Dog food linked to heart disease.

[Supermoon]

Had to go check the formulation for our food as well. We use Solid Gold which is another expensive brand, but it has rice and barley in it, so I think we are safe from this at least.

We definitely have noticed a difference in Charly's coat and digestive function moving to a more expensive and less processed food.

[SumJongGuy]

These are all high end foods. No Purina and the like

Yep, always is. Higher priced, vet sponsored isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Kidney diet for a really old pet's about the only thing I'd pay a premium over mainstream pet food for.

[OregonDead]

Yes it says natures domain. I think the signature line is different. They stopped carrying the small kibble signature in my store a few years back. May have to see if she can handle bigger kibble.

Hm. Not the regular Lamb and Rice though. The green bag with the Husky on it is different, right?

[krp8128]

Well dogs getting salmon, brown rice, carrots and some flax tonight.

I knew it was after 5pm when he went and sat by the cellar door.

[bodywhomper]

i thought this was informative: https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

the article is from nov 2018.

we have our pooch eating a limited ingredient diet because he was getting the trots with various brands of food, the vet had us try a few limited ingredient dry foods until we found a few that didn't give him the runs. w/o additional testing, she said that it seemed like he has some food allergies. she also told me that food manufacturers can change their ingredients without immediately changing the labeling on the packages, some manufacturers frequently are changing their ingredients, the limited ingredient diet brands (supposedly) do not change their ingredient lists, and that this was a method to control what he was regularly consuming.

[old goat]

If my died had "peas, lentils and other legume seeds and/or potatoes as [its] primary ingredient[s]" I'd have a heart attack too.

[Cruiser]

Hutash is a science diet guy if memory serves

[SumJongGuy]

If my died had "peas, lentils and other legume seeds and/or potatoes as [its] primary ingredient[s]" I'd have a heart attack too.

Self fulfilling prophecy?

[mtngirl79]

Quoted as you make some great points.

~500 reports over 5 years, with the bulk coming since the original 2018 announcment. No scientific study, and no links so far.

I don't want to brush this aside and then loose my bud down the road, but without more information what are we supposed to switch to?

Las time I fed him anything with grain he had loose stools, just like when I tried him on the Purina the pound claimed he was eating when I got him. I talked to my vet, and she seemed to agree, that there isn't a clear link yet. She also thought that my weekend feedings of fresh meat and veggies would provide taurine, if that is the issue. It doesn't make sense to me, as dog's didn't evolve eating wheat and grasses.

Maybe its the peas? (another thing they did not evolve eating).

Dogs didnt evolve eating grains but they did evolve eating things that eat grains... pretty sure if a dog eats a mouse or squirrel or rat or rabbit or dear it also eats the contents of its stomach...?

[DJSapp]

Both my dogs are on Nature's domain. The 13 y.o. has been on the salmon and sweet potato for 12 of those years, the pup has been on the puppy chow (peas). Will be interested in the results of this, but I'm also thinking this is just the results of people starting to pay attention, instead of just accepting a 13 y.o. lab has had a good run.

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[KenJongIll]

Rachel Ray dog food, that’s too good.

...My dog is on a limited ingredient diet...no effing way I’m switching. He will shit all over the house. Luckily what he eats isn’t on the list.

[krp8128]

Rachel Ray dog food, that’s too good.

...My dog is on a limited ingredient diet...no effing way I’m switching. He will shit all over the house. Luckily what he eats isn’t on the list.

What are you feeding him?

Hills wasn't on the list, so I was looking into getting a bag today. Then I realized they were part of the vitamin D overdose recall, which probably affected way more then the 31 reported issues with Blue Buffalo....

[stuckathuntermtn]

Yes it says natures domain. I think the signature line is different. They stopped carrying the small kibble signature in my store a few years back. May have to see if she can handle bigger kibble.

Chicken and rice is smaller kibble.

[bodywhomper]

i thought this was informative: https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

Has anybody else read this? Thoughts and feelings?

In general the tufts blog is relatively interesting (and science based) on the subject of doggie nutrition. Are there other similarly accessible resources?


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[bodywhomper]

Both my dogs are on Nature's domain. The 13 y.o. has been on the salmon and sweet potato for 12 of those years, the pup has been on the puppy chow (peas). Will be interested in the results of this, but I'm also thinking this is just the results of people starting to pay attention, instead of just accepting a 13 y.o. lab has had a good run.

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Specific to lab, the available info states that labs are one of the breeds where this was observed and labs are not a breed normally known to suffer from the disease.

I have the same general question about reporting bias; however, the group that originally signed the alarm were vets.

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[powdrhound]

I will also suspect extreme population bias.
If you are not treating your dog like an only child, you are not going to order the heart test. Can’t afford it.

My two are mainly fed by The Boy Wonder. Peas are listed 7th...

[Moeghoul]

FWIW, we feed our 3 amigos Purina ONE Lamb and rice, wife bakes off a bunch of yams every week and adds a table spoon as well as a teaspoon of Canine Complete organic supplement. 13 yr old husky/lab mix, 4 yr old black lab and a 3 year old Rottie. 13 yr old has been under the weather the past few days unloading diarhea the past 2 nights in the house. He's on boiled chix boobs and rice. I'm pulling an all nighter if need be to get him outside if he needs to shit. Good times.

[splat]

sub'd here, but more discussion (so far) in the stoke thread.

You'll know you're feeding your dog the cheap stuff when they get mange from lack of nutrition.
I was feeding my guy Old Roy from Walmart and had to special diet him and been feeding him Iams since.

My Pyrenees mix furkid is hitting the end of the road and exhibits many of the heart symptoms mentioned in that Tufts study. He'll be 11 soon. On the farm, we just didn't spend a lot beyond the basics for our dogs' medical health.

[Wrecked]

Only fed our dog wellness core. Never seen it on any shitty list...

Anyone have any more experience than me here?

[SumJongGuy]

I will also suspect extreme population bias.
If you are not treating your dog like an only child, you are not going to order the heart test. Can’t afford it.

But most who claim to allow them to ride in the front seat with their head out the car window instead of properly restrained like you would a real child.

[powdrhound]

But most who claim to allow them to ride in the front seat with their head out the car window instead of properly restrained like you would a real child.

I am trying to create a mental picture of Murphy Bleu strapped in a car seat.

It’s not working.

[::: :::]

My two are mainly fed by The Boy Wonder. Peas are listed 7th...

Our new one has peas too, but we reviewed it with the vet and it’s supposed to be fine



[ETA] it’s got bits of all the legumes mentioned in the FDA article so I’m going to circle back with the vet

[BCMtnHound]

I just remember our family’s farm dog when I was a teenager, some black shepherd mutt. Wonderful hound, killed skunks without getting sprayed, and tree’d porcupines unscathed. And he loved to follow us in the garden and pick his own pees and beans (we would chuckle at him crunching them), along with ripe strawberries and raspberries. I saw him even pulling up a carrot for his own. Folks fed him whatever base grocerystore dry food, and lots of table scraps. He lived very well to 14.
Sometimes I wonder if its more the sourcing of the food than what the individual ingredient is. So much of our food chain is overly fucked with now.

[Ted Striker]

I think you're right. Modern dog food is a relatively new invention, and contrary to popular myth dogs didn't hunt before that, they begged. There were generations of dogs that ate people food scraps. But as people moved from real farms to cube farms, they wanted something more convenient.

The biggest issue with dog food is that it's literally the only thing most dogs eat, so if it's bad, they're fucked.

[BCMtnHound]

I would be willing to wager as well that despite all being different brands, and especially those that come from the same parent mega-corp, that they all likely source their ingredients from the same massive supplier. Something like a $30billion market in Canada and the US. About as valid as the source report, but there seems to be few if any small regional suppliers on that list.