Vet Talk: Pet food and heart disease - Eureka Times Standard

Vet Talk: Pet food and heart disease - Eureka Times Standard

My least favorite topic in an annual exam is diet. These days, there is such an overwhelming amount of marketing information involving the pet food industry and a lot of it is misleading. We are being convinced by pet food companies and social media that grain-free, organic, exotic protein and or raw diets are somehow superior to the traditional bagged dry dog foods of the past.

Last year, the FDA began investigating a potential link between certain grain free diets and a heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). There have been 524 cases of DCM reported to the FDA since Jan. 1, 2014. They have now identified the most common diets involved with these DCM patients, but they do not know yet what the actual nutritional deficit is. It seems to be related to the ratio of peas, lentils and other legumes that have been added to round out the carbohydrate profile of the dog foods. The FDA is not recalling these diets at this stage in the investigation, they are asking for help and collaboration between the veterinary community and pet food manufacturers. They are recommending you consult your veterinarian if your pet has any clinical signs of heart disease including decreased energy, exercise intolerance, coughing or difficulty breathing.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions — especially for those feeding the diets on the list. My usual guidelines for choosing a diet for your pet have not changed: consider your pet’s age and lifestyle, buy from a trusted source (veterinary clinic, pet store) and make sure it is AAFCO approved.

The grain-free debate is ongoing. If your pet is doing fine on the current diet, you should continue it. If you have concerns, do some research and talk to your veterinarian.

For more information, the list of diets, or to report pertinent information, go to the FDA’s website: www.fda.gov.

Dr. Tami Reynolds is secretary of the Humboldt Del Norte Veterinary Medical Association.