Grain Free Dog Food: does it cause heart failure? (FDA warning)

Does grain free dog food cause heart failure? that is the warning issued by the FDA when they announced an investigation into the potential link between feeding dogs a grain free diet and them developing a form of heart disease known as dilated cardiomyopathy.

All might not be as it seems though as at this stage there are more questions than answers. Were all the dogs fed the same grain free diet. Were they in fact fed a grain free or just a low grain diet? How many dogs are really affected. Is another ingredient (or even contaminant) responsible? The answers may take some time to become apparent.

It does though raise some interesting points about the feeding of grain free diets to dogs. Is there any real health benefit or are the benefits hype? Are grain free diets formulated appropriately to meet the needs of your dog?

These are questions and concerns all owners who are feeding their dog a grain free food should ask. They are questions every dog owner should ask so that they can feed their dog the best diet possible to match their lifestyle.

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[LadyLuvsNatr]

My dog is extremely healthy! I feed her fresh organic and free range meats, organic fruits & veggies. She is fed a COMPLETE RAW & Home cooked rotation diet.

[walterbates]

My dog was eating food with grains and he scratched like crazy. We put him on grain free and he rarely scratches now.

[Paintfilly]

I was pleased to find this topic addressed by a Vet. The way you broke down the issues etc was easy to understand. As for my Boston Terriers, I switched them over to Pure Balance grain free about 4? 5? Years ago. There was a dramatic decrease in flatulence and their coats are beautiful. No other health concerns other than normal aging issues.

[OurPetsHealth]

What are your thoughts on grain-free diets in general and this announcement? What do you feed your dog and why?

[wivaquif]

Sorry, had to stop watching halfway through due to the annoying background music noise. What makes people think we need to have music in the background on everything.

[sarahmiederhoff]

My Luna is suffering from cardiomyopathy, and they believe the grain free diet caused it. She was switched when her brother was diagnosed with grain allergies. We have changed her diet and have increased certain supplements (taurine) in hopes of reversing the damage. We have four other dogs on same diet, they didn’t have symptoms or haven’t yet. So it could be the dog and the grain free combined. Either way we are allowing vets researching to work with us to see if our plan of action works and that will confirm it is what happened with her.

[stephenmartin]

It's the potatoes and sweet potatoes and peas that are added to grain free dog food. That is the problem

[beautiful]

I boiled organic chicken, 2 tea spoons of brown rice, 2 tea spoons of vegetables, mixed with dog wet food
Fresh blending smoothies as blueberries, kale, carrots, strawberries 🍓

[sarahmiederhoff]

****edit****
Sadly, we were unable to reverse the damage caused. We're not saying that it causes issues for all dogs. But some dogs cannot handle a grain-free diet. Just like you have puppy food, senior food. One of the main things I have learned from this, is if you have multiple dogs, one food does not fit all. Please do as much research as you can before you settle on a diet for your pack, and always pay attention to the signs and individual needs of your dogs. Please.
***Original***
My Luna is suffering from cardiomyopathy, and they believe the grain free diet caused it. She was switched when her brother was diagnosed with grain allergies. We have changed her diet and have increased certain supplements (taurine) in hopes of reversing the damage. We have four other dogs on same diet, they didn’t have symptoms or haven’t yet. So it could be the dog and the grain free combined. Either way we are allowing vets researching to work with us to see if our plan of action works and that will confirm it is what happened with her.

[rickslife]

NO, the FDA says it doesn’t cause DCM. This video is outdated.

[nebraskagirl]

My three dogs were fed dog food with grain in it and they all went blind, they each lived to be 17, 15, and 14 . I was told it was because of the grain in their food, so towards the last parts of their lives I went grain free . My older dog always scratched, the vets could never figure it out but when I started feeding him grain free he stopped.

[bobbycone]

My dog is affected! Had her on grain free diet using food from From her whole life. Peas and lentils were the ones I got. Ugh! She's 8 now and having heart problems.... The reason we had her on grain free was because of her horrible skin allergies and the grain free made her much less itchy.

[dawnhasbroken]

I mix 2 kibble together, one GF one with quinoa. Then high quality canned for sauce. They seem great on it. 2 Boston Terriers and a chihuahua. I had 2 Bostons with heart failure in the past so the mix was my decision.

[SchnauzerMom]

I have been feeding my 5 mini schnauzers a grain free low fat dry kibble for awhile now. I'm thinking 2 yrs or so. I recently started feeding grain free treats as well. Many of my subscribers to my channel sent me the article by the fda. Now I am second guessing myself. They have had no problems. I switched to grain free due to 3 of my dogs being put on Apoquel. They are now off of Apoquel after switching to grain free food and using a shampoo and spray that contains chlorhexidine. I'm thinking they didn't have allergies but a yeast problem. My question is do grains cause excess yeast?

[jcla]

Sounds suspiciously like what they are doing to IVM and HCQ huh. I am switching my dog to grain free diet.

[rogers_mum]

Well that settles
I’m starting my pup on a raw diet today!
It’s the way nature intended after all.

[veronicasalas]

New sub. Thank you for putting my mind at ease while I find a quality food for my Chihuahua/ Pomeranian dogs. The first 2 years of their lives I had massive vet bills. My poor dogs would get seizures and get sick vomiting often. I started to do my own research and a year ago started feeding better brands that you can’t get at your regular grocery store. They have been seizure free since then. However, I have yet to find one they enjoy. They pretty much eat them as a last resort. They’re healthy though so I’ll just keep trying different formulations as they run out.

[TANTHEMANFILMS]

i mean.. dogs do not need carbs in their diets to be healthy they are omnivores yes but they evolved othe rtime they still have a primal build as carnivores.

[RustyLongPipe]

My King Charles Spaniel was fed grain free his entire life. Then at the age of 15 he died of heart failure. God damn that grain free diet! Switched all my dogs onto purina now

[lindagreenfield]

I mix 2/3 low grain kibble with 1/3 grain free. My 4 dogs age 3 to 15 and in great health. Keep in mind genetics play a big part in your dogs health. I have had Show Champions for more than 50 yrs and back when I started my dogs lived to be on an average average to be 14 yrs. our foods were mostly grain.