Showing posts with label fda warning grain-free diets dog dcm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fda warning grain-free diets dog dcm. Show all posts
Friday, June 28, 2019

Understanding The FDA Warning About Grain-Free Diets Made With Legumes And Canine Dilated Myopathy




What does the FDA's statement about grain-free diets for dogs mean and what should you feed your pets? The FDA is researching the connection primarily between "certain diets" and canine dilated cardiomyopathy. As a pet owner, the best thing you can do is read the actual FDA source report and compare your brand to those cases that were reported. If you follow Ask Ariel's newsletter and our posts, we have consistently stated that starchy carbohydrates, especially legumes, can lead to all types of health issues ranging from digestive problems, skin problems, diabetes and immune issues. We are big proponents of raw frozen diets made with species-appropriate food such as meat, poultry, fish, vegetables and omega 3s. Some pets with pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease can benefit from a small amount of sweet potatoes in their diet to control protein and fat levels but that is the EXCEPTION not the rule.
In the big rush to replace pro-inflammatory grains in dry food with another substitute filler, the hot new food option was legumes (e.g. chickpeas, beans, peas, soy, etc). Legumes are hard to digest, low in nutritional value, contain phytates (interfere with absorption of minerals), are high in carbohydrates (e.g. sugar) and contain pro-inflammatory lectins .. ..so why would that be beneficial for dogs and cats? And now there appears to be a link between pets consuming legumes, taurine absorption and DCM.
Unfortunately as this is being reported the term "grain-free diets" is being tossed around as though that is the cause of this heart disease discovery. Please replace the term grain-free with "dry kibble made with legumes".....Grain-free diets as in canned food (made without legumes), freeze dried raw and frozen raw are still wonderful food options for pets.