Is Grain-Free Dog Food Causing Heart Disease?

In recent years, veterinarians have been noticing an upsurge in cases of enlarged heart in dogs. Also called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), it’s a serious and often fatal heart condition. The FDA suspects a correlation between DCM and dogs that have been fed a diet of food containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes as main ingredients. (Source)

The FDA’s Investigation of Grain-Free Dog Food and Heart Disease Many of the cases of DCM have involved dogs that were fed grain-free diets, suggesting that diet may play a role in this disease. This alarming trend led the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch an investigation into whether diet and other factors are putting pets at risk of developing DCM.

The FDA has since released a series of reports summarizing the investigation’s findings. You may be wondering what these findings mean for your pets, and which foods are safe to feed them.

Are grain-free diets bad for dogs? What is causing the recent outbreak of DCM cases? Although the FDA’s investigation is still ongoing, here’s what you need to know and what you can take away from the latest news on this serious disease.

Is It Safe to Feed a Grain-Free Diet?

The FDA’s study of DCM in dogs is still underway, and on their Q&A page, they state:

You should not make dietary changes based solely on the information gathered so far. But if you have concerns about feeding diets with certain ingredients, your veterinarian can help determine the most appropriate foods for your pet’s individual needs.

Although grain-free pet diets have become popular in recent years, it’s important to keep in mind that grain sensitivities and allergies are actually very rare in pets, compared to humans. So most pets don’t require a grain-free diet.

Regardless of which diet you’re feeding, if your pet shows any signs of heart problems, such as a cough, breathing difficulties, weakness or collapse, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

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