If you've been on social media, then you may be aware of the connection between grain-free dog food and heart disease, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). I've kept quiet because this is related to kibble brands and I don't feed kibble nor do I write about kibble.
But two things have prompted me to write a blog post about this issue:
1) Seeing people who feed the poorest quality dog food warning others against feeding grain-free, including people who feed gently cooked and raw pet food.
2) Seeing people stop feeding raw and return to grocery store kibble that contains grain in an effort to avoid dilated cardiomyopathy.
What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
"Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that is characterized by an enlarged heart that does not function properly. With DCM, both the upper and lower chambers of the heart become enlarged, with one side being more severely affected than the other. When the ventricle, or lower chamber, becomes enlarged, its ability to pump blood out into the lungs and body deteriorates. When the heart’s ventricle does not pump enough blood into
the lungs, fluid begins to accumulate in the lungs. An enlarged heart soon becomes overloaded, and this often leads to congestive heart failure (CHF)." Pet MD
Signs of Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs
Heart failure is something I never considered when thinking of my dogs' health. I've been 100% focused on canine cancer. But heart disease is another serious issue with our dogs along with obesity, diabetes, and allergies:
- Always tired/sleep, lethargy, lack of energy
- Coughing all the time
- Increased heart rate
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Fainting and weakness
- Trouble sleeping
- Bloated (not bloat) stomach, fluid in the abdomen
If caught early enough, a dog can survive a DCM diagnosis. If you suspect that your dog may have heart disease, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
Does Raw Feeding Lead to Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
The fact that raw dog food (or gently cooked dog food) doesn't contain grains (or few grains in the case of cooked dog food) doesn't mean that dogs on these diets are at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy.
The amount of misinformation being shared is astounding because the issue isn't with the grains in food (or lack of grains), the issue of heart disease started because pet food manufacturers are replacing the grains in dry dog food with plant based proteins (like legumes) in an effort to boost the protein in the dog food. The problem with using legumes as a protein source is the lack of two key amino acids that help to synthesize taurine in dogs: Cystine, and
Methionine.
Although legumes are high in protein, they do not have the two amino acids that help with processing taurine. As a result, the dogs being fed grain-free kibble diets are getting less taurine, which is leading to dilated cardiomyopathy.
With both raw and cooked diets for dogs, if you're concerned about the taurine levels, please know that you can supplement taurine in your dog's diet. However, don't grab a supplement just to "be on the safe side." With our dogs more IS NOT better. Instead, supplement a raw diet if you are having trouble sourcing muscle meat, shellfish, or heart. And supplement a cooked diet because the taurine is reduced by 50% or during cooking (this is
according to Dr. Laurie Coger).
If you'd like to learn more, read the detailed FDA report that lists brands/food that do not have enough taurine. Despite all of the information coming out about DCM and grain-free diets, it's important to remember that although the taurine issue has been well documented, this isn't the only cause of DCM in dogs. So
if someone tells you about a raw fed dog they know that died of dilated cardiomyopathy, it's not because the dog was fed a grain-free raw food diet, it may be due to breed, breeding, or other health complications.
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