Steps to consider if your dog is apparently healthy and eating a boutique, exotic, grain-free, home-cooked, vegetarian or raw diet: Dogs with DCM that have normal taurine concentrations may recover with diet change alone.Dogs with DCM that have low taurine concentrations may have improvements in cardiac function with supplementation over time, but because improvement may take months, dogs with severe clinical signs of DCM (difficulty breathing, cough, irregular heart rhythms, fainting, fluid in the abdominal cavity) will need cardiac medications to stabilize their clinical signs. Dogs found to have low blood taurine should receive supplementation of taurine, regardless of any diet changes that may be made.If your dog has medical conditions that require a special diet, further consultation with your veterinarian and, possibly, a veterinary nutritionist, is recommended. All dogs in the household eating the same grain-free diet should have their diet changed. If possible diet-associated DCM is diagnosed, we recommend changing the diet to one made by a well-established manufacturer that contains standard ingredients (e.g.If your dog has DCM, other dogs in the household eating the same diet should be screened for DCM (and taurine status, if DCM is found).If your dog is suspected of having or is diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and is eating a grain-free, vegetarian, vegan, or home-prepared diet, we recommend that you request that your dog’s veterinarian measure plasma and whole blood taurine concentrations through the Amino Acid Laboratory at the University of California, Davis ( submission information can be found on the lab website).If your dog is showing signs of dilated cardiomyopathy (difficulty breathing, cough, irregular heart rhythms, fainting, fluid in the abdominal cavity), your veterinarian may recommend X-rays, an ECG (electrocardiogram) and an echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound) to diagnose the disease and plan therapy. Be sure that your veterinarian is aware of what diet you are feeding your dog and why.Steps to consider for dogs suspected of having or who have been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM): Raw, vegetarian and home-cooked diets may also be of concern. Much remains unknown at this time, but there are steps that pet owners can take if their dogs have been consuming grain-free diets. Research efforts are currently ongoing regarding the many questions associated with these clinical observations. It is important to note that diets labeled as meeting the minimum requirements for nutrient levels set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) may still put dogs at risk. Veterinary nutritionists emphasize that other factors associated with grain-free diets, such as the use of unusual protein sources, use of legumes and potatoes as primary ingredients, and unknown sourcing, production, clinical testing and ingredient standards in smaller, local or “boutique” manufacturing processes, may be contributing to the problem. It is important to note that most dogs with diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy do not have low taurine concentrations, so taurine consumption or metabolism does not appear to be the whole story. FDA Provides Third Status Report on Investigation into Potential Connection Between Certain Diets and Cases of Canine Heart Disease (June 27, 2019).FDA Provides Update on Investigation into Potential Connection Between Certain Diets and Cases of Canine Heart Disease (February 19, 2019).FDA Investigating Potential Connection Between Diet and Cases of Canine Heart Disease (July 12, 2018).Since the problem was originally reported, the FDA has issued three alerts regarding this issue: Some of the first cases of an increased incidence of heart disease in dogs (specifically, dilated cardiomyopathy) consuming certain types of diets were diagnosed in golden retrievers. consuming taurine in the diet is not required in dogs). It is typically produced by the dog from precursor substances in the diet (i.e. Taurine is an amino acid that is necessary for normal cardiac muscle function. Some of the first cases were diagnosed in golden retrievers and some of those affected dogs had documented low concentrations of whole blood taurine. Over the past few years, there has been growing concern in the veterinary cardiology community about what appears to be an increasing incidence of heart disease (specifically, dilated cardiomyopathy-type changes) noted in dogs on certain types of diets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |