Just a few years ago, the FDA alerted pet owners to a potential problem (emphasis potential) in pet food. In July of 2018, the FDA notified the public the agency was investigating a potential connection between pet food and cases of canine heart disease.
Although this 2018 notice did not specifically state how many adverse event reports the FDA received linked to canine heart disease, it appears at this first public notice – there were not many. “Medical records for four atypical DCM cases, three Golden Retrievers and one Labrador Retriever, show that these dogs had low whole blood levels of the amino acid taurine. Four other cases of DCM in atypical dog breeds, a Miniature Schnauzer, Shih Tzu and two Labrador Retrievers, had normal blood taurine levels.”
With no known cause, and only a handful of consumer complaints – the FDA alerted the public they were investigating a potential pet food issue.
This FDA public pet food alert was picked up by media all across the US which resulted in more events reported to the agency. A year later, in 2019 the FDA stated “Between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2019, the FDA received 524 case reports of diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy.”
Answering the question to why FDA decided in 2018 to alert the public to a potential pet food problem, the agency stated:
“The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) felt a responsibility to shed light on a signal that we have been made aware of and to solicit reports from pet owners and vets that may know of related cases.”
Fast forward to today (1/17/24)…the “signal” FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine has been made aware of today…
In about a five week time frame, the Facebook Group Saving Pets One @ a Time (Pet Owner and veterinarian volunteers) has received 957 reports of sick pets, 234 of which have died.
As of today (1/17/24), the FDA has not felt any responsibility to shed light on the current issue and has not solicited reports from pet owners and/or veterinarians that may know of related cases.
It is unknown how many of reports of sick or dead pets have been submitted to FDA, or if the agency has received more than the 957 reports collected by this one pet owner group.
Why don’t we know? Because unlike in 2018 with the potential (never confirmed) grain-free pet food link to canine heart disease, the FDA is refusing to feel that same responsibility to alert pet owners as they did in the past.
The FDA is not providing information to anyone – including mainstream media.
Why is FDA handling this current situation differently?
When asked how many adverse event reports the agency has received regarding the potential current pet food issue, the FDA is requiring all (including media) to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request which could take months (even years) to receive.
But…during their investigation into a potential (and never proven) link between grain free pet food and heart disease in pets, the agency provided all of the reports they received publicly – without the need of filing a FOIA request as the are requiring for the current pet food concern.
In 2019, the FDA released the brand names involved in the adverse event reports received by the agency relating to a potential (and never proven) link. Yet in this instance the FDA has remained VERY silent about brands involved.
The significant difference between how FDA handled reports of sick/dead pets in 2018 and how FDA is handling the current issue…it makes one wonder…
Is FDA protecting the manufacturers involved in the current situation? Or…
Are the manufacturers of the pet foods currently linked to pet illness and death not cooperating with the FDA? Perhaps pet food corporate lawyers are strongly suggesting FDA remain silent on this current issue?
We don’t know.
What we do know is we need answers from FDA.
Because FDA is remaining silent, pet owners are encouraged to write their representatives in Congress. Ask your Representative to urge FDA to alert pet owners to what ‘signal’ they are currently seeing in pet food and what they are doing about it.
Example email:
There appears to be a concerning health issue in pet food right now. Reports from individual pet owners of sick and dead pets collected by one volunteer group of pet owners are increasing by the day – as of today this one group has collected 957 reports of sick pets, 234 of which have died. The FDA has failed to keep US pet owners updated, refusing to disclose any information to how many reports of sick or dead pets the agency has received or if the agency is investigating on behalf of these pets.
I am asking you to reach out to the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine for answers. FDA has alerted the public in the past to various pet food safety issues, and pet owners certainly deserve some answers now.
To find your Representative in Congress, Click Here.
On behalf of the sick and dead pets, on behalf of their worried or grieving families, take five minutes and write your Representatives. FDA might ignore us, but it will not be so easy to ignore Congress.
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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Hope Williams
January 17, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Susan…as usual, your ROCK, but really big time with this article/report. I think we know why the FDA is silent and reclusive and secretive on this issue…the FDA is so ridden with big pet feed directors and control that there is NO semblance of objective oversight left. Keep it up, we and our pets need you…always ❤️. Hope
Dick McWay
January 17, 2024 at 3:48 pm
Ditto on the human side Hope. Revolving door from big Pharma, big Ag/food and FDA. And write your rep…… they are part of the problem. They’ll write a “strongly worded letter” at best.
Lorraine
January 17, 2024 at 3:31 pm
I have always been very suspicious of the grain free dog food fiasco, it just didn’t seem right from the start. If I remember right, there had already been talk about Mars Corporation wanting to buy Champion Pet Foods and according to what I read the offer was refused. Of course Acana (Made by Champion Pet Foods) was the dog food that was being accused of causing the most DCM in dogs but also on the list released by FDA was Orijen (also made by Champion Pet Foods). It wasn’t too long after the FDA released the list that Mars Corporation was able to acquire Champion Pet Foods. I’ve often wondered if it all was connected. I also know that what the FDA did during the Grain Free food fiasco did a lot of damage to the dog food companies on the list they gave out, but strange that Purina, Hills, Royal Canin & Iams were never mentioned yet they are the four major dog brands that are frequently recommended by veterinarians and also the four dog food brands recommended to feed on the DCM report out of Cummings School of Veterinarians (Tufts Univ) that originally pointed the finger at grain free food causing DCM. The FDA ended up with egg on their faces when they went with the information on this report without verifying it. I later read that the research for that report was funded by Purina, Hills, Royal Canin & Iams
Jennifer Gonzalez
January 17, 2024 at 4:30 pm
I emailed my representative for my district today, thank you for doing this Susan and for all that you do.
C
January 17, 2024 at 4:49 pm
Just sent mine to the Idaho Reps.
Brian
January 17, 2024 at 11:17 pm
It’s very clear that the DCM nonsense was a coordinated attack to devalue so-called boutique brands so that the large manufacturers could gobble them up on the cheap. It’s no coincidence that the DCM thing died as soon as Mars completed their purchase of Orijen.
Franklin Harper
January 18, 2024 at 4:24 pm
Could this also be some form of that? Why/how are we so sure it’s not?
Mark Savides
January 18, 2024 at 11:04 am
I am done with the pet food industry. I just bought a chefpaw dog food maker and am not looking back.
AUDREY WASHBURN
January 19, 2024 at 11:31 am
As a veterinarian, I have seen evidence of dietary DCM. Many vets have. Actually the correlation between grain-free food/ unusual heart disease was first noted by veterinary cardiologists. The recent dog food scare is much different, veterinarians have thus far not noted any illness/food correlation, let alone causation. It’s pretty common that users blame pet foods/medications/anything for pet deaths- and sometimes it’s true (in which case vets get onboard) but often it’s not. There are many veterinary products that I use and love that the public have attacked online as causes of illness/death. So until I hear that veterinarians treating these current sick dogs (or doing autopsies) have found a correlation with something, or a common cause (its very easy to submit dog food for analysis), I’m not jumping on the bandwagon .
andre giroux
January 19, 2024 at 4:55 pm
I have 2 labs. Last summer they both got sick with diarrhea and vomiting. They both eat the same kibble. Ended up they both drank from a stagnant swamp at camp…glad I didn’t rush to conclusions and changed their food
andre giroux
January 19, 2024 at 5:02 pm
I don’t buy the DCM relation to grain free ….out of the millions of dogs that eat grain free the casualties should have been much greater…they didn’t mention that the list of dogs were inherently prone to it
Audrey Washburn
January 21, 2024 at 10:07 am
Yes, Im glad it isnt more common. The food issue is thought to be certain ingredient(s) added to certain grain-free foods. Many of those foods have now changed their ingredients. As far as the dogs being prone to DCM, the reason the cardiologists were concerned is they were seeing DCM in breeds that never get it. The studies and concern all involve non-predisposed breeds.
Ginette Slater
April 6, 2024 at 3:53 pm
The issue I had was I read every report that was listed and it was clear (as much as possible to a lay person) that many of those dogs were either genetically linked, a mother and 4 puppies as an example, or had multiple pre-existing conditions. Those aren’t representative of the average healthy dog and it’s already known that DCM can happen through genetics.
Nora Diane MOORE
January 27, 2024 at 9:46 pm
Thank you.
I contacted my vet and she advised me the same as your comment.
I highly watch what I feed my fur baby. And have near panic.
dinosmom
January 28, 2024 at 9:52 am
thank you. my dog died from grain free food. His cardiologist even said that was the cause, and that he saw a 200% increase in dcm from grain free fed dogs. This was back in 2017-2018.I wont ever feed that food again. This what is happening now is very scary, i dont feed purina never had. Folks need to be aware , as many dogs are getting sick and passing. blessings.
Dina
April 21, 2024 at 5:16 pm
I implore people to call the FDA and urge them to investigate dietary beet pulp. Research has shown that the use of beet pulp more than rice bran in a lower protein food that also contains legumes and or pulses result in reduced bile acid absorption, a pre effect to converting menathion and carnatine into bio available taurine!The craze to cheap out on animal protein in kibble by ingredient splitting, coupled with a filler known to cause the dogs digestive system to excrete the tauine precursors is a recipe for disaster. Unless the diet is full on real meat not split proteins, then beet pulp is flirting with danger. We need to push vets to push the FDA into studying this, as of now they have never looked at the interaction of beet pulp, or dig to deeply into protein splitting.