MADISON, Wis. – The Food and Drug Administration continues to study the link between certain pet food, some labeled grain-free, and dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs.
The administration’s latest release on Thursday includes the 16 brands of food that have come up the most during the study. It includes popular brands like Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild and Nutri-Source.
Ken Lambercht, the medical director at West Towne Veterinary Center in Madison, said he’s been following the research since it began last year, and he has been advocating his clients switch away from these kinds of brands.
“Most of my colleagues never bought into the grain-free, some did,” Lambercht said. “It was a huge push by marketing from newer companies that this was the thing to do, and some of the larger companies followed along as well.”
He said some grains, such as corn, were demonized by these companies, but they are actually a good source of protein for dogs. He said now researchers are determining if one of the replacements for corn is the culprit behind the increased cases of heart disease.
Lambercht stocks three main brands in his clinic, including Purina, Hill’s Prescription Diet and Royal Canin, but he said pet owners just need to look for a company that conducts American Association of Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, feeding trials, has a board-certified nutritionist and has information about the manufacturer right on the label. Other guidelines he recommends are available here.
“There’s only a few companies that do that,” Lambercht said. “So right now that’s the safest place to be.”
He said researchers still need to determine other environmental factors that could be playing into the cases of heart disease, including where the dogs live or any vaccines they may have gotten, among other factors.
“We’re just kind of skimming the surface of a very complex problem,” he said.
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