Pet owners are familiar with the link made to DCM of grain free pet foods. But what about the other links? Why are those being ignored?
From the very beginning the news of increased cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs came to light, the ONLY link discussed was grain free pet foods. Numerous veterinarian nutritionists, cardiologists, and even the FDA all focused on just this one link – pet foods that do not include grains.
But, in the latest FDA update on the DCM issue, the Agency actually provided other links to DCM. In the 16 brands of dog food that FDA data showed to have ten or more cases of DCM reported to the Agency:
- All 16 brands were dry (kibble) dog foods;
- All 16 brands included one or more meat meal ingredients (example chicken meal or lamb meal); and
- All 16 brands were feed grade pet foods.
Put in another way, all 16 brands of dog food the FDA reported to have 10 or more cases of DCM each were highly processed pet foods that are allowed by FDA to include very inferior quality of ingredients.
Processing.
Some ingredients in kibble pet foods are heated/cooked/processed four times before your pet consumes them. From MadeHow.com (bold added to emphasize heat or cooking steps):
Kibble is a cooked dough-type pet food (comparable to dough used to make a cookie or a cracker – with meat). Because it is made from dough, all ingredients in a kibble pet food need to be ground fine before mixing. Raw ingredients are “brought together in a mixer” with added supplements (mixer can hold 10,000 pounds or more of ingredients). Next the dough “is heated in the preconditioner prior to introduction to the extruder.” “The extruder, essentially a giant meat grinder, is where the primary cooking phase for dry extruded pet food products occurs. The dough is cooked under intense heat and pressure as it moves toward the open end of the extruder.” At the end of the extruder the dough is forced through a “shaping die” and cut into desired shape. “Kibble is dried in an oven until its moisture content is low enough to make it shelf stable like a cookie or cracker.”
If a meat meal is included (as in all 16 brands listed by FDA), there is one more processing step. Meat meals are made by finely grinding animal parts or whole carcasses, cooking the material, and separating the remaining moisture from the solids. The solids are dried into a powder like substance. This processing occurs prior to the ingredient being further cooked through the actual manufacturing of the pet food.
Feed grade ingredients.
The FDA openly allows feed grade pet foods to include very inferior quality of ingredients. As recent as 4/30/2019 the FDA publicly stated (see FDA Final Response):
“We do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion where appropriate.”
Safety concerns aside, meat or meat meals sourced from diseased animals or decomposing animal carcasses (animals that have died otherwise than by slaughter) are not quality ingredients – is not quality nutrition. These are actually illegal ingredients – per the Federal Food and Drug Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act – allowed by FDA to be disposed of into pet food with no warning or disclosure to pet owners.
Inferior nutrition.
Though exactly how it happens is currently unknown, the root cause of diet related DCM remains as a lack of proper nutrients in the pet food – it is NOT ‘Complete and Balanced’ as the label claims.
So why isn’t FDA or many pet nutrition experts discussing the potential of inferior ingredients and high processing as a potential link to disease in pets?
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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~Pet Owner~
July 18, 2019 at 1:22 pm
Sounds like the value of the food itself is so degraded through the heat-processing steps, that dogs are basically living off of the vitamin / mineral supplementation of premixes.
How hard is it for owners to give their dog some real meat that is actually identifiable?
Lynn
July 18, 2019 at 1:37 pm
I’m a 100% raw feeder, give lots of heart etc. if kibble feeders could give a few raw meals a week I think that would help. Variety!
Amy
July 18, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Nothing says it better than the rear half of a bloated, rotten dairy cow hanging off the back of the rendering truck! Grain-free or brain-free?
soozyb2013
July 18, 2019 at 7:09 pm
You got that right Amy, couldn’t have said it better myself. I have been feeding grain free for years but have started making my dogs food, there are so many good recipes out there, but raw would be the way to go if your dogs like it. That is my problem, they spit it out, but I have thinking of making turkey neckcycles and see if they will eat that once in awhile as a treat and then maybe more often.
Mary Lynn Bartram
July 18, 2019 at 8:39 pm
Have to agree its disgusting
Deborah B Stone
July 18, 2019 at 3:10 pm
The FDA listed 16 pet food known to cause DCM in dogs but only put up 3 on the internet-where are the rest of them and what brands were they? Do you know?
lattelady9
July 18, 2019 at 3:26 pm
WHAT 16 BRANDS ARE THEY? ICAN GUESS, BUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FOR SURE!
Regina
July 18, 2019 at 5:35 pm
I actually read the FDA report. Over 70 pages of complaints. some of them are kinda laughable, “my friend told me about problem, so I’m adding my own comments” yet the food they said they were feeding was not grain-free.
The report also covers five years. Yes, 5 years. So it makes a big deal over something that is not really that big of a deal.
Another thing I would like to add, which I’m sure all of us are thinking. They are trying to “scare” people back to eating those food that are highest in grain (Hills, Royal Canin, etc) because we all know that the connection between vets, pet feed companies, FDA, and AAFCO is disgustingly incestuous.
“OMG, you folks feeding your pets real meat need to feed them crap instead!!!!”
Ugh. Disgusting. They don’t give a crap about our pets and their health.
~Pet Owner~
July 18, 2019 at 8:02 pm
I don’t believe the study asked for reports from people feeding only grain-free PF. But wanted to understand what’s being used in the marketplace, compared to owners reporting a problems. I think it was decent that the time frame WAS 5 years, and not just the last 18 months. That makes for a wider sample. Given that this “survey” is anything but a “controlled” scientific experiment.
The food doesn’t “cause” DCM (nobody is saying that .. yet). But trying to understand whether dogs who are predisposed to DCM, and also eating a steady diet of grain-free PF, are manifesting more symptoms, than dogs not under those same circumstances.
Whenever initiating a survey like this, and reporting results (not causes, not proof) owners are going to react. So Vets had to be prepared with a response. It would be irresponsible to tell owners not to do anything. But to go back to the basics, traditional PF that has been around for a long time.
The importance of Susan’s article is to say, that all commercial PF (that isn’t raw or homemade ) is so heat-compromised, that for an owner making a “better or worse” decision about commercial PF is …. “relative” …at best. The point being, that as long as manufacturers are cooking diseased animals and toxic fillers, they might as well consider the entire range of what’s making pets ill.
To focus only on “DCM” is rather unproductive (ludicrous) considering a much bigger picture of DANGEROUS PF ingredients and process. So will the AVMA ever recommend homemade or raw food … hardly. Because they don’t have a fundamental “nutritional” understanding of it. And that’s because controlled scientific testing has NOT been done.
Which is what (in truth) jeopardizes their liability in recommending something withOUT objective research behind it. It’s just a fact, though we disagree, knowing better.
That’s WHY they can only resort to Hills/Royal Canin and Purina. Companies with a record of testing.
VCHS
July 26, 2019 at 6:47 pm
Regina, to add to your comment about the incestuous connection between vets, pet food manufacturers, FDA and AAFCO, I’ll also add WSAVA. WSAVA is a worldwide organization who has “guidelines” in place for pet food manufacturers to follow. WSAVA also lists their “Diamond Partners” as being Nestle Purina, Mars Pet Care, Hill’s, Bayer, etc. And wouldn’t you know it? The only companies whose brands follow WSAVA’s “guidelines” are Purina, Royal Canin, Iams, Eukanuba and Hill’s! What a coincidence! These “guidelines” include “feeding trials” which, WSAVA itself admits are not always reliable, Quality Controls (seems like these Quality Controls Hill’s has in place didn’t stop dog food with toxic levels of Vitamin D from going out the door in the ever-expanding recall), and “Board Certified Veterinary “Nutritionists”. So the shills who are trying to scare people into going back to the Big 5 foods point to WSAVA “guidelines” as being the standard by which people should decide what to feed their pets. These shills are also telling everyone that ingredients don’t matter, don’t fuss over what makes up your pet’s food. It’s the “nutrients” that count. Seems they want everyone to overlook the waste and garbage that composes kibble (fake food) and just worry only about “nutrients”. That logic can be extended to us humans…we don’t need fresh, whole foods, we can eat junk food all day long so long as it has the “nutrients” to keep us alive. AS the saying has always been, “follow the money!”
Words have meaning
July 30, 2019 at 3:28 pm
VCHS: Let’s be even more clear. WSAVA do not have actual “food guidelines” what they have are “recommended questions to ask about pet food”. How a company answers them doesn’t mean they pass or fail, it simply means “what are you okay to accept”? If you read the questions, they state feed trials OR by formula. So, if you’re fine with a company getting AAFCO approval via formula, then you have more options. If you’re fine with a company not owning their own manufacturing plant, you have more options (you’ve mentioned the QC issues). Those shills that you are talking about like to use the wrong words because it makes the WSAVA recommended questions (which, btw, they have no answers except for one question) look “official” and it scares people into believing they are the end all on dog food. “Follow the money” is right!!! If they were truly about dog’s health, none of them would have GF options since they all state there’s no research backing that dogs need a GF diet. But y’know, gotta get in on that market share, so here’s some GF options. LOL.
soozyb2013
July 18, 2019 at 7:11 pm
“We do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion where appropriate.”
This I can’t even wrap my head around it, this is what the FDA said, what about this being illegal?? Is that not what they said before?
I just shake my head!!!
Jane Eagle
July 18, 2019 at 8:15 pm
“Acrylamide. This is a carcinogenic compound formed at cooking temperatures of about
250˚F in foods containing certain sugars and the amino acid asparagine (found in large
amounts in potatoes and cereal grains). It is formed in a chemical process called the Maillard
reaction. Most dry pet foods contain cereal grains or potatoes, and they are processed at
high temperatures (200–300°F at high pressure during extrusion; baked foods are cooked at
well over 500°F); these are perfect conditions for the Maillard reaction.iv,v In fact, the Maillard
reaction is considered desirable in the production of pet food because it imparts a palatable
taste…”
http://7a1eb59c2270eb1d8b3d-a9354ca433cea7ae96304b2a57fdc8a0.r60.cf1.rackcdn.com/PetFoodReport_BFUSA.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0VUC3aQdPIbMjq-rrwB2NQRte0hiEjpp5rJdKrmZNmDHoYWwyY2WyhqMo
Keiji Yoshikawa
July 19, 2019 at 3:38 am
I am Japanese.I can not write English well, but I know this URL. https://www.livescience.com/63467-heavy-metals-heart-disease.html?fbclid=IwAR1vPGixvEMmpRmrwW_bGb6vkn7yJF2pEnLnBdvM-DE2RkwB0LDW3cIedEQ
Stephen Michonski
July 19, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Why is diet the only discussion regarding this study? I would guess every pet in the study was over-vaccinated as well. That certainly can affect the proper function of organs. And consider breeding practices. How many of these pets were from breeding facilities where the parents were closely related? Genetics always affects heart and other organ functions.
There are many potential causes for heart disease, and it is not just food related. The FDA should list the vaccines that each dog received. Maybe pet parents will start panicking about the needles as much as the food!
~Pet Owner~
July 19, 2019 at 1:55 pm
As Jane Eagle suggested above, let’s just correct the destructive cooking practice. Clean up the ingredients so the S_ doesn’t have to be cooked out it. We know WHY they do it of course, which is to “kill” the bacteria from the diseased and toxic ingredients. Even then wet food has endotoxins.
So the “cure” at this point now seems worse than the “cause.” Because dogs have always had some degree of tolerance for a less than perfect meal in it’s natural state (based on scavenging).
The AVMA won’t change their protocol on vaccinations. Because it’s a mindset they’ve instilled in their clients. Annual checkup equals annual vaccine. If they start allowing people to go 3+ years, they’ll lose contact. And will only be seen for emergencies, and end-of-life. What they really need to do, in insist that manufacturers make a product that has a 3 yr. cycle. Ideally longer. But then there would be NO money in doing so.
I don’t think the FDA is equipped to introduce any other variable into their survey.
In terms of breeding, you’ll never control that activity. I’m all for it being done responsibly. But the truth is, it’s pretty self-serving. Many won’t admit genetic faults (to their public). Many won’t spend money on testing. Or on the research for testing. Some would just rather offer a guarantee. It would be nice if they tracked their dogs progeny into the succeeding generations. But who’s going to guarantee those results? People only do what serves them best, in the short term. And it’s all about protecting their reputation. Fortunately I do know many honest ones.
We were lucky to get to at least get the brand names of the food involved. It’s a miracle that we did!
Jeanette Frey
July 20, 2019 at 9:33 pm
This is Nutritional DCM, not genetic DCM. There is a difference. Nutritional DCM is reversible if diagnosed early enough. Dogs have been “healing” once a change of food is made. Genetic DCM does note reverse. Vaccinations is not the problem. Dogs diagnosed with Nutritional DCM did not have any problems from vaccinations. This is not a grain free problem, it is also grain inclusive food.
Silverwynde
August 2, 2019 at 4:04 pm
Thanks for your input. I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t due to the usage of pea (protein) and lentils. Honestly, there needs to be more research on this in general.
Silverwynde
August 2, 2019 at 4:01 pm
Vaccines are not the problem.
Jenifer
July 19, 2019 at 10:20 pm
May I ask what your credentials are? Are you a DAVCN?
With regards to the comments, many veterinarians are only vaccinating every 3 years for Rabies (where the state/city recognizes 3 year vaccines- something not controlled by the veterinarian), DHPP, FVRCP and FeLv. It would be nice if people researched things before spreading misinformation. The AVMA does support a vaccination protocol of a series of vaccinations (9/12/15 weeks give or take) for kittens/puppies, followed by boosters a year from their final puppy/kitten vaccines and then every 3 years for their species appropriate vaccines. Many vets also choose to break up vaccines so the pet is only getting 1 vaccine a year. If your veterinarian is still vaccinating annually for everything- you should discuss it with him/ her and possibly start interviewing a new vet.
With the spreading of misinformation in mind, it would be nice if it was mentioned that many dogs diagnosed with NM-DCM are improving when their diets are changed to those that follow WSAVA guidelines, are formulated by board certified veterinary nutritionists who are employed full-time and have been researched and tested through food trials. In fact some are improving with diet change alone so don’t assume it is just the medications making a difference- this is what sets NM-DCM apart from other forms of cardiomegaly
Also for you breeder bashers- I do not know of any true preservation breeders who do not health test their ppurposefully bred, breeding stock. Are there unscrupulous breeders? Absolutely. Are they breeding for the betterment of their breed? No! As breeding relates to the increase in NM-DCM- consider for a moment the market share in the performance and show dog circles of the Big 5. It is higher than in the general market I am sure. Preservation breeders are getting echoes done on their dogs I promise you because there are often screening clinics at dog shows. If these dogs are eating Hills/Royal Canin/Purina Pro Plan/Iams/Eukanuba at a higher percentage than the pet dog population than with what you have stated above as things YOU think may be contributing to NM-DCM- we should be seeing a significant amount of dogs screened as having some degree of NM-DCM and that is NOT the case. Hills as 2 submitted cases but they are listed as unlikely in the FDA report as the dogs were both 13 y.o. Labradors. The other diets have ZERO incidence of NM-DCM associated with them. ZERO. It should also be pointed out that grain inclusive diets from some of the BEG companies have been implicated in cases of NM-DCM as have Raw diets.
~Reader~
July 20, 2019 at 11:28 am
In response to reaction about the TAPF article, time to use the old “critical thinking” binoculars once again:
1). First, it’s nice to decipher credentials, DACVN means Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. I did not know this.
2) Over vaccination concerns interval, frequency and appropriate dosage. I still have to warn people about combo-vaccines, and over-dosing small and young dogs. Variables are the size of dog, health, and lifestyle. Therefore Titers are useful. But how many Vets automatically recommend. Not so much because the law is absolute. But should this attitude invalidate the method?
3) Reported (anecdotally) is that dogs improve from diet change, suggesting a relationship between diet and one type of DCM. Predisposition is a factor. That which is not, is critical to understand. Until then alternatives can only be recommended. How hard are Vets pushing (the Big companies) to definitively answer the question? Would that be, maybe until the PFI can shift to a new marketing strategy?
4) Vets recommend the Big 4 manufacturers because they already have the largest SKU of product offerings. See #3. And they are most influential regarding Vet colleges.
5) How influential (useful) are paid “certified veterinary nutritionists” in protesting the use of 4D meat, toxic carbohydrates (mycotoxins), flawed processing, over-cooking kibble (extrusion), and endotoxins caused by bacterial residue left behind in canned PF.
6) “Breed Preservation” (certainly a unique connotation) may be a generous ambition, except that breeders either are … or they are not. Testing identifies gene type (if possible, assigning a rating). Without follow-through is just a general practice. Breeders (can) cross one gene type (lower rating of hips, eyes) with a highest rating, to produce a desirable show type, yet free of manifestation.
7) Breeders (who are accountable) recognize the distribution of genetic transfer among progeny. And that requires testing of every pup, generation by generation. Then modify which lines (if any) are bred. It takes more than a single generation to counter-act genetic mutation (defect). And genetic history must be accounted for among both bitches and sires. Breeders (I know) sample the health-history of their pups, (if available) until end-of-life. (What did the dog die of) doing so by staying in touch with clients as much as possible. Obviously, the variable is environmental. But getting to know their clients, is very useful. You’d be surprised, through years of conversation. I’ve known breeders to stop their program, (particularly before the PRA gene test was established) after a reveal in the 2nd and 3rd generation, because of good communication (and trust) among their clients.
8) Fanciers often test at Shows. Certification is quick, efficient and economical. They do it (frequently) on pups with the most potential for showing. And because clients insist on documentation. And because breeders extend their reputation by advertising which kinds of tests they do! However … they do it on the parents, assuming most stock will be sold to pet homes. And leave that testing, to new owners!
9) Large PF companies are to be applauded for ANY (authentic, objective) testing. So how much of it is ever publicized? As long as ingredients are inferior, what point is a fine “recipe” or an “optimal” diet, as promoted by experts? Meaning that what’s fed to dogs must be “food” not the equivalent of livestock “feed.” (Read many TAPF articles on this topic).
10) Already understood, is that what’s been shared with the public is only a “report” and not a definitive explanation. It is consumers who are jumping to a conclusion that particular brands are “causing” DCM.
11) Regardless of the good work that Hills is doing in prescription food (and I have used them) they made a huge error by failing to quality test a premix with excessive Vitamin D (which is toxic). So they are facing some “redemption” of their reputation.
12) Anecdotal reports do indeed include instances of raw feeding and grain-inclusive diets. So how would (or was) the “age-related” factor (13 yr. old Lab) followed up? Impossible, because the status of parents and littermates was unknown, as well as environment. What is the point?
Cannoliamo
August 2, 2019 at 9:30 am
….. a nutrition DCM opinion based more on scientific evidence than on anecdotal conjecture ….
‘BEG’ pet food does not equal DCM
“In my opinion, this likely has nothing to do with legumes at all and most likely has to do with actual nutrients, like levels of total dietary fiber, soluble fiber and resistant starch, cysteine, methionine and taurine, and their availability. Most dry kibble contains more than 35% carbohydrates, heat resistant starches and soluble fiber since they are needed for the processing of kibble. For example, we know that beet pulp decreases taurine status (due to increased excretion of bile acids containing taurine) and decreases protein digestibility (taurine precursors) in dogs.”
https://www.petfoodindustry.com/blogs/10-debunking-pet-food-myths-and-misconceptions/post/8369-beg-pet-food-does-not-equal-dcm?utm_source=KnowledgeMarketing&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Petfood%20Industry%20News&utm_campaign=Petfood%20Industry%20News_Fri_8_02_19&eid=447824371&bid=2495088