Peas in dog food associated with dilated cardiomyopathy

Interesting. I noticed this statement:

Most of the ingredients that are included in the associated diets are also found in human diets, but dogs often eat them in even higher quantities because most dogs eat a single commercial pet food, rather than a variable mixture of multiple foods as humans do.

I wonder if rather than go completely to grain free or raw diets, we would do better to incorporate them into our dog's existing diet. Maybe substituting 1/3 of the dog's grain-based kibble with grain-free, we would be providing a more well-balanced diet for our dogs. "Everything in moderation" so to speak. Even with raw diets, owners tend to stick to the same ingredients all the time.

Before you decide to take your dog grain free read this:
nbc news

bob213 wrote:
Before you decide to take your dog grain free read this:
nbc news

That's why I'm wondering if establishing a more varied diet is a better solution. We're learning that grain-free is a problem, but many dogs are developing allergies to various grains. So maybe varying the diet to lessen the anount of grain without eliminating it would minimize both health concerns.

I'm not saying this is so, just wondering if it might be something to consider.

P.S. I took Looney1 (cat) for his annual today. The vet mentioned that they are seeing a lot of covid shutdown caused weight gain in pets. Time to get our pets back on track. Looney1 was declared almost perfect - he could use a teeth brushing.

I've always fed my pets a fairly widely varied diet. To me that's just commonsense, as nothing seems less healthful to me than eating nothing but the same highly processed food day after day, year after year. I've never had a pet with a particularly sensitive stomach. One of our previous dogs did have bad allergies, serious enough that we had to do a food allergy elimination diet, then testing and desensitization shots. But it was easy enough to avoid his food triggers.

My Shih Tzu LOVES green peas (and green beans and green peppers). I'm pretty sure he'd live on them if we let him. Since the speculation about peas came out a couple of years ago I've had a niggling little worry whenever I give him a spoonful of green peas, even though it's usually less than once a week.

No it’s dog food made in USA/Canada capitalizing (profiting) on pet food fads

Thanks for the link - I sent it to my daughter, who checked her dog food only to find that peas are the third ingredient listed.

She'll be switching her food.

I don't see grain allergies more prevalent, I just think we're better at diagnosing them. And they really are NOT that common. It is way more common to have an allergy to the protein (meat) component.

I don't see any benefit to grain free unless there is a documented allergy, and then I'd recommend a limited ingredient food avoiding that antigen.

Regarding switching foods: allergies don't seem to be more common with greater volume of one food stuff being fed. The exposure to more antigens (many different foods) increases the chance that you will run across one that stimulates the allergic reaction. That being said, food allergies are relative uncommon in dogs and cats.

I hope we're finding the cause of the cardiomyopathy associated with grain free foods. Until the causal relationship has been verified, I still recommend avoiding grain free foods.

Doug, DVM

Thanks dturn. It's interesting to hear that allergies to protein are more likely than allergies to grains.

I've never been one to jump on food elimination fads, and I have never fed my animals according to my diet (eg, I'm vegetarian, but have never even considered putting my dogs on a vegetarian diet).

Thanks for addressing my "wandering thought" - I will chuck that out the window. ;)