Grain free dog food, heart trouble linked to diet, what's up?

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The cause is not known at this time, but it appears linked to high levels of potato or legume in some foods (and likely associated low levels of meat content). Taurine deficiencies have previously been linked to DCM. It is not known if that is the issue with these diets or not. Grain free doesn't mean healthy, and my guess is that the specific foods that are likely to be ultimately linked to this issue are probably going to be low meat content and mostly carbohydrate fillers....Show more

It's bad enough when such articles focus on human diets - now they have started on dog diets. At this rate, none of us, nor our animals, will be eating ANYTHING - and then there's drinking!!! I have contacted my food manufacturer's dietary expert for her comments about this latest. Can't see taurine listed in the contents but I'd not be in a hurry to buy this as a supplement at the moment.
Add - I contacted the dietician of the food I use here in the UK - Arden Grange and an abridged version of her reply is as follows ..
"......unfortunately there have been no recent
developments since the first published report, and the situation
remains highly speculative. As members of the Pet Food Manufacturing
Association (PFMA) we are being kept aware of any news regarding the
investigation and will of course be compliant with any new directives
that could arise once conclusions have been drawn.

In the meantime, I hope it will reassure you in that we do measure the
essential amino acid levels in our food to ensure that they are within
the correct parameters. Taurine however is currently not considered an
essential amino acid for dogs (because they can manufacture it within
the body as well as derive it efficiently from natural sources such as
meat), so it has not been necessary to measure this specific amino
acid. Also, there is no standard to measure it to, because a formal
RDA has not yet been established for dog food manufacturers to work
with. We are still awaiting the conclusions of the investigation to be
able to implement any actions if required - which could include a
declaration of the level and/or supplementing with additional taurine."

In other words the media have, as always, taken this news and run with it!!...Show more

Discuss your concerns with your diagnosing/treating vet/nutritionist, not strangers/children on YA....Show more

The current offender seems to be mainly diets with high levels of legumes/peas. The jury is still out, however. Grain free is NOT the same as low carb. And lack of Taurine does cause heart issues (at least it does in cats), and some studies link those legumes with a diminished ability to absorb taurine. The bottom line - be aware of what you are feeding your dog. This means knowing what is IN the food as well as what is NOT in the food. Your dog may be much better off with a food who's carb source is brown rice, than all of the legumes and potatoes. The link between lack of taurine and heart disease has been known for many years in cats (it is added to most quality cat foods) and I'm surprised it hasn't been studied more in dogs....Show more

G-I-M-M-I-C-K...Show more