Grain Free Diets
At this time, the doctors at St. Francis Pet Clinic are recommending that you do NOT feed your dog a Grain Free diet. Grain Free Diets are a subset of diets that are referred to as BEG diets – Boutique companies, Exotic ingredients, or Grain-Free Diets. These diets have been linked to a specific heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. Veterinary cardiologists have seen an increase in DCM over the past few years and after investigation, many of these dogs have been eating one of these BEG diets. There is some information that these diets may be deficient in the amino acid Taurine, but many of the dogs that develop this condition actually have normal levels of Taurine. Please understand that this is currently as active area of investigation, and we are following recommendations that are put forth by veterinary cardiologists. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at St. Francis Pet Clinic by calling (805)963-0577 or emailing [email protected]
Here are some links that you can reference:
FDA Investigating Potential Connection Between Diet and Cases of Canine Heart Disease: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm
It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/
Popular Grain-Free Dog Foods May Be Linked to Heart Disease: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/health/grain-free-dog-food-heart-disease.html
Grain-free, exotic dog food linked to heart disease: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/08/29/grain-free-exotic-dog-food-linked-to-heart-disease/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a53fb7209ca4