# Low taurine/DCM



## Pammie (Jan 22, 2011)

Today my breeder posted this info on her Facebook pages. It has to do with the type of protein you feed your dog and how it can compromise their heart. She said that this is not new news but that there is some updated info and also many people are still unaware. 

Below is what she shared:

Recently a number of Golden Retrievers have come up with low taurine levels and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). These dogs are not all related but one thing they all had in common --- they were being fed a food that had plant based proteins added, meat was not the main ingredient in the food or the food had a lot of peas and pea products added. Some examples of plant based proteins are garbanzo beans, lentils, soy protein, chickpeas to name a few. These owners were feeding highly rated foods and several brands are involved. Golden Retrievers are one of the breeds of dogs that have been found to suffer taurine deficiency without dietary intake. Taurine is found mainly in muscle meat. Some dog food companies do add taurine to their foods but it is not required. Everyone needs to start reading dog food labels carefully. Dogs are carnivores and do not need a lot of plant based proteins. Be certain the food you are feeding has adequate amounts of meat protein. Do not just look at the protein content of the food. If a food has meat and plant proteins added the protein content is the combination of the two. You may be feeding very little meat protein and lots of legume protein. If you have a concern, get a taurine test on your dog. You may be saving its life. Prior to taurine testing do not change food, supplement with taurine or start feeding meat to your dog's diet. This will skew the results. Some of the dogs tested had low taurine and DCM but showed no signs or symptoms. They were tested because the owners were feeding the same food as others that had found low taurine/DCM in their dogs. If you are feeding raw be certain the diet contains adequate amounts of meats that are high in taurine. DCM caused by taurine deficiency may be reversed if diagnosed early and treated. 

For those interested in the literature surrounding this issue - Veterinary cardioligist, Joshua Stern has created a dropbox folder that contains all of the relevant, published research. You can get to the folder and download the articles with the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/.../AAB1sDvLZe6gE3httPskz9-0a...
Taurine Deficient DCM in Dogs


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you for posting. I feed Jess a food that contains lentils, as well as fish , turkey or chicken, so will definitely be doing some research.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have been seeing this all over Facebook this weekend. They are saying that these dogs were eating 4 and 5 star food. Really scary.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Yes, it's scary.
But also a reminder that self proclaimed experts who issue star ratings based on their own agenda, with no real knowledge of canine nutrition, are not a good source of information regarding what to feed or not feed your dogs.

QUOTE=cubbysan;7120474]I have been seeing this all over Facebook this weekend. They are saying that these dogs were eating 4 and 5 star food. Really scary.[/QUOTE]


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

This is one of the reasons that you want to feed foods that have been proven through long term (lifetime) feeding trials.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

What brand foods are we talking about??? My last dog was eating a five star food and died at 6 1/2 from cardiomyopathy.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

murphy1 said:


> What brand foods are we talking about??? My last dog was eating a five star food and died at 6 1/2 from cardiomyopathy.


It is Grain free foods as far as we know. Two grain free foods I have heard implicated in dogs with low taurine and/or DCM are NutriSource and Acana.

You need to look at the ingredient list. Look for peas, squash and other legumes. The manufacturers turners will split them out, so they appear lower on the one ingredient list. Acana Pork and Squash has legumes in 7 of the top 15 ingredients.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Tahnee GR said:


> It is Grain free foods as far as we know. Two grain free foods I have heard implicated in dogs with low taurine and/or DCM are NutriSource and Acana.
> 
> You need to look at the ingredient list. Look for peas, squash and other legumes. The manufacturers turners will split them out, so they appear lower on the one ingredient list. Acana Pork and Squash has legumes in 7 of the top 15 ingredients.


Why is this an issue in grain free foods?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

hahuston said:


> Why is this an issue in grain free foods?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


We don't know why yet, we don't understand the impact of peas and legumes in these cases. Foods that do not have this heavy reliance on Peas and legumes have not been implicated. Also people who do feed the implicated foods but supplement with additional meat, fish or fish oils have come up with normal taurine levels.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Thank you. The breeder is currently feeding her pups something with salmon and peas. I'll look for other options. 

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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I have checked out my dog foods and they don't have any of those ingredients. I don't feed grain free though. i will talk to my vet about this at my next appointment.


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## carlswans (Jan 6, 2013)

*A Tribute to our Beloved Abby - Passed from DCM*

Abby passed this past August. She was not even Five. I was totally unaware of this diet related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and was feeding her a higher priced kibble that has lots of legumes in it. It broke our hearts losing her, and after seeing this threat just wanted to reiterate the currently FDA warning on grain free foods and legumes being suspect. Dr. Stern, from UC Davs, is doing research on this issue as it pertains to Golden Retrievers. There is an excellent Facebook Group, 'Taurine Deficiency in Golden Retrievers' that I would encourage all to join. Lots of information! 

Below is a link to the Tribute I created in memory of our beloved Abby.


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

*Abby’s tribute*

So sorry for your loss of Abby. Looks like she was a beautiful girl. Wonderful tribute to your girl.


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

Beautiful tribute. I am so sad and sorry to hear of your loss.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Sorry for your loss


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## justo (Jul 10, 2019)

murphy1 said:


> What brand foods are we talking about??? My last dog was eating a five star food and died at 6 1/2 from cardiomyopathy.



well, this is probably ancient history by now as i am just becoming aware of this issue, so you may already have found an answer to your question, but in case you didn't, i just read this link today which lists the top 16 brands in question:


https://www.wealthauthority.com/articles/16-pet-food-brands-have-been-linked-to-heart-disease/


also, the 1st post has a link that i haven't followed yet, but there may be more info there.


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## justo (Jul 10, 2019)

hahuston said:


> Why is this an issue in grain free foods?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk



as i just found out about this problem today (some 2 years after this thread started) my response might not be too helpful as you probably already found the answer to your question.


here is an excerpt of an article that i read about 1hr ago:
"It is felt that the grain free foods may play a major part in taurine deficiency. Peas, beans, pea starch, legumes, potatoes and sweet potatoes have replaced the grains as the carbohydrate in most dog foods. _*These block the function of taurine.*_" [italics added for emphasis]


the above quote comes from this link:
https://www.grrmf.org/news/taurine-and-grain-free-information/


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

Posted this in another thread, but you may find it enlightening as to just who makes the foods we feed our pets!!


Plz form your own conclusions..


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Abby's tribute video was showing as unavailable today. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

There is an entire Facebook group dedicated to this subject. It is run by well-respected veterinarians. Check it out. 

Taurine-Deficient (Nutritional) Dilated Cardiomyopathy is the name of the group. There are over 50,000 members.


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## jeffscott947 (Jun 9, 2019)

This is very enlightening!


https://townhall-com.cdn.ampproject...fdas-dog-food-fearmongering-n2554503?amp=true


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## elisterine (Feb 27, 2019)

Disclaimer: I am no expert on this. But I am a fan of science and scientific methods instead of speculation. I am also not somehow in the tank for big dog food. I'd love to supports smaller companies, if I felt more secure in doing so. I choose to listen to the scientific evidence and thus feed a food from the approved list. I trust UCLA and the FDA more than I trust boutique pet food retailers.

I write because I take issue with this statement in the article linked above, and its connotations: 

"Ninety-five of the incidents were Golden Retrievers, which are genetically predisposed to DCM. Perhaps we will learn that there’s a dietary role in such cases, but as Case warns, “that’s different from saying a healthy dog with a healthy predisposition is at risk from DCM because they ate food with peas in it.” She says that the FDA’s statements have led to the “perception of a huge problem that is possibly just increased reporting” or the lumping together of different causes."

I read the above as saying: Goldens are predisposed to DCM-->the fact that there are large numbers of Goldens with it suggests that genetic predisposition plays a greater role than anything else. That is not my understanding. 

The FDA states: "FDA has observed a reporting bias for breeds like Golden Retrievers due to breed-specific social media groups and activities that have raised awareness of the issue in these communities and urged owners and vets to submit reports to FDA." Thus, the FDA (who has more credibility in my eyes than some alternative sources) attributes the large number of reported cases in Goldens to the persistence and awareness of Golden owners, due to the education efforts that have been undertaken! That's a great thing. If everyone were as aware of the issue and were as persistent in getting the cases reported to the FDA, the FDA would have more and better data to make use of. More and better data would facilitate the teasing out of the actual, specific causes of the issue. The greater numbers of DCM reportings in Goldens shouldn't be written off as an issue with the breed, but instead should be applauded as a sign of awareness and commitment.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...rtain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

While I am sure this article has been posted somewhere on the forum and harkens back to January, as this discussion is finding a revival I thought it helpful for people to review the well reasoned work being done at UCLA.

https://www.universityofcalifornia....-grain-free-diets-could-be-risk-heart-disease


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Again, my perception -

People are in a huge hurry to blame everything on food.

Just the same way they want to blame cancer and everything else on food.

Which the food (properties, how the food was kept or stored, etc) may ABSOLUTELY be a trigger in some cases. <= But it probably isn't the primary cause.

There is likely a hereditary problem causing heart disease with this breed.

Things I would be interested in - for the sake of SCIENCE and looking at more statistics which may reveal a clearer picture of what is going on.

1. I want K9data to have a DCM button just like they have a NCL button. This to immediately isolate and highlight the pedigrees of dogs who have been affected with DCM. 

Might add, I've wanted the same thing for Pigmentary Uveitis. 

2. FDA needs to clean up their facts and paperwork before posting an inflammatory article as they did back in June/July. 

What a massacre of common sense and science they did when they posted that top 10 without providing CLEAN backup for those results. 

The prior list they publicly provided which showed all the reported cases was a MESS to go through and analyze. 

And going through that list was eye-opening as far as what was behind some of those reported cases of DCM. 

Among else, you had many cases where people were unable to provide a brand and formula name. They just posted, "grain free food". 

You had many cases where people were feeding a variety of foods in a short period of time. 

You had an absence of reported cases of people feeding Pro Plan GRAIN FREE food. If grain free food alone causes problems - there should have been cases across the board. 

You had downplaying of reported DCM cases where people fed foods that were on the list of promoted foods (Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Iams, Science Diet). 

You even had reported cases where dogs had died years before and owners were convinced they had died from undiagnosed DCM. No tests, etc anything. Just assumption based on what they've heard. That's like me self-diagnosing myself with X or Y based on what Dr. Google told me!

The other issue is the way that people went about testing their dogs is concerning - because there may be an oversampling of dogs who ate various grain free foods who had either DCM or varying levels of Taurine. 

3. Going back to the supposition that there may be a hereditary component, people who have dogs related to those affected should absolutely get their dogs tested regardless of what they eat to rule out hereditary causes. And then I want to know how many dogs got treatment in addition to having their diets changed. 

4. Dog food companies who have been "isolated" as far as having the highest number of complaints should be participating in the research or performing a recall on those brands. Quite plain and simple. 

Brands like Acana which had a very high percentage of reports involving their Singles line - holy crow. They need to do something. 

Likewise Zignature Kangaroo.

Likewise the 4Health foods (which I'd skip anyway because they are primarily sold at tractor supply companies and the way the dog food is kept is likely questionable = ditto TOTW and Diamond!).

Brands like Nutro came up on the FDA list - which was misleading. The majority of reported cases involved the cheap grocery store formulas which are also either grain free or contain sweet potato. There were only 1-2 cases of the higher quality (and more expensive) Nutro formulas, and those could be thrown out because they involved other breeds or the owners fed a variety of foods. 

This is a good example of how that FDA report this past summer was apparently maliciously misleading and problematic. 

Also, the people running a study should not have a bias or connection with any dog food companies! 

5. The thing about the facebook group being run by the leaders in this like cardiologists, etc? BALONEY. They are a bunch of pet owners running the group. Many of them have major biases and little education. They are not veterinarians who specialized in canine nutrition. Many of them are doing the same thing that dentist on Dog Food Adviser did, which is laypeople giving dog food advice and analyzing ingredients. And there is major piling on and abuse by these people running the groups.

I joined both groups with the desire to see any updates regarding DCM sooner? But majority of the time I just had ingredients analysis garbage popping up on my facebook timeline. It was so _annoying_! 

People are at their very worst when it comes to discussing dog food. There's such a tendency to pile on and put on a holier than thou show about what you feed your dogs. 

Over the years we saw this all with the raw diet people who likes popping up everywhere to tell other people they were killing their dogs. 

We also saw grain free people who were popping up everywhere to push grain free and babble endlessly about how grains and so on were causing cancer.

And right now, we are seeing the Pro Plan crowd getting in the middle of all that. >.<

And I have nothing against Pro Plan in general. My pup eats the food (though we are starting to transition onto Nutro like my other dogs). He is healthy looking, very strong looking and just solid when you feel him. He's crazy agile and is already looking like his dad in the way he's jumping over obstacles and running outside. He is very long legged, which makes me concerned about Pano (he grew fast), but knock on wood he has no signs or symptoms of pano (I give vitamin C and glycoflex just in case). All in all, have been happy with the food for feeding a puppy. And considering how much is on the line with a growing puppy and wanting everything to grow right, you need to have a lot of confidence in the puppy food you are feeding your pup. Not saying I don't have confidence in Nutro puppy food? Just that I've had pups do very well while eating Pro Plan, and you don't rock the boat.

What I really dislike is people heavily pushing pro plan across the board - even when their dogs are doing poorly on the food. 

If your dog has bowel issues or skin problems or general dislike of the food (dogs refusing to eat the kibble).... why force it? Feed something else which the dog does well on. 

The whole healthy inside, healthy outside thing is key for keeping happy, healthy, and beautiful dogs.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Goldens are not a breed that is predisposed to DCM. This is why Dr Joshua Stern of UC Davis started doing this study in the first place. Because so many Goldens were turning up with DCM which should not have been the case. Without this anomaly, they may not have picked up on the diet related low taurine DCM in the first place and it may have been much later that this was even looked into leading to many, many more dogs dying.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

"Golden Retrievers
Past publications and research suggest that Golden Retrievers may be genetically predisposed to taurine deficiency, which is well-documented as potentially leading to DCM.

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Joshua Stern from the University of California at Davis has been studying the rise in cases of DCM in Golden Retrievers, including a potential dietary link. Many cases of DCM in Golden Retrievers are taurine-deficient. Pet owners who suspect their Golden Retrievers may be affected may wish to consult their veterinarian to discuss checking taurine levels or conducting an echocardiogram."

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...rtain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

Which is fine, except I've heard of dogs with low taurine who do not have DCM. 

What I would like to know is the pedigrees behind the dogs affected.

Their weights and state of health when diagnosed.

Their ages when diagnosed.

One thing among many is there are breeders who are suddenly freaking out and requesting echos on breeding dogs. I'd bet some of that has to do with increasing heart issues in the breed - unsure if that is increase cases of heart disease in the breed OR increased visibility to other causes of sudden death besides hemangio of the heart.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

*WELL, NOT VERY GOOD NEWS FOR THOSE WHO AWAIT FROM BRANDS SUCH AS ACANA TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
HERE IS THE RESPONSE OF CHAMPION PETFOODS TO A CUSTOMER!!!! ALLORS, FDA appearantly does not upport our case either. *

_Thank you for contacting us with your concern regarding the FDA bulletin, I can understand that you may have questions.

The FDA announced on July 12, 2018, that they are investigating a potential link between canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a type of heart disease, and grain-free diets rich in potatoes or legumes such as peas and lentils.

Pet Lovers at this time can be comforted that the FDA has not contacted Champion Petfoods in connection to its investigation into DCM. Champion Petfoods has no scientific evidence that dogs eating any of our pet foods would be susceptible to DCM as the result of solely eating our products.

It is important to note that DCM can be caused by many different factors, including a genetic pre-disposition, but there has not been any conclusive scientific evidence that links DCM to grain-free diets.

ACANA and ORIJEN are formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages. Cysteine and methionine content are available for taurine production in the dog’s body, and therefore taurine is not an essential amino acid for dogs. Taurine itself is naturally present from the meat ingredients we include in the food, we never have to supplement our ORIJEN or ACANA foods with synthetic amino acids.

Champion Petfoods has worked hard to earn the trust of Pet Lovers, and we will continue to keep the health and safety of your pets first and foremost.

If you have any other questions or I can be of further assistance please do write back._


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Peri29 said:


> *WELL, NOT VERY GOOD NEWS FOR THOSE WHO AWAIT FROM BRANDS SUCH AS ACANA TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
> HERE IS THE RESPONSE OF CHAMPION PETFOODS TO A CUSTOMER!!!! ALLORS, FDA appearantly does not upport our case either. *
> 
> _Thank you for contacting us with your concern regarding the FDA bulletin, I can understand that you may have questions.
> ...


ON THE CONTRARY, BRANDS SUCH AS " Pets Global Inc" CLAIM THAT THEY ARE INCREASING THE TAURINE LEVEL IN THEIR FOOD.SO, THERE IS TOO MUCH CONTRADICTION. FOR CHAMPION FOOD TO AGREEING THAT THEIR FOOD CAUSED DCM WOULD HAVE COSTED THEM SO MANY LEGAL ACTION AND LOSS OF MILLION DOLLARS AS COMPENSATION AND MARKET SHARE . AS LONG AS FDA IS NOT SUPPORTING THE CASE, THEY WILL EITHER CONTINUE WITH THEIR EXISTING FORMULA OR THEY ALREADY STARTED CHANGING THE FORMULA AS "PETS GLOBAL INC" WITHOUT INFORMING THE MARKET .


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

I meant to say genetically predisposed. They suggest they may be predisposed to low taurine diet related DCM as a breed in the new research but they are not predisposed genetically to DCM without it being diet related low taurine. There's a difference.

I am aware of the fact that there are dogs getting DCM with normal levels of taurine. They don't even know if that's diet related. Soooo much that still needs to be done.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> I am aware of the fact that there are dogs getting DCM with normal levels of taurine. They don't even know if that's diet related. Soooo much that still needs to be done.


Which is why it was so wrong rushing out to post that inflammatory article this summer which listed 10 companies based not on confirmed cases of DCM, but on complaints alone. Of which there is either no way to investigate (the dog died years ago) or the results are irregular and unclear and a mixed bag as far as people participating in any study and/or the people receiving information being disorganized or sloppy when handling information or gathering information. 

You have people whose dogs have come back from the deep end when being fed Pro Plan? But was there medicine and other treatment as well? <= Does the positive results hold long term on diet alone? What about relatives of the affected dogs. 

My impression after spending hours going through that list of complaints and typing information into a spreadsheet so I could build a readable comparison chart... was that the list of ten brand released 3 months later was rushed and dishonest.  

That's the thing that frustrates me because there is CLEARLY a problem that needs to be addressed. But please don't rush to conclusions without adequate gathering of information, testing, analysis, and impartial conclusions.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Megora said:


> Which is why it was so wrong rushing out to post that inflammatory article this summer which listed 10 companies based not on confirmed cases of DCM, but on complaints alone. Of which there is either no way to investigate (the dog died years ago) or the results are irregular and unclear and a mixed bag as far as people participating in any study and/or the people receiving information being disorganized or sloppy when handling information or gathering information.
> 
> You have people whose dogs have come back from the deep end when being fed Pro Plan? But was there medicine and other treatment as well? <= Does the positive results hold long term on diet alone? What about relatives of the affected dogs.
> 
> ...


I agree. I'm not rushing to any conclusions which is why I've been telling people if you're going to feed a food that could be questionable or have reservations on your should at least do taurine tests after 6 months or so if being on a new food. Like the TLC food people have been talking about recently.


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## TanyaK (Mar 10, 2018)

This was so beautiful, your tribute to Abby❤??I lost my golden at the age of 10 she was almost 11 with DCM. It was heart breaking and still is.....it was only five months ago and I tear up daily still. I did not think I couldn't get another golden for at least a year or two....but I just got one two weeks ago. It was not planned it was the universe speaking and it happened....Griffin is 3 months old and he has brought me laughter back. I was having such a hard time with losing Maggie. I will never forget her and I will still tear up....but griffin is brining me my joy back. He is Savin for me. 

Blessings to you and sorry for your loss xox


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## carlswans (Jan 6, 2013)

solinvictus - saw your message that Abby's Tribute was showing as unavailable. Here is the link - 




Having lost my Abby to DCM, and being overly sensitive to this terrible disease, I have researched and read a lot about it. The below is my opinion.

The issue of DCM and grain-free kibble is a complex one. It could be the legumes, peas, potatoes that are used as a binding agent in the grain free kibble, the complexity of food interaction, it could be the way the manufacturer is processing with high heat affecting amino acids, cardiotoxic ingredients in the diet, and other reasons, like diets containing combinations of grains and proteins.

Until the root cause of DCM is determined, in my opinion, it would behoove one to consider the taking the safest avenue by staying away from grain free and transitioning to one of the five kibbles mentioned below. It is significant that ‘gain-free’ kibble is implicated in 91% of reported FDA cases.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials, AAFCO, is a non-profit organization that sets standards for both animal feeds and pet foods in the United States. In order for a dog food to be marketed as “complete and balanced”, it must meet the nutritional standards established by AAFCO. However, there is one other higher standard out there and that is 'The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) that has very good information, including: 

•	https://www.wsava.org/wsava/media/arpita-and-emma-editorial/selecting-the-best-food-for-your-pet.pdf
•	https://www.wsava.org/wsava/media/arpita-and-emma-editorial/se 

Currently, it appears that only five pet food companies meet the criteria in WSAVA Guidelines and therefore recognized as safe foods. There may be others that are safe, but without feeding trials and without diets being formulated by people with the appropriate qualifications, how can one know? So at this time, there are a lot of experts (veterinarians, veterinary cardiologists and veterinary nutritionists) recommending any of the below five brands because they are formulated by certified experts in nutrition, they are tested in feeding trials, these brands make their own foods (as opposed to subbing their formulas out to "co-packers" and thereby not having direct control over manufacturing), and these brands below publish research in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

•	Purina - Purina's Pro Plan and One formula
•	Royal Canin
•	Eukanuba
•	Iams &
•	Hill's Science Diet

Of course, it would be wise for any pet owner to consult with their trusted-Veterinarian on any food choices for their pets, so their dog’s specific needs and medical history are considered.
Although the FDA has had just over 500+ cases reported to them, it really is just the 'tip of the iceberg' as 

•	most pet owners are not even aware of the DCM issue, so wouldn't have reported it into the FDA
•	even if they did have a pet die from DCM ,and were aware of the issue, many would not have completed the necessary pages of paperwork needed to even report it to the FDA
•	therefore, it is highly likely we have thousands of dogs dying from DCM that we don’t even know about
There are many pets that have eaten grain free kibble and not developed DCM.

•	yes, and there also are many pets that have eaten grain free kibble and died from it that we don’t even know about. Just like some smokers do not get cancer, does it make sense to smoke in view of all the information out there?

•	this DCM issue is still being investigated and researched to find the root causes. In the meantime, it would be a wise step to transition to a kibble that is not grain-free, just like it is wise for us to medically do certain things to hopefully ward off disease, even though actual causes of many diseases are not yet known. For example, Alzheimer's disease cause is not known for sure yet, however, this doesn’t keep the medical profession from recommending things that may ward it off, while research continues to find and identify the actual cause. 

Other Conclusion on the FDA Report:

*1.	Champion Pet Foods, makers of Orijen and Arcana do not even show up in the top 10 pet food companies – their market share is negligible. They do not even show up based on market share of the leading brands for dry dog food. However, they accounted for 15 % of all FDA reported cases! 

2.	Zignature Pet Food Company – is owned by Pets Global, and they do not show up in the top 10 pet food companies – their market share is negligible, however, they accounted for 12.2% of all FDA reported cases! They do not even show up based on market share of the leading brands for dry dog food.
*


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

• Purina - Purina's Pro Plan and One formula
• Royal Canin
• Eukanuba
• Iams &
• Hill's Science Diet


^^^ By the way.

Of those brands, only Eukanuba had no reported complaints on the FDA's April list. 

Hills had more than 10 complaints! But they were not included on FDA's dishonest list in June/July. 

Iams had more than a couple complaints.


And more than that - Hills has had major problems hitting the press with recalls. This particularly involving prescription food which is prescribed by veterinarians. Which to me is upsetting - because if your dog is put on a prescription diet for renal failure or something else that you are desperately hoping extends not only your dog's life, but his quality of life while he's dying from a disease..... it's a shock to find out that a dog food manufacturer is sloppy with those diets! 

My thing is don't blindly trust dog foods and assume all is OK as long as you feed your dog an approved food. That's how many of the people feeding certain grain free diets got in trouble to begin with. Many people in the past 10-15 years fed their dogs grain free because they were told it was better for the dogs. A lot of blind trust... this when their dogs were not really thriving on the kibble. <= Personally speaking, one of the reasons why I did not jump on the grain free only bandwagon was because many of the dogs eating that food had poor coats or other visibly off things going on.

Other thing though is don't assume it's all diet. As I said already, nobody is currently tracking pedigrees that this has shown up in.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

carlswans said:


> solinvictus - saw your message that Abby's Tribute was showing as unavailable. Here is the link - https://youtu.be/xXivKVbzgbI
> ......
> [/U][/B]


I'm so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl, she was way too young to say goodbye.

Unfortunately, your video still isn't working when you click on it in this window. If you click on the link itself it will open Youtube and run the video.

I did watch the video on youtube. It's a beautiful tribute to a precious girl. My heart aches for you, she should still be with you.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I saw an ad on Facebook for dog food this morning. It was touting how great this dog food was. Pretty pricey stuff. I had never heard of it before. It turned out to be a completely vegetarian diet. The second ingredient was chickpeas followed closely by peas and sweet potatoes. They claimed that dogs are actually omnivores and can live without meat proteins. Possibly....but I don't think it would be a very healthy life.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

Megora said:


> • Purina - Purina's Pro Plan and One formula
> • Royal Canin
> • Eukanuba
> • Iams &
> ...



I do feed one of my dogs Iams. There is way too much fat in Pro Plan Sport for her. Plus the kibble is just the right size and density that she takes her time eating it. She's a small 10 yo mix breed.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

There are two taurine groups on FB. One is specifically for Goldens( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257656451030324/) and the other one is for all breeds (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TaurineDCM/learning_content/). Even though there isn't a perfect answer as to the what and why of taurine deficiency and DCM is the risk worth it? There is a chart on the FB groups that show foods affected. These are real cases and there are too many deaths for me to risk the welfare of my dogs while I wait for the perfect answer. I test my dog's taurine level and do echoes. I won't take a chance.


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## oldxtreme (Oct 28, 2019)

I am new to this forum because I just found out about DCM. My Winston, a three year old Golden, was just diagnosed with advanced DCM. Like everyone that receives this bad news, I am devastated and hope to find anything to help Winston and stop his suffering.

He is on all of the typical meds. but he is still gaining a lot of fluid in his chest and having difficulty laying down to sleep.

Has anyone found something that will reduce the fluid buildup and arrest or slow down the progression of DCM?

How much time do I have with WINSTON...DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS?

By the way, I have fed him Zignature Kangaroo ever since I got him because I was told by my vet that this is one of the best foods available! Now I find out that I may have been killing him with love!

Any input will be appreciated.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

First of all I am so very sorry you have to deal with this. It is scary. My recommendation would be to join the FaceBook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257656451030324/. This group is dedicated to golden retrievers. There are files with tons of information that will more than likely answer any of your questions. There are people with lots of experience that can help you. There is also another group https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninenutritionaldcmsupport/?hc_location=ufi that is specifically for people who had dogs diagnosed with DCM. I would join this group also. To join the second group you need to be a member of the first group I suggested. Look at the food recommendations and change food as quickly as what is safe for your dog. You will have a lot of people that can be a wonderful support.


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## justo (Jul 10, 2019)

sorry to hear about winston's situation. before i found out about DCM, i noticed my golden breathing/panting a lot more than i would consider normal. shortly after, i came across info about DCM and i kind of put 2 and 2 together. since i feed grainfree (supposedly for better health), i learned that some of the ingredients used in grainfree can hinder the absorption of taurine. as a result, i have been supplementing with taurine capsules. i would suggest you talk with your vet (especially if your vet is a holistic vet) and figure out how much winston would need to hopefully get him back on track. i noticed an improvement in my golden after a few weeks on this regimen. keep in mind that my golden's problem wasn't as advanced as winston's, so winston might need more than just a taurine supplement. if you do decide to go with a supplement, make sure that it's a quality brand. also noteworthy is even though the food i use comes with its own taurine added to the recipe, this food seems to work for my non-golden, but apparently is still not enough for my golden which is why i've been supplementing it with the caps for my golden.


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