Did I catch your attention? First of all, I want to apologize for the little hiatus I’ve taken from blog writing. It’s been a busy few weeks. A few weeks ago, I travelled to Florida to watch one of my best friends graduate from DO school. On my way home during my layover in the Chicago O’Hare Airport, I made the unwise decision of eating fish tacos. I should have gone for what I really wanted, which was a burger and fries, but I was trying to be healthy, dangit! I later acquired Campylobacter, a nasty GI bug that hit me like a bus, from which I’m just starting to bounce back from. It’s hard to write a blog from the bathroom, so I figured I’d take a little break. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Yes, the title of this blog was intended to be clickbait, but it turns out there is some truth to it. Veterinary Cardiologists at UC Davis, one of the leading veterinary schools in the country, started to notice a trend. They started to diagnose a condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy in breeds that were not previously genetically predisposed to the condition, namely Golden Retrievers, Miniature Schnauzers, and French Bulldogs. In normal animals, the heart is a heavily muscled organ with valves and vessels that supply it that pumps blood efficiently. With DCM, the heart walls are thin, and the heart is more like a floppy balloon. DCM is typically seen in large to giant breed dogs like Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, and Irish Wolfhounds where there is thought to be a genetic component. DCM causes the heart to beat more weakly and to enlarge, leading to congestive heart failure (build up of fluid in the lungs or abdomen). The team at UC Davis became suspicious when they started to see DCM in atypical breeds, and from there, they noticed a trend. Most of these animals were on grain free boutique diets, specifically high in legumes. When the diets were changed, many of these dogs improved or their DCM completely resolved. The theory is that these changes are being caused by a deficiency in an amino acid called taurine. Let’s explore what taurine is for just a second and the history of taurine deficiency (not to bore you). Taurine is an amino acid that is found in high concentrations in muscles and the heart. It has many functions, but it aids in normal contractile functions of the muscle. Taurine deficiency was characterized in cats in the late 1980s as a cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. It was discovered that the DCM in cats could be reversed by supplementation of taurine, and now all reputable cat diets contain enough taurine to prevent this deadly disease. In dogs, certain breeds were more prone to DCM as a result of taurine deficiency, including Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels. Studies have shown certain diets can lead to taurine deficiency in dogs, including rice bran, lamb, high fiber diets, and low protein diets. In the early 2000s, there was a significant decrease in dogs developing DCM from taurine deficiency….until now. A consistent finding so far is that dogs on boutique, grain free diets with exotic ingredients are at risk. Look, I get it. You want what is best for your pet, and the marketing from these companies can be VERY CONVINCING. Unfortunately, a lot of pet owners have bought into the grain free myth. I discuss this with my clients all the time. I explain that the incidence of food allergies is VERY UNCOMMON in dogs, so most dogs do not need to be fed grain free diets with exotic ingredients. I point out that dogs are in fact OMNIVORES, not carnivores (another common myth). And like us (also omnivores), grains do not contribute to health problems and are used in pet foods as a great source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. There is a strong push with the natural pet food market. They tell you grain free is best. They tell you your dog is just like a wolf. They tell you that the ingredient list is EVERYTHING. You want to know the truth? Most of these companies are far better at marketing and making their bags look pretty than formulating diets. Many of them don’t even hire veterinary nutritionists to formulate their diets. It is true that all pet foods on the market meet the AAFCO guidelines. However, simply meeting the AAFCO guidelines is like getting a D to pass the test. Case in point, Old Roy, a very cheap, poor quality dog food, passes the AAFCO guidelines. When clients ask me about what diets are best to feed their pets, there are a few companies I recommend. I recommend feeding Hill’s Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, Iams, or Royal Canin. I like these companies because they are science-based companies. They do feeding trials and studies to make sure the diets are balanced, palatable, and well-tolerated. They employ veterinary nutritionists and hundreds of scientists. They own their own manufacturing plants. These companies have the resources to advance pet nutrition through research and development. I’m not going to say that any brand of dog food that is not in this list is bad, but I will say that these are the companies I KNOW I can trust. And no, they are not paying me to say that (although, that would be nice). When your dog or cat eats the same food every day, it’s so important for their food to be nutritionally balanced. While our meals might not be completely balanced from meal to meal, our diets are often balanced with time because they are varied. Dogs and cats generally eat the same food every day, so deficiencies can have a ripple effect. While I haven’t observed DCM in patients on grain free diets in my practice, I have observed another troubling medical issue. A surprising number of patients on boutique grain free diets are being diagnosed with bladder stones or crystals. Sometimes this is an incidental finding on results from our wellness plans. Sometimes the dogs actually come in with urinary tract problems. Either way, it is a clear indication that the calcium, magnesium, and/or phosphorus ratios are not correct in these diets. It’s also an indication that these companies are not doing their homework. While bladder stones or crystals (usually) isn’t deadly, it can often require surgery and a special prescription diet that patients have to stay on life-long. I hope this blog post can help open the eyes of some of my well-intentioned clients that just want the best for their pets. But trust me, I want the best for your pets, too. As a veterinarian, nothing is more frustrating than laying out all of the scientific evidence to clients and giving diet recommendations and have them completely disregard my opinion in favor of current nutrition myths and trends. It’s like trying to convince my son that he doesn’t really need to eat the candy he found on the sidewalk. He may want to because it’s bright green and sweet, but he needs to look beyond that to the ants and dirt covering it as well. By the way, he ate it anyway so I know sometimes I’m unable to convince everyone. Nothing is more frustrating than having patients with preventable illnesses or medical conditions. Nothing is more frustrating than my clients being ripped off by expensive diets, diets that don’t do what they advertise by purposely misleading the consumer or not educating them completely. If you are not sure what to feed your pet, the first step is to talk to your veterinarian. In very rare cases, we might put dogs (and even more rarely cats) on hypoallergenic diets with novel proteins and no grains. However, food allergies are very rare, and such a diet change should be done under the guidance of your veterinarian to help you select the best one for your pet. There is also a link below from Tuft’s to a great article that provides questions you should be asking your pet food company: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/12/questions-you-should-be-asking-about-your-pets-food/ I have also provided a link below from Tuft’s as to why you shouldn’t judge a diet by the ingredient list: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/why-you-shouldnt-judge-a-pet-food-by-its-ingredient-list/ Make sure you educate yourself about what you give your pet. I hate to see a pet owner distraught by the fact that they just didn’t know, so again, check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet. It will save you some anxiety after your pet starts to exhibit problems, time trying to schedule appointments and nursing them back to health, and money on more expensive treatment and diets to get them back on track.
1 Comment
Janis
7/17/2018 11:57:44 am
I swtiched from Hills Science Diet to Merrick and my dog suffered severe insomnia, heavy panting, and extreme shedding. Our vet diagnosed him with cushings disease and recommended we go back to Science Diet. Overnight a totally different dog. Then I decided to try Blue Buffalo freedom with glucosamine and within a month he had the same symptoms as with the Merrick. He is a lab/retriever mix. MERRICK AND BLUE BUFFALO FREEDOM ARE SLOWLY KILLING DOGS!!! They need to be held accountable.
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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August 2017
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