meat), chicken skin (no meat) and/or a slew of other types of chicken.

Also, the FDA did not clarify if in the above chart “Chicken” or “Lamb” is chicken or chicken meal or lamb or lamb meal which have quality variations as well.

It would be very telling information for pet owners to learn the quality of the animal protein ingredients used in the pet foods reported to FDA. (FDA did not allow us – Association for Truth in Pet Food – to participate in their investigation as they did Pet Food Institute. We certainly would have asked for that investigation if they would have allowed us.)

The FDA also released data of common ingredients used in the pet foods linked to DCM reported to the Agency.

Another interesting perspective that FDA failed to determine (or at least failed to provide pet owners) would have been to determine what percentage of each of these diets were peas or lentils or potatoes (or the combination). Such as, were some of the reported brands using 30% peas and lentils, 40%, 50%? This again would be very telling information that would benefit pet owners (though clearly it would not be beneficial to manufacturers for pet owners to know).

FDA also provided an update to the types of pet foods involved.

Dry/kibble pet foods remain the leading style of pet foods linked to DCM.

FDA mentioned in numerous places of their update how they continue to work with industry. As reminder, we have been provided evidence that the FDA was working with industry long before they even notified pet owners of their investigation.

While the June 2019 update is information and is of value, it remains fact that more than 1 year into this investigation pet owners are left with little assistance to protect their pets. While we wait for answers, FDA continues to allow pet food to violate federal law, continues to allow waste to be disposed of into pet food with no warning or disclosure to pet owners, continues to facilitate a means for AAFCO to own the legal definitions and regulations of pet food keeping pet owners in the dark about their pet food purchases.

Click Here to read the June 27, 2019 FDA update.

Click Here to read the case reports.


Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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94 Comments

94 Comments

  1. Dianne Wardlow

    June 28, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Years ago when I was breeding Collies in New York the dog world told everyone to stay away from Diamond Foods, they had their own brand back then. I have always adhered to that advice and stopped using Taste of the Wild for that reason. Thank you for the good work you do and please don’t give up.

    • Laurie Raymond

      June 28, 2019 at 4:01 pm

      Diamond has several manufacturing plants, several of which repeatedly fail inspections. Yet they keep cranking out those bags of crap. I watch the pet food companies like a hawk because, as a retailer, I know how much and how fast things can change. I’ve also learned that if a company will lie about one thing, it will lie about anything it perceives is in its interest to do. Years ago, Champion made quality products. Then they had a fire and lied about everything to do with product availability to both distributors and retailers. They got HUGE and tried to pretend they could export food to 26 countries in 5 continents and still rely on their regional family farms for ingredients.

    • ~Pet Owner~

      June 28, 2019 at 6:18 pm

      I believe Diamond is responsible for “Nature’s Domain.” You see people wheeling bags upon bags of it out of Costco on pallets. I like Costco. But they were the famous suppliers of Jerky Treats from China. They may do well by their human customers. But apparently there aren’t many dog lovers on their Buyer;s advisory board.

  2. Katie R

    June 28, 2019 at 1:03 pm

    I appreciate your in depth evaluation of this report, but you certainly left out some important data. Over 50% of the breeds associated in this study are retrievers (Golden, Labrador, mixed breeds which are mostly going to be part retrievers). From my viewpoint, this looks to be a genetic disease (which DCM was always associated to be) that has spread into other breeds, notably, the most bred breeds. Could be more to the story than the food as a culprit. I only bring this up as I love my pets and feel the overbreeding or lack of discipline in breeding is becoming a problem.

    • Krista J

      June 28, 2019 at 1:47 pm

      For many of these DCM dogs, once a change is made in the diet, the DCM starts to improve-which is a strong suggestion that it is diet related rather than genetic. I had a beautiful, intelligent Doberman that dropped dead (despite being on meds and under the care of a cardiologist) while running through the field in February of 2018, just months before the FDA first released this information. Although, DCM in Dobermans is genetic, I can’t help but wonder if I would have had more time with my precious friend if I had switched him off a grain free diet.

      • Jeff

        June 28, 2019 at 5:26 pm

        >which is a strong suggestion that it is diet related rather than genetic

        No reason that it can’t be both. If you read the FDA report, it suggests the problem might be taurine deficiency, which some breeds cannot produce as well / at all, most notably goldens. Taurine deficiency tends to cause heart problems and is rare outside of animals that can’t endogenously produce it

        • Patricia

          June 30, 2019 at 9:00 am

          In addition, peas/legumes are ingredients preventing the taurine absorption which leads to the DCM. I don’t understand how manipulating the data presented by the FDA is a credible thing to do just because the author refuses to see the correlation between grainfree and this horrible disease.

          • Tipsy.Trex

            July 1, 2019 at 1:30 pm

            Huh?
            “Nutritional research indicates that taurine is generally not considered an essential amino acid for dogs, because these animals can synthesize taurine from cysteine and methionine. Nearly all the grain-free products had methionine-cystine values above the minimum nutritional requirement of 0.65 percent for adult maintenance food for dogs published in the AAFCO Official Publication (OP).”
            – quoted directly from the FDA report

            The FDA report is very clear that they have no idea what is causing this yet.

        • Tipsy.Trex

          July 1, 2019 at 1:29 pm

          No it doesn’t.
          “Nutritional research indicates that taurine is generally not considered an essential amino acid for dogs, because these animals can synthesize taurine from cysteine and methionine. Nearly all the grain-free products had methionine-cystine values above the minimum nutritional requirement of 0.65 percent for adult maintenance food for dogs published in the AAFCO Official Publication (OP).”
          – quoted directly from the FDA report

      • Judi

        June 28, 2019 at 5:32 pm

        I’m so sorry for your loss. That’s such an awful experience for you.

    • Reader*

      June 28, 2019 at 6:35 pm

      May be, but the consequential tie-in is that breeders, and breeders of large litters automatically feed a high volume of PF. And larger breeds tend to eat a lot of Kibble because it’s more economical. So if there was a propensity towards a genetic defect, then it could be that a wrong or deficient diet in those cases is generating more reports. Even so that Fancier’s group is going to want to understand the connection (why) … what is the food doing to the breed. So I wouldn’t be so hasty about chalking it up to a segment of the dog population. They’re probably the “canary in the coal mine” representing a larger problem out there.

    • Bobbie Irish

      July 1, 2019 at 3:06 pm

      Genetic problems don’t just usually disappear, at least genetic problems with main organs/bone, with a change of diet, or addition of a certain supplement, as does DCM

    • cassie

      July 8, 2019 at 4:01 pm

      Just a quick correction, DCM is mostly found in the following breeds: Doberman Pinscher, Boxer, Scottish Deerhound, Irish Wolfhound, Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Afghan Hound, and Cocker Spaniel. Goldens were mentioned because it was atypical that they were showing signs of DCM.

      • Jeanmarie

        July 24, 2019 at 11:49 pm

        It depends on whether you’re talking genetic DCM or diet-related DCM. Of course there may well be an overlap, but the diet-related DCM has affected many breeds of dogs.

    • Jeanmaire

      July 24, 2019 at 11:46 pm

      There is reason to believe that Golden Retrievers may be over reported compared with other breeds because there has long been awareness of DCM among Golden owners and breeders and much information has been shared in social media groups, email listservs, etc.

    • Jeanmarie

      July 24, 2019 at 11:52 pm

      These are also the most commonly owned breeds, which explains why they are showing up more than other breeds. The sample size is too small to know at this point whether they are showing up in the lists of DCM patients for other reasons than their numerical dominance among dog breeds.

  3. Cannoliamo

    June 28, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    Susan,

    With regard to my earlier comment (on your 6/24 article), none of the above charts or graphs have ANY scientific validity unless they are normalized to the data. If twice a much dietary chicken is fed to these pets as dietary turkey, the expected result is that there will be twice as many cases of DCM among the chicken-fed pets. If the brand distribution contains four times as much Diamond food as Smuckers food, the expected result is 4 times as many DCM cases for the Diamond food fed dogs. If 10 times as much dry food is fed as raw food, the DCM cases would be expected to be 10 times higher for the dry food than for the raw food.

    These FDA results are invalid, unscientific and misleading without presenting the raw data or the statistical analysis.

    • Observer

      June 28, 2019 at 6:41 pm

      The mathmatical analogy sounds great on paper. But it doesn’t matter. The reality is “what” is being fed and the “quantity” of it across the dog population (sheesh). In fact feeding twice as much and generating twice the reports is a balanced relationship anyway! Everything is proportional. That’s the point.

    • Treesart

      June 30, 2019 at 12:28 am

      Cannoliamo – you are absolutely correct! This is science 101 stuff. Showing what percentage of reported DCM dogs ate chicken-based food means NOTHING, unless you compare it to the percentage of dogs WITHOUT DCM that ate chicken-based food. The same applies to peas, or grain-free diets in general.

      There is absolutely ZERO evidence of causation here, let alone good correlation – the other half of the data is missing. I could make a chart for how many owners of DCM dogs had linoleum in their kitchen…it would have the same validity.

      One major confounding factor that no one mentions is that owners observant enough and willing to spend the money to diagnose DCM by going to a cardiologist and spending many hundreds of dollars are also more likely to feed the non-grocery foods.

      The FDA absolutely needs to publish the same statistics for NON-affected dogs to compare the two groups, and even that does not come close to a well controlled study. I can’t help but think there are other motives here, why would FDA release what is basically junk science, and name specific brands when they have zero evidence of causality?

      I’m not saying there could not be a link between diet and DCM (the taurine deficiency has proven examples), but you could also argue it is caused by linoleum or LED light bulbs if you want to use these methods as your standard.

      • Geordie

        June 30, 2019 at 2:52 pm

        Thank you, Cannoliamo and Treesart, for pointing out the absurdity of any conclusions based on this data.

        I do think the FDA released all the case reports it received. But the FDA isn‘t an agency set up to investigate disease, and it doesn’t get to choose who reports or what’s reported. The cases in the table released by the FDA are those that happened to be reported.

        It would be interesting to see whether these cases were distributed across cardiologists US-wide, or whether there are clusters of cases from a few vets (and if the latter is the case, whether any if these vets have a record of promoting certain brands).

        Also, the vets who reported these cases weren‘t reporting all the cases of DCM they had; they were reporting the ones in which they suspected a link with diet. So what we have is a table of “foods more likely to be suspected by certain vets”.

        And now Facebook is full of people saying “Oh no, I switched to X because I thought it was better, I don‘t want my girl to get sick, I‘m changing back to Purina“. Honi soit qui mal y pense.

        • Geordie

          June 30, 2019 at 3:04 pm

          “The FDA doesn‘t choose what is reported” — I need to retract this. See Cats Herd You‘s comment below.

    • Andre Savino

      July 1, 2019 at 11:41 am

      Yep. Correlation does not mean causation. Every person that was alive and is now dead ate food, therefore food causes death, so don’t eat food. Lies, damn lies, and statistics. Now maybe they are on to something or maybe not, but what is published tells me nothing scientific.

  4. Terri Sidell

    June 28, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Dear Susan, Thank-you for the FDA update to DCM investigation. It seems to me the manufactures lowered the real protein in the dog food to plant protein,may be the reason for the DCM problem.

    • Dianne & Pets

      June 29, 2019 at 12:29 am

      Have you also noticed how rapidly these plant based “meats” are infiltrating the human food supply as well?

    • Treesart

      June 30, 2019 at 12:41 am

      Terri – This is best sense I could make out of the FDA releases. I am also seeing way too many brands and formulas now containing ‘pea protein’ and ‘potato protein’, even some formerly good quality foods. If whole peas/legumes are used (which is superior to the processed fractions), you are still bringing about 25% protein by weight from just the peas/legumes. The recent move into legumes, and now the vegetable protein concentrates, makes it very possible that the lower protein grain-free foods could lack enough taurine for susceptible dogs.

      That doesn’t feel too convincing when I see several higher protein foods on the list, but it was the only causative link I could think of – either a lack of taurine or something making it less available.

      I think in general pet owners finally wised up to ‘meat and bone meal’ and ‘corn gluten’, and now companies have found other ways to reduce ingredient costs 🙁

      • Terri Sidell

        June 30, 2019 at 12:40 pm

        Using plant protein as a substitute for a dog with liver or kidney disease works well,because their liver & kidneys can not handle meat protein. For the average healthy dog,substituting plant protein in place of meat type proteins is not good, since the Taurine level is lowered. Taurine comes from meat protein, not plant protein. Turkey has the highest level of Taurine. What it appears is the dog food manufactures have done is
        substituted the amount of meat protein to more plant protein in their dog food. In other words if the bag says 38% Protein, perhapes they only used 10% real meat protein, and substituted the rest of the protein for plant protein. If a dog food did not have Taurine in it, we added 500 mg. 2x a day for our Standard Poodle. This problem with DCM is not new. In 2008 other breeds had this problem too.

  5. jennifer hahn

    June 28, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Raw feeding is obviously the best-WHERE’S THE BEEF?

    • Observer

      June 28, 2019 at 6:47 pm

      It’s not that it’s “raw” _ food. It’s that it’s whole food, uncompromised by excessive cooking. Keep in mind that many brands of commercial raw food are “HPP’d” to minimize the transmission of (or exposure to) bacteria, and that process compromises the product to some degree. So I would argue that the “best” format of food is natural, whole food, minimally processed … (which could be local ranch slaughtered protein) or that is homemade AS LONG AS it can be properly supplemented (or balanced) over the very long term. Few people have that ability (time or energy) to vary the diets enough to do what commercial PF has been tasked to do … and yet will not do …. because of the desired profit margin. Rotational feeding is actually the most desirable.

  6. Hope Williams

    June 28, 2019 at 1:54 pm

    I love the way you look at things/data Susan! Your perspective helps all of us do a better job of education of others and with ourselves. Thank you….

  7. Susan Druck

    June 28, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    Two things occurred to me after reading the FDA report:
    First, none of the foods mentioned were the foods from
    the lower end of pet food brands, and second, canned
    foods did not seem to be involved.

    • Sam Maurice

      June 29, 2019 at 6:36 pm

      I wonder if there’s an economic component to this in that people who tend to pay for necropsies or see specialists are those who have a higher income and thus can also afford to feed the higher priced brands while those who have smaller budgets likely feed less expensive food and probably can’t afford to the expense of a necrospy or specialist and so if their dog does die of DCM they don’t know and therefore wouldn’t report it.

      • Treesart

        June 30, 2019 at 12:44 am

        Yep – this is a huge confounding factor!

  8. Holly Champaign

    June 28, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    For those of you on Twitter (of which I am not), consider tweeting this article to @SBakerMD (one of the carnivore diet docs), Brian Sanders @FoodLiesOrg and Nina Teicholz @bigfatsurprise and finally Prof Gad Saad @GadSaad (who recently lost his beloved dog) – you maybe able to get some additional traction on Susan’s work.

  9. Jackie Hastings

    June 28, 2019 at 2:57 pm

    It looks like no one knows,I am a little upset that we still have no answers.vets are saying Purina,Science diet,Pedigree,etc are better.Idisagree

    • Bam

      June 29, 2019 at 7:21 pm

      Jackie, all those foods had cases as well listed by the FDA. so how are they safe?

  10. Margo F

    June 28, 2019 at 3:46 pm

    My dog was diagnosed with DCM a few months after her 8th birthday. She was given only l2 months to live. After the diagnosis, we started cooking for her (organics); the cardiologist put her on several medications; and we researched and purchased several supplements to help her ailing heart.

    Miraculously, she will be eleven years old in August. We walk about a mile most days and recently we were able to cut back on a couple of her medications, although she still experiences some gagging. She is happy and full of life, and we consider each day she is with us a blessing.

    We have spent thousands of dollars over the past few years in caring for our wonderful
    Labradoodle, Bailey. She is like a child to us as I’m sure others feel the same way about their dogs.

    Yes, for years we used Taste of The Wild, a grain free dog food manufactured by the Diamond Company as referenced in your chart. The sad thing is that we thought we were giving our dog one of the best brands possible only to learn later that this could be what was damaging her heart.

    Thank you for all of the research you have done. I can see this turning into a class action suit against these pet food manufacturers. Has there been any talk of this?

    If there are readers out there interested in how we helped our dog get better, I’d be glad to share. Caring for her put me on a spiritual journey unlike any other. The gratitude I feel cannot be expressed in words.

    • Debbie

      June 28, 2019 at 10:49 pm

      Less than 1% of the entire dog population in the US get DCM and of those only .01 have been even cursorily connected to the food brands.

      There are so many other things to consider before accusing the companies of bad faith and expecting a pay out.

      • Observer

        June 29, 2019 at 11:32 am

        If it’s YOUR dog, then the >1% matters.

      • Jeanmarie

        July 25, 2019 at 12:00 am

        There is probably considerable under-reporting of DCM, and as others have pointed out, it’s partly an economic issue. Owners with fewer resources aren’t making as many trips to the vet, and their dogs may go undiagnosed until too late, and then may not ever get any answers.

    • Noreen N,

      June 29, 2019 at 1:14 am

      Hi Margo F, first I want to thank you for sharing your success story with us. I, for one, am very concerned about all this talk about dog food being harmful/fatal to our babies. I am so happy that your baby has lived beyond what the vets expected and hope she lives a very long time. I have a 4 year old Shih Tzu who I also love as my child. To me, he is my baby and I would do anything and everything to protect him and make the necessary changes if it will make him live a longer and healthier life. I can’t bear the thought of losing him or watching him suffer. I’d rather it was me that’s how much I love my Benji. He is on one of the Kibble dry dog foods that was mentioned, NutriSource for small to medium dogs. I read that it is not wise to change their food since it could cause GI problems. We also mix in some plain boiled skinless Organic chicken and baked Organic sweet potato with the kibble. The Vet said it was okay to do this because he is fussy and was refusing the kibble alone. We also boil some low fat hamburg and mix it in once a day. He is given 3 small meals a day because he will throw up if he is on an empty stomach for too long so the Vet also said it was fine to split up his meals into 3 small ones. This seems to work fine and he eats only what he wants but at least he’s getting something in his stomach to avoid acid coming up. My question is how harmful is the Kibble that he is eating since it was also mentioned on here as not being good. To me it seems as though none of them are good. What to do besides worry myself to death that I’m harming him unintentionally of course. I would never forgive myself if there was something I could have done to prevent this DCM problem. Is there anything you can suggest? I’d really appreciate it and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to discuss my concerns with you for the love of my very precious little baby, Benji. Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Noreen N.

      • Muckel

        June 29, 2019 at 12:01 pm

        Don’t be afraid to change, just to it slowly. If you want, 1/4 every week. Give a good quality probiotic also.

        Variety is best (protein, brands, wet, dry, raw, kibble…) to avoid excess and deficiancies.

      • Krista J

        June 29, 2019 at 1:06 pm

        Since you’re already cooking for him, why not just switch to 100% homemade. Just make sure you balance it appropriately. You can just add a meat, veggie and carb to a premade mix such as “Balance It” or “Meal Mix” to provide the proper vitamins and minerals.

      • B Dawson

        June 29, 2019 at 4:08 pm

        First, you are doing a good job with your little Benji. You’ve picked a kibble and are mixing in fresh real foods to improve the nutrition and keep it interesting for a finicky eater. You are also providing lots of trace nutrients that might be lacking in a commercial bagged food. If things are going well, why change too much? Frankly the only way to improve is to stop using kibble completely and use something like Honest Kitchen or a complete home prepared diet. You’re already 2/3 of the way there!

        Second, changing a food slowly, especially if you keep mixing in all the extras that you are, shouldn’t upset the GI tract. Sudden large changes can. Try a 50/50 mix of old and new kibble and see how it’s tolerated. If there’s a poor reaction, use more of the old and less of the new for a few days, then increase the new slowly as tolerated.

        Thirdly, just because the foods in FDA’s report had complaints filed against them doesn’t mean they are ‘bad’ foods. It means that some dogs reported health problems while eating the foods. The link between any of these foods as the direct cause of DCM has not been established. Something is definitely going on, but there are a lot of moving pieces here.

        The last estimate I remember is that there are 60 million households with at least one dog. This report covers 500 cases. I don’t think this is an epidemic that should be stressing pet owners just yet.

      • Terri Sidell

        June 30, 2019 at 12:26 pm

        Many dogs will vomit if their stomach is empty,yellow bile. We have found if we give them “cookies”, something to eat, throughout the day, they will not vomit.

    • Karen

      June 29, 2019 at 12:15 pm

      Margo, I would love to know the supplements you are giving and the food you are now cooking for your pup. My sweet baby was just diagnosed with DCM. She has been eating Nutro ever since she was a puppy. The cardiologist also has put her on several medications and has asked us to switch her food gradually to Science Diet which we have done. She’s now starting to cough a little and gagging. I’m just so upset about all of this. I can’t sleep at night because I’m always making sure that she’s breathing ok, etc. Any info would be so appreciated.
      Thank you!! ?

    • Bam

      June 29, 2019 at 7:24 pm

      I am very sorry to hear about your dog but you dog was given meds….so how would you know if his improvement was due to meds or food? that is the problem with all this…if you get meds, there is not proof it was food.

    • Bobbie Irish

      July 1, 2019 at 3:17 pm

      I simply don’t see any “class action suit” if nobody is able to prove any particular food actually caused DCM. What particular ingredient in T of W is the causative ingredient that causes a dog to acquire DCM? Until these things are determined, I’d save your money, as surely there are people out there ready to run a scam on any such “class action suit”.

    • Arthur Dent

      August 20, 2019 at 10:32 am

      Under the law dogs are considered property so even if you did win your damages would be limited to the retail cost of the puppy, maybe even reduced by the age. Your emotional pain would not be considered.

  11. Karen J

    June 28, 2019 at 3:55 pm

    California Natural hasn’t been made in almost 2 years (or longer), so I’m deeply confused as to why it’s even on this list of dog foods, when you literally can’t find or buy it anywhere!!!

    • Alice

      June 28, 2019 at 8:29 pm

      California Natural was confusing me also.

    • Ninaetc

      July 2, 2019 at 10:59 am

      My understandins is this is data from 2014 – 2019 so could include foods no longer made

  12. William Code & Sharon Code

    June 28, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    Sad thing is you think you are feeding your dogs a good quality food…. Most of these dry foods are not bottom of the barrel dog foods…

  13. ~Pet Owner~

    June 28, 2019 at 6:29 pm

    I think this report told us plenty. Meaning the tie-in to name brand PF and the condition, which is enough for me. I don’t really need to know “why” or “how” it’s affecting the heart (sad but true). Common sense just says that Kibble is not a natural format of diet for dogs. Like I always say, same as a person eating a “complete & balanced” dry health food bar every single day of their life. And expecting to be in top physical shape. Sans the inclusion of fresh whole foods. Worse yet (obviously) is grain-free (or pea infested) Kibble. That just seems like a double-whammy. And finally very interesting that one of the highest volume makers/distributors (Diamond) of PF is #1. Which can be from the sheer volume of sales/consumption and related reports. However that pricier version in the marketplace (Champion) isn’t ahead of the game either, just charging MORE. The joke is on the consumer.

    People are probably feeding more chicken, so more reports again are due to volume consumption. But very interesting is that lamb is second. Much harder to find good Lamb & Rice formulas. My Vet warned me about Lamb & Rice (and without promoting the Big 4 either) but just to avoid it. Now tHAT would be really curious to find out why. But then again, if it’s kibble anyway …just forget it.

  14. Cynthia Wyatt

    June 28, 2019 at 8:23 pm

    I have a question regarding the “Ingredients or Characteristics” graph: If 91 of the cases reported feeding grain free, does that mean that 469 diets included grains? Since the breakdown in starches (peas, lentils, sweet potatoes) adds up to more than 91, does that mean that some of those foods *also* included grains? OR, are we expected to add all the numbers for the starches to the 91 “grain free” diets to get the total number of diets that were actually grain free for the purpose of the FDA’s analysis? Either way, as I read that, somewhere between 183 and 469 out of 560 dogs in this study were actually on grain-inclusive diets.

    • Alice

      June 28, 2019 at 8:35 pm

      The “Ingredients or Characteristics” graph is a percent (%) graph; not in numbers of cases.

      • Susan Thixton

        June 28, 2019 at 8:36 pm

        Yes – you are right.

    • Susan Thixton

      June 28, 2019 at 8:37 pm

      Alice’s comment caught the difference. Percentage of diets – 91% were grain free.

  15. Michael McLeod

    June 29, 2019 at 8:59 am

    What’s missing, for me, is the percentage of the market owned by the individual brand manufacturers. In order to make an informed decision about these statics i need that info. If a big manufacturer is selling millions of tone of a specific food I would expect their number of reported cases of DCM to be higher than those of a company selling to a smaller percentage of the market. for example the large manufacture might have a .00001% instance of DCM and a smaller manufacturer could have a .01 percentage. The data above is not complete enough to be useful.

  16. Riley R

    June 29, 2019 at 11:41 am

    I have read, it is how the food is prepared, types of ingredients and the order of the ingredients in the dry kibble. Most dry dog foods are cooked at high heat multiple times and are heavily processed. https://truthaboutpetfood.com/how-many-times-are-ingredients-cooked-in-kibble-pet-foods Think about eating highly processed, over cooked human foods… very bad for ones health.
    I wonder if the use of a organic quality meat and dehydrated meat in the first or 2nd ingredients and if the dry kibble is cooked at a lower temperature with added probiotics wouldn’t make a difference. My gut feeling is, it is the way the pet food is cooked and the ingredients used. I was feeding one of the dog foods mentioned above and when I rotated from lamb to chicken my fur kids became ill and had diarrhea.
    I did some research and reading and went with a kibble, (organic & grain free) that has a good reputation and is made abroad. Since I made the switch my fur kids have small stools, are filling out and happy. I do add a raw egg every now and make my own canned food using raw veggies, fruit and cooked grass fed meat to add to the kibble.
    I really believe it is how the dog food is made and what type of ingredients are used. Most chicken today if not organic, (even for human food) has antibiotics. In the meantime I have found a pet food store in my area who actually cares about the pet and pet nutrition and is helping educate me about how food is made & where it is made. Eventually I will add raw food to the mix but since I have 2 large rescues I could not afford to go to only raw.

  17. Cats Herd You

    June 29, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    The thing I’m surprsed no one has pointed out is the FDA gets what it asks for. They announced last July they thought grain free foods were potentially causing DCM in dogs and asked for reports of diet-related DCM. It shouldn’t be surprising that they didn’t get primarily cereal-based food reports. Or reports on cats. Prior to their soliciting dog DCM reports last summer, they had 30 dog and 7 cat reports. After the general media brought this to the attention of the general public, they now report a total of 515 dog reprts and 9 cat reports since 2014.

    The FDA mostly got what it asked for, reports of dogs with DCM on grain-free diets. I suspect they poisoned the well on the data before they started collecting it. I don’t think it was intentional, but the results are the same.

    • Treesart

      June 30, 2019 at 12:57 am

      Cats you are absolutely correct – there wasn’t enough data to cherry-pick, so they put out a call for more cherries. I’m not discounting any possible dietary link, but this is either terrible science or very bad summarizing.

      First the FDA systematically goes after raw foods, and now this. If it was a decent study with *any* control data, I would *maybe* be concerned, but between the announcements and media coverage they are only confusing and scaring pet owners.

    • Geordie

      June 30, 2019 at 2:59 pm

      This.

  18. NBeener

    June 29, 2019 at 1:55 pm

    Things I’m wondering ….

    What is the RATE (ie, DCM cases per 1,000 pounds of each brand sold) ? Is this rate of doggie DCM abnormally high ? Compared to what ? Very difficult to establish a ‘control group’ here. What would they eat — nothing ? Just a wild diet ? Are there records going back a decade or three that establish DCM rates — maybe by breed — so we can establish a definite upward trend in rate ?

    Are diagnostics simply picking up far more DCM than they ever were before or are rates actually climbing ? Are they randomly testing dogs or is this based only on self-report from conscientious owners aware of new-onset symptoms ? Is it only really active dogs in whom we would ever notice DCM symptoms ?

    Were the DCM dogs tested for known genetic mutations ? ARE there known genetic mutations associated with DCM in dogs ?

    And when a very pricey dog food tops the charts, isn’t that usually a fairly selection-biased /owner/ cohort ? What might be different about them or their environments ? Are they just the more conscientious owners with more active dogs that I referenced above ?

    Like most things in medicine, there are an infinite number of confounding variables here. This may be a whole lot of fear for nothing, and … at this point … it’s hard for conscientious owners to figure out what TO feed their dogs.

    There’s a tiny part of me that thinks this same epidemiological study could look the same way and yield similar results if they did the same analysis of dogs who were hit by cars …. know what I mean ?

    I’m keeping my proverbial powder dry on this one, but watching with significant interest.

    • Cannoliamo

      June 29, 2019 at 6:42 pm

      This is NOT an “epidemiological study.” This is a bunch of randomly selected data thrown out at a concerned public to try to make it seem like FDA is “studying” the DCM / food correlation and progressing toward some scientific conclusion. The fact that their entire statistical approach is invalid and any “findings” they publish are scientifically indefensible means little (if anything) to the CVM. They simply don’t want to accept any blame for the increased incidence of DCM being reported by owners / breeders / veterinarians who might seek causal damages. This update is completely inconclusive and unsubstantiated throughout academicians who conduct peer-reviewed scientific investigations (i.e. it wouldn’t pass muster in ANY courtroom).

      • Treesart

        June 30, 2019 at 1:04 am

        I believe we used to call it “dry-lab” – starting with the conclusion and finding the data to fit. LOL

      • Observer

        June 30, 2019 at 11:49 am

        Nobody’s pretending it is.

        The kind of a “scientific” research (not study) that should’ve been performed by PF companies in the first place (and for any major formula change) are true feeding trials, with a FAIR representation of breeds (and perhaps conditions, keeping in mind genetic faults). BUT at a point of discovery, not in reaction to. Not just for 6 months either with 6 litters of “Beagle Pups” divided in half (control & testing). But over the long term, way before releasing the product to the marketplace. But instead they wait for real case incidents to emerge! And THEN adjust.

        The problem with expecting a truly “scientific” study (at this point) is the idea that one group of dogs is going to have the advantageous diet. And the other half is not. How could any suspected (or possibly defective) formulation be intentionally fed to prove a point? That wouldn’t exactly be humane. And just who is going to volunteer their dog? Or what’s going to happen to the dogs afterwards?

        Even so, the genetic factor complicates everything. And worse yet, is how breeding programs are managed (or not) which aggravate the situation. Testing for the genetic defect is required, then following up the generational propagation of the fault within the lines bred. Then taking dogs sampled from that population divided in half (for control and testing). In the meantime you’re dealing with households, and owners (breeder’s personalities), dog’s appetites, activity habits, and a entire host of environmental dependencies.

        I would say before trashing the report to be grateful that name brands were even mentioned. As well as being a pointer towards “Kibble” (which is a dominant form of diet). Those finding inadequacies in this report are giving (perhaps unintentionally) benefit of the doubt to commercial PF, by making excuses for the report in the absence of pristine evidence.

        Am guessing pet suppliers feel a direct pinch as a result of what’s made the news.

        Here’s the real take away (which isn’t Rocket Science). The PFI has never been known to do anything beneficial for the sake of dogs. But does find ways (at every opportunity) to increase profit. So drop the kibble folks, not doing your dog any good. Step away from the pea/legume “protein” ingredient. And respect the ancestral diet that generations of dogs have eaten. The REAL problems are (within formulations) dwindling 4D animal protein, carbs that have been poorly harvested, and over cooking product.

        • Cannoliamo

          June 30, 2019 at 12:49 pm

          Time to wax philosophical. For-profit corporations in a capitalist economy will exploit all available marketing tools to influence their sales and profits. These include avoiding culpability for any and all unproven adverse side-effects or health effects. Smoking does not cause lung cancer, DDT does not harm bald eagle and peregrine falcon egg shells, imidacloprid and clothianidin do not harm honey bees, smoking does not cause lung cancer, asbestos and beryllium don’t cause pulmonary fibrosis, mesothelioma or impair respiratory function, etc, etc. It is the specific mandate of every regulatory agency /authority / commission (including FDA) to identify and specifically (scientifically) determine causal side effect responsible for adverse side effects / health effect of produce that are being marketed as “safe.”

          FDA / CVM is neglecting their mandate when they marginalize the conclusions of any investigation through improper science or fail to require that specific scientific investigations be provided by a corporation prior to marketing their product. FDA has failed in their mission by publishing nebulous findings that neither prove nor disprove a causal relationship between DCM and pet food and leave open, subject to interpretation and litigation, the scientific results. This has been an improper investigation from the get-go and will not ever be sufficient for achieving the stated objective. The study is a failure, the agency mandate remains unfulfilled and the pets remain at risk.

    • Treesart

      June 30, 2019 at 1:02 am

      YES on all counts – but the problem is most concerned pet owners are not versed in what is good vs. bad science. I wish the scientific method or even basic logic were required subjects in school. A lot of people make a lot of money because it is not…

      • Jane Democracy

        June 30, 2019 at 4:55 pm

        Oh I so very much agree with you! Correlation is not causation! Anecdotal evidence is not evidence at all…. Uggh, people get “washed” so easily because a lot of them do not have even a basic understanding of science & math in general or research and the scientific method.

  19. Sarahkate

    June 30, 2019 at 12:02 pm

    Seems very clear to me (and has since 2007 when so many pets died from commercial pet food) that the only way to protect your dog or cat is to home prepare a diet that is 100% organic with locally sourced ingredients. A little effort and research and a strong commitment to dietary vigilance is what it takes: if there is love there should be commitment to as healthy a diet as conceivably possible and that means foregoing what has been well known for over a decade to be a very, very bad choice for food (and I’m including human food too!). How many people still have not figured out that these companies are all about money and not at all about animals? With all of the news coverage it is still amazing to me how many ignore the truth and still load their allegedly “beloved” pets up with what is tantamount to poison.

  20. Reader*

    June 30, 2019 at 6:32 pm

    In 2012 this TAPF article was posted having to do with Peas and Legumes. I thought it was an awesome article and way head of it’s time. Since reading it, have stayed away from (field) peas like the plague. And since that year have seen products with (field) peas in it, quadruple. Now, only specifically “Limited Ingredient” and “Prescription” formulas can be found without it. Or you have to look very carefully through the skews (recipes) of general brands to find an exception.

    https://truthaboutpetfood.com/disappointing-trend-in-rising-pet-food-market/

  21. Pingback: FDA Links Certain Food Ingredients to Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs

  22. Cannoliamo

    July 1, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    From the CHEWY.COM website, ….

    the following 243 dry, grain-free dog foods contain “pea protein”

    https://www.chewy.com/s?query=%22pea+protein%22&rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A332%2Cc%3A294%2CSpecialDiet%3AGrain-Free%2CFoodForm%3ADry+Food

    the following 211 dry, grain-free dog foods contain “lentils”

    https://www.chewy.com/s?query=lentils&rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A332%2Cc%3A294%2CSpecialDiet%3AGrain-Free

    the following 611 dry, grain-free dog foods contain “peas”

    https://www.chewy.com/s?query=peas&rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A332%2Cc%3A294%2CFoodForm%3ADry+Food%2CSpecialDiet%3AGrain-Free

  23. Mel Wells

    July 3, 2019 at 2:58 pm

    Susan, we know that DCM isnt new. Did they also provide how many cases occurred with pets eating GRAIN based diets? Seems like something is missing here…

  24. Susan

    July 4, 2019 at 8:55 am

    This is helpful – thanks! Are you able to balance or weight the analyses by market share? If would be esp. useful to know that for manufacturers and proteins – if chicken, for example, were 50% of the food sold, I would think differently about that chart vs. assuming all proteins are sold equally (which they clearly are not).

    • Geordie

      July 6, 2019 at 12:43 pm

      Susan, the data is at best random and at worst skewed in the first place. Self-selected vets and pet owners reported cases of DCM they individually judged might be diet-related, in response to a call for reports in which the FDA specifically mentioned grain-free diets.

      • Cannoliamo

        July 6, 2019 at 2:47 pm

        Because the FDA update is such low-quality science, I’ve contacted a few research groups and discovered that there are a number of assessments being conducted into the potential link between ” boutique, exotic ingredient, or grain-free (BEG)” diets and canine DCM. One in particular is being funded by the AKC ….

        http://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/2661.html

        Genetic risk is also being evaluated for Doberman Pinschers ….

        http://www.akcchf.org/research/research-portfolio/2631.html

        The quality of the research at this point in time can only improve and will hopefully both expand the database and identify any specific causality / risk factors.

      • Susan

        July 6, 2019 at 5:43 pm

        Yes, that is obviously correct. However, if we are going to map that iffy data onto proteins and brands expecting it to tell us something (per the above) we can also examine rate. Without reliable, valid research, we cannot know what was actually consumed (and consumption can only give us correlation at best). But we can certainly poke at the reports we have, esp. if we hope to support alternative food manufacturers.

  25. Pingback: DCM Learning Resources - Tail Blazers Copperfield

  26. Jason Fitzgerald

    July 8, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    My dogs were part of the study conducted by Tuffs in Massachusetts that looked at any reported case of DCM and investigated what type of food the dogs consumed. I had a brother sister for the same liter. The boy passed but he suffered from DCM. He was only ever feed a grain free diet. His sister had signs of DCM. The boy passed away but before we got difiniative data but, he had a change in diet and medication that started to reverse DCM. Not cure it but to lessen the severity. The female now has no signs of DCM. Tuffs is independent and objective study. If they say grain free causes DCM then that is the truth. Believe what you will but I will never again feed my dogs a grain free diet.

    • Jeanmarie

      July 25, 2019 at 12:04 am

      I’m sorry for your loss. However, don’t think that grain is somehow protective. The problem with grain-free foods is probably the increase in plant protein (and fiber?) at the expense of animal protein, but a couple of cases have shown up in raw-fed dogs. Kibble and peas/pea protein/lentils and potatoes/sweet potatoes are indicted, to varying degrees, but the exact causal mechanism is yet unproven. But to conclude that grain is needed because grain-free kibble is a problem is not progress.

  27. Mr.B

    July 25, 2019 at 9:30 am

    Why is purina on your list? What brands or formulas of purina are associated with DCM? I was told purina, hills, royal canine and a few others are the only brands you should feed…

    • Susan

      July 25, 2019 at 11:07 am

      I assume you are talking about the manufacturer chart. Nestle-Purina might provide manufacturing for a # of brands beyond their own-many plant owners do. Also, the Purina family includes some things not branded as Purina like Chef Michaels, Secondnature, etc. I have no idea which might be in question as I do not know that much about Purina, but this could explain it. It is certainly a fair question to ask if one (or several) processing procedure[s] contribute.

      • Riley

        July 25, 2019 at 12:39 pm

        People WAKE UP and SMELL the COFFEE… BE AWARE…DEMAND more from the dog food manufactures..

        You are what you eat… the same goes for your dog!

        You can go on and on about what caused food related DCM, but until the public demands that the dog food manufactures in the US change and use quality ingredients and not meals… everything will be the same.

        Regarding kibble dog food in general: after doing my own research, I have come to the conclusion the cause of DCM dog food related is: WHAT is used in the dog food and HOW it is made.
        Most dog food manufacturers use meals and vegetable proteins, dogs are not meant to eat legumes!
        1.MEALS are cooked many times at a extremely high temperatures and sometimes diseased animals or animals that were euthanized are part of the meal.
        2. Other ingredients are added and also cooked at high temperatures then every thing is added, (meals) and cooked again. Think about it ….cooked 3 times at a high temperature. Nutrients??? Nope.. all cooked out!
        3. Vegetable proteins are CHEAP and are used as a filler in dog foods. Usually meals and pea protein are in the first 2 ingredients of some well known brands of dog food.
        4. Regarding grains in dog food, unless the grains are GMO free and human grade, then there is another issue, because most grains used in dog food are from what is not good for human consumption.

        I personally feel that there could something pea related (other than protein) in the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th item, so long as the first two items were not a meal but a quality meat product with a protein over 90%, that wasn’t cooked at a high temperature and after the pea related item there was fish or chicken or an egg product and no meals, pea protein or legumes.

        Until the public demands that the pet food manufactures in the US have higher standards it will continue to be the same. Pet owners must read the labels and understand what is on the labels!

        I used to feed my fur kids (weims) Acana and when they moved to Kentucky I worried and wondered if the quality would still be the same as when it was in Canada. I was in contact with the Acana team and when they did not answer my question if they use meals from rendered animals, I found something else.

        Interesting since I made the switch I have noticed a HUGE difference in my fur kids… they are more active and love what they are eating now. I also make my own canned food with free range meat, vegetables and fruit in addition to the kibble they are now eating.

        • Monte

          July 31, 2019 at 8:30 pm

          What did you end switching too? I’ve been using Taste of the Wild for years and I’m very concerned after hearing about the relatively high number of DCM cases.

        • Tina

          August 23, 2019 at 1:52 pm

          Yes Riley, I would like to know what kibble you switched to as well? All good points made and things I think about a swell during my suitable replacement search so we are much on the same page – including the wet additions to kibble.

          • riley

            August 23, 2019 at 2:36 pm

            I switched to Farmina: https://www.farmina.com/us/dog-food/n&d-pumpkin-grain-free-canine/397-boar-and-apple-adult-medium-&-maxi.html they do have a grain diet too but my fur kids are really happy with this food and seem to do very well..
            Yes, I know it has pea starch in the 3rd ingredient… put if you read about the company you will see that the food is tested and they do not use pea protein only the starch as a binder and the fiber for roughage..I some times add a tablespoon of millet to my fur kids food. GMO free.. no antibiotics in their chicken.. it is not allowed in Europe..
            The person who I buy my food from was talking to the Farmina rep and do you know they do not have the problem of DCM in Europe?

            Shop around if you find it is too expensive… I called the pet food store I use to purchase Acana from and they wanted to charge me a lot for the food.. so I shopped around and found a pet store that gives a HOOT about dogs and was very reasonable..

  28. Brooke Page

    August 3, 2019 at 3:58 pm

    I’m extremely confused after reading article after arrive, comment after comment. I can’t really find anything to address what can be done for dog’s that do have a sensitive stomach. I have a three year old Shih Tzu who suddenly developed a.semsitive stomach (vomiting every time she ate) about three month ago. I switched her to Natural Balance limited ingredient canned food chicken and sweet potatoes and as long as she doesn’t sneak around and eat the cats food, she doesn’t vomit anymore. Then this issue was brought to my attention and I’m very worried, my dog is like another child to me and I don’t want to feed her something for an extended period of time only to find out that it has caused her heart problems. I can’t seem to find any info about what should be fed to dog’s with a sensitive stomach. Should I try supplementing something, oatmeal, eggs, rice, etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated. She’s also very picky and will only eat wet food and only chicken flavor (I’ve tried fish flavors, venison, duck, turkey, and beef). Thanks in advance

  29. Robin

    August 7, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    Has anyone filed a FOIA yet on the (b)(6) issue yet? I would LOVE if someone could direct me to that dataset!

  30. Sara

    September 3, 2019 at 8:23 am

    I realize that there is nothing conclusive about this report, and the percentage of dogs is small in comparison to the population. However, if there was a report that 500+ children have been diagnosed with such and such disease and THIS is a possible link, I wouldn’t take chances. I am choosing caution at this point. Our dogs have been on TOW for about 5 years now and never had a problem. Hopefully, they investigate further and come out with real data.

  31. Cannoliamo

    September 11, 2019 at 8:40 am

    It’s taken a couple of months, but at least there is one public peer review analysis of the FDA DCM “study.”

    ‘???’ ??? ???? ??? ???, ???? ?: ?? ?????????? ???? ?? ?????

    September 10, 2019

    {Ryan Yamka, PhD, is founder and an independent consultant with Luna Science and Nutrition, and founder of the Guardian Pet Food Co. He is board certified in companion animal nutrition by the American College of Animal Sciences and a fellow with the American College of Nutrition. Yamka calls on his extensive background in pet nutrition, and multiple years developing, formulating and launching dog and cat foods as a senior executive with leading pet food companies, to address common myths and misconceptions about pet food.}

    Canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been a hot topic for the past year, to the point that pet food companies are now touting the benefits of ancient grains and whole grains. This article takes a deeper dive into the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation update on DCM released in June 2019, pet foods known as BEG (boutique, exotic ingredients and grain-free diets) and how veterinary bias may be impacting the messaging to consumers. FDA investigation into DCM produced more than pretty graphs!

    In addition to the pretty bar graphs provided in the latest FDA investigation update, there was additional information that did not make the press or the top headlines in veterinary journals. For example, the update recognized that past publications and research suggest that Golden Retrievers may be genetically predisposed to taurine deficiency, which is well-documented as potentially leading to DCM. Keep in mind all the information provided up to this point never looked at genetics. No deficiencies or differences in grain-free pet foods

    In an accompanying, June 2019 update on their collaborative investigation with Vet-LIRN, FDA also acknowledged that they are still gathering information to better understand if (and how) taurine metabolism (both absorption and excretion) may have a role in these reports of canine DCM. Also, the agency had tested multiple products for minerals and metals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, iodine) and amino acids including taurine, cysteine and methionine. That product testing did not reveal any abnormalities.

    FDA even found that average percentages of protein, fat, total taurine, total cystine, total methionine, total methionine-cystine and resistant starch content on a dry-matter basis were similar for both grain-free labeled and grain-containing products involved in the investigation. Thus, the agency has not found any nutrient deficiencies to date.

    That being said, FDA has not looked at digestibility and/or bioavailability of these nutrients in dogs, nor do we know taurine synthesis efficiencies in all breeds. Dogs also had other diseases besides DCM

    In the Vet-LIRN update, FDA reviewed 340 dogs’ medical records. Only 202 dogs (59.4%) were confirmed DCM cases with heart changes characteristic of DCM on cardiac ultrasound – including decreased ventricular systolic function and dilation.

    Of the pets with confirmed DCM, approximately 15% (n=32) also had evidence of valvular degeneration and 12% (n=24) had atrial fibrillation. Approximately 38% (n=77) of the dogs had a history of confirmed or suspected allergies or sensitivities to an environmental and/or food allergen that were manifested as dermatitis, otitis or gastrointestinal disease. Approximately 9% (n=18) and 8% (n=17) of dogs with DCM had a history of hypothyroidism and one or more tick-borne diseases (e.g. Lyme, Anaplasmosis), respectively.

    Why are these numbers important? First, without considering them, veterinarians may be too quick to come to a solution: DCM = a deficiency, such as in taurine, or a dietary cause. Second, there could be other underlying factors like primary or secondary illnesses. For example, in humans, when gastrointestinal disease exists, there is an increased risk of DCM, which is linked to carnitine deficiency. Thus, it becomes important to know the case history in addition to diet history. In the day and age of Dr. Google, clients could be self-diagnosing gastrointestinal issues by switching their pets to grain-free foods, and veterinarians may not know there is another underlying issue.

    Also, the taurine values of affected dogs have been all over the board (low, medium and high) regardless of DCM disease status (based on FDA data). Thus, taurine is not necessarily the root cause. Last, FDA has not found a link or correlation of BEG food causing DCM – contrary to how the popular press may spin the graphs.
    Why do genetics need to be considered?

    The FDA update and Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, Ph.D., D.A.C.V.N., a veterinarian and professor with the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University, both referenced a Stern study; it was actually published by Kaplan et al. on December 13, 2018. Unfortunately, neither Freeman’s blog post nor the 2019 FDA update makes mention of the study results.

    The researchers identified 40 Golden Retrievers to participate in the study; 16 were excluded because of inadequate imaging, had no evidence of DCM/cardiac disease or had normal taurine status. Being a scientist, I still would have captured the data and presented it because they could have served as controls. But that is just me.

    Of the remaining 24 Golden Retrievers identified for the study, 23/24 dogs diagnosed with taurine deficiency and DCM were fed diets that were either grain-free, legume-rich or a combination of these factors. I wonder what the non-taurine deficient and non-DCM dogs were fed?

    Although they were quick to conclude that these dogs were being fed grain-free, legume-rich foods (as designed by inclusion criteria), it is important to point out that the author(s) noted the limitations (i.e., lack of control group) in their study.

    Kaplan et al. concludes, “The need for controlled, prospective studies of larger sample size are needed to determine if the clear associations identified in this manuscript represent a cause-and-effect relationship between DCM, taurine-deficiency, specific ingredients and grain-free food varieties in general. Without such studies we cannot conclusively define which dietary characteristics are involved with the pathogenesis of this condition.”

    Based on the data they observed, one could only draw the conclusion that DCM could be associated with grain-free dry kibble since only 9 out of 26 reported number of dogs (34.6%) consuming the foods were consuming “exotic” proteins.

    Guess what? No genetic testing was performed in this study. The researchers also concluded taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers is likely multifactorial, including a combination of dietary, metabolic and genetic factors. The FDA update is aligned with the genetic statement for Golden Retrievers.
    Is veterinary bias at play?

    It makes you wonder why Freeman and co-author Dr. Joshua Stern didn’t bring up this study in the non-peer-reviewed, opinion-based article, “Diet associated dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs: what do we know?” published in December 2018 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). Could it be veterinary bias or conflict of interest? Bear with me for a second.

    As a board-certified nutritionist, I will be the first to tell you that grain-free pet foods are no better than grain-inclusive ones. In fact, in 2017, I wrote a blog post titled, “Why grain-free pet food isn’t better and carbs are good,” which focused on the benefits of carbohydrates in foods (both nutritionally and from a food science standpoint) and how both were highly digestible. Most will acknowledge the only benefit of grain-free foods exists for animals with food sensitivities; however, given the large pet food recall in 2007, consumers see grain-free as a more premium product today.

    What does this mean for veterinarians? If they recognize there is no difference in the foods that contain grains or are grain-free, then they need to take into account any perceived bias or conflicts of interest before they engage with their clients (or the information they read). Veterinarians need to recognize that consumers may be feeding their dogs certain foods because of their own lifestyle choices without detriment to the pet (i.e., organic, grain-free, gluten free, no beef, etc.).

    Thus far, we have covered how there is no direct link of BEG foods to DCM. Additionally, we recognize the rise and preference of grain-free pet foods by consumers; however, there may be many veterinarians that are still fearful of or downright despise grain-free foods. Well, it must make you wonder why?

    Is it because of the article they read in JAVMA, which they took as fact-based paper vs. an opinion commentary? Is it based on what they were taught in school, the foods they carry in their clinics or the clinical studies they have read throughout their careers? If the answer is yes to any those questions, veterinarians may have an unknown bias that could inadvertently being impacting their decision-making. How so?
    How an unknown bias may affect veterinarians’ decisions

    First, let’s focus on articles and clinical studies. They may appear to be fact based and may have reputable people authoring the study or article. But, even in those cases, do the authors’ schools receive any funding that could persuade them to think in a certain way when designing the studies or writing the article?

    For example, the authors of the JAVMA article all work for universities that have nutrition services and nutritionists who have received research funding from Purina, Hill’s Pet Nutrition and/or Royal Canin. If you read the fine print or understood all the other funding going into the university besides research, would you think differently?

    Second, let’s consider how corporate sponsors impact a veterinarian throughout their education. The companies I mentioned above have also funded nutrition centers and feeding programs for these schools’ veterinary students (see picture below). Could this lead to a potential bias later on in a veterinarian’s career? If a Blue Buffalo, Champion or another top-selling grain-free pet food company sponsored and continuously funded the universities, would the JAVMA article be different?

    It certainly makes you think. I guess only time will tell. With Blue Buffalo sponsoring the Clinical Trials Office at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, we will see if it has a positive impact for the company.

    Source: https://www.petfoodindustry.com/blogs/10-debunking-pet-food-myths-and-misconceptions/post/8475-beg-pet-food-and-dcm-part-2-is-veterinary-bias-at-play

    • Susan

      September 11, 2019 at 8:53 am

      Thanks for posting!

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Human Grade & Feed Grade
Do you know what the differences are between Feed Grade and Human Grade pet food? Click Here.

 

The Regulations
Pet Food is regulated by federal and state authorities. Unfortunately, authorities ignore many safety laws. Click Here to learn more about the failures of the U.S. pet food regulatory system.

 

The Many Styles of Pet Food
An overview of the categories, styles, legal requirements and recall data of commercial pet food in the U.S. Click Here.

 

The Ingredients
Did you know that all pet food ingredients have a separate definition than the same ingredient in human food? Click Here.

Click Here for definitions of animal protein ingredients.

Click Here to calculate carbohydrate percentage in your pet’s food.

 

Sick Pet Caused by a Pet Food?

If your pet has become sick or has died you believe is linked to a pet food, it is important to report the issue to FDA and your State Department of Agriculture.

Save all pet food – do not return it for a refund.

If your pet required veterinary care, ask your veterinarian to report to FDA.

Click Here for FDA and State contacts.

The List

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Pet Food Recall History (2007 to present)
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