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.
Grain free diet for dogs and heart disease.
Grain free diet for dogs leads to canine heart disease alternative diets have long been a suspected cause of dcm.
Dcm is a life threatening heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy.
The heart becomes less able to circulate blood and over time fluid builds up in the lungs.
This study looks at other potential causes and how to communicate this information to clients.
The latest research on grain free dog foods and heart disease.
If your dog has a food allergy there are alternatives to grain free diets and exotic ingredients that have no known health risks.
If your pet has been eating a grain free diet for several months to years we suggest having your dog examined by a veterinarian for a cardiac murmur and other systemic indications of heart disease.
We strongly recommend an examination in those pets with a cough labored breathing lethargy or those showing a decreased willingness to exercise.
Dogs with dcm develop an enlarged heart with weakening of the muscles.
Amid an ongoing investigation by the food and drug administration into a possible link between heart disease in dogs and grain free dog food often including legumes such as peas.
In the fda s july 2019 update on diet and canine heart disease they examined labels of dog food products reported in dcm cases to determine whether the foods were grain free defined as.
The fda has been instrumental in alerting consumers to the potential for dcm with specialized diets.
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.