Hello Friends! It seems that there is still quite a bit of confusion about DCM and its supposed link to grain-free or BEG diets (Boutique, Exotic, & Grain-Free). Prior to the increase in reported DCM cases, BEG diets were a rapidly growing segment in the pet food market, as pet parents were looking for healthy feeding options that included human-grade ingredients, and more meat and fewer fillers such as grain. The exotic proteins in some of these diets offered relief to dogs with allergies to common protein sources. In this blog, I am going to share with you some of the things going on behind the scenes in the pet food industry at the time the public became increasingly aware of DCM, and take a look at some of the other potential causes of DCM.
- DCM is reported to the FDA when the diet is suspected to be the cause. Going back to 2014 the cases of DCM reported to the FDA are as follows:
- 2014 one case
- 2015 one case
- 2016 two cases
- 2017 three cases
- 2018 a 10,566% increase to 320 cases!
That is an incredible jump in the number of cases! So was that an alarming jump in the actual number of DCM cases that year, or was it simply an increase in the number of cases reported to the FDA that year? And if it was that those veterinary practitioners were being encouraged to report more cases, why? It is interesting to note that there was something BIG going on in the veterinary industry at the exact same time the DCM cases took an unprecedented rise. Mars originally a candy bar company, was completing the purchase of Genoscoper and OptiGen genetic testing labs, also AniCura veterinary. Already owned by Mars was Banfield, VCA, Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners, and Antech. Antech is a veterinary reference laboratory and imaging center. So, what we have is a global monopoly of veterinary clinics, diagnostic labs, and genetic testing labs, a monopoly of the entire veterinary care industry! The worldwide acquisitions are continuing to this day. Also interesting to note, Mars owns many pet food brands that are frequently recommended and sold at its vet clinics, such as Iams, Eukanuba, and Royal Canin. These brands commonly use high levels of feed grade grains and fillers, meaning they may contain high levels of mycotoxins and they use 4D meat sources – Dead, Diseased, Dying, or Disabled. Many pet parents have become aware that these questionably sourced, grain and by-product based diets are not the best choice for their pets. Many are choosing to feed foods made by smaller family-owned companies that use better ingredients, are transparent about their ingredient sourcing, and have a much higher meat content. For this reason, the natural and organic pet food sector has been growing, and taking a bigger portion of the market share. So, what would it take for a company like Mars to regain the customers that switched to buying healthier pet foods? Food for thought.
Taurine is an organic acid derived from the amino acid cystine. It helps to contact the heart muscle, keeps cholesterol moving in the bloodstream, reduces oxidative stress, and aids in the production of bile salts. Years ago it was discovered that taurine deficient diets caused blindness and DCM in cats. Cats must get taurine from their diet as they have a limited capacity to produce it on their own. Certain breeds of dogs, such as the Golden Retriever, also must get higher levels of taurine from their diet due to a genetic trait that reduces the ability to manufacture it in the body. So, your vet is recommending grain inclusive diets to combat one of the causes of DCM, low taurine levels. But here is the thing…neither gains in grain inclusive diets nor legumes in grain-free diets contain taurine! However, some grains and legumes do contain cystine. If your dog or cat is not manufacturing taurine from cystine, that will not be of any help. Switching to a grain-based diet to raise taurine levels is simply not effective. Some really good sources of taurine are shellfish, such as mussels, and the dark meat of turkey and chicken. Good sources of cystine are pork, beef, chicken, lentils, and oatmeal, in that order. The highest levels of cystine by far are found in meat sources, just like taurine.
Another problem we run into is most of our crops are sprayed with pre-harvest Roundup (glyphosate). Glyphosate mimics the amino acid glycine and inhibits the formation of natural amino acids. That could be a problem. Glyphosate also increases oxidative stress in the body. Remember, one of the functions of taurine is reducing oxidative stress, so taurine is depleted when foods containing high levels of glyphosate are eaten regularly.
So, what can we do? Feed food that has high levels of naturally occurring taurine. The best thing you can do is feed a raw meat-based diet. If it is not possible to feed raw exclusively, even adding a raw meal or treat periodically will help. Of all the dogs recorded in the DCM report to the FDA 452 dogs were fed exclusively dry kibble. There were only 24 dogs that had DCM that was fed kibble but also had other forms of food such as raw or home-cooked. That is a 94.7% decrease just by adding some fresh food to the diet. There are also many freeze-dried treats and meal toppers available that will greatly improve the taurine levels that your dog is getting through diet. The freeze-dried options are easy to store, easy to use, and your dog will love it! In dry food, we recommend Nature’s Logic Turkey, Fish, or Chicken formulas. These formulas are very high in natural taurine and they never add any synthetic premixes to make up for lack of nutrition. All of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids come from food sources.
I have included a link to an article written concerning Pottenger’s Cats. It contains an overview of the Pottenger’s Cats study and what he discovered.
feline-nutrition.org/answers/who-were-pottengers-cats-and-do-they-matter
Written by Kaye Huebner