FDA Investigation on Grain Free Diets

[guntherthedane]

Hello Everyone!

I was recently reading about the ongoing investigation on grain-free diets, and I have to admit I am concerned. According to the FDA, grain free diets may be causing cardiomyopathy and other heart diseases. Specifically, grain free diets containing legumes and potatoes (including sweet potatoes) are the ones in question. The FDA recently came out with a list and low and behold, our food is on that list. We are currently feeding my 5 month old Dane Orijen for large breed puppies. We were feeding Precise large breed puppy before this but as someone else mentioned on the forum, they are no longer in production. Gunther has been on Orijen for about a week now and I have to say we are all loving the change in diet. He finally has solid stool (something we were really struggling with before), his coat looks great, and he loves it (not that this pupper is a picky eater)!

I am torn because on one hand I feel as if he is doing great on this food but at the same time I do not want to ignore that there may be a risk. Although, from what I read the FDA has not asked these companies to recall.

I have copied the list of companies that was provided by the AKC website below as well as the link to their article:

• Acana (67 reports)
• Zignature (64 reports)
• Taste of the Wild (53 reports)
• 4Health (32 reports)
• Earthborn Holistic (32 reports)
• Blue Buffalo (31 reports)
• Nature’s Domain (29 reports)
• Fromm (24 reports)
• Merrick (16 reports)
• California Natural (15 reports)
• Natural Balance (15 reports)
• Orijen (12 reports)
• Nature’s Variety (10 reports)
• Nutrisource (10 reports)
• Nutro (10 reports)
• Rachael Ray Nutrish (10 reports)

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nu...ee-diet-alert/
If anyone has more information on this or suggestions please reply.

Sincerely,
Monica

[kahluadanes]

It is NOT just grain free foods the headlines are very misleading nor is there enough info out there.. A panic button was pushed without all the facts being known. People are just reading headlines or initial info without reading follow ups, facts as they are known so far... FDA also does not do mandatory pet food recalls as a rule..when there is a recall it is voluntary on the part of a company. Also there is a lot more that needs to be known .

[Pandora&Koda]

I am sorry to say we have lost both our Great Danes this past summer, two months apart. We have been feeding grain free to both dogs since they were little for years. First natural balance (2012), blue basics (2015) and then changed them to taste of the wild (till the end).

I thought we were doing the right thing until this year, our girl started having really fast heart beats, breathing trouble and was loosing her balance. The vet tried to slow the heart with medication but the fast heart beat was keeping her alive. Her heart was enlarged and her oxygen levels were low.

Our boy had a cancerous tumor removed from his mouth just weeks before we lost our girl. We new we had maybe a few months before the cancer would come back, little did we know the cancer wasn’t what got him in the end. He started having breathing trouble and a fast heart beat just like our girl. We took him to the vet to find our his heart was doing the exact same thing as our girl.

They both were six months apart in age. They both made it past their 8th birthday. They both had different blood lines. They both ate the same diet of grain free. And they both died two months apart with the same heart condition.

i just want to tell anyone I can help. Please be aware that grain free may not be the best way to go. Even with research some things are unknown, even to these dog food companies.

[mistified247]

I too have been watching this unfold. I have read the FDA warning, the article written by Tuffts, ect. I think there needs to be a lot more research on this before jumping ship. If you are uneasy, by all means change to a grain inclusive food or consider adding Taurine to the diet. At this point all I can say is my experience has been that I have fed both of my danes grain free since day one and thankfully we have had no issues with it. Nor has anyone else that I have personally known. Although, my daughter is a LVT and she has suggested that I take heed to the warning because of the info they are privy to that I haven't seen. In the end, if it came down to it, I would probably just add the taurine supplement before changing the food.

[kahluadanes]

Adding Taurine isn't likely to change anything since according to the current studies many of the dogs have a normal taurine level but aren't processing it effectively.. I am also in the "not enough research and answers" group.. I also am a bit suspicious about the hole thing...

[mistified247]

I was under the impression that the taurine levels were low thus needing to be added. Shows you how much I know. In my opinion, I still think there is a lot of research needing to be done before shooting down what could be a great feeding program/desicision. This is the same as with supplements.....they always warn of all the side effect and things that could go wrong ect. but, they never do the research to see if any what good it can actually do. So for now I will stick with what has worked for us and so many others.