# FDA identifies dog foods possibly linked to fatal canine heart disease



## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

What food is safe? Rudy has been on Fromm since he was 4 months old.😥


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## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dog-fo...iting-16-dog-food-brands-under-investigation/


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yes this is the continued story of DCM (grain free foods) that leaves a lot to be desired as far as credible evidence. Here is some counter arguments to this story 
https://www.veterinaryintegrity.org/


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

more from Jean Dodds 

__
https://179049849051%2Fcanine-heart-disease%23.XRfh_uhKjIU%5B


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

replies by some of the companies . some of the best dog food companies IMO

https://www.championpetfoods.com/faqs/dcmfaqs/

https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/blog/our-stance-on-dilated-cardiomyopathy/

https://frommfamily.com/connect/fda-taurine/

https://zignature.com/statement-on-dcm/


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

I have to say ... this whole debate is definitely concerning and confusing for me. We are trying to decide what to feed our incoming puppy and I may just go the raw way at this point. But then I’m right back to whether I add grain or not since most commercial raw is grain free.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

I am feeding Canidae, which did not make the lists. Canned food in Salmon and small breed fish kibble, until I change proteins.


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

The FDA updated their report on 6/27/19 here: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy#diet

This new report offers some useful graphs and stats for the average dog owner:
1. Dry food was reported 400x more often than other forms of food.
2. Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn, Blue Buffalo, Natures Domain and Fromm had nearly 2-4x the complaints as the rest of the foods that were reported.
3. Grain Free, and Foods with Peas, Lentils and Potatoes were linked to the most reports.
4. Chicken, Lamb, Salmon, Whitefish had more reports of DCM than others like Beef, Duck or Bison
5. Taurine is not considered an essential amino acid for dogs. Nearly all grain-free foods had more than the recommended amount of Taurine.

Those are a lot of take-aways from the study. In the meantime, I'm comfortable continuing to use The Honest Kitchen. I realize it's a small sample but if I were using one of the foods in #2. above, I would not continue to use them, Grain Free or foods with Peas or Lentils until more information is released. That's just a personal opinion and perhaps I'm overly cautious.

PS: Thanks @davetgabby for those links providing a measured viewpoint on the FDA report. I read Dr. Jean Dodds links and they were helpful.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Please note that this is about the "grain free" food sold by these manufacturers, and not every food they make. This is really kind of old news, but we've received several emails today since our puppies leave with Fromm food.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yes Tom. Here is another "calm down" letter from Monica https://www.monicasegal.com/newsletter-july-2019.html


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Sabine is also encouraging people to read the "whole" article here https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...01a3ae46/1559600835170/RETRACTION+PACKAGE.pdf


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## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

I sort of concur with what Monica said at the end of her newsletter. "With so many unknowns many dog parents are simply going to feel more comfortable avoiding grain free, legume inclusive diets. "

If we assume that the FDA story is completely exaggerated and there's really nothing to see here and nothing to worry about... What is the harm in switching from Grain Free and those ingredients to a different food until we know for sure?


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## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

_What is the harm in switching from Grain Free and those ingredients to a different food until we know for sure?_

where it gets complicated for me is some of the other food issues. I've been feeding Henry 1/2 Orijens dry and 1/2 Stella and Chewys freeze dried. I switched for a while to a Fromm's with grain but he didn't like it much and I ended up going back to Orijens awaiting more info.

Well Orijens is on the list. But I selected Orijens because all their ingredients are locally sourced so nothing from China or other places with lax standards. And they make their own foods so they control the process. And because it has a high meat content it seems to be more palatable to dogs (I fed it to my previous dog as well.) That very high meat protein content also made me worry a bit less about the pea/lentils because they aren't relying on them as a protein source.

I would like to switch just to be safe but also want the new food to only use US/Canadian/other regulated places ingredients and to make their own food. Plus I'd prefer the grains to be oats/barley/rice vs corn/wheat. So far the one food that I like the best is Fromm's Gold Small Breed. 
Unfortunately, he's not excited at all by this food. I was looking at Merrick's small breed which also isn't grain free but it does use peas and they're in the first 5 ingredients and they don't say definitely where their ingredients come from. And they're now owned by Purina.

If anyone has other suggestions, I'm interested.

At the moment, I don't want to take on cooking for Henry. That could change in a few months and solve all this.

And yes I probably am overthinking this. It's my nature. :wink2:

I think my next step will be trying some other Fromm's. Maybe the Highlander Beef, Oats and barley.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

@davegabby ... I read through all those articles you posted. Thanks!

My takeaway: Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) related to dog food Grain Free or Grain Inclusive is another example of the "Publish or Parish" mentality and the media running with and publishing every unproven study as if it's true.

Feed you dog highly quality dog food that they like and stay away from feeding them a lot of exotic foods such as Kangaroo. 


Below excerpts from articles that Dave posted links to:

.....*DCM impacts less than one percent of U.S. dogs, with .000007% being supposedly related to diet*

....*DCM is a serious but rare condition. Of note, of the 77 million dogs in the U.S., 0.5% to 1% have DCM, and of those dogs with DCM, less than 0.1% are speculated to have DCM related to diet, although that is not scientifically proven. It is more prevalent in certain breeds, especially many larger dogs.*

....*Golden Retrievers are predisposed to taurine deficiency which can be linked to DCM. Goldens have been a focus of the studies. ((This is one small study and it also found - 23 out of 24 of these dogs were not getting enough to eat&#8230;the recommended amount of food for their size. More importantly, these dogs are genetically predisposed to DCM))*

....*of the 77 million dogs in the U.S., 0.5% to 1% have DCM, and of those dogs with DCM, approximately 0.1% are speculated to have DCM related to diet, although that is not scientifically proven. There is no causative scientific data drawing conclusions or providing any evidence that links our foods, any grain-free foods, or grain-based foods, whether kibble or air-dried, to DCM
*

....


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mikki said:


> @davegabby ... I read through all those articles you posted. Thanks!
> 
> My takeaway: Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) related to dog food Grain Free or Grain Inclusive is another example of the "Publish or Parish" mentality and the media running with and publishing every unproven study as if it's true.
> 
> ...


Thanks or pulling those excepts out. It's helpful to have them all in one place like that! I know I'd read a lot and decided (with consult with my vet) that our current diet was still best for MY dogs at THIS time. But it's nice to have the interesting bits gathered together for when the subject comes up yet again.


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## Misslizz50 (Jan 1, 2019)

My baby boy Bailey is eating a holistic food for dogs called Solid Gold Mighty Mini for toy and small breeds he is a very picky eater this brand is grain and gluten free. It's suppose to be very healthy


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## Misslizz50 (Jan 1, 2019)

Hi Lisa can you post this info again thanks


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## [email protected] (Jun 10, 2019)

I have been giving my little darling Farmina N & D because of numerous studies I read about it being among the top 2 most nutritious and having the most protein, the right amount of fat, and the right amount of carbs. It is grain free but does have Taurine added. It is manufactured in Europe which is much stricter about dog food nutrition than the US. It conforms to AAFCO (US) standards also. Does anyone have any info that is negative about this dog food? I could not find anything negative — only positive and it has never been recalled like Hills Science Diet has.


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## LUVmyHava (Apr 16, 2019)

Totally unscientific editorial published by researchers who avoided peer review and are funded by "big kibble" companies.

Until I see a wolf out grazing grain in field, my dog eats grain-free. Kibble with grain gives him diarrhea.


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## yoemansk (Nov 25, 2018)

Please know that this is a problem! Thinking grain free was “good” for our dogs, that is what we have been feeding them. At my 1 yo last checkup, she was diagnosed with a heart murmur! As my doctor quizzed me on what she ate, she asked that I be very specific with the contents of her food. When I said Grain Free, she told me about the warming and told me to change her food right away. She gave me a list of acceptable foods. Get your Havanese off of grain free foods to be safe!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

update from Jean Dodds https://www.hemopet.org/fda-updates-dcm-heart-disease-dogs/


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

*HOMEPET RESPONDS TO FDA ..... "This investigation has turned into a saga with multiple parties weighing in over the past year that is causing mass confusion to pet companion parents."* _An understatement _:crying:

*"As companion pet parents, we find the report translucent - not transparent." *

*Indeed, so much conflicting or partial information is being tossed out there that we too are confused." :amen:*

*"We note that this group of researchers is speculating on exotic ingredients like **kangaroo*, *but chicken was the most common protein identified by the FDA - 113 times!!*

_If you're feeding your dog Kangaroo you might want to switch to Crocodile *:croc:* It's NOT ON THE LIST ... YET. _ >


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

yoemansk said:


> Please know that this is a problem! Thinking grain free was "good" for our dogs, that is what we have been feeding them. At my 1 yo last checkup, she was diagnosed with a heart murmur! As my doctor quizzed me on what she ate, she asked that I be very specific with the contents of her food. When I said Grain Free, she told me about the warming and told me to change her food right away. She gave me a list of acceptable foods. Get your Havanese off of grain free foods to be safe!


Has the vet found a cause for the murmur? Maybe I just don't know enough about how vets treat heart conditions, but wouldn't a heart murmur in a 1yr old puppy warrant more than just a diet change? A murmur can be caused by many things, but in light of all the publicity I thought DCM tests are being done more frequently.

I'm sorry you have to go through that!


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## equi11frnd (Dec 21, 2014)

*Skin Allergies/ Dog food DCM*

I am in quite the conundrum. Several years ago, I started feeding the unusual proteins offered in the Zignature brand because of food allergies that were creating itching. I never had my dogs allergy tested because I wanted to try a change in the diet first. The food basically cured my dogs of their itching! Hmmmm what food to buy now? I am up for any food suggestions from others that are dealing with allergy related itching. Thank you


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

equi11frnd said:


> I am in quite the conundrum. Several years ago, I started feeding the unusual proteins offered in the Zignature brand because of food allergies that were creating itching. I never had my dogs allergy tested because I wanted to try a change in the diet first. The food basically cured my dogs of their itching! Hmmmm what food to buy now? I am up for any food suggestions from others that are dealing with allergy related itching. Thank you


I've been tried a number dog food brands and have recently started using Home Kitchen Dog Food after someone recommended it on this forum. It's the first dog food Patti starts asking for - with little barks - while I'm preparing it. It comes in Whole-Grain, Grain Free and lots of different meal types. But -- No Kangroo or Crocodile type foods.:grin2:

I've read few dogs have food allergies ... but your vet is the best one to consult about allergies.


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## equi11frnd (Dec 21, 2014)

I love my vet but he immediately wanted to put my guy on Apoquel. I wanted to try the diet route before going onto a medication. The change in diet worked.
Thank you for your response. I will look into the brand you recommended!


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## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

Another article on the FDA announcement. This one from Whole Dog Journal. It does have some interesting perspectives, e.g. 88% of the foods fed were kibble. but 85-90% of pet owners feed kibble so that isn't surprising. This article also the data on the breeds and a link to a FDA data sheet which shows each actual report and the specific food that was fed, not just the brand name.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

more on this https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...n=20190805Z1&et_cid=DM305761&et_rid=678586665


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