Many of my customers have been freaking out recently about a potential link between grain free dog foods and a heart condition called canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). If you are one of the concerned, I want to let you know that your dog can get most of the benefits you’ve seen from your grain free dog food by switching to a quality dog food with grain. You can still see an improved coat, lean and muscular body mass, and avoid allergies with a quality food with grain. The only benefit you will lose is smaller, cleaner stool as grains are full of insoluble fiber. Be sure the food you select has barley, oatmeal, rice, or millet. Avoid foods with corn, wheat, or soy. Meat, or meat meal, should still be the first ingredient listed on the AAFCO approved label on the packaging. If the food meets these criteria, your dog can still be healthy and you can sleep better at night. You may just need a larger pooper scooper. If you are not sure whether to be concerned, I will give you the facts that currently exist so you can make your decision.
As I started my research on this potential link, I saw a lot of typical overreactions as if “grain free” was a marketing scam designed with no regard to animal health. The “grain free” epidemic is slaying dogs of all breeds all over the country. We must stop feeding grain free NOW!
As my research got past the consumer freak outs, I found some articles not quite as dramatic as the blog posts I read, but still concerning. However, even these articles seemed bias. They repeatedly pointed out that there is no conclusive evidence of health benefits from grain free food, while not holding the same standard of evidence in linking grain free food to DCM. One article even stated, “stick with a commercial pet food made by a well-established manufacturer that contains common ingredients, including grains.” They coined the phrase “BEG” which stands for boutique company, exotic ingredients, or grain free diets. It seemed the authors were trying to single out foods made by small companies that have seen a lot of success in recent years. Not to down play the potential risk, but I think the large food manufacturers that have lost market share in the last ten years are trying to use this potential link to their advantage. Many of the articles are written by accredited DVMs or DACVNs (Doctors of Veterinary Medicine or Diplomates of American College of Veterinary Nutrition). Readers trust these accreditations and we would like to think they are writing in a non-bias manner. But how many times have you seen a commercial with a dentist recommending a specific tooth paste? Of course I can’t prove that these doctors are receiving kickbacks, but it passes the smell test.
Finding unbiased information on pet food can be even harder than finding unbiased info on human food. We’ll put any kind of crap in our own bodies, but when it comes to our pets, we care about nutrition. That’s probably because it’s easier to feed healthy when you’re not the one who has to eat it, but we’ll write it off to how much we love our pets.
Similar informational discrepancies exist in human nutrition. For example, paleo diets versus eating vegan. You probably know a healthy person who follows either of those philosophies and can give you a good reason why following their diet will show you the light. If you go on Netflix, you can see two documentaries side by side trying to convince you that the nutritional philosophy supported by the other documentary is contributing to the down fall of health in our society. Who are we to trust?
All we can do is look for the least biased information, keep an open mind, and learn from results. And if you make a mistake, forgive yourself. Unbiased information will generally not argue strongly for one conclusion. There is a reason this issue is a debate and it is because there are good arguments for more than one conclusion. Unbiased information will recognize that. The down side is that we will likely feel unresolved as the unbiased information will likely not give you an answer, but only the information available which can leave you more confused than when you started.
The least biased information that I found on the link between grain free diets and DCM is the FDAs report on its investigation into the matter. I’ll save you the suspense. It’s inconclusive. But they are still researching. I can give you what information we do have plus what sparked the freak out.
In 2018, there was a sudden spike in reports to the FDA of DCM. The spike went from 3 in 2017 to 320 in 2018. It is important for your sanity to know that this is out of 77 million pets in the US. However, not all cases are reported. DCM is commonly found in larger breads such as Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, or Irish Wolfhounds. But the recent spike was seen in breeds that do not typically suffer from DCM, mostly Golden Retrievers. Approximately 90% of the dogs reported with DCM were eating a grain free dog food.
The FDA analyzed the ingredients of grain free foods found in the diets of these dogs with DCM. The analysis found that it is likely not the high meat content or the lack of grains that correlates with DCM, but the presence of peas or lentils in grain free foods. It is hard for the grain free foods to compete on price because of the low cost of grains. To replace grains with more meat would make the food too expensive to market. So grain free foods use peas and lentils as a low cost source of protein. It can be deduced that peas are the controversial ingredient showing up in the grain free foods being eaten by dogs with DCM as there were no other correlations.
Despite finding this correlation, the FDA established that there is currently not enough evidence to link these foods to DCM as the potential association between diet and DCM is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors. DCM is associated with taurine deficiency which is generally not considered an essential amino acid for dogs because these animals can synthesize taurine from cysteine and methionine which are plentiful in grain free foods. Research suggests that Golden Retrievers may be genetically predisposed to taurine deficiency. However the FDA observed a reporting bias for Golden Retrievers due to breed-specific social media groups and activities that have raised awareness of the issue in these communities. They are also puzzled by the spike in DCM only occurring within the last couple of years. The FDA is continuing to gather information and investigate the issue. They encourage pet owners to report well documenting cases of DCM to aid in their investigation. The signs of DCM are decreased energy, cough, difficulty breathing, and episodes of collapse. If your dog has these symptoms, take it to your Vet. If it has DCM, report all information including dietary history to the FDA.
I haven’t taken my dogs off of grain free food. However I do not have a Golden Retriever in which case I may consider it. My dogs have eaten grain free food their whole lives and are healthy middle to upper aged, larger breed dogs. I myself eat grain free. I find that my energy and body mass are much better the more I stick to a grain free diet. We will continue to keep an eye on what the FDA finds and in the meantime, try not to freak out.
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