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Grain Free Diets and Heart Disease
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I wonder if this investigation is going to last forever. I think it might last long because companies will lose a lot of money if they have to reformulate their food. I also wonder if they will sweep this one under the carpet because of MONEY? I hope not. But I think any FAD diet, including ours, is not good in the long run. So I don’t feel comfortable using grain free at all.
I just found this on a website check it out:
Legumes contain relatively low quantities of the essential amino acid methionine (which is found in higher amounts in grains).
Methionine Functions. Methionine helps produce Cysteine which is used to create protein, taurine, and glutathione. Taurine helps maintain your overall health. Glutathione plays a major role in protein and DNA production as well as metabolizing nutrients inside your body.https://www.livestrong.com/article/426939-essential-amino-acids-in-vegetables/
Here is a link read the paragraph about beans and legumes. This might be very helpful to understand something. As it states how Legumes and beans do not contain amino acid methionine, which is important. I am just doing research to see what I can find. A little bit of picking at it might come down to some kind of understanding. All I know is, what I read about legumes and peas and beans I DO NOT want to give that to my dog. I would NOT feel good about it. As far as my Vet, he mentioned to feed regular grain in dog food. He mentioned to me grain free is not been established to know enough about it in the long run. Bottom line he don’t like grain free diets.
And thank you crazy4cats for the info.I know that many disparage Susan Thixton on this board. I never understood why that is so. . I think she does hard work and at least woke me up in thinking about what I have been feeding my dogs and the lack of transparency of the pet food industry .(TruthaboutPetFood).”, Susan learned the ‘truth’ about pet foods the hard way. Her four legged best friend, Sam, died from bone cancer.From that day forward, Susan studied the pet food industry. TruthaboutPetFood.com began in 2004; today pet owners from all over the world visit TruthaboutPetFood learning about pet food regulations, ingredients, and recall alerts. TruthaboutPetFood.com provides a free newsletter and hosts a subscription based pet product review publication Petsumer Report. Susan is also the author of Buyer Beware and co-author of Dinner PAWsible.
So if you read below it says that the FDA is not allowing “boutique” brands to participate in the DCM study. Why is that? Also that Merrick, owned by Purina is also implicated in DCM. Why aren’t they taking Merricks grain free off the market . You would think that since Purina would not want to be associated with foods that are not formulated correctly?
An email received yesterday emphasized a very real problem of pet food. Yesterday (3/13/19) a 3 year old dog died of diet-related taurine deficiency induced DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy). This dog (and another dog in the same household also diagnosed with diet-related taurine deficiency induced DCM) was fed Merrick Grain Free Kibble.
A video attached to the email (sent by the pet owner’s sister) was gut wrenching to watch. It showed this young dog struggling to breath. A ‘Complete and Balanced’ dog food destroyed her heart.
Another ‘Complete and Balance’ dog food destroyed a family.
How many dogs have to die before FDA takes action?
We don’t know. FDA has issued two statements to pet owners; one in July 2018 and another in February 2019.
Of concern: the FDA has chosen to work ONLY with Big Pet Feed through their trade association Pet Food Institute on the DCM investigation. FDA has refused our requests to involve pet owners in the investigation. FDA has also refused the request of another pet food trade association that represents human grade pet food manufacturers to help aid in the investigation. Instead, FDA is choosing only to partner with feed grade pet food manufacturers (the very same companies whose pet foods have been linked to DCM sick or dead dogs).
What can you do to protect your pet?
Veterinarians are tending to instruct pet owners to stay clear of “boutique” (small brands) pet foods and attempting to lead pet owners back to grain based pet foods manufactured by Big Pet Feed. This ‘advice’ is bad for multiple reasons.
Merrick Pet Food – which was fed to the dog mentioned above – is owned by Purina. Purina or Merrick is NOT a “boutique” brand.
FDA refuses to allow “boutique” brands (human grade ingredient brands) to participate in the investigation of the diet-related DCM issue.
But the big 3 have grain free SKUs with the exact same ingredients everyone is worried about in them. Purina has no less than 14 SKUs loaded with legumes and potatoes in place of grains. Even some of their prescription vet formulated kibble does and they’re still being sold. This is before you branch out to the other brands they own outside of the Purina name. A lot of good the years of canine nutrition and PHD veterinarian nutritionists did. By your logic the fact that Purina puts out those products should be a green light for everyone to purchase grain free dog food. The truth is no company saw this coming or even knows what the exact problem is.
You’re also not considering any other factors. Here’s one. Grain free foods, especially of the boutique variety, cost a hell of a lot more than a bag of kibbles and bits. Who’s more likely to have pet insurance for their dog? Who’s more likely to spare no expense going down the rabbit hole of their dogs illness when the pup is on death’s door. Who’s more likely to say do whatever you need to do to save my dogs life? Who’s more likely to take their dog to a specialist when a problem arises instead of the town vet? Who’s more likely to say keep going than putting their dog down when the vet says what the problem is and the costs are? Who’s more likely to do each of those things between a person who spends $20 on a 50 pound bag of Kibbles n Bits or someone who spends $130 on a bag of Orijen Tundra half the size.
We just don’t know yet. Years ago no one had autism now 1 in 60 kids in the USA is on the spectrum. You know why? Not vaccines. It’s because we test for it now and are much more sophisticated in our awareness of it. This could be peas. This could be potatoes. Or it could be that people that buy boutique foods are more likely to have more disposable income resulting in them more likely to have pet insurance or more likely to spend any amount necessary to save their dog. Which would result in bringing the dog to a place that’s going to go down the rabbit hole and ultimately report the issue. How many dogs do you think die of DCM but we don’t know because the owner takes them to the vet, vet has a listen, and says, “I know it’s heart failure but if you wanna find out exactly what’s wrong it’s gonna cost a lot of money. Best to just put the dog down.”
This is all before we look at who the owner’s got the dog from. Did they get it from a responsible breeder or did they get it from a puppy mill breeder that put on a good show and is pumping out dogs whose parents showed signs of heart failure or was over-breeding dogs from the same line? What else do these people feed their dogs? Are the dogs exercised and taken care of? That’s why this is going to take so long to figure out. There are so many other factors to isolate before we get to the food.
We just don’t know.
That might be so, however I still don’t like grain free long term. I had another post why I don’t like it and it is because legumes and peas prohibit nutrients and minerals from being absorbed. Grains don’t do this. I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but some of my friends are. They know all about beans of all kind. Since they don’t eat meat they need to eat grains with beans to have a balance. Because there is something in grains that beans don’t have. But anyway I am not saying grains are great, but I am saying they are not bad at all. Since I know what legumes can do I avoid it in dog food. Such ingredients don’t even make sense in a canines diet at all period.
Here is an interesting article, this is one of many. You will see how beans can effect minerals.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/legumes-good-or-bad#section3
P.S. I don’t mean to sound like a smart aleck I just want to tell people about my findings, so maybe it could be of help.Hey I’m right there with you. I prefer grains over peas, potatoes, and legumes. I just wish grain friendly food was made across the board like grain free food is. You’re not doing your dog any favors feeding them a 20% protein kibble with the first ingredients being some combination of corn, sorghum, and brewers rice and effectively giving them meat flavored bread. You’re trading heart failure for other complications that we just write off as oh the dog’s getting old because we’ve been feeding those foods for so long. There have been plenty of posts on here linking to clinical studies of the affects of high grain low protein dog foods that I don;t need to repeat. Farmina has grain friendly products and 90% of the protein comes from animal sources. I guess since they’re from Europe they’re obliged to also put the percentage of the kibble that the ingredients make up. Looking at one label 48% of the kibbles makeup, at least when wet, is meat. Followed by 20% of grains. All in a guaranteed analysis 30% protein kibble. First Mate also makes grain friendly kibble. Their chicken an oats formula has 75% of its protein from animals and 25% from grain in a 28% protein kibble. Dr Tim’s had an ancient grains formula with 32% guaranteed analysis protein that they discontinued right when the grain free news started. I wish they never did it was a great kibble. So there are options out there. They’re just harder to find because they’re not en vogue right now.
Joanne I believe it’s so much more complicated then peas/legumes causing lack of absorption of taurine. Way over my head with scientific explanations but I get the gist that not ALL grain free is causing DCM. Below is sited from JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE OXFORD:
Other recent publications highlight the need for careful nutrient formulation.
Several recent papers, both original research and reviews, likewise highlight the unknowns surrounding grain-free diets (typically legume or pulse-based, but sometimes also with “exotic” ingredients such as kangaroo, bison, or wild boar) and DCM. For example, Adin et al. (2019) examined 48 dogs of many breeds with diagnosed DCM and having a known diet history. Among grain-free diets being consumed in this study, 1 dog was particularly associated with DCM, possibly underscoring the importance of specific diet formulation. Furthermore, 2 dogs switched from that diet to other grain-free diets showed improvement in their DCM; it is unclear if those dogs were taurine deficient or if they also received taurine and/or carnitine supplementation. This suggests that grain-free composition per se may not be the root cause of DCM. Another recently published case series of 24 Golden Retrievers with DCM and known diet histories were evaluated, and an association between grain-free diets and DCM was suggested (Kaplan et al., 2018). Most dogs (15 of 24) were fed a single diet which was significantly associated with low blood taurine concentrations, again suggesting that specific diet formulation may play an important role. However, as in the previous study, soluble vs. insoluble fiber concentrations were not available for the diets, nor were taurine, methionine, or cysteine concentrations, meaning that the true nutrient profiles of the diets could not be assessed and reinforcing the point that diet formulation for nutrients—not ingredients—is essential. It also suggests that nutrient requirements may vary widely based on breed, diet, and other phenotypic data. Indeed, most of the dogs with DCM in the previously described study were consuming less energy compared with their predicted requirements (Kaplan et al., 2018). It also bears pointing out that the numbers in both studies were very low (representing less than 100 DCM-affected dogs between them), which surely represents a fraction of the dogs consuming grain-free, pulse-based diets. A recent thoughtful review supports these conclusions by reiterating the crucial need for plant-based diets for dogs to be formulated with sufficient quantities of bioavailable methionine and cysteine to support adequate taurine synthesis (Dodd et al., 2018). This can be achieved with the addition of purified AAs and other sources that are readily available (Gloaguen et al., 2014). Finally, a recent commentary carefully concludes that a true cause-and-effect relationship between grain-free diets and DCM has not been proven, and other factors may ultimately be more important (Freeman et al., 2018). Taken together, these recent publications may point to faulty nutrient formulation in some, but not all, grain-free diets.
Effect of Dietary Fiber on Taurine Status and RISK of Canine DCM
Dietary fiber has been shown to affect the taurine status in dogs. For example, commercial diets formulated with lamb meal and rice bran were shown to cause taurine deficiency in part because of low bioavailable cysteine from lamb meal and possibly more importantly due to the effects of rice bran fiber on gastrointestinal metabolism of taurine (Johnson et al., 1998; Tôrres et al., 2003). It has been hypothesized that high-fiber diets can increase susceptibility to taurine deficiency by 2 mechanisms of action linked to obligatory bile acid conjugation with taurine in dogs (O’Mádille et al., 1965) and reliance on enterohepatic circulation for the reabsorption of bile acids and taurine. First, high-fiber diets may increase fecal output and losses of taurine-conjugated bile. This would require higher synthesis rates of bile in the liver, and consequently, higher utilization of taurine (Story, 1978). Second, high consumption of fermentable fibers may increase the abundance of microbial populations that degrade taurine in the intestinal lumen (Kim et al., 1996a, 1996b). Either alone or together, increased excretion or degradation of taurine from high-fiber diets may decrease enterohepatic circulation and recycling of taurine. Given that taurine is the only AA used for bile acid conjugation in dogs, over time, high-fiber diets could increase the risk of taurine insufficiency in dogs and lead to DCM.Well put, I also agree about the fiber, especially rice bran!! If my dog eats a food with rice bran his stools are terrible. I steer clear of that ingredient. Also, yes dogs poop 3 times as much with a high fiber and that is not good. I agree totally. Some of these companies have like 6 to 8 % fiber and that is way too much for us. I go with 3 to 4% for maximum. Too much stool out put more lost nutrients. Like you said.
I just read about wolves, how they get their fiber. I couldn’t believe it, but they get their fiber from fur and feathers. This is true I will try to post the articles. I checked a few and all said the same. They said, “wolves eat bones with fur on them and there are two reasons fiber and it protects their stomachs from sharp bones. Very interesting. They also eat grass to purge an upset stomach. It is so interesting how natural provides them with everything they need. So wolves don’t eat fiber foods that dog food contains. We would say yuck to feathers and fur, but it is fiber and protection to the wolf.
Regarding the article: “As of today, over 50% of the reported cases are linked to the following brands: Acana, Zignature, 4Health, Kirkland Nature’s Domain, and Taste of the Wild. There are many other brands that have a smaller number of affected pets reported”.
Oh, okay so 50% of the cases have NO connection to the above brands. Again, no solid information or facts.
PS: Whole Dog Journal is a homeopathic site. Homeopathic sites often have an agenda.
Please speak to your vet.
Anon Whole Dog Journal’s article regarding DCM sounds pretty science based to me. There are also articles in Whole Dog Journal regarding the negative effects of yearly vaccinations for our pets . Holistic is not voodoo science anyway. Where some vets will push everything the drug salesman brings to their practice, holistic vets questions the need and the worth of giving certain medications when at times the side effects are worse then the problem . Example flea and tick medicines. Some have devastating effects on the health of our pets and the vets don’t find out till it’s too late. Below is full Whole Dog Journals article .
DCM in Dogs: Taurine’s Role in the Canine Diet
What is taurine-deficiency dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and how can dog owners prevent it? (Hint: It involves more than just grain-free foods.)By Linda P. Case – August 15, 20180
TAURINE FOR DOGS: OVERVIEW
Taurine Is Needed For:
1. Healthy heart function
2. As a component of bile acids
3. Retinal function
4. Reproductive healthDietary Risk Factors for Reduced Taurine Status:
– Low-protein diet (limited taurine precursors)
– Heat-damaged or poor-quality protein sources
– High dietary fiber (i.e., rice bran, beet pulp, cellulose)
– Lamb and rice diets (speculated)
– Plant-based protein sources (peas, lentils, legumes) (speculated)Possible Risk Factors for Taurine-Deficiency DCM:
BREEDS
American Cocker Spaniel
English Setter
Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever
Newfoundland
St. BernardSIZE
Large-breed dogs
Dogs with slower metabolic ratesDIET
Factors that reduce taurine production
Factors that increase taurine-degrading microbes in the intestine
Factors that reduce bile acid productionIn mid-July 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an alert to veterinarians and pet owners regarding reports of increased incidence of a heart disease called canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). This disorder is characterized by weakening of the heart muscle, which leads to a decreased ability of the heart to pump, and if untreated, to cardiac failure. The reported cases occurred in breeds that are not considered to be genetically predisposed to this disorder.
Further, a significant number of the dogs were found to have reduced levels of circulating taurine in their blood and have responded positively to taurine supplementation. It is speculated that these cases are related to the consumption of foods that negatively affect taurine status, leading to taurine-deficiency DCM. Foods containing high levels of peas, lentils, other legume seeds, and/or potatoes were identified by the FDA as potential risk factors. These ingredients are found commonly in foods that are formulated and promoted as “grain-free.”
As these things go, there followed a lot of hype and a fair bit of hysteria in response. Let us avoid this type of reaction and instead look at the evidence: What do we currently know about the role of diet and taurine in the development of DCM in dogs – and how is it that “grain-free” foods have been recently targeted as a possible dietary cause?
grain free dog food concerns
Signs of Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in DogsDCM is a disease of the heart, which causes the heart muscles themselves to weaken, which, in turn, reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood through the dog’s body as it should. The heart becomes enlarged and flabby, and fluid begins to accumulate in the dog’s lungs. As this condition progresses, it causes congestive heart failure.
Early signs of DCM may include:
– Lethargy, decreased energy
– A persistent cough
– Difficulty breathing, rapid or excessive breathing, or seeming shortness of breath
– Episodes of collapse
– Anorexia (chronic loss of appetite)By the time these signs appear, the disease may already be fairly advanced. That’s why it’s important to make an appointment to see your veterinarian right away if your dog displays any of these signs, or more than one of these signs. Often, owners of middle-aged or senior dogs think that their dogs’ symptoms are “just old age,” but a quick diagnosis and treatment can restore an affected dog’s quality of life to nearly normal – and extend the dog’s life far past an untreated dog’s prognosis.
Treatment usually involves medications that help the dog’s heart to contract, slow his rapid pulse, help control the accumulation of fluid in his lungs, and dilate his blood vessels – all actions that will improve the heart’s performance.
What is Taurine? Why Do Dogs Need Taurine?
The nutrient taurine is a unique type of amino acid, called a beta-amino sulfonic acid. It is not incorporated into proteins but rather is found primarily as a free amino acid in body tissues and circulating in the blood. Taurine has many functions, but two that are important for this discussion involve its role in normal heart function and its presence as a component of bile acids, which are needed for fat digestion. Most animals obtain adequate taurine to meet their needs by producing it endogenously (in the body) from two other amino acids, methionine and cysteine.
This means that while most animals require taurine physiologically, most do not have a dietary requirement for taurine. The exception to this rule is the cat. Cats (but not dogs) always require a source of taurine in their food. If they do not have it, one of the diseases that they can develop (and possibly die from) is – you guessed it – DCM.
taurine structure
Taurine-deficiency DCM is well documented in cats. We also know quite a lot about the dietary factors that contribute to this disease in that species. In contrast, dogs (usually) do not require a source of dietary taurine. However, we know that some dogs still develop taurine-deficiency DCM. Why does this happen? The history of DCM in cats can help in untangling what may be occurring in dogs.Taurine-Deficiency DCM in Cats
Looking back, I cannot avoid a sense of déjà vu. In the early 1980s, veterinarians began reporting increased incidences of DCM in pet cats. By 1987, a role for dietary taurine was suspected. In a seminal study, a veterinary researcher at UC Davis reported low plasma (blood) taurine levels in 21 cats with clinical signs of DCM. 1 When the cats were supplemented with taurine, all 21 recovered from the disease. This discovery led to a series of controlled studies that supported the existence of taurine-deficiency DCM in cats who were fed diets that contained sufficient concentrations of taurine.
What was going on?
It has to do with bile acids. Another role of taurine in the body is that it is necessary for normal bile acid function. Taurine is linked to bile acids in the liver to form bile salts. During digestion, these compounds are secreted into the small intestine, where they function to aid in fat digestion. Animals are very efficient at conserving the taurine that is secreted into the intestine by reabsorbing the bile salts back into the body further down the intestinal tract. This occurs through a process called “enterohepatic reutilization” and prevents a daily loss of taurine in the feces.
Herein lies the problem for cats with DCM: If anything happens during digestion that causes the degradation of the bile salt taurine or that inhibits its reabsorption into the body, more is lost in the feces. If this happens consistently, the cat will experience an increase in his or her daily need for dietary taurine. Simply put – if anything causes the cat to poop out more taurine-bile acid complexes (or their degraded by-products), the cat will be in danger of a taurine deficiency if a higher level is not provided in the diet.
This is exactly what was happening in the cats with taurine-deficiency DCM – and is possibly what we are seeing today in dogs. The difference is that we know what diet factors caused taurine deficiency in cats during the late 1980s. These factors are not yet fully understood for dogs (but we can make a few guesses).
What We Know About Diet and Taurine Status
The studies with cats found that several dietary factors influenced taurine status. These were the level and type of dietary protein, the amount and type of dietary fiber, and the degree of heat that was used during food processing. These factors could affect taurine status in three ways:
1. Bile Acid Binding
Certain fibers and peptides (small protein chains) in the food can bind with bile salts in the small intestine and make them unavailable for reabsorption into the body. This results in an increased daily loss of taurine in the feces and a subsequent increase in daily taurine requirement to replace that loss.
2. Increased Microbial Degradation
Thermal processing of protein (extrusion or canning) can lead to the production of Maillard products – complexes of sugars and amino acids that are poorly digested in the small intestine. The undigested complexes travel to the large intestine and provide an intestinal environment that favors increased numbers of taurine-degrading bacteria. An increase in these bacterial populations reduces the proportion of taurine that is available for reabsorption and reuse by the body.
3. Reduced Taurine Availability
Taurine is found naturally in animal-based proteins but is not found in plant-based protein sources. Therefore, providing diets that include a sufficient level of high-quality animal proteins (that are not heat damaged) should ensure adequate taurine intake.
However, protein that is of low quality or that has been excessively heat-treated will be poorly digested, reducing the availability of taurine and of its precursor amino acids, cysteine and methionine.
In the early 1990s, in response to this new information regarding the interaction of dietary factors and taurine status in cats (and their relationship to DCM in cats), the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) increased the recommendations for dietary taurine in extruded and canned cat foods.
Taurine Deficiency in Dogs
Unlike the cat, dogs who are fed diets containing adequate levels of protein should be capable of synthesizing enough taurine from cysteine and methionine to meet their needs. Therefore, a requirement for dietary taurine has not been generally recognized in dogs.
However, there is evidence – evidence that we have had for at least 15 years – that certain breeds of dogs, and possibly particular lines within breeds, exhibit a high prevalence of taurine-deficiency DCM. Genetically predisposed breeds include the American Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Saint Bernard, Newfoundland, and English Setter. Although the exact underlying cause is not known, it appears that some breeds have either a naturally occurring higher requirement for taurine or a metabolic abnormality that affects their taurine synthesis or utilization.
A second factor that affects taurine status in dogs is size. There is evidence that a large adult size and a relatively slow metabolic rate influences the rate of taurine production in the body and may subsequently lead to a dietary taurine requirement. It is theorized that increased body size in dogs is associated with an enhanced risk for developing taurine deficiency and that this risk may be exacerbated by a breed-specific genetic predisposition.
There is additional evidence that large and giant breed dogs have lower rates of taurine production compared with small dogs. Ultimately, studies suggest that certain dogs possess a genetic predisposition to taurine depletion and increased susceptibility to taurine-deficiency DCM and that this susceptibility may be related to the combined factors of breed, size, and metabolic rate.
Taurine in Dog Food Diets
The recent spate of cases and media attention to taurine-deficiency DCM in dogs suggests that this is a very new problem in dogs. However, it is not new. A connection between diet and DCM in dogs was first described in a paper published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2001. What is new is the sudden focus on certain pet food ingredients and the target that appears to have been placed upon the backs of all “grain-free” pet food brands by some bloggers and veterinarians.
Not to put too fine a point on this, but the 12 cases of taurine-deficiency DCM described in the 2001 paper were collected between 1997 and 2001, years before grain-free dog foods had arrived on the pet food scene. Rather than disparage one class or type of dog food (or pet food company), it is more important to look at specific dietary factors that may be involved in DCM in dogs.
Generally speaking, these are expected to be the same as those identified for cats, including low protein levels, poorly processed or heat-damaged proteins (leading to Maillard products), and the inclusion of a high proportion of plant-based protein sources such as peas and legumes.
Over the past 15 years, reduced taurine status in dogs has been associated with feeding lamb meal and rice diets, soybean-based diets, rice bran, beet pulp, and high fiber diets. As with cats, there appear to be multiple dietary (and genetic) factors involved.
For example, it was theorized that the perceived (not proven) association between lamb meal and taurine status was due to low levels of available amino acids present in the lamb meal, or to excessive heat damage of the protein, or to the confounding factor of the inclusion of rice bran in many lamb meal-containing foods. To date, none of these factors have been conclusively proven or disproven. However, the most recent study showed that three types of fiber source – rice bran, cellulose, and beet pulp – all caused reduced plasma taurine levels in dogs when included in a marginally low protein diet, with beet pulp causing the most pronounced decrease.
Complicated? You bet. This is why it is important to avoid making unsupported claims about certain foods and brands. Taurine-deficiency DCM has been around for a while in dogs and continues to need study before making definitive conclusions about one or more specific dietary causes.
Current Considerations of Taurine in Dog Food
We know that any dietary factor that reduces the availability of taurine precursors, binds taurine bile salts in the intestine, or causes an increase in the bacteria populations that degrade taurine, can reduce a dog’s ability to synthesize taurine or will increase taurine degradation and/or loss in the feces. These changes could ultimately compromise a dog’s taurine status (especially if the dog was genetically predisposed) and affect heart health. In extreme cases, as we are seeing, this can lead to taurine-deficiency DCM (see “A Few Things to Know About Taurine” above).
The FDA report identified foods that contain high amounts of peas, lentils, legume seeds, or potatoes to be of potential concern. The FDA also stated that the underlying cause of DCM in the reported cases is not known and that at this time, the diet-DCM relationship is only correlative (not causative). However, this has not stopped various bloggers and even some veterinarians from targeting small pet food companies and/or grain-free brands of food, and implying that these foods, and these foods alone, are causing taurine-deficiency DCM in dogs. Their reasoning is that peas and legumes are present in high amounts in foods that are formulated and marketed as grain-free.
However, the truth is that many companies and brands of food include these ingredients. More importantly, there is no clear evidence showing that a particular dog food type, brand, or even ingredient is solely responsible for taurine-deficiency DCM in dogs.
Rather, it is more reasonable and responsible to speculate that one or more of these ingredients, their interactions, or the effects of ingredient quality, heat treatment, and food processing may play a role. Furthermore, the underlying cause could be the protein, starch, or fiber fractions of these ingredients. As plant-source proteins, peas, lentils, and legumes include varying amounts of starch (both digestible and resistant forms) and dietary fiber. These protein sources are also generally less nutritionally complete and less digestible than are high quality animal source proteins – additional factors that could influence a dog’s ability to both produce and use taurine. Potatoes, in contrast, provide a digestible source of starch in an extruded food but also contain varying levels of resistant starch, which is not digested and behaves much like dietary fiber in the intestinal tract.
Conclusions on Grain-Free Food and DCM
Because any or all of these dietary factors could be risk factors for taurine-deficiency DCM in dogs, and because peas, legumes, and other ingredients identified by the FDA report have not yet been fully studied, the heart of the matter is that no conclusions can yet be made about the underlying dietary cause or causes of taurine-deficiency DCM in dogs.
But given what we do know, we recommend feeding a diet that contains sufficient levels of high-quality, animal-source protein, does not include plant-source proteins as primary protein sources, and does not contain high levels of dietary fiber.
If you are worried about your dog’s taurine status or heart health, whether due to his diet history or physical signs that are of concern, see your veterinarian for a complete physical examination and, if needed, to measure plasma levels of taurine.
Cited Studies
1. Pion PD, Kittleson MD, Rogers QR, et al. “Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: A reversible cardiomyopathy.” Science 1987; 237:764-768.
2. Earl KE, Smith PM. “The effect of dietary taurine content on the plasma taurine concentration of the cat.” British Journal of Nutrition 1991; 66:227-235.
3. Hickman MA, Morris JG, Rogers QR. “Effect of processing on the fate of dietary taurine in cats.” Journal of Nutrition 1990; 120:995-1000.
4. Hickman HA, Morris JG, Rogers QR. “Intestinal taurine and the enterohepatic circulation of taurocholic acid in the cat.” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 1992; 315:45-54.
5. Freeman LM, Rush JE, Brown DJ, et al. “Relationship between circulating and dietary taurine concentrations in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.” Veterinary Therapeutics 2001; 370-378.
6. Backus RC, Ko KS, Fascetti AJ. “Low plasma taurine concentration in Newfoundland dogs is associated with low plasma methionine and cysteine concentrations and low taurine synthesis.” Journal of Nutrition 2006; 136:2525-2533.
7. Ko KS, Backus RC, Berg JR, et al. “Differences in taurine synthesis rate among dogs relate to differences in their maintenance energy requirement.” Journal of Nutrition 2007; 137:1171-1175.
8. Fascetti AJ, Reed JR, Roger QR, et al. “Taurine deficiency in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy: 12 cases (1997 – 2001).” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2001; 223:1137-1141.
9. Delaney SJ, Kass PH, Rogers QR, Fascetti AJ. “Plasma and whole blood taurine in normal dogs of varying size fed commercially prepared food.” Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 2003; 87:235-244.
10. Torres CL, Backus RC, Fascetti AJ, et al. “Taurine status in normal dogs fed a commercial diet associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy.” Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 2003; 87:359-372.
11. Ko KS, Fascetti AJ. “Dietary beet pulp decreases taurine status in dogs fed low protein diet.” Journal of Animal Science and Technology 2016; 58:29-39.
Linda P. Case is the owner of AutumnGold Consulting & Dog Training Center in Mahomet, Illinois. Linda is the author of Dog Food Logic, has a new book, Dog Smart, and writes The Science Dog blog.
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