The Potential Harm of Grain Free Dog Food

What do you feed your dog? Grain free dog food has becomeincreasingly popular in the pet market in the last decade, as grain andgluten-free diets have garnered immense attention and popularity among ushumans. 

While it has been thought that dog food formulas heavy on grainssuch as rice or oat can cause skin issues and may be a common allergy for somecanines, the American Kennel Club argues that the anti-grain trend in dog foodwas actually spurred on by an unfortunate contamination in 2007 from Chineseimported wheat gluten that ended up causing kidney damage and even death inthousands of pets across the country. In fact, the top two allergies listed fordogs are beef and dairy, and according to New York veterinarian Lisa Lippman,grain sensitivity in dogs is “extremely, extremely rare.” 

On June 27th, the FDA issued a warning cautioning against grainfree dog food, stating that an initial investigation had begun of the potentiallink between canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and dog food free of grainsand high in peas, lentils, and potatoes. DCM is most common in larger dogbreeds in middle to late adulthood, with signs including decreased energy,coughing, difficulty breathing, and episodes of collapse. 

As the FDA continues its investigation and testing, they aretempering any alarm by encouraging pet owners to “work closely with theirveterinarians...to select the best diet for their pets’ needs.” While thedisease is still rare and the warning still inconclusive, veterinary-medicineprofessor Christopher Lea doesn’t see any point in sticking with a grain-freediet for their pet if it was not specifically instructed by theirveterinarian. 

Read the official report here.