Learn more about DCM in the September 2018 issue: “DCM in Dogs: Taurine’s Role in the Canine Diet“
A warning from the FDA about a recently reported spike in the number of dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (linked here again) and a possible connection between DCM and the inclusion of peas, lentils, legumes, and potatoes in the diets of a majority (not all) of the dogs means we are going to be talking about diet a lot for a while.
I read the comments on both my blog from last week and Whole Dog Journal‘s Facebook page (where a link to the blog is posted), and I have also been reading messages and emails sent directly to me, and one thing jumps out: So many people have been feeding grain-free diets with absolutely no reason or justification for their decision. Some people have gone so far as to accuse WDJ of promoting these grain-free dog food diets over diets that contain grain – oh, no you don’t! That is just flat untrue.
The Popularity (Overpopularity?) of Grain-Free Dog Food
When the first few grain-free dry foods began appearing on the market about 10 years ago, we were happy to see products that could be fed to dogs who were allergic to or intolerant of grains. Mind you, these dogs are in the minority. Nevertheless, the fact that some commercial grain-free dog foods were available meant that more people who suspected that their dogs might have an allergy to or intolerance of some grain or another could try one of these foods and see for themselves: Did their dogs improve? Get worse? Or did it make no difference whatsoever? The commercial availability meant they could do a feeding trial that didn’t take a lot of time to research or money (for a home-prepared diet trial).
Lots of people tried grain-free foods and some of them noticed that their dogs’ allergy symptoms or digestive problems went away. When you have been dealing with a chronically itchy dog, or one with persistent diarrhea or gas, and these symptoms cease – well, it’s almost like a religious conversion. These folks often go out and preach.
Between the feeding success of these foods in some dogs, the enthusiasm of the owners of the success-story dogs, and the relentless hype coming from the “bones and raw food” / “biologically appropriate raw food” / “evolutionary diet” people (many of whom have strong anti-grain sentiments), grain-free just took off. I complained in a blog post over a year ago that it has gotten to the point where I was having a difficult time finding a food that did contain grain in pet specialty stores.
It came home again about a month ago, when three different people who were adopting the puppies that I had been fostering for my local shelter each asked about food recommendations and each said, “Should I get a grain-free food?” In each case, I asked them, “Why do you ask?” And not one person had a real answer. “I heard grain-free was better!” seemed to be the consensus. (My answer to that: It’s better for dogs who have problems with grain!)
If pressed about my misgivings about grain-free dry dog foods for any or all dogs, I say this: There is a far shorter history of dogs eating the carbohydrates that are being used in these diets than there was of dogs eating grains. I don’t like putting my dogs on the front wave of anything, whether it is the latest/greatest heartworm prevention medication (when ivermectin works just fine, and has been for decades), or flea treatments, or diets. I tend to want to hold back and see whether an inordinate number of adverse experiences are reported as these things hit the market.
Dogs Need Balance Over Time in Their Diets
But, perhaps more importantly, feeding ANY type of food every day, all year, for years and years, goes against my longest-standing food recommendation. We have always encouraged owners to switch foods frequently – at least several times a year – and switch manufacturers, too. Many food makers use the same vitamin/mineral premix in all their products, making us worry that any nutrient excess, deficiency, or imbalance would become essentially entrenched in the body of a dog fed an exclusive diet of that company’s foods.
Home-prepared diet advocates talk about “balance over time.” The concept is this: If you change the ingredients and recipe of your dog’s diet – exactly as most of us feed ourselves and our human families – as long as you include everything that a dog needs over the span of any, say, week’s worth of meals, the dog will be fine. In other words, every single meal doesn’t have to be “complete and balanced” – you can accomplish this over the course of several meals.
I look at the feeding of commercial diets the same way; I think you can similarly achieve balance over time by feeding different commercial products from different manufacturers, and, in this way, hedge your dog’s nutritional bets, rather than going “all in” on any one manufacturer or set of ingredients.
Whole Dog Journal‘s General Dog Food Recommendations
When I am asked to make diet recommendations, these are the things I say:
1. Feed a variety of products, rotating both among and between several manufacturers of products, for nutritional balance over time, and to avoid problems caused by long-term exposure to any formulation problems or nutritional imbalances/excesses/inadequacies in your dog’s diet.
2. Feed the best food you can afford and that your dog does well on. This doesn’t mean spend the most that’s possible; if your dog does great on mid-range foods, great! But super cheap food should be avoided. The difference in the ingredients of cheap foods versus mid-range foods is staggering.
3. DO READ ingredient labels. You should recognize most of the foods in the food; if things are weird, and only sound sort of food-like, they are likely highly processed food fractions. You don’t want to see a lot of those. If the front of the label says the food is “chicken and rice” you had better see chicken and rice high up on the ingredient label, not buried four ingredients back below chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, and pea protein.
4. Feed grain-free foods only for good reason (dog intolerant of/allergic to multiple grains). Feed limited-ingredient foods only for good reason (dog intolerant of/allergic to multiple ingredients). Feed exotic protein sources only for good reason (as a part of a formal food allergy trial, or to a dog intolerant of/allergic to multiple “common” protein sources).
5. Above all: Trust. Your. Dog! If it works for him, it’s okay. If it doesn’t work for him, change!
I only just learned about the taurine deficiency and DCM issue when I ready the FDA alert. I am a kid of the 60’s so my initial reaction was to NOT trust the FDA/government. However, I have an 11 year old golden retriever who has been fed Fromm’s grain free all of her life because I bought this expensive, boutique food thinking it was in her best interests and health. I have since joined a FB page called Taurine Deficiency in Golden Retrievers. I have also read Dr. Stern’s (from UC Davis)articles and I can no longer fall back to the conspiracy theories – who’s paying off our vets, who’s paying the FDA, what do our vets know about dog foods, etc. Read the articles by the doctors and researchers. while the “sample” of dogs may not be huge given the number of dogs in the US, remember that many diagnosed heart conditions are not reported and many dogs have passed without being reported. So many of the brands you have mentioned above are listed on the Research regarding dogs who were diagnosed with DCM as being linked to the disease. Arcana, Zignature, Blue Buffalo, Canada, Honest Kitchen, Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, Stella & Chewy. I have been having a hard time with the concept of Purina, Science Diet, Royal Canin but what they do have is a choice which is premiere and “top of the line” and grain friendly to choose, they have a PhD or DVM nutritionist on staff full time and the staff to run trials and tests and have their own plants and source their own ingratiations — all of which some of our lovely smaller family owned brands do not have the capacity to do. Also, I’ve ready in a few places that it’s not taurine which is missing from the food but the process in which the taurine that our dogs already have in their system is blocked or activated by the ingredients in the food. We should not be randomly adding taurine to the diets since the dogs already have that amino acid AND some dogs with DCM are not low in taurine (I know confusing). PLEASE the FB Taurine Deficiency Golden Retrievers has lots of data that is not just for Goldens. Read it and make your own choice. Just rotating food and certainly not just rotating grain-free food sounds like the answer. There are way too many smart doctors and researchers who are learning and sharing about this new health issue and we can’t swipe them away with our fear of “big business” and “pay offs”, etc. This is called the Silent Killer… and none of us should feel guilty for having fed our beloved pups grain-free all of these years. We didn’t know… but the information is available. Take the time to read it. Especially look at the chart that is listed on Taurine Deficiency in Golden Retrievers> Files>Official Food Brand Tracker. It was compiled with information provided by dog owners just like all of you! Wishing all your pups long and happy lives.
Has anyone considered sticking with the grain free food their dog loves and adding some rice? Is this a weird idea? I’m struggling with what to feed my 7 yr old mixed breed who has been eating Zignature salmon for YEARS. His digestive cycle is so disrupted when I switch his food. Would adding rice solve the issue?
I think, after reading all of these lovely comments, that we shall continue to rotate brands, mix them together at some times and then single one brand out for one or two feedings, stay with high end… go grain inclusive, grain free, and sing to the doggies when we feed them… and continue to peruse as I move ahead.
I live in NE Pa & our Veterinarian touted grain free food for our cats & dogs. Every time we would take them in for a visit she would ask if we were feeding them grain free.. So yes; so professionals do push for the grain free diet. I have changed my 3 dogs & 6 cats diets since the article came out.
My 7 year old Golden has been on grain free since about 6 months old. We switched to grain free to get away from the “puppy crazies”, as it was told. She explained it as a type of sugar buzz for dogs, as it always happened after he ate. Grain free solved the problem.
Now this debate…DCM.
I don’t want to completely go to grain inclusive, as not enough evidence, and don’t want to disrupt his biology too much.
My thought is to take a 5 pound bag of premium grain inclusive, and blend in with his regular food, normally a 25 pound bag or so. He has always had. The good stuff, Fromm, Zignature, Holistic. Would this kind of satisfy the beat of both worlds, without a big disruption to his system? Just a thought. Would appreciate any comments. Thanks!
That’s what I’m thinking too.
I’m extremely confused after reading article after arrive, comment after comment. I can’t really find anything to address what can be done for dog’s that do have a sensitive stomach. I have a three year old Shih Tzu who suddenly developed a.semsitive stomach (vomiting every time she ate) about three month ago. I switched her to Natural Balance limited ingredient canned food chicken and sweet potatoes and as long as she doesn’t sneak around and eat the cats food, she doesn’t vomit anymore. Then this issue was brought to my attention and I’m very worried, my dog is like another child to me and I don’t want to feed her something for an extended period of time only to find out that it has caused her heart problems. I can’t seem to find any info about what should be fed to dog’s with a sensitive stomach. Should I try supplementing something, oatmeal, eggs, rice, etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated. She’s also very picky and will only eat wet food and only chicken flavor (I’ve tried fish flavors, venison, duck, turkey, and beef). Thanks in advance!
I’ve been thinking the same thing for my pupper.
Personally, I would never feed an animal a Purina product and my experience is that many vets are not as educated as one would hope when it comes to dog food. I spent a considerable amount of money with vets trying to figure out why my puppy had soft to liquid stools every day (no parasites found!) only to start home cooking for her and immediately stopped the madness. The concern then was that she wasn’t getting everything needed as a growing puppy and I was no chemist trying to figure out how to balance and raw is not an option for me.
I then found Zignature which worked perfectly for her and I was thrilled until now. I, too, have spent hours researching and I have changed to Earthborne Holistic Venture Alaskan Pollock and Pumpkin. It is still grain free, has a Taurine supplement and does not contain any legumes. The company has never had a recall and does not source from China.
This specific line is not named in the FDA report either (other Earthborne are). This is also grain-free however. I’ve considered adding my own grain which may be an option.
I agree that it is difficult finding a QUALITY brand (no recalls, no sourcing from China, etc) that has grain in it but I would bet a dollar that after this FDA report, you will start to find many come on the market. My problem is my Stella appears to be allergic to Oats/Oatmeal and Chicken and those that seem like a good and responsible option like American Journey contain one or both of this ingredient. A couple of other grain inclusive brands I have found were Sport and Dr Tims. Good luck and hopefully more options will come available quickly.
I wonder if Purina sponsored this FDA study. I do not trust the FDA. If they get paid they will lie to benefit a company. HOWEVER saying that I do give my dog some grains in the form of oatmeal or bran mixed with chicken about twice a week. She has been eating Acana all her life (11 years old) and is the healthiest dog I ever had. She never vomits, I can not remember the last time she did. So I think these high quality dog foods are the best to give along with a little home made grain like oatmeal. I would also never use Purina, although the puppy food they have is quality. But for me the best option is the high quality food and a little home made to balance.
I do believe dogs need grains, but I have also seen very healthy dogs on grain free diets live very healthy and a long time. Give the dog Love, it is the most healing ingredient. 🙂
My breeder and veterinarian recommend Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 for our active labradors. My 6 year old lab developed heart murmur after being fed grain-free Acana and Orijen most of his life. Our dogs do very well on the Pro Plan, and it smells so much better than the grain free kibble we used to feed them. If there were more NON grain-free brands it would be easier to rotate.
Keep in mind that your vet is most likely indoctrinated by Mars, Purina, and/or Hills as part of their medical training. We’re looking at inconclusive info and running with it, pushing every consumer to the three companies that train and/or are in bed with 95% of the vets in this country. It’s essentially a mutual back scratching relationship, and I’m not meaning to downplay the situation with DCM, but it seems that .5% to 1% of all dogs being diagnosed with it, and the reason is inconclusive about the cause…so I’d be wary of upending my dogs diet over an unknown at this point.
Agree that this subject is alarming, confusing and leaves us with little direction. But the best advice I have read (and I read about this every day) is the idea of variety and switching foods regularly. We have fed our girl Taste of the Wild and now Zignature because we could rotate protein sources within the highly rated brand. But now, I think the advice given here to rotate brands makes even more sense. The idea that the Zignature whitefish, catfish, pork, lamb, et al would have the same essential formula of non animal ingredients suggests the need for more variety.
I am going to hazard a guess. I don’t think a food being grain free is necessarily detrimental. I suspect it has more to do with other ingredients. As to why a manufacturer has to add grains or legumes or potatoes….or sorghum and beet pulp? Price. Most of us can’t afford what a would dog would naturally find.
So rotating brands. Or what about actually mixing them? Back “in the day” we had two Lab mutts on our farm. We fed them half and half Eukanuba (a premium then) and Old Roy (feed store cheapo). A compromise of quality and price. They led very happy healthy lives – 16 of them. The last year or two, we were supplementing with raw kidney and liver.
Speaking of which, our girl also gets a protein boost of a heaping tablespoon or two of eggs, chicken, fish or meat left over from our dinners. And then there are the tiny cheese chunks during our 5:00 wine hour….
Billy Bob: After resting so much on this like everyone else here, I agree with your takeaways: Rotate brands and give a variety of other proteins and ingredients. My dog is my life and I’ll be making this a priority.
This story regarding diet-related DCM in dogs was reported here in the UK a couple of days ago. On checking ingredients of the dried complete foods I buy for my 3 Labradors, in fact every one contains peas/lentils/potatoes etc in varying quantities. I have never exclusively fed a dried kibble diet to my dogs, and I think this is the answer – vary the diet and the protein source on practically a daily basis. My 3 have fish, including tinned sardines and shell fish, dairy, eggs, raw meat and cooked meat of every description, high quality tinned food, and homemade meat and vegetable stock with every meal as well as kibble. I think the key here is variety, but I have to say it did alarm me to read this report. I know this sounds like a lot of trouble to go to but I cannot imagine why anyone would feed their dogs the same dried kibble and nothing else month after month. Any imbalance inherent in that particular food will be compounded over time.