Many of the foods pet owners are looking at are specialty products, or functional foods, which contain at least one ingredient that is designed to prevent or moderate a medical condition. The most common functional formulas are geared toward conditions like oral health, joint health and urinary tract health.
Of the spectacularly popular selections of pet diets, “grain-free” dog food has overwhelmed the pet food market in recent years. Packed with exotic proteins, teeming with legumes favored by health-conscious humans, “grain-free” dog food is promoted as delicious as well as nutritious. It’s also said to be better for gluten-sensitive bellies and closer to the ancestral, protein-rich diets of the Yorkie’s savage forebears.
However, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it is investigating a link between these diets and a common type of canine heart disease. The condition is dilated cardiomyopathy, or D.C.M., in which the heart weakens and becomes enlarged. Symptoms include lethargy, difficulty breathing, coughing, and weight loss. Some dogs can even abruptly go into heart failure.
D.C.M. is typically seen in large breed dogs that have a genetic predisposition for it, such as Doberman pinschers and Great Danes, but the F.D.A. has been alerted that D.C.M. has been seen among other breeds, including golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and Shih Tzus.
The FDA encourages pet owners and veterinary professionals to report cases of DCM in dogs by using the electronic Safety Reporting Portal or calling their state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators.
By: Maytinee Kramer
