Now we're told not to buy/feed our companion animals grain-free foods

[UTUSN]

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https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/stop-buying-grain-free-food-for-your-pets.html

Please Stop Buying Your Pets Grain-Free Food
Veterinarians are increasingly concerned about health risks posed by the grain-free pet-food craze.

... Dog and cat foods that are vegan, vegetarian, organic, raw, ketogenic, all-natural, and (perhaps most significantly) grain-free are now exploding in popularity. The money consumers spend on them has similarly ballooned, from $16 billion in 2007 to more than $29 billion in 2017. Grain-free dog food alone, according to the New York Times, accounted for just 15 percent of pet food sold in specialty stores in 2011, but by 2017, that figure had climbed to 44 percent.

The prevalence of grain-free pet foods has been something of a head-scratcher for veterinarians, who largely see the movement as a solution in search of a problem. A 2016 statement from the Clinical Nutrition Center at Tufts University read, “There is no reliable evidence that suggests that it is harmful to feed grains as a group to dogs or cats,” advice that seems to have largely fallen on deaf ears. Through either an ill-defined sense of what constitutes “healthy,” or the false but prevalent belief that grain-free diets can correct for pets’ allergy-related health issues, owners are betting on grain-free diets at an accelerating pace. But food allergies are rare in cats and dogs to begin with. If they do exist, they’re generally caused by animal proteins like beef or chicken, rather than grain. In other words, unless you have specifically been told otherwise by your vet, there’s no real reason to give your pet grain-free food.

Unfortunately, these foods are not just a waste of money. There is increasing concern among veterinarians that certain grain-free diets pose specific health risks to dogs, especially when they consume such a diet long-term. In July, the FDA released a statement that it was investigating a series of reports that grain-free dog food may be linked to a lethal heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in which the heart becomes enlarged and ineffective at circulating blood. DCM is a heritable disease, more common in certain breeds like Doberman pinschers. So when DCM began showing up in breeds like golden retrievers that do not have a known genetic predisposition for the disease, veterinarians took notice and found a troubling prevalence of grain-free diets among these cases. While no cause-and-effect relationship has yet been established (a multifactorial relationship is likely at play), the findings are still concerning enough that they have changed the conversations veterinarians are having with clients.

“I have cried too many tears with very devoted owners who wanted to do the best for their dogs by feeding a very expensive boutique grain-free diet to not take this problem seriously,” said Teresa DeFrancesco, a veterinarian at North Carolina State University, where the DCM–grain-free link was first proposed. She now suggests pet owners not feed grain-free diets at all if possible, at least until the link between heart disease and these pet foods is more fully fleshed out. ....

I understand why pet owners would buy into the marketing on grain-free dog foods—gluten-free marketing has proven remarkably successful in the human realm, perhaps leading to a health halo around similar products. But well-meaning pet owners should talk to a veterinarian before feeding unproven diets to their pets. The attractiveness of these products is more likely the result of good marketing, not sound science.

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[Cattledog]

1. I quit grain-free with my dogs.

[AndJusticeForSome]

2. Corn is the only grain I avoid in dog food

Isn't it widely known that dogs shouldn't eat corn?

[Merlot]

3. Huge difference between cats and dogs regarding grain free

Cats are carnivore obligate - their diet MUST be close to all protein.

[Wounded Bear]

5. I'm pretty sure wild dogs are carnivores, too...

Grain is mostly a cheap filler in dog/cat food, isn't it?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Dogs are classified as carnivores but in practice they are omnivores.

They need protein, but their diets can include a fair amount of vegetable material without any problems arising. Cats, however, are obligate carnivores, meaning that they have to eat mostly meat in order to survive because their bodies can't produce certain necessary nutrients from non-meat sources.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

4. WHERE the heck is this coming from - the corn and wheat lobby ? Very confusing - they are lumping

all these different diets together and calling them "bad," they don't even really know what the problem is or if there is one. "Unproven" - compared to what? The low-protein, high carb grain-based kibble diets which are responsible for (or lets say a significant factor in) the exploding diabetes, kidney disease, and obesity in dogs and cats?

That said, a lot of these "grain free" diets are just as low protein/high carb and really are solving nothing. Its kinda like you go to a supposedly healthy natural foods store and find everything is just as loaded with sugar as anywhere else.

I just get certain grain free dry foods cos those are the ones with least carbs/ highest protein - 50% vs. 30-35% for usual dry catfood.
(He also gets wet food with no carb). I had a diabetic cat once and it was not a good thing - for my or my kitty.

Above poster is correct in that dogs and cats have different nutritional needs. Like anything else, really gotta do our own research and ignore marketing hype!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Cats need food that's high-protein because they are obligate carnivores.

It doesn't have to be totally grain-free, but feeding them meat-flavored corn (which is what a lot of cheap cat food is, mostly) will make them fat with bad fur and possibly diabetic.

[Arazi]

8. After 2 weeks of non-stop diarrhea w a foster dog, we went grain/gluten free. Diarrhea stopped 100%

Virtually overnight.

He was bounced from 4 different homes before he was 5 months old because of his gastro issues. We started by eliminating processed treats, then tried different proteins (lamb based food vs beef for ex), then cut out grain based food (definite relief but stool still very loose).

Finally we went 100% grain/gluten free and his bowel movements were immediately normal. He was then housebroken within 24 hours of solving his gastric distress.

Shepherd/husky cross.

I've owned a lot of dogs and have NEVER had a dog with gastro/allergy issues before this one - they all get Purina Dog Chow. I've scoffed at the GF/Gluten free trend for many years. Now I know firsthand there are dogs who genuinely cant have it.

His attention is now 100% improved. The constant gnawing on us has mostly stopped. His fretful anxiety is gone. He's just a normal 6 month old puppy. We've had him almost 7 weeks and I think I'll be a failed foster (again)

[Blazesweetie]

9. I was recently told this --

by my dog's vet oncologist. Just before Christmas, he had a cancerous tumor removed and because the pathology report indicated it showed a higher than normal likelihood of spreading, we consulted with an oncologist. Fortunately, so far he's all clear but while we were there, I asked about diet. I've been cooking for my dogs for about the last 10 years but I'd been reading a lot online that anti-cancer diets for dogs should be grain free. She very strongly nixed that, for the same reasons as noted in the article above- that it can cause problems with the heart. I did some independent online research when I got home from that appointment and found further support for that position.

There are, I wouldn't doubt, certain situations, where a dog has a true food allergy and might require it, but it seems like in most cases it's not warranted. Just find a healthy food. Dog Adviser rates food brands and analyses their content and is a really useful website for anyone unsure whether their brand contains too much corn or other filler.

[Donkees]

10. Many of these grain substitutes such as lentils, field peas, pea flour, etc. are sourced from China

Another factor in 'Boutique, exotic-ingredient, and grain-free' formulas being investigated are the exotic meats such as alligator, etc.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Researchers are also exploring whether diet-associated DCM in dogs without taurine deficiency may be related to inclusion of a cardiotoxic ingredient in the diet. This could be an adulterated ingredient, as with ingredients containing melamine–cyanuric acid that affected pet foods in 2007, resulting in extensive recalls21; a heavy metal; a chemical sprayed on 1 of the ingredients; or even a natural chemical compound in 1 of the ingredients that has toxic effects when fed in large amounts.

https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/full/10.2460/javma.253.11.1390