Is there a link between Grain Free Pet food and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

So the past 6-12 months, nutrition and DCM have been a big topic. There are some breeds that we know are genetically predisposed to DCM. Boxers, Dobermans, Weimaraners, Great Danes and Cocker Spaniels are the most common breeds to get this disease in the past. Recently, other breeds have started being diagnosed with this disease at an unusuallyhigh rate. Researchers have been trying to figure out why so many dogs were being diagnosed with a disease that has not affected their breed significantly in the past.

[niteblaster]

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently announced reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods, particularly grain-free diets, containing high levels of potatoes or legumes seeds such as peas, lentils or beans.19 Jul 2018

[petschooled]

They don’t talk in this video about going to AAFCO meetings (in person) and witnessing how all these ingredients are “approved”... FDA has approved each of these ingredients and even performed (aafco’s own words) “thorough scientific review” of each ingredient before approval. AAFCO refuses to provide any scientific papers to us and other in the public. Most importantly, if you go to an “AAFCO” meeting, aafco is public employees doing work under a private corporation shield... making this “regulatory” process private. The veterinarians in this video do not warn the consumers about this, and how many of these public employees are not educated very well on nutrition but they’re “passing” all these ingredients in a private manner. Also at AAFCo right next to FDA and states is the rendering association lobbying group, the AFIA (grain lobbying group), and pet food institute lobbying group, all approving these ingredients together. These veterinarians do not make that information clear to citizens in this video, and most likely because these vets do not know. In the big scheme of things, raw and grain grrr are the only competitors competing against grain pet food on the market. Pet Schooled found information via foia proving how FDA has been meeting with AFIA behind closed doors to affect regulations, putting citizens at a disadvantage. How interesting that FDA is targeting the two competitors to grain, one being this grain free DCM potential fraud, and raw pet foods (with their unscientific zero tolerance policy). Meanwhile, FDA allows for aflatoxins in grain pet foods, and there’s documentation showing amounts of mold fda allows in grain based pet foods... and we just saw how that can affect animals. We love all veterinarians, but there are so many questions and concerns with the information put in and left out in this video.

[Husky-ct]

You can’t prove that dcm is caused by grain free food, but you recommend pet owner to feed that garbage hills science

[Jcakiiiii]

Totally regret giving my dog grain free since he was able to eat at a pup. He has early DCM. When have you seen dogs live off of lentils and potatoes? Get your dogs off of grain free now! Trust me it hurts to find out how little life they have left once it is too late..

[StveWK]

Of course, when you vets get paid by the pet food companies like science diet, you'll jump to recommend

[jessiebrown]

I think people need to be asking themselves is there a link between kibble and cancer. Since the cancer rates are more than 1 in 2.

[S-O-T]

FDA says there is,
Potatoes are a member of the nite shade family 😱
Peas legumes peanuts all bad

[theoldfashioned_]

it's not about the grain free, it's about kibble. no matter what brands, what ingredients, grain free, vegan, or anything when it is in kibble form it's trash. when you cook, you can include a bit of rice, oats, and still be fine. but when it's in kibble form even it is grain free, the cook one with grains in it still far better than grain free kibble.
we as a consumer should stop buying and giving our money to kibble making company. they don't deserve our money, especially when you are paying premium, we deserve something more than a kibble.
Ingredients doesn't matter, imagine you have very healthy cage free organic chicken, i have just a regular chicken.
You use that very premium organic chicken to make KFC, or fried chicken.
I use mine to make chicken soup and the bone for broth.
Which one healthier ?
See ?
Don't get fooled by label, no matter what ingredients or bla bla bla but if the final product is kibble it is trash.
Ingredients only matter when you made a good food.
Good ingredient became a waste when you use it wrong.

[haleyyates]

I just got my dogs food different from the one I normal feed them and it is grain free and is mostly chicken and peas. Would it be ok to feed my dogs one bag of this food and then go back to their normal food or should I just get rid of the bag?

[guitarmann]

I think a dog should eat meat . I don't think any wolf pack ever came up on a Field of Corn and said yes!!!! We made it to the Promised Land! I will not feed my German Shepherd corn or wheat.

[vwking]

I’m still on the fence about how I feel about grain free. One thing I will say is orijen and acana have better ingredients than Hills and other foods that are suggested by people who claim only huge corporations dog foods work. Pro plan claims that chicken by product meal is better for dogs than a whole ground up chicken. I’m no scientist but you can’t tell me something gets more nutritious when you heat it up to a million degrees dehydrate it and then rehydrate it again. Also pro plan has potassium chloride, choline chloride as well as other chemicals. How is that more beneficial to my dog than eating Whole Foods found in orijen and other “boutique brands.” If
the non grains are the problem why doesn’t purina produce a food that doesn’t have chemicals and animal byproducts. Why can’t they offer a food with whole grains, and meat sources without the chemicals? I’m thinking it’s because that would cost them more.

[marsbars]

Making grain free foods is probably harder than making dog foods with grain in it so I would see the incentive in companies to use less healthier ingredients

[martineinfrance]

Hi from Paris.. Grain free was a marketing argument so people rushed to change their dogs' diet, supposedly because cereal contains far too much sugar, and as carnivora they should eat a high % of animal protein, exotic meats etc. Many dogs do not digest cellulose from the veggies and have diarrheas. After trying many brands even veterinarian products, and read hundreds of ingredients lists and % of nutriments, my dog only digests kibbles Virbac HPM "A" veterinarian hydrolised salmon and poultry, pork protein and tapioca. Is it Ok as nothing else is ok for him ? His poo are normal with this diet. He does not digest any kibbles containing grain or veggies☹️. He was constantly pooing soft stools. Grain, corn is cheaper to produce in any case. More and more people here feed on raw food or BARF, a lot of work to have a correct balance of nutriments. If raw meat is natural, I don't think raw veggie are an option for the high % of cellulose.

[sherb]

I just make homemade dog food now. My dog doesn’t do well with foods with a lot of corn, but now I’m worried about DCM. I use some grains, like brown rice, oats, and barley.

[bushka]

I can't find the list of foods. The dog I am watching right now was part of the study and had DCM. He is on Avoderm...if someone here was looking for an actual recommendation, that's what all his vets and his breeder decided on, apparently.

I personally feed my dog primarily wet food, air dried or freeze dried. I believe that the massive amount of starch and lack of taurine from real meat (a lot of the protein comes from legumes) is the real problem with any kibble. They have to use either grains or starch to make food look like little dry balls with a long shelf life.
(If you start doing canned food please recycle! I hate how wasteful it is but my dog is really picky so kibble isn't an option anyway).
If you want to keep doing kibble I would personally recommend something that comes with air-dried bits. My only qualifications minor in (human) nutrition, a lot of internet research, and a brief stint working in the field of pet nutrition. As a dog walker, I can see that the dogs who are on Stella and Chewy Kibble have better poos. If you don't have that available to you, I believe Nature's Instinct has a similar formula. Probiotics are worth looking into also

[ericaulbach]

Drop the kibble. It’s all crap for your dog.