In the November issue, already in subscribers hands and available at WholeDogJournal.com, we have a number of articles about canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and diet. The articles are a response to the announcements by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regarding their investigation of possible links between certain types of diets and the development of the disease in what seems like a growing number of dogs.
No statistics are kept about the rate or prevalence of DCM in dogs, but veterinary cardiologists first raised their concern that the disease might be occurring more often, and even more distressingly, in breeds that are not known to be at an increased genetic risk. They sent reports about their cases to the FDA, who began investigating. The agency apparently thought the matter merited extra attention or alertness from pet owners and veterinarians, and, in hopes of increasing awareness of the symptoms of the disease, they issued their first announcement in June 2019.
More DCM Cases, or Increased Awareness?
The number of cases of any suspected health condition will rise upon news about its potential risk – and it does seem that there has been an increase in the number of cases since awareness of the symptoms of DCM have been widely publicized. I’ve been following a number of Facebook groups for owners of dogs who have been diagnosed with DCM, and daily, there are people who post stories about their dogs – dogs who were newly diagnosed, dogs undergoing treatment, and dogs who passed away. But, dang, it’s frustrating to not have any idea whether the incidence of the disease really has increased or if it only seems so because more people are aware of the symptoms and are seeking veterinary attention for symptoms that, previously, might have been mistaken for “old age” and gone undiagnosed.
But, as I said in the editorial in the November issue, another thing that makes me crazy is the number of accounts that I read that lament how much they trusted the maker of the very expensive dog food they were feeding their dog – they fed it for years and years, and are now angry that the food may have contributed to the dog’s disease. I don’t think anyone should trust any company with the sum total of their dog’s nutrition for years on end!
What Does This Mean For Your Dog?
It’s important to keep in mind that even the companies whose products have been named in the FDA’s reports most frequently haven’t knowingly done anything wrong. The products have met the existing standards for nutrition, and they have not been contaminated with something that causes illness. No one has identified the cause or causes of the problem, so it’s not like the companies have failed to do something they were supposed to do. There is something – or, more likely, a few things – going on with some foods and/or ingredients.
The solution isn’t just avoiding those foods; until we know more, the solution is not feeding any food as your dog’s sole source of nutrition for years on end. If there is one thing that should be easy for us to do, it’s to switch foods at least a few times a year. Call it a hedge, call it “balance over time,” call it a hassle – whatever you call it, unless your dog is intolerant of many different ingredients, it shouldn’t be that difficult to buy a different product from a different company every other time you buy food. For most dogs, the more often you change their foods, the more robust their ability to digest different foods will become.
I enjoy reading the various dog food and supplements that owners provide for their best friends. However, I own a Miniature Schnauzer who gets 1/3 cups of food a day. I carefully monitor the treats she gets. She gains weight easily so I check her ribs regularly to ensure she is not putting on weight. Since her quantity of food is restricted, how do I add these supplements or is there one that is the most important to add?
What’s a pet parent to do when just about every single dog food is grain free, full of peas, legumes?? I’m not taking a chance bc my 5 yr old golden has done really well on science diet perfect weight along with wet food ,veggies and diff supplements I add to her meals. She is absolutely beautiful and very healthy. I looked at changing to another weight reduction food, but again just about everything is grain free. Do the dog food manufacturers not listen to all the recent news re: dcm? I feel like the whole grain free craze is just a marketing tool. Surely there cant be that many dogs allergic to grains. In addition, I get alerts about all the frozen dog food recalls due to salmonella. I’m sticking with what has worked and kept my golden healthy.
I’m with you. I walk into every pet store to find them jammed wall to wall with grain free foods. And I find that some dog-owning friends have never heard of this issue. It’s a head scratcher for sure. I get Purina PPP Savor from Amazon as it isn’t stocked in my small town.
my cockerpoo is 14yrs old. I know it is boring to eat the same thing day after day. I use Blue Buffalo SENIOR day food. It only comes in chicken and brown rice recipe. He had been on this for several years and any problems he had seem to have disappeared. Is there any other SENIOR dry food you would recommend. Would ADULT food still be ok for him
I feed my seven dogs the way you do Ljr. Variety and plenty of lean meats, changing their kibble often and trying to keep it interesting by trying different veggies, fruits and grains. I use millet, quinoa, oat bran, barley and brown rice in the mix of homemade food I make every five days. Bone broth has been a new addition and one of my dogs loves plain yogurt. I like to cook so have made it a priority to feed my pups what I hope is a healthy diet.
I foster and adopt frequently and when I bring a new dog into the house they go crazy over the meals I serve. I can’t imagine feeding them the same boring kibble all the time. One guy has a sensitive stomach so I have to be careful with him but mixing a bunch of kibbles together seems to do the trick.
Good luck to all. It is very frustrating especially given the fact that MOST bets know nothing about nutrition.
I don’t see anyone thinking about supplementing with taurine, something that is suggested as possibly the root of the legume, potato, peas issue. I buy Life’s Abundance kibbles, which have taurine listed in their dog food ingredients. I was switching between grain and grain-free but recently, in view of the dog food news, I have kept the grain formula and added The Farmer’s Dog raw food assortment. I can’t tell if the level of taurine in Life’s Abundance is sufficient for my 60 lb. dog. Thank you all for you input. I’m inspired to do more for my dog based on your recommendations and feeding habits.
Orijen and Acana was on the FDA list with potential concerns, so i don’t know……
I make my own recipe of raw food and my 18 month Standard Poodle is doing fabulously well. I sometimes add a bit of kibble cause I have a small bag in the pantry for travelling (mix high grade kibble and healthy canned food when travelling for a few days and cannot keep raw food frozen/properly chilled). Only use Orijen kibble as it has all meat ingredients (not meal, byproducts, etc. – read the label on your dog’s food!) My raw food recipe includes: ground pork, lean pork loin, ground beef, whole chickens ground up (all bones and cartilage, too), organ meet from cows/pigs (heart, kidney, liver), green beans, carrots, peeled/steamed sweet potatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, broccoli, white fish, raw eggs, & Omega oil and vitamin/mineral supplements. I also put little “surprises” on top of doggy’s dinner ever second meal, or so – chopped up leftover steak, chicken, pork, other meats; couple of tablespoons of high quality canned dog food, a sprinkling of shredded cheese (not much – about 1-2 Tbs/meal), etc. I stopped buying and feeding many of the commercially made kibbles as, after learning how to read a dog food label, I was astonished by the garbage ingredients in many foods. And, checking out the FDA guidelines for what is permitted to be put into commercial dog foods was the most frightening exercise of all! So many toxic and so “not food” ingredients go into some of these foods; including foods recommended and sold by many vets! So, I only buy Orijen or Acana kibble now – both made in Canada and both made with high quality ingredients and ALWAYS meat ingredients first listed on the label – meaning more meat and less crap/filler!
Raw egg whites are not good for dogs. It can cause biotin deficiency. Cook at least the egg whites please.
I worked as an MD in places where there was no running water. I saw several cases of trichonosis (also known as trichonellosis).
Trichinosis or trichinellosis is a disease that can be contracted by eating meat that contains the larvae of a roundworm or nematode called Trichinella. Trichinella spiralis is the most common species. This disease cannot be spread through human contact but from eating undercooked contaminated meat. Trichinella is usually found in pork or in game meats.
The cycle of contamination begins when an animal eats contaminated meat of another animal, which contains cysts. The cysts dissolve in the stomach, releasing worms that inhabit the intestines and grow into adult ringworms. The female worm releases new larvae which travel through the bloodstream to the muscles, where new cysts are formed. If a person eats such meat containing cysts, he or she will contract the parasite.
Your pet will have the parasite in his or her muscles for the rest of their life, It will cause muscle pain. In severe cases, there may be heart and respiration problems.
I am reluctant to trust any dog food manufacturer, so our GSD gets 4 different foods from 4 different places, and two of them are human foods. That way, if any one is contaminated, it’s only 1/8 to 1/4 of his intake. We feed him twice a day to minimize the chance of bloat. For each meal he gets 1 patty of Primal frozen raw, 1/4 c of Orijen* kibble, 1/2 cup raw pasture raised chicken liver from WI, and one raw pasture raised duck wing from SC. He also gets Run Free prophetically for hip displasia, and salmon oil for his skin. I will occasionally give him a probiotic and goat colostrum.
His immune system is compromised and he’s sensitive to many proteins but I’ve found several he can tolerate. Rather than rotate, I give them all at once because I’ve heard that feeding too much of any one thing can cause the dog to develop sensitivity to it.
*When the Orijen runs out, I’m switching to Kiwi, since I trust Orijen the least of all 4 sources.
For all of you who ask about what to do….first off most vets have 1 semester of nutrition, so unless they actively want to learn more about feeding they know very little. That’s why they recommend crap like Science Diet full of corn and by product. Not to say it doesn’t sometimes have value but rarely.
What this article says is the more variation in your dogs diet the more robust they become to different foods. Why everyone talks about dog food only is beyond me. Do you not have left overs? Dogs used to live off what people had left over. Of course you need to be careful but most of what we eat our dogs can eat. My dog begs for peach’s, blueberries and raw carrots. She also loves the part of steak I don’t eat. Left over rice, ice cream in small amounts, veggies, the list goes on. If your dog has never had this start with a couple bites. Not a total meal. If you’re worried then stay with the same brand of dog food and vary the protein within that brand. Then there is less IBD risk. All dogs should have variation in food. Imagine if you only ate cereal every single day every single meal for your entire life or for 10 years. It would keep you alive but you would not be healthy. The more fresh food you can feed your pet the better. Buy ground beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, cook it up with carrots zucchini and feed a little with dry each day. This mix can keep in the frig for a week. Or freeze portions. This is often cheaper than canned dog food. Boil a whole chicken with carrots and zucchini you can add a sweet potato or potato but just one. Then the broth is like a multivitamin for the dog and can be kept for a week in frig or frozen to add nutrients. Fresh food is always better. Even better than a raw store bought diet. However if you make your own food in its entirety you’ll need a vitamin mix to add so you’re sure your pet is getting all needed nutrients.
If you want to attack me, I’m not a vet, I’m a person who’s had animals my entire life and I’m old. My dogs have had all sorts of issues but they’ve all lived long healthy lives. I’ve spent a lot of time researching dog food and how best to feed your dog. Take this or leave it your choice but remember dogs have been a part of families for centuries. Kibble came into fashion in the early 1900’s. Before that dogs lived on table scraps.
Thank you! You’re common sense approach is refreshing!! I make a portion of my pets diet (1:3 ratio) – brown rice, veg, turkey, and some grain and mix it in each meal with her Origen dog food – she’s 11 and going strong !!
LJR, you are incorrect. Vets have more knowledge about nutrition than just 1 semester. Vets do NOT get kickbacks for recommending certain foods. They recommend companies that follow WSAVA guidelines which means that they do actual testing on animals and assess their responses over time (years). That is one reason why we aren’t seeing dogs with nutrition related DCM that are being fed kibble from those 5 companies. Taurine supplementation won’t help a dog who has nutritional DCM and is kept on the same food that is causing it.
I changed my own dog’s food this spring and it was a hard thing for me to do (i have been feeding Orijen for years) but until the FDA figures this out, I’m feeding Purina Pro Plan. My pup means too much to me to take a chance and I have read enough reports of bad outcomes and very expensive vet bills to keep her on a non WSAVA grain free food just because I had succumbed to marketing and grain free hype. I will listen to the experts and follow the scientific data.
I think your comment is excellent! As a dog owner (all lived till age 14 or older) for 35+ years, I agree with everything you wrote!
Thank you for sharing.
What is a good dry food though?