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FDA investigating link between certain dog foods and canine dilated cardiomyopathy

painesgrey

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I don't have a dog, but have still been following this pretty closely.

Here is the FDA's article, as well as a NY Times article summarizing the issue.

The following dog foods are named in the report:

Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature’s Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, NutriSource, Nutro and Rachael Ray Nutrish

Most of the dog foods listed are usually labeled “grain-free” and contain a large proportion of peas, lentils, legume seeds or potatoes, according to the report. Many of the dogs researched in the investigation did not have a genetic predisposition to the condition, the F.D.A. said.

If you're feeding your dog a grain free variety of the brands listed above, you might want to talk to your vet about the risk of DCM and what food might be a safer alternative.
 

Karen

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I have too. I don’t feed any on the list but I’m looking now to change my dogs food to one that doesn’t have the pea protein or lentils.

I’m looking at the Coast and Range - Gently-Baked Duck Formula Dog Food for Adult SMALL BREED
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Funny you should bring this up. I was just at the vet on Thursday to have a dental cleaning on one of my dogs who has periodontal disease. I mentioned to the dental technician that I was going to switch from feeding my dogs Hills Science Diet since it has corn as an ingredient as well as wheat and go with a grain free food. Later before I left with my dog she told me I would need to bring him in every six months for heart evaluation if I switched to grain free. I had already purchased two bags of Simply Nourish made in the USA grain free ( not opened yet) so I need to contact my vet and ask her about this specific brand because it's not listed in the FDA brands as potentially harmful foods. We're still feeding the Hills until we get a better idea of what we should feed. I was just trying to eliminate the corn. I'm open to suggestions for a better product for my two little ones. Their last tidbit of the day is chopped sugar snap peas and either cooked bits of butternut squash or cooked carrot... because they beg while I'm doing chop for the birds and it's the only way I can get them to lick up the Clenz-a-dent oral rinse that helps to prevent tartar on their teeth. Squirting some in their mouths is so difficult.... little Riley can do a pretty good impression of the gator death roll trying to get away from me and he's pretty ugly about taking this stuff!

These are the ingredients for the chicken and brown rice recipe:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Brown Rice Flour, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Dried Sweet Potato, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberries, Minerals (Salt, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Vegetable Oil, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract

The Lamb and Oatmeal ingredients are...

New Formulation: Deboned Lamb, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Turkey Meal, Lamb Meal, Barley, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Pea Fiber, Flaxseeds, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potassium Chloride, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Carrot, Dried Kale, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), DL-Methionine, Taurine, Citric Acid (Preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Rosemary Extract.
 

painesgrey

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Funny you should bring this up. I was just at the vet on Thursday to have a dental cleaning on one of my dogs who has periodontal disease. I mentioned to the dental technician that I was going to switch from feeding my dogs Hills Science Diet since it has corn as an ingredient as well as wheat and go with a grain free food. Later before I left with my dog she told me I would need to bring him in every six months for heart evaluation if I switched to grain free. I had already purchased two bags of Simply Nourish made in the USA grain free ( not opened yet) so I need to contact my vet and ask her about this specific brand because it's not listed in the FDA brands as potentially harmful foods. We're still feeding the Hills until we get a better idea of what we should feed. I was just trying to eliminate the corn. I'm open to suggestions for a better product for my two little ones. Their last tidbit of the day is chopped sugar snap peas and either cooked bits of butternut squash or cooked carrot... because they beg while I'm doing chop for the birds and it's the only way I can get them to lick up the Clenz-a-dent oral rinse that helps to prevent tartar on their teeth. Squirting some in their mouths is so difficult.... little Riley can do a pretty good impression of the gator death roll trying to get away from me and he's pretty ugly about taking this stuff!

These are the ingredients for the chicken and brown rice recipe:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Brown Rice Flour, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Dried Sweet Potato, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberries, Minerals (Salt, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Vegetable Oil, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract

The Lamb and Oatmeal ingredients are...

New Formulation: Deboned Lamb, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Turkey Meal, Lamb Meal, Barley, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Pea Fiber, Flaxseeds, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potassium Chloride, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Carrot, Dried Kale, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), DL-Methionine, Taurine, Citric Acid (Preservative), Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Rosemary Extract.


Most vets are probably going to recommend brands that have veterinary nutritionists on staff (typically Science Diet, Purina, Royal Canin.. and maybe Iams?). This isn't because they get kickbacks or any benefits from these brands, but that they trust them because they have the science behind them to back their efficacy. This is why you're not seeing those brands on the list of affected foods - even though some of these brands do have grain free options.

If you're not happy with Science Diet (though I think it's a good food - it's what I feed my cat), your vet will probably have the best idea as to what offers what you're looking for as well as what doesn't carry a risk of DCM.
 

melissasparrots

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Science diet does have a grain free version. My sheltie got DCM on Science Diet grain free. Hard to tell if it was the food though. She was also on steroid shots for allergies which probably was not terribly heart healthy. And, I did go through a few grain free brands before settling on Science Diet grain free as the one that worked the best for her. It was quite odd, she went from walking 3 miles most nights to coughing and dead within 2 weeks. She'd had a full dental, with blood work and a good check up six months before she died and no heart problem detected. She was 8 which is aging but definitely not old.
For my current dogs, I'm shooting for a good middle of the road regular formula dog food. They get Purina Proplan during the summer and Fromm Gold regular formula with grains during the winter. I'm just not convinced that shooting for perfect is really doing them any favors. I do sometimes give them a bit of chicken or rabbit meat as a supplement because they are carnivores after all. Thankfully, my current dogs do not have allergies so far.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Science diet does have a grain free version. My sheltie got DCM on Science Diet grain free. Hard to tell if it was the food though. She was also on steroid shots for allergies which probably was not terribly heart healthy. And, I did go through a few grain free brands before settling on Science Diet grain free as the one that worked the best for her. It was quite odd, she went from walking 3 miles most nights to coughing and dead within 2 weeks. She'd had a full dental, with blood work and a good check up six months before she died and no heart problem detected. She was 8 which is aging but definitely not old.
For my current dogs, I'm shooting for a good middle of the road regular formula dog food. They get Purina Proplan during the summer and Fromm Gold regular formula with grains during the winter. I'm just not convinced that shooting for perfect is really doing them any favors. I do sometimes give them a bit of chicken or rabbit meat as a supplement because they are carnivores after all. Thankfully, my current dogs do not have allergies so far.
I'm sorry you lost your sheltie. We trust these companies to formulate healthy diets for our pets and it's heart breaking to know we may not be doing what is best for them. I'm hoping my vet can give me the proper food for my two and I'll share when I do talk to her.
 

MiniMacaw

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Just my perspective, but I feed my dogs royal canin. I’ve been a CVT for over a decade and I’ve seen very ill dogs bounce back while on it countless times so I trust it.
It’s also been recommended by every Vet I’ve worked for as a solid food choice.
 

Ribbit21

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Do your research. While a link has not 100% been found (yet) I decided to switch my dog and cats to a pea/legume free food. Dogs are omnivores so I wouldn't be afraid of a high quality food that includes some grains. I switched to a rotation of Victor Hi Pro Plus and American Natural Premium. Personally I think that food rotation is important so the dogs aren't getting the exact same nutrients every day their entire life. I refuse to feed Purina, RC, Science Diet and really any of the very large manufacturers. I'm not a fan of their track record on animal testing.
 

Mitzi

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With all the scares and warnings about dog food, Rachael Ray being one on the list, do I need to worry? It is not grain free. My dog eats Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Beef, Peas & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. It is so hard to know what to feed and not feed these days.
 

SunUp

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I've been coming across this info as well. I've been feeding Nutro to my dog for about 2 years now, thinking it was a good food. I swear I'm going to feed Purina Dog Chow! We had a yellow lab who ate it all his 13 1/2 years and did great. People told us all the time what a beautiful dog he was, and he was a very active farm dog.

I just ordered a sample of this Canine Health for Dogs | Dr. Harvey's What do you guys think of this? Guess I'd have to pick out the peas.
 

Karen

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Just my perspective, but I feed my dogs royal canin. I’ve been a CVT for over a decade and I’ve seen very ill dogs bounce back while on it countless times so I trust it.
It’s also been recommended by every Vet I’ve worked for as a solid food choice.
Thanks for the good solid recommendation. I’m going to look into it.
 

Love My Zons

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I went back to Hill's Hill's Bioactive recipe for 7+ since all of mine are older 11 plus, 13 and 14. No corn, or soy.

All are doing fine on it. They have consumed several large bags. I have with the current crew fed Acana king ago before the changeover to the USA facility. We fed it for just a short time and I too didn't like the new formula

I an almost positive everyone is good to go here heart wise. To do echo,'s on 3 here isn't an option cost wise for me, and none show any signs (cough) or labored breathing.

One coughs, the sheltie but thinking his issue is more trachea related. Same cough if you press his neck or a slight leash pull.

Great info. I can only tell others to research and go with your gut.
 

Mizzely

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I've always thought that grain free =/= a necessarily healthy food. Substituting grains for peas and legumes is just swapping one "evil" for another. Some vets are also warning against grain free for cats, too, but from what I understand, one of the things they are looking into is that pea/legume heavy foods are causing a taurine deficiency, and cats are less likely to be affected because their foods have added taurine. I personally feed 95% canned food to my cat which doesn't need the binder of legumes, etc, and feed a dry food with no grains, peas, or legumes. For cats I am much more "against" grains than I am for dogs simply because cats are obligate carnivores. But, a grain laden food also helped give my cat Jasmine 6 months more to live that she may not have had otherwise, so we all have to do what is best for our situation!

Another thing to remember is that only the foods that had higher than normal incidents are included.
 

painesgrey

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With all the scares and warnings about dog food, Rachael Ray being one on the list, do I need to worry? It is not grain free. My dog eats Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Beef, Peas & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. It is so hard to know what to feed and not feed these days.

It's the peas, lentils, and legumes that are the concern. These are often used in place of grains, but in your food they're used in addition (I would guess). You can always talk to your vet about what they recommend - but some brands that aren't on the list are Royal Canin, Hill's, Iams, and Purina.
 
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