Grain Free Diets – Just Say NO

The grain free diet risk is real

A little over a year ago, my sister’s dog was diagnosed with heart disease.  Her dog was a Cavalier so we thought it would just be mitral disease.  But he was 12 years old, the murmur was new, and when the cardiologist did the echo, he found suprising low contractility.   Interestingly, the murmur occurred after she had switched her dog onto a limited ingredient diet due to an allergy issue.  That diet not only had a different protein but was also grain free.  The cardiologist was sure it was related.   Shortly after this, the FDA issued the first warning about grain free and boutique diets.

The FDA investigation shows clear links to specific grain-free diets

The FDA’s latest update lists the diets that have been most commonly implicated.  I’ve seen several more cases of heart disease in dogs on grain free diets in the last several months.  The young dog I saw this week with severe dilated cardiomyopathy was eating the most common grain free diet on this list.

The dog food companies involved and boutique pet food stores who jumped into the grain free trend are taking a wait and see approach.  The veterinary cardiologists who are seeing these cases and researching the connection strongly believe the diets are involved.  In fact, new studies are showing that the heart failure may be reversible if caught early and the diet is switched.

We should educate our clients on the risks of grain free diets

I now ask every single client I see, for whatever reason they present, what specific diet they are feeding.  Most medical software programs prompt for this information but it is really easy to skip over the section or ask for a brand name only.   I talk about the risk of grain free diets with every single client who is feeding one or who has just gotten a new dog.  With any dog on a grain free diet, I spend extra time listening for a murmur.  If I hear a murmur, I strongly recommend echo.   In one practice where I work, a large proportion of clients are feeding grain free so the discussions add time to my day.  However, quality veterinary care involves not just treating disease but also preventing it.  Getting dogs off grain free diet can and will prevent significant heart problems.

Do you ask every client about grain free diets?  Have you put a warning on your clinic website? Facebook page? Twitter?  Do you at least warn every person with a new puppy to just say no to grain free?

We still don’t know the exact reason why these diets are linked to the development of  severe heart disease.  It is unclear if it is the lack of grain, the addition of peas or lentils, a different ingredient, or an interaction of those ingredients with genetics.  In addition, while grain free is trendy for people and pets, there is no evidence that it is better for dogs or for most people.  Our clients want to do the best by their pets and often believe that higher price and boutique will be healthier.  As I have discussed in the past, high cost does not always equal quality.  I believe we should be encouraging clients to go back to the diets with the most years of research behind them that have confirmed their formulations with AAFCO feeding trials, not just AAFCO nutrient profiles.

Reporting Matters

Understanding these issues means that all of us have to take the time and report each and every one of these cases we see.  Ideally, if you see a suspected case, you should measure blood and plasma taurine levels. However, I recommend reporting suspect cases to the FDA even if the owner can not afford the taurine levels.  Information for reporting cases is here.

Be Vocal

We need to talk to our clients. But I believe we also need to reach out and make sure the pet stores in our area are correctly informed.  While clients trust us, they often listen to pet store recommendations on food.  We can do more good if we try to work WITH the pet food stores in our area to provide the right information to pet owners.

Let’s take a stand, be vocal, and work with our communities and our clients to stop this problem before it hurts more dogs.