[nfedyk]

Here is the most recent update on the whole DCM issue. So glad to see that none of the foods I use for my pooch are listed on the chart. It will be interesting to see if some of the companies will change their formulas. There are some big names with many reported cases.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...Z6wi2-LW6zQY4yEt-SGaRHwn6wIxfVUD_Pr6UcsE#diet

 

[Christine_72]

I'm in Australia where NM DCM is practically unheard of, same in Europe. Is there something unique about American foods? They way they're cooked, ingredients, sourcing etc etc

 

[Rottlady]

USA a lot of brands large and small have increasingly added legumes (peas, lentils,etc) over the years
It’s a binder and protein booster combined and straight up bad news

 

[nfedyk]

I'm in Australia where NM DCM is practically unheard of, same in Europe. Is there something unique about American foods? They way they're cooked, ingredients, sourcing etc etc

Christine,
I recently started looking for a new kibble for my puppy as she flat out refused to eat the Pro Plan I was feeding her that was recommended by my breeder. I had heard wonderful things about Farmina. I was very hesitant to use it since it was not made in the US. Yet a member of another forum I belong to who lives overseas responded to my concern and told me the following: "The EU has stricter rules when it comes to dog food than the FDA." So maybe that is why you are not hearing of issues with DCM. I decided to go ahead and order Farmina for my pup. She absolutely loves it.

 

[Christine_72]

USA a lot of brands large and small have increasingly added legumes (peas, lentils,etc) over the years
It’s a binder and protein booster combined and straight up bad news

Australian grain frees are no different, our brands have the peas and Legumes too. We also have American grain frees here such as: Orijen, Canidae, Holistic Select, Earthborn, Wellness Core. All of these are in my rotation other than Canidae, I rotate between 8 different kibbles.

 

[Christine_72]

Christine,
I recently started looking for a new kibble for my puppy as she flat out refused to eat the Pro Plan I was feeding her that was recommended by my breeder. I had heard wonderful things about Farmina. I was very hesitant to use it since it was not made in the US. Yet a member of another forum I belong to who lives overseas responded to my concern and told me the following: "The EU has stricter rules when it comes to dog food than the FDA." So maybe that is why you are not hearing of issues with DCM. I decided to go ahead and order Farmina for my pup. She absolutely loves it.

Farmina sounds like a great food, and as mentioned EU pet foods have much higher standards. I would definitely feed it if it were available here.

 

[Christine_72]

Also, there seems to be 3 main things that the DCM cases seem to have in common.

- The dogs were fed the same kibble every single day, for every single meal. No rotating through other brands.

- They were fed, sometime drastically, under the recommended feeding guidelines on the bag.

- They were were fed very little, or none at all, fresh animal proteins, eg meat/offal/fish/eggs etc

Also something to keep in mind, is that Purina is affiliated with many of these studies... There have been cases of dcm involving the Big 4, which gets hushed or deleted completely from the charts They are benefiting greatly from all of this hysteria and are fanning the flames big time, so take that as you will...

 

[Rottlady]

I don’t rotate foods because there are so few that meet my criteria and needs
Right now there is one food I’ve found in the USA I’m willing to feed
One

I also think NDCM is very under diagnosed even here in USA
Most people when told their dogs have a bad heart just accept it and the dog lives out it’s life on medication
Very few would end up seeing a cardiologist

 

[Rottlady]

Also, there seems to be 3 main things that the DCM cases seem to have in common.

- The dogs were fed the same kibble every single day, for every single meal. No rotating through other brands.

- They were fed, sometime drastically, under the recommended feeding guidelines on the bag.

- They were were fed very little, or none at all, fresh animal proteins, eg meat/offal/fish/eggs etc

...

Honestly I don’t think any of those have anything to do with it

The vast majority of USA dog owners who feed kibble never rotate brands, never add extras and rarely feed bag suggestions (since most bags suggest far too much)

And
Only dogs affected are those who’ve been fed foods containing legumes (93+%) or foods that either had potato as the#1 ingredient or coupled with legumes(42%)

 

[Christine_72]

Honestly I don’t think any of those have anything to do with it

The vast majority of USA dog owners who feed kibble never rotate brands, never add extras and rarely feed bag suggestions (since most bags suggest far too much)

And
Only dogs affected are those who’ve been fed foods containing legumes (93+%) or foods that either had potato as the#1 ingredient or coupled with legumes(42%)

There have been quite a few cases involving the Big 4, which quickly get hushed.. Also, vets have discouraged owners from reporting DCM to the FDA if they arent specifically on a grain free food.

 

[Dr Dolittle]

When we look at the last twenty years and the arrow the of the pet food industry, it was only a matter of time before science bit us all in the butts! Figuratively speaking. We started trusting companies who had no chemists, no board certified nutritionists, no sound research, etc and started being affected by feel good marketing. You can’t play with the nutrient levels in a kibble or can, or even totally disregard them, and create foods based on ingredient marketing. This was bound to happen. Could have been worse! I’d contribute many of our renal (kidney) fatalities to poorly formulated diets, many of which are the most expensive!