New FDA Study Shows Your Dog's Food May Put Them At Risk For Heart Disease

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Here at Waggles, we're pretty serious about our pet food and it certainly isn't just about the ingredients but also how those ingredients support a healthy, balanced life for your pet. What's in your dog's diet can play a major factor in their overall health, including whether they develop heart disease according to a new report by the FDA.

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday, June 27th that it is continuing to research and investigate a potential linkage between certain pet diets and causes of dilated cardiomyopathy, also referred to as DCM or canine heart disease and can be a result of congestive heart failure.

The FDA first announced its investigation back in July of 2018, almost a full year ago. This Thursday's announcement specifically named sixteen different pet food brands that most commonly identified in more than 500 reported cases of DCM. The FDA has made a commitment to collaborating with scientific units and other entities to ensure more owners aren't surprised by a diagnosis of DCM in an otherwise healthy and happy dog.

The report included that large and giant breed dogs are more frequently affected, with cases being most common in golden retrievers, labrador retrievers, and mixed breeds. Although there have also been cases reported in smaller breeds too. In most cases, the pets ate the dry formulation of one of the listed brands. The investigation also took a deep dive into the ingredients or characteristics of the dogs' diets and nutrition. They found that more than 90% of diets were 'grain-free' with 93% having pease and lentils included among their ingredients list.

Identified brands

The report makes sure to note that the FDA hasn't certifiably discovered how the diets may be associated with the disease but takes it's position very seriously being to protect human and animal health.

“However, the FDA is first and foremost a public health agency, and takes seriously its responsibility to protect human and animal health,” the agency said in the statement. “In the case of DCM, the agency has an obligation to be transparent with the pet-owning public regarding the frequency with which certain brands have been reported.”

The FDA is encouraging veterinarians to report cases by using its electronic Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator.

Pet owners are advised to contact their veterinarian as soon as possible if “a dog is showing possible signs of DCM or other heart conditions, including decreased energy, cough, difficulty breathing and episodes of collapse," the report said.

ere are the brands and how many cases were reported to the FDA for each: