So it didn’t take very long until a colleague messaged me after I posted on wheat allergies and said “great post on wheat allergies but what about DCM?” …. Ok, I had a feeling I’d be called out in some fashion. In my defence DCM doesn’t really fit into the allergy category so the original article still holds but it is important to point the challenges and risks associated with feeding grain free diets.

If you haven’t yet read my post, give it a quick read to catch yourself up on allergies, wheat and the grain free approach. If you can’t read anymore of my writing  (I understand), basically, many people seem to like to reach for the pet stores’ golden child the “grain free” food when their pet is super itchy. This isn’t always the best approach to dealing with supposed food allergies for a number of reasons (you’ll have to read the post for that). On top of this there has been recent evidence that these grain free diets may be predisposing some pets to heart failure. Specifically Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), this is an abnormal enlargement of the heart and dilation of its chambers that impairs the efficient pumping of blood and ultimately results in congestive heart failure. This is scary and shocking, but before mass hysteria breaks out let’s be clear:

1. This is super recent so there isn’t much data out there yet
2. There is a difference between association and causation, we have not yet proven these diets CAUSE DCM
3. Not all dogs are affected
4. Not all grain free diets are likely implicated although the grain-free legume and potato based diets seem to be more suspect
5. It has been proposed that taurine deficiencies may be a cause of this

If you have a pet on a grain-free diet don’t panic! I recommend that if you aren’t taking your pet to the vet regularly (but you are though right?), start!, these annual exams are helpful for us to assess things like the heart. If there are cardiac signs in your pet and they are on a grain free diet your veterinarian may suggest switching diets or they may request to run a taurine blood test. Cardiac ultrasounds are also useful in detecting and assessing heart and heart valve function. For those looking for more information check out the FDA’s most recent update.

I guess to sum it all up, health and diet go hand in hand, and it is not always straightforward and simple to cut out an ingredient proclaim the diet is good for you. Diets that aren’t scientifically and clinically formulated are a risk, plain and simple. Educate yourself with information from trusted (not marketing) sources aka veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists.