The sixteen pet foods being investigated by the FDA for causing HEART DISEASE in dogs
- The FDA is investigating heart disease in dogs after 119 dogs died of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Between 2014 and 2018 there have been 524 reports of DCM in pets
- There appears to be a link with foods containing legumes, seeds and potatoes
- The probe is ongoing and through the FDA did not point blame to food brands, the agency pointed to ‘grain-free’ pet food formulations
- Of the reported cases, more than 90 percent of the pet foods were ‘grain-free’ and 93 percent contained peas and/or lentils
- Brands featured in most reports were Acana, Zignature and Taste of the Wild
- The FDA stated that the cases had to be put in the context of there being 77million dogs in the USA and that no conclusions have yet been reached
Sixteen pet food brands have been named in an ongoing FDA investigation into a possible link between heart disease in dogs and a diet of ‘grain-free’ dog food.
The FDA is studying the link between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and food after 119 dogs died in over 500 cases between 2014 and 2018.
Of all the cases of DCM reported through to this year the brands that most frequently cropped up were Acana with 67, Zignature with 64 and Taste of the Wild with 53.
Though the agency did not cast blame on specific brands, it did point to pet food labelled as ‘grain-free’ containing legumes like peas, lentils and chickpeas and different kinds of potatoes as a potential reason behind the disease.
Of the reported cases, more than 90 percent of the pet foods were ‘grain-free’ and 93 percent contained peas and/or lentils.
Further listed brands and their corresponding number of DCM reports are 4Health (32), Earthborn Holistic (32), Blue Buffalo (31), Nature’s Domain (29), Fromm (24), Merrick (16), California Natural (15), Natural Balance (15), Orijen (12), Nature’s Variety (11), NutriSource (10), Nutro (10), and Rachael Ray Nutrish (10).
The FDA said that early reports of DCM started in 2014, but a staggering number of reports were submitted following public notice of the potential DCM/diet correlation in July 2018.
From January 1, 2014 to April 30, 2018 there were 524 reports of DCM – 515 for dogs and 9 for cats – submitted to the FDA.
Not all the dog breeds were genetically predisposed to the disease.
In one case a four-year-old golden retriever who had been eating 4 Health Beef & Potato dry, grain free dog food since birth suddenly contracted a cough and died from DCM.
Just one month later its sibling also died having been fed on the same diet.
In another case, listed by the FDA, a three-year-old French bulldog began having trouble breathing, the owner said she ‘was not interested in her food, which was not like her.’
She was diagnosed with DCM having been fed on ‘California Natural Grain Free Kangaroo and Red Lentils Recipe.’
The bulldog died just four months after she was diagnosed.
At this time the FDA’s investigation is ongoing and pet owners are urged to seek specialist vet nutritionist advice before changing their dog’s diet.