Here at Creekside Animal Hospital, we take it very seriously to do everything in our power to help you to keep your pets happy and healthy. We have seen a huge increase in the number of “grain free” options of pet foods lately, and I am sure you have all seen the commercials yourselves promoting the products as well. Many smaller companies are also getting into the pet food market as well with little or no research to back their health food claims. We would just like to take a moment to share a recent study with you that may indicate that “grain free” and other “specialty diets” are not necessarily a healthy diet and some research is being done that may indicate a link to these diets and an increase in heart disease. Golden Retrievers are being seen in increased frequency with dilated cardiomyopathy. This disease progresses to an enlarged, weakened, and dilated heart that leads to arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. In the past, it has been well known that cats and some dogs can develop this disease secondary to a lack of taurine in their diet. Taurine comes from an amino acid found in meat and milk. In the study of Golden Retrievers, the taurine levels are normal, much unlike the causative agent in cats. Since it does not appear to be from a lack of taurine, the cause of this increase in the number of cases being seen by cardiologist is unknown, but they believe there is some connection with these dogs and some other breeds as well and a boutique diet being fed by the owner. These diets may be homemade, raw, vegetarian, or even promoted as grain free. There may be some underlying genetic issue with these dogs as well, but cardiologists are warning us that diet may be a contributing factor to heart disease. Please use caution when choosing a diet for your pet and do not fall into the marketing trap of assuming that grains are a bad thing in the diet. Just like many human fad diets, we believe this may prove to be an unhealthy option. Research is ongoing and we may learn more in the near future.
The following link from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association may explain more about the ongoing study:
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/180801e.aspx