Is Grain Free Dog Food Still Causing Heart Disease?

The FDA recently posted an update on DCM (Dilated Cardiomyopathy) and its link with Dog Food. Dr Jones shows you whether you need to be concerned, and what food is best to feed your dog.

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[eileenlester]

No kibble at all here! No processed food at all here! I make my dog's food as you demonstrated and he also gets your Ultimate Canine Supplement. I use organic vegetables and meat. He's doing fantastic at 11 years old, acting like a puppy. Thank you for all that you do! 💜

[timbutler]

My Neapolitan mastiff was diagnosed with heart disease at 2.5 years old. He lasted only a year after that. He was on Origen, an expensive grain free food. When I took him to the vet due to a little bit of bloating in his belly, they asked if he was on grain free food, and I said yes and they said he could have heart disease and it could be due to his diet. I couldn’t believe it, but apparently all this is true. Breaks my heart. He passed away about five months ago at only 3.5 years old.

[edschulhof]

Another informative video. A month ago, one of my cats got sick. She wouldn't eat. A vet charged me $650 to tell me, "the prognosis isn't good." Thirty days of feeding her, mostly raw ground beef, with a little grain free Orijen, she is doing fine and gaining back the weight she lost. Apparently, dogs can have some plant protein. Cats need meat protein.

[kyrockhounder]

Sending love and hugs to everyone who's lost their beloved fury family members or will be losing one to an illness, injuries, or old age.

[stevensharp]

My dogs get raw chicken (whole chicken, gizzard, heart and liver)plus beef heart.I add cooked pumpkin, yams and some green beans.Crushed up boiled eggs 3 or 4 times a week.All my dogs have done great on this diet.My vets don't want to hear this from me, but my dog's health proves them wrong

[deborc]

Dr Jones, Thank you very much for this update. This is so timely, I I just bought my dog Honest Kitchen kibble. It was expensive, I thought I made a good choice. Then my daughter’s dog’s vet said to avoid grain free. Your videos have been great with your timely updates. I have been supplementing my dogs diets and give my dogs vitamins

[ediewall]

Homemade only all of the way. My dogs are family members and deserve the best nutrition.

[neryskkiran]

Thanks for the update! Looking for the link to recipes?

[monkeybearmax]

Peas and beans also high in oxalates!!Do we know if oxalates deposit in the heart?

[wynniiiet]

THANK YOU! my 14 year old dog has a heart murmur. He's now on a homemade diet, and peas used to be a big part of his diet....so bad! These companies trying to make our dogs become diseased with DCM. Thank you Dr. Jones for your constant posts and knowledge!!! 💞🫀🐕

[douglas]

We have a 6 year old English golden retriever (Cota) and a 4 year old Goldendoodle (Bella). We had been feeding "Zignature Kangaroo" dog food to both of our dogs since they were puppies. Originally we started feeding this to our English Golden because he has allergies. We tried so many different types of protein - Beef, chicken, salmon, rabbit, etc. and he had issues with all. He could tolerate the kangaroo.

When we got our goldendoodle (Bella) she was put on this food from a young age. Within the last month she has become very ill. Not eating or drinking and had a fainting spell. She had an Xray and ultrasound performed at the vet. Her heart is grossly enlarged. She then had a echo cardiogram performed. She has now been diagnosed with DCM/Congestive heart failure. She is only 4! After telling the vet about her diet, lifestyle, etc. our vet had mentioned several studies that have come out with DIRECT links between Zignature dog food and cardiovascular disease in dogs.

Bella's parents and siblings have no history of any heart issues.

The vet wanted to check Cota too (English Golden) and he too has heart issues. Fortunately they are not as severe and he should be able to make a recovery. Two completely different dog breeds, different ages (4, and 6), strong/healthy blood lines.


Bella has been on several medications and she showed improvement, but has now taken a steep decline. The Vet just made the recommendation today (6.29.23) to put Bella down. It is so incredibly sad. My heart is broken. She was such a sweet and happy soul. I just want to tell our story to as many people as possible so they and their babies do not have to go through what we are.

[azwife]

Thanks so much!!I make their food because of you. Kibble is Nulo frontrunner. No peas!!!

[kinjo]

Thank you so much for doing this update video. I have a 10 yr old rescue schnauzer with horrible skin allergies who is starting to develop a mucocele in her gallbladder. Being a schnauzer she is also very prone to pancreatitis. Trying to find a low fat hypoallergenic diet has been extremely hard. I recently went to a whitefish and potato diet which is grain free. This had me concerned as several dogs showing DCM in the initial FDA warning were schnauzers. She is doing well on this grain free fish diet, but the information you presented in this video makes me feel much more at ease.

[yellowbird]

I don't have dogs, but I have cats. A vet once told me (or I saw it online) to rotate and vary the kinds of foods my cats get. That was years ago, and since then, they have just about every choice in the book, with the exception of the most expensive foods at $3.00 a can. But they have dry, grain free and not grain free. Canned grain free and not. I give them a bit of organic milk on the side, a bit of real tuna in water, dried catnip, and they have the fenced yard for their grass. I also give them commercial cat treats. My cats eat better when I mix their wet with either water to make a stew, or dry food half and half. Pets like variety, just like we do. We wouldn't want to have only hot dogs for every meal, would we? They can't tell us what they want, so we need to watch them carefully and see what they like and what they don't, then rotate it. Sometimes I have to go further afield to find different stuff. I give the leftovers to the squirrels and the strays.

[sherrieshaw]

Link to the recipes please!?!? Thank you for your informative videos. Love and blessings sent to you and family👍👏🙏❤ and Talula❤🐕🐶

[Radhatter]

Six fish Origen with brown rice, yoghurt and a carrot 🥕 no issues
4 yr old black lab

[Tobia]

Thank you doctor. You're awesome.

[dianamcleodclausen]

Thank you for the valuable info. My furbaby has DCM. He is a large mixed breed 14 years old rescue.

[kwills]

I'm so glad I found your channel, there's a lot of useful information. I started learning towards going to a non-traditional approach a year ago. My GSD at a year old was told that I should consider euthanizing my dog due to hip dysplasia, he had one leg he favored, ran around playing like any other dog. I'm doing things for him, warm compress sometimes cold, gentle massages, dog aspirin to help with his bad days, sh.e said it wasn't right for him to go on as most of these surgeries don't always work and are very expensive. I'm crying all the way home looking him, questioning myself thinking I'm a bad dog mom for holding off on "ending his suffering in her eyes" Then I got really mad, how euthanizing him the only option? I got home and went online to a GSD group that had recently joined. I explained the story and expressed my concern over the Euthanasia suggestion. I hit post and I literally had a hard time keeping up with everyone, all of them outraged that was my Vet's solution, reassuring me that I was doing the right thing by not going along with my Vet. Every single GSD owner that was treating their GSD'S with Cosequin and had a excellent results. So I thought I would give it a try, within 30 days he was no longer favoring one leg as much progressing every week to no longer favoring one leg. Now a year later you would never know he was having any issues. Why are some Vet's no offering other things to try? If I had stayed with her practice I would have been badgered in to Euthanizing an otherwise healthy dog. I'm so grateful that you are putting all of these videos out here. Some things will always be best handled with a Vet visit and yet you're demonized for not following lock and step with the Veterinary community. God bless!

[KathrineMilford]

You're a blessing to me and my fur babies!
Thank you Dr. for all that you do! God bless you!