Grain Freed Dog Feed Linked To Heart Disease!

[Conan]

That's good to know. My vet has always disagreed with grain free foods, but when I bought a purebred Old Fashioned German Shepherd, the breeder required proof I was feeding grain free foods for the first year of his life.
I may talk to my vet about a food change, or at least bring this up with him and see what he says.
My Aussies eat corn right out of our field, so I quit buying grain free for them for years now. They simply love it

My friend recently had her beloved cat diagnosed with an enlarged heart.. I wonder, could this same study be applied to cats?

I really think that most cat food is worse for cats than dog food is for dogs. Cats require nothing but animal protein - meat/bones/organs. I've often wondered about all the fruits and vegetables listed in the ingredients of these foods and their so called benefits.

 

[SilberHenne]

It's an interesting article, and worth noticing, BUT it doesn't, won't and can't, list specific brands/ diets that MIGHT have been involved. And it's a small subset of dogs. If some brand or other is making a taurine deficient diets, they will, or should, be paying attention to this information and acting on it.
Decades ago, some cats developed dilated cardiomyopathy due to taurine deficient diets, and most manufacturers worked to fix this problem. It's now fixed, and this problem doesn't turn up any more, again, unless a deficient diet is fed.
Jumping on every new fad in feeding your pet is not a good plan! Advertising can convince people that 'fantasy' is actually 'reality', and sometimes the pet, or the person following a new 'wonderful' diet, suffers.
Mary

This is a good observation, as pet food manufacturers are not required to add taurine to dog food, but are now required to add it to cat food. Taurine is water soluble, so cooking meat actually depletes it almost entirely from processed foods.

 

[Birdsong 82]

It is an interesting topic. I would still like to find a way to do the Raw meet with my two girls. Just need to find a way to afford it. We don’t have any butcher shops or meat markets in my general area. With the hours I work the raw meat diet sounds great. Because I barely have time to cook for the humans. LOL allergy ridden dogs are very tough. Even if I changed her food she’s got her outdoor allergies and severe dermatitis. But it is good to know or at least look into information especially with every dog food company making these grain free food because I guess it’s the new thing

 

[Birdsong 82]

This is a good observation, as pet food manufacturers are not required to add taurine to dog food, but are now required to add it to cat food. Taurine is water soluble, so cooking meat actually depletes it almost entirely from processed foods.

The need for taurine in a diet is greater for a cat and a dog. But just because it’s not required and dog food does it mean that they don’t still need it. I think the best thing to do is to if you have to go grain free do your research and talk to your trusted vet. Not just some that you’ve only seen one time. That’s what I did when I needed to switch her food. I noticed this grain free dog trend happening when everybody decided that we were all going to die if we didn’t go gluten free ourselves. I hate food fads because half the time it ends up being more Unhealthy than healthy.

 

[HuskerHens18]

I really think that most cat food is worse for cats than dog food is for dogs. Cats require nothing but animal protein - meat/bones/organs. I've often wondered about all the fruits and vegetables listed in the ingredients of these foods and their so called benefits.
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That's a good point. My cat has sensitive stomach issues, I wonder if more meat ingredients would help that sort of thing.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Definitely. Cats need me. Even more than dogs. I have one of my three cats that is a large egg to quite a few things so I’ve had some talks with my vet about that too. I have a lot of respect for my vet. Years ago I had been to some pretty shoddy ones but once I found the good one I have I been going to her for 10 years now. It is amazing all the cat foods that have so little Meet for an animal that is a carnivore

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don’t know if I want to read that article. I had to feed my dog grain free. She is allergic to about everything.

I'm still on page one of this thread... but you should read the article, and not jump to conclusion... that is what head line grabbing IS.

It said the ones who's main ingredient where potatoes was the highest one with issues.

My intention is ALWAYS to share information and not fear mongering. My aim.. to avoid band wagons... if someone has a medical need by all means they should feed or eat accordingly! Use the information you gather and make it work for you..

 

[Birdsong 82]

I'm still on page one of this thread... but you should read the article, and not jump to conclusion... that is what head line grabbing IS.

It said the ones who's main ingredient where potatoes was the highest one with issues.

My intention is ALWAYS to share information and not fear mongering. My aim.. to avoid band wagons... if someone has a medical need by all means they should feed or eat accordingly! Use the information you gather and make it work for you..

I did read it. I know your intention was to inform and not scare people and I appreciate anyone sharing info!

 

[TheGoldenGirlz]

I feed grain-free, and this doesn’t really scare me. This report has no specific numbers of dogs that had reported issues, and no names of the brands. If all manufacturers made a grain-free food for the right reasons there wouldn’t be an issue. Dogs are carnivores. They can eat plant based material but they aren’t able to digest it, which is why it is always advised to feed fruits of veggies only when cut into small pieces. All these legumes are unnecessary fillers that help cut the costs of the food production. Some companies are making grain-free food just to jump on the bandwagon while others do it to provide as much animal protein as possible at a lower cost and easier way to feed than feeding raw.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I feed grain-free, and this doesn’t really scare me. This report has no specific numbers of dogs that had reported issues, and no names of the brands. If all manufacturers made a grain-free food for the right reasons there wouldn’t be an issue. Dogs are carnivores. They can eat plant based material but they aren’t able to digest it, which is why it is always advised to feed fruits of veggies only when cut into small pieces. All these legumes are unnecessary fillers that help cut the costs of the food production. Some companies are making grain-free food just to jump on the bandwagon while others do it to provide as much animal protein as possible at a lower cost and easier way to feed than feeding raw.

That’s what I was trying to say. But you said it so much better