Grains in pet foods come with risks; a different set of risks than the current grain-free pet food potential risk to heart disease.
The FDA alerted pet owners to a current investigation into the “Potential Connection Between Diet and Canine Heart Disease” in July 2018. Though no scientific reason for the link has been released, the FDA states “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. High levels of legumes or potatoes appear to be more common in diets labeled as “grain-free,” but it is not yet known how these ingredients are linked to cases of DCM.”
Because of this current risk of grain-free pet food, many pet owners are being urged to return to grain-included diets. But…grain-included pet foods come with another set of risks.
The risk is mycotoxins.
High levels of mycotoxins are deadly, and even low levels consumed over time are linked to liver disease, kidney disease and cancer.
“Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain filamentous fungi (molds). These low molecular weight compounds are naturally occurring and practically unavoidable. They can enter our food chain either directly from plant-based food components contaminated with mycotoxins or by indirect contamination from the growth of toxigenic fungi on food. Mycotoxins can accumulate in maturing corn, cereals, soybeans, sorghum, peanuts, and other food and feed crops in the field and in grain during transportation.”
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5486318/
Abstract from “Mycotoxins in pet food: a review on worldwide prevalence and preventative strategies“:
Mycotoxins contaminate cereal grains worldwide, and their presence in pet food has been a potential health threat to companion animals. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and Fusarium mycotoxins have been found in both raw ingredients and final products of pet food around the globe. Grain processing, sampling error, analytical methods, conjugated mycotoxins, storage conditions, and synergistic interactions are common challenges faced by the pet food industry.
From the full paper “Mycotoxins and the pet food industry: Toxicological evidence and risk assessment“:
Mycotoxin contamination in pet food poses a serious health threat to pets, causing an emotional and economical concern to the pet owners. Aflatoxins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins and fusaric acid have been found in the ingredients and final products of pet food, resulting in both acute toxicity and chronic health problems in pets. Toxicological interaction among mycotoxins as a natural mixture further complicates the issue.
Aflatoxins have been the most common cause of acute mycotoxin outbreaks in commercial dog food. Corn is the usual source of aflatoxins in these cases. These available reports of acute mycotoxicosis, however, cannot provide the whole picture of the mycotoxin problem associated with pet foods since only a small number of food poisoning cases are published. Veterinarians, furthermore, often overlooked mycotoxins as the cause of chronic diseases such as liver and kidney fibrosis, infections resulting from immunosuppression and cancer. These findings suggest that mycotoxin contamination in pet food poses a serious health threat to pet species.
From the same paper as above, effects of different types of mycotoxins in pets are explained in more detail.
Aflatoxins. The primary clinical effects in aflatoxicosis are related to hepatic damage in all species studied. In acute aflatoxicosis, dogs exposed to >0.5–1 mg aflatoxin/kg body weight (BW) typically die within days, showing enlarged livers, disseminated intravascular coagulation and internal hemorrhaging. Sub-acute aflatoxicosis (0.5–1 mg aflatoxin/kg pet food) is characterized by anorexia, lethargy, jaundice, intravascular coagulation and death in 2–3 weeks. Similar hepatotoxic effects can also be produced by chronic aflatoxin exposure with 0.05–0.3 mg aflatoxin/kg pet food over 6–8 weeks.
In addition to their hepatotoxic properties, aflatoxins are also carcinogenic. The binding of DNA causes genotoxicity and mutation in cells. The chronic carcinogenic dose of aflatoxins is much lower than the acute dose. Since aflatoxins are both acute and chronic hepatotoxins and carcinogens, the actual number of dogs affected by aflatoxins would be far more than the total number reported in acute poisoning cases.
Ochratoxins. Ochratoxins are a group of potent renal mycotoxins that widely contaminate the agricultural commodities, such as corn, wheat, oats and dried beans, in temperate regions.
Upon absorption, ochratoxins enter the circulatory system, bind tightly to serum proteins and accumulate in the kidneys, where they disrupt protein synthesis and other pathways in proximal tubular cells. OTA is also known to bind with DNA molecules and induce renal tumors in animal models, although its carcinogenic mechanism remains controversial.
Clinical symptoms of the OTA poisoning included anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, tenesmus, bloody diarrhea, increased body temperature, tonsillitis, dehydration, and prostration.
Trichothecenes. Trichothecenes are a family of Fusarium mycotoxins commonly found in corn, wheat, barley, as well as oats worldwide.
Trichothecenes are potent irritants and inhibitors of protein and DNA synthesis which interferes with cellular metabolic activities, ultimately leading to cell death.
Zearalenone. Zearalenone is an estrogenic Fusarium mycotoxin found in various cereal crops, most frequently in corn.
Both male and female dogs are affected by zearalenone toxicity. Some recent studies suggested that low levels of zearalenone exposure can also produce significant toxic effects.
Fumonisins. Fumonisins are found in corn throughout the world with more than 15 homologues isolated. Once they enter the blood circulation, fumonisins damage numerous organs in all species studied.
Mycotoxins also have a synergistic effect when 2 or more are found in a pet food. “The toxicity of a particular mycotoxin, therefore, depends on not only its own concentration but also the presence of other mycotoxins.”
As example of dangerous synergy when multiple mycotoxins are present in a pet food is results from our consumer funded pet food testing performed in 2015.
The above sampled Purina Beneful Dog Food contained 10 different types of mycotoxins. Each mycotoxin was below FDA’s maximum allowed level individually (FDA has not established maximum levels for multiple mycotoxins present in pet foods), however based on industry based science our scientists classified this pet food has High Risk “due to number (10) and the levels of mycotoxins present.”
And again, this time with Big Heart Meow Mix cat food, our results showed all individual mycotoxins were below FDA allowed maximum. However, when the collective effect of mycotoxins were considered per scientific evidence, this pet food rated “at high risk due to number (7) and the levels of mycotoxins present.”
Another issue to consider with grain-included feed grade pet foods is the same consideration for all feed grade ingredients – the ‘feed’ system of regulation. Feed and feed ingredients are openly allowed by FDA to utilize what the food industry considers as waste. As example, the FDA allows “the diversion of moisture-damaged grain as well as other food materials for animal feed use.”
Below is an image of feed grade corn, stored in the middle of a field in Iowa (provided by a Iowa pet owner). Notice the grain is not under cover or protected from weather, insects or animals. This ‘storage’ of grain is openly allowed in feed.
Because mycotoxins are such a significant threat to all animals, each year various groups “survey” the grain productions for mycotoxin contaminations. Below is one of those survey’s for grain production in the U.S. last year.
Adisseo’s 2018 Mycotoxin Survey found that almost half of corn and silage samples taken in the U.S. were contaminated with zearalenone (ZEN) and more than 70 percent were contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON), making the 2018 U.S. corn harvest of medium quality in terms of mycotoxin contamination.
The results showed that 49 percent of silage samples and 20 percent of corn samples were contaminated with ZEN.
Eighty percent of silage samples and 73 percent of corn samples were contaminated with DON.
Only 3 percent of samples had low levels of AfB1.
Several samples had two to four mycotoxins detected, which could lead to synergistic interactions. Forty-nine percent of samples were contaminated with two mycotoxins; 23 percent with three mycotoxins.
Another mycotoxin survey from Biomin.net states:
Our April update from the annual Biomin® PROcheck mycotoxin survey in corn harvested in 2018 includes 572 samples from 31 states.
Corn
98% of ground corn samples are positive for at least one mycotoxin, vs 89% in 2017
72% of samples have more than one mycotoxin, vs 47% in 2017
Aflatoxin prevalence in dry corn increased to 10% vs 4% in 2017, with average contamination levels increasing over four fold.
Deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) prevalence rose to 76% vs 70% in 2017, with average contamination level increasing by 44%
Fumonisin prevalence jumped to 79% vs 52% in 2017, with average contamination levels increasing by 45%
Zearalenone prevalence increased to 45% vs 25% in 2017, with average contamination levels remaining steady.
Grains in pet food come with mycotoxin risks. Grain-free pet foods are currently linked to cases of heart disease in dogs. What are pet owners to do?
There is no easy answer to this question. The FDA states: “It’s important to note that the reports (cases of diet-related DCM reported to FDA) include dogs that have eaten grain-free and grain containing foods, and also include vegetarian or vegan formulations. They also include all forms of diets: kibble, canned, raw and home-cooked. This is why we do not think these cases can be explained simply by whether or not they contain grains, or by brand or manufacturer.”
Personal opinion: No one has publicly provided the cause confirming the link between grain-free pet foods and canine heart disease. The unknown is frightening. Dogs have become sick and many have died linked to grain-free pet food. However, the other side of grain-free pet food is grain-included pet food that – as evidenced by decades of science – come with mycotoxin risks.
Would I give my own pets a grain-free commercial pet food? Yes, I would – and I do. My pets consume a human grade (made under constant USDA inspection) grain-free raw pet food – this is half of their diet (2 dogs, 5 cats).
Would I give my own pets grain? Yes, I would – and I do in a rotation of home prepared cooked foods which makes up the other half of my pets diet. Grain is not included with every batch of pet food I make, but it is included in the recipes I make. Significant to me, the grains I provide my pets in their rotation of recipes are human edible (human grade) grains purchased from my grocery store (though almost all are organic).
Would I give my own pets a feed grade grain-free or grain-included pet food? No, I would not.
And lastly, though I am certain it will be perceived by some as an attack, the intent of this post is to provide pet owners with scientific information about the risk of grains. It is one of several over many years that TruthaboutPetFood.com has published on the risk of grains. It is our belief that pet owners are fully capable of making their own pet food decisions when provided with all sides of an issue. Mycotoxin risk in pet food is definitely another side that needs to be well known.
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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Dr. Oscar Chavez, Veterinarian
April 15, 2019 at 4:00 pm
YES!! This is all true, and being ignored by the FDA and most of the people looking into Grain vs Grain Free, despite decades of research consistently finding mycotoxicity in kibbled foods. Our group has recently funded more research in this and hope to publish that research soon! Sure enough, we found higher levels of mycotoxins in dry food made with feed grade grains. Incidentally, there were not found in pet food made with human edible grains. Rules and regulations exist to protect us from mycotoxins in human edible grains. Rules and regulations that either don’t exist in feed, or aren’t enforced.
Jan Gray
April 15, 2019 at 4:04 pm
why are you feeding your dogs grain at all?
Susan Thixton
April 15, 2019 at 4:56 pm
Because I don’t use supplements, provide a diet with a rotation of varying foods to balance the diet. I personally don’t have an issue with grains in a dog’s diet used in rotation with many different food items.
Anastasia
April 24, 2019 at 12:14 pm
Hi, Susan, I’m new to your site, thank you for all the work you do! Have you shared the recipes you follow for home cooked meals? I started my cats on raw and they are doing great! Want to start dogs as well but don’t want them to develop any deficiencies, so need a wholesome recipe! Too much contradicting info out there! Thank you!
~Pet Owner~
April 15, 2019 at 4:32 pm
Well I think they could make a decision … if given a list (or ranking) of choices.
So let’s do that.
We’ve just tossed out grains.
And potato, pea and legumes still need a study to be completed.
What about rice or pumpkin (squash) as fillers?
Steve
April 23, 2019 at 6:40 pm
.. rice IS a grain. *facepalm*
brit1
April 15, 2019 at 5:24 pm
I make all my dog food and use organic regular rolled oats plus organic veggies and pasture raised meats.
Amelia
April 15, 2019 at 5:37 pm
I have always feed my dogs grain free. One of them has DCM (possibly diet induced). I still believe grain free is better for many reasons especially the reason in this article. But to find a grain free food without “suspect” ingredients such as legumes, potatoes-maybe tapioca or beet pulp has been extremely challenging. Even more so, when you prefer not to feed kibble and don’t want to go raw-raw. There are very few freeze/air dyed foods available for large breeds that don’t cost a small fortune. I am currently feeding ziwipeak but both my boys are pooping very soft in many spots. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Susan thank you for providing us with this and many other informative information to assist pet owners to make the best possible decisions.
Brianna
April 15, 2019 at 11:18 pm
You can always try a bone broth or a goats milk. Primal’s Goats milk has turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon added, and is from a certified humane farm. I also love their bone broth, as it is known as a gut sealer. Any holes or irregularities in their intestinal tract can be helped with the broth. It is also a great joint supplement as it contains lots of collagen, glucosamine, and chondroitin. At my natural pet food store, we also have open farm’s kefir, and they are a really cool company as well. Their kibble is on her trusted kibble list, and all of their proteins are certified human, and/or sustainably raised and harvested. Their kefir is loaded with probiotics, and they add turmeric and cinnamon as well. I personally didn’t see a change in my dogs poop until I switched him to raw, and I’m only doing half raw. Even though I get wholesale pricing, I get that it is expensive, so those are a couple things to consider.
Amelia
April 17, 2019 at 6:31 pm
Brianna, I have tried the honest kitchen goat milk with egg, honey & cinnamon. Only gave them a teaspoon-65lb dog. One of my boys had a diarrhea attack ALL over. Never again for goat milk! I can’t imagine broth would help with GI issues. I bet I would have the same scene here as I did with the goat milk.
rcampany
May 14, 2019 at 3:31 pm
I thought that ginger is harmful to dogs?
LINDA M SASLOW
April 15, 2019 at 6:05 pm
I am confused!!
Denise
April 16, 2019 at 7:05 am
Your not alone Linda, I’m confused too. I feed my dogs Honest Kitchen Base Mix, it’s loaded with grains but good grains like Kale, Celery, carrots, peas, pumpkin and they are doing fine. I have 5 rescue dogs and all but one can eat grains, I had her tested and she has to have grain free dogs food because she is allergic.
~Interested~
April 16, 2019 at 11:42 am
Those aren’t grains, they’re vegetables and carbohydrates. The base mix must be balanced with the right proportion of meat. And so the instructions used to (or may still) instruct.
https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dehydrated-grain-free-fruit-and-veggie-base-mix
All ingredients dehydrated: Sweet potatoes, peas, cabbage, organic coconut, apples, bananas, spinach, pumpkin, celery, organic honey, organic kelp
Nutrient Profile:
https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/media/wysiwyg/2018/Nutrient-Profile/Fruit-Veggie-Base-Mix-Dog-Nutrient-Profile.pdf
The main advantage is the product’s human grade ingredient designation.
Jane Democracy
April 15, 2019 at 8:25 pm
Beware, mycotoxins have the potential to be found in all dry goods not just grain. Grainfree, organic dry goods can have mycotoxins as well. Don’t think you are safe from mycotoxins because you buy organic or grain free.
~Interested~
April 16, 2019 at 11:34 am
Explain.
Folks are going to a lot of expense buying organic and alternative grains.
Jane Democracy
April 23, 2019 at 12:28 am
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring and their presence is ubiquitous in our food supply. They become present in our food supply 2 ways: 1. Fungal infections in the fields dues to geographical location, adverse weather conditions and/or plant stress. 2. Fungal infections during storage due to improper storage conditions or long term storage which increases risk due to difficulty in controlling temperature fluctuations, humidity & air flow. Buying organic has nothing to do with preventing mycotoxins. You have to test for mycotoxins to determine their presence and quantity, so it comes down to a company that is buying dry goods having a robust quality program that tests incoming products for mycotoxins and regulations defining allowable levels singularly and in combination (expecting a mycotoxin level of zero in our food supply is impossible and not at all practical).
~Interested~
April 23, 2019 at 7:25 pm
Thank you, I appreciate the time you took to respond!
Another reason to look for a company with an authentic good reputation!
?
Marley Rowelyn
April 15, 2019 at 9:34 pm
If the grains are not organic they have likely been treated with glyphosate.
Sean
April 15, 2019 at 11:32 pm
Amelia, a company called “The Real Meat Company” offers an air dried, 90% animal protein, food. About 20-25% less costly than Ziwi. Although, Ziwi is 96-98% animal protein and an awesome food.
Amelia
April 17, 2019 at 6:24 pm
Thank you Sean. I started feeding the real meat-beef in Aug-18 prior to Ziwi. In Nov, one of my boys developed a rash in his groin-red blochy spots. Immediately, I thought it was something in the food. 2 ingredients-vegetable glycerin & rosemary-he has not had in previous food. The more I looked into it, I read of number of articles that vegetable glycerin is not recommended, although the FDA approves it. (if that is worth anything). It is the 5th ingredient on the list and increase the carb count. The veg glycerin is from palm oil. This is why I switched to ziwi. The rash continues to come and go. I use a topical my vet gave me. It goes away for a couple of weeks and comes back. Not sure what that is and neither is the vet. But, both of my dogs are pooping VERY soft on ziwi and in a million spots. I am going crazy. Not to mention, I just replaced my grass with artificial turf. (OMG, bad timing) Not as bad on the real meat. So now I’m stuck. Not sure what to do. It’s either, grains, no grains but loaded with legumes, this issue, raw or home cook-which I have no time to do. Not to mention 2 golden retrievers to cook for- I would never sleep!!! So many of the other freeze/air dried foods have really small bags, maybe enough for a day. As it is now, it is costing $550 a month. It’s all so outrageous to me, that I cannot find a food to meet my criteria under $500. Anyone have the perfect food? lol
~Interested~
April 17, 2019 at 11:29 pm
My dog has a glass stomach and more money than you can imagine has been spent on the issue. Every time there’s a new reveal on TAPF I switch directions. But the (potential) of diet-related DCM (peas, potato) Mycotoxins/Endotoxins caught my attention. My Vet said the issues have been around a long time and yet they can’t determine conclusions, and to avoid lamb & rice.. I think a lot of things that affect our dogs comes from the variations in batch processing, sourcing, and imperfect processing conditions in the manufacturing plant. So there’s a lot of merit to a company using human grade ingredients, made in a certified food facility. But THK was a challenge for my dog to digest/process, due to the texture and ingredient combination. The base also has pea in it.
I made my choices based on a hierarchy of decisions, less than perfect.
My dog’s stools are the measurement of his diet’s success. Ruled out kibble because it just doesn’t seem a natural food. Am challenged to add the right amount of moisture to re-hydrate THK for easy digestion, requires meat anyway. IMO as dogs get older it’s harder for them to digest and process foods. My dog’s stools are runny on poultry and fish. To control his reactions have limited him to red meat and one or two carbs. And keep a feeding journal. His wet food is only one meat and one carb and contains vitamins & minerals (no grains). Also augment with human grade fat-free sirloin and steamed sweet potato or rice (which is warmed up to make the meal tasty). Also rotate with raw beef for the muscle/organ meat and ground bone plus supplemental addition.
Except for it being a kibble, the Ziwi ingredients (below) look like a really good balance. Except am suspicious of what happens to these great raw ingredients when cooked at such high heat for extrusion. Just seems to defeat the purpose of an expensively made food. Am also a little suspicious of websites with extraordinarily beautiful pictures and text (realizing that there isn’t a non-human food grade pet food on earth) that’s as “perfect” as implied on a well-crafted website!
Ziwi Peaks ingredients: Beef, Beef Heart, Beef Kidney, Beef Tripe, Beef Liver, Beef Lung, New Zealand Green Mussel, Beef Bone, Lecithin, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid).
Except that the protein (38%) and fat (30%) seems really high, and my dog couldn’t digest/process that rich a food (especially in kibble form), which made stools runny. However in (a commercially made) raw meat he can process that level. In a dog, what happens when the stools get runny (too soft) long term, is to inflame the intestine, and makes the dog all the more sensitive to variations. They can be subject to colitis/IBD. Am suspicious that the texture of food also makes a difference in my dog at that point. That’s why I gave his system a rest for a long time. And used Gut Soothe (a prebiotic/probiotic with herbs) made especially to calm a (so-called) leaky gut. We also tried raw goat milk, but have to be careful, because longer term that can be rich as well. A dog has to not have problems with excessive fat.
In your case, if it has to be a kibble, one of the few I’ve found (pea and grain free) is at this website, https://sportdogfood.com/project-k-9-hero-multi-protein-endurance-formula/ . The company doesn’t seem “commercial” enough yet, to have screwed up. But there are no guarantees about anything. Realizing that every choice we make is some sort of a compromise and risk. Heaven knows, over the years have been trying to put a lot of whole food ingredients together (i.e., Becker/Habib) and just can’t afford to make the RX corrections necessary when he gets runny stools.
chucklinker
April 16, 2019 at 12:32 am
the only remedy & safe is to make batches of human grade food. serve room temp. use couscous for grain. get measured recipe from licensed holistic vet.
it is less expensive than commercial canned. you are letting marketing feed your pets. not common sense. do not believe labels nor what sales people twell you. There is no such thing as the BEST dog or cat food. do some homework.
do not buy any dog or cat food in a grocery store. you will just because you are there for human food ingredients only, go to small retail pet food only shopsl avoid petco. petsmart, superpetfood, etc.– no big box stores. be smart. do not use commercial if you want your cat or canine live longer.
chucklinker
April 16, 2019 at 12:37 am
do not buy any pet food in a grocery store. it is all unhealthy. do not be a victim of marketing.
take time & less $$ making batch of human grade pet foo. get recipe from a licencend holistic vet. do your homework. it is not “just the dog”. that animal is as important to you as the rest of your family. human grade food is not expensive to prepare.. do not be lazy. you have time also.
coucous is a good grain.
Tina
April 19, 2019 at 12:33 am
Don’t forget about the mycotoxins in cat litter too.
Ellen Johnston
April 26, 2019 at 1:06 pm
So glad to get this report. You are the first that fully explains no-grain versus grain in plain language and that I can understand. My dogs do eat a manufactured dog food (Merrick Wild Country) but I feel confident that it is the best choice so far for my pocket book. It is still expensive but I feel good about my choice. Made in a small, home based kitchen (here in Texas) I think they take every precaution and care about their customers and their pets. Thanks again for the informative report.
~Pet Owner~
April 26, 2019 at 9:21 pm
https://truthaboutpetfood.com/its-very-real-and-very-deadly/
In the Beef/Sweet Potato kibble, there’s a high level of carbs, aka “veg protein” [?], among the first 5 ingredients.
Cb
May 7, 2019 at 7:58 pm
Do any pet food or people food companies say they test for mycotoxins? I tried googling but just got that there are a ton of companies providing the testing, no info on manufacturers that use the testing.
Epet Katy
June 21, 2019 at 12:52 am
This is a sad attempt by a single individual at the FDA, also know as the “for drugs administration’ to help monsanto keep their stock looses to a minimum. You notice the FDA doesn’t mention the mountains of issues with dogs that do eat grain? Especially grocery brand poison.