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An Update & Resources

Barley on her third birthday in September 2018

With a heavy heart, I wanted to share that our dear Barley passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of three in December 2018.  She was otherwise a completely healthy dog, except for her enlarged heart, which was likely caused by improper ingredients in her commercially sold dog food. 

We hope that everyone shares and listens to Barley's story.   I have stayed active in the community working to spread the word on this potentially preventable condition.

After extensive reading and research, I've concluded that there is no evidence to feed your dog boutique, grain free, or small batch dog food at this time unless your dog has a clinical condition that requires an individualized diet.  We all want what is best for our furry family members, and unfortunately the dog food marketing industry has somehow gained persuasion over our trusted veterinarian  community when it comes to nutrition.  In general, you should feed your dog food that falls under the WSAVA guidelines which identify the minimum standard of care for dogs, and consult  your veterinarian.

As I continue to share my story, I am often asked for various sources on this issue.  Here are a few of my favorite trusted sources and the high-level conclusions if you do not want to read through everything.

Social Media Support Groups: 

Facebook can be a great community resource for questions and individuals seeking advice.
How to report your case to the FDA: Click Here
First and foremost, if you have a dog who has been diagnosed please take the five minutes to report your case to the FDA.

Articles & Publications:

It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy by Lisa Freeman
This is an update from Freeman's original article titled A Broken Heart.  I personally think this is the most comprehensive article published on this issue.   It breaks DCM down into three categories: diet associated DCM with normal taurine levels, diet associated DCM with taurine deficiency, and primary DCM in dogs with predisposed breeds. 

Additionally, this article outlines that it is not just the popular grain-free diets that are at risk - she uses the term BEG diets. BEG stands for: Boutique, Exotic Ingredients, and Grain Free.  This quote best summarizes the key takeaway "The apparent link between BEG diets and DCM may be due to ingredients used to replace grains in grain-free diets, such as lentils or chickpeas, but also may be due to other common ingredients commonly found in BEG diets, such as exotic meats, vegetables, and fruits. In addition, not all pet food manufacturers have the same level of nutritional expertise and quality control, and this variability could introduce potential issues with some products." 

FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy published 2/19/19

Between July 2018-November 2018,  273 diet related DCM cases have been reported to the FDA. Of the 273 reported cases, 22% (61) cases were from golden retrievers. "Based on analysis of the 196 DCM reports to FDA in which dogs were fed only a single, primary diet (i.e., didn’t eat multiple food products, excluding treats), approximately 90 percent of the foods were reported to be labeled “grain-free” (or labeled as zero-grain) and approximately 10 percent ate diets containing grains, some of which were vegan or vegetarian. A large proportion of the reported diets in DCM cases contained peas and/or lentils."

The FDA investigation highlights the multiple variables of this issue including but not limited to product testing, industry requirements, breed dispositions, and protein/taurine requirements. The FDA is collaborating with the pet food industry and veterinarians to further investigate the issue.  The FDA will continue to provide updates as information develops.

FDA Investigating Potential Connection Between Diet and Cases of Canine Heart Disease Published 7/12/18
This is the initial article that announced the FDA's investigation into suspect BEG diets. "Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other “pulses” (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients."

The article encourages individuals to report cases and notes that follow up will occur when additional information is collected (see article published in 2/19/19)

Diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs: what do we know? by Lisa M. Freeman DVM, PhD; Joshua A. Stern DVM, et al. 
This paper supports early evidence linking BEG diets to possibly diet related DCM. There is a calling within the paper for the veterinarian and research community to look into this cause-and-effect relationship.  They also recommend that assessing the diet history in all veterinarian patients can help identify diet-related heart disease. 

Taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers fed commercial diets by Kaplan et al. 
This study looks at diet associated DCM with taurine deficiency. This paper reports that 95% of the golden retrievers who were diagnosed with DCM were eating a suspect diet.  The high level summary is that of the 24 golden retrievers with DCM, 23 of them were on a diet with either grain-free or legume rich ingredients. 

This article is a little outdated, but provides a nice summary on how taurine in diet impacts the heart.  It was first discovered in cats, where there was a sudden onset of cat deaths in the 70's.  Now, taurine is required in all cat food.  It is important to note that adding taurine into your dog's diet won't simply fix the problem and the issue is much more complex than we even currently understand. 

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  2. My golden was just diagnosed with dcm. I have given him food with lamb and Rice. Is it possible that food is the cause of his dcm

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