The fda received 515 reports of dcm in dogs between january 1 2014 and april 30 2019.
Grain free for dogs bad.
Of the dogs that developed dcm the fda found that 91 were eating a grain free diet.
The foods were tested for minerals metals and amino acids and no significant abnormalities were found.
Why is this significant.
When they looked into what these dogs were eating they found that 90 were on a grain free food and 93 were on diets that contained peas and or lentils.
For example in dogs suspected of having food allergies also known as an adverse food reaction a grain free diet might be recommended on a trial basis to see if symptoms improve.
It didn t come from the.
The fda is investigating a potential dietary link between canine dilated cardiomyopathy dcm and dogs eating certain grain free dog foods.
The kind i give her costs about 100 a month for a 12 pound dog and it s made of an organic grass fed non gmo mix of beef organ meat.
Grain free diet for dogs can be good only for certain pets and in very specific cases.
It is important to recognize however that very few dogs have allergies to the grains in dog foods.
In large majority of instances.
So is grain free food bad for dogs.
And 93 of the grain free diets contained peas and or lentils.
In most cases the answer is likely yes.
Nevertheless i feed her only grain free dog food.
Many pet parents who want to increase the level of protein in their dog s diet believe that grain free dog food is the equivalent but that s not generally the case.
The foods of concern are those containing legumes.
Fortunately the heart disease resolved for nearly all of the dogs after they received cardiac medications and taurine supplements and switched to a grain inclusive diet.
Grain free equals high protein.
Gelzer doesn t know exactly how the grain free pet food trend started but suspects it had to do with consumer demand for what seemed like a healthier alternative.