Health & Wellness Facts

DCM – DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY

Categories: Nutrition

AND TAURINE DEFICIENCY IN PET DIETS

Dear Pet Parent:

As many of you are aware, in July of 2018, the FDA stated they were investigating a possible correlation between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and ingredients contained in certain pet foods and taurine deficiency. Although the FDA study is a theory and in its early stages, this letter is to provide you with the latest information available on this subject.

In September 2018, leading professionals in the field discussed the FDA announcement. Among these was Dr. Lisa Freeman, a professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuffs University, a member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and part of their Nutritional Guidelines task force. She stated, “It’s important to keep our minds open to what the cause of this could be until we truly understand it. For taurine deficiencies, there could be genetic causes, an absolute deficiency of taurine… or reduced bioavailability of those nutrients in the diet…”

Furthermore, a recent peer-reviewed study published in December 2018, evaluated the relationship between golden retrievers diagnosed with DCM and taurine deficiency within their diets. This study was conducted by scientists from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and veterinary professionals from across the nation. They determined that in the case of golden retrievers, both DCM and taurine deficiency can be traced to many factors such as genetics, metabolic, as well as dietary issues. These professionals decided, “Future, controlled, prospective studies of larger sample size are needed to determine…a cause-and-effect relationship between DCM, taurine-deficiency…and grain-free food varieties in general. Without such studies, we cannot conclusively define which dietary characteristics are involved with…this condition.”

We at Dog Only Good Certified Pet Nutrition are devoted to ingredient transparency. The scientific community confirms that the best source of Taurine is animal protein. D.O.G. single-sourced animal protein recipes provide complete, balanced nutrition and are supplemented with Taurine to ensure the health of your pet. Furthermore, our quality, non-GMO, human-grade ingredients (and where they are sourced) are available on our website. We are committed to providing you the best in nature formulated with the best of science.™ Please be assured; we will keep you informed of any developments on this subject.

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