Pet Lovers

[quilter61]

Unfortunately,  when you have a dog that is allegic you have no choice but to feed  dog grain free.   He is allergic to corn, wheat, soy and chicken.   I know that you can make your own dog food, but that is cost prohibited.  

[GSPgirl]

My dogs ate one of those foods.  Their vet took them off of it and told me to use Purina Pro Plan.  

[SeaMaiden]

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@quilter61 wrote:

Unfortunately,  when you have a dog that is allegic you have no choice but to feed  dog grain free.   He is allergic to corn, wheat, soy and chicken.   I know that you can make your own dog food, but that is cost prohibited.  

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@quilter61   Yes. In those cases you would have to feed what is best at the  time....you could add extra taurine powder and try to find a grain free with low or no peas and lentils ( if that is possible ☹️)

[Kachina624]

@nyc1.  So what do .you feed your dog?  So far, I've not heard anyone mention a brand that's a balanced diet.  You'd think it was a secret.

[katiescarlett]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@nyc1.  So what do .you feed your dog?  So far, I've not heard anyone mention a brand that's a balanced diet.  You'd think it was a secret.

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I have fed Purina ProPlan or ONE for years and my Labs live to be 15 1/2 - 17 1/2.  I feed my little dog Purina Beyond for Small Dogs.  None are grain free.  The only time I fed grain free was years ago on a temporary basis to see if helped one dog's ear issues.  It didn't.

Just as an FYI, the Best in Show and all seven group winners at Westminster in 2019 were fed ProPlan.  And no, I don't work for Purina!

[goldensrbest]

This came out a few weeks ago ,not new  please educated your self on this problem,it is serious, the WSAVA, has approved  some kibble ,along with fda, however ,to my mind the 5 they have aproved are low quality foods, but that is what has been done, waiting for further info. i changed to farmina made in italy, i use with grains, i did feed top one on list,thought i was doing best ,not feeding any food with peas,beans ,legumes period,they need fresh meat.

[CrazyDaisy]

Dog foods full of grains such as corn, wheat and rice are just as bad as grain free that are full of lentils and potatoes. Dogs need good quality source of protein i.e. meat. Look at the ingredients as if you are filling up a plate to see if it makes the cut.  

[geezerette]

Here is another perspective from Pet Business (dot) com:

07.09.2019

By Jen Goetz

In the third update on its investigation into a possible connection between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) grain-free dog food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named names, opening up a wave of dangerous speculation that certain brands could be life threatening to pets. 

Publishing the names of 16 pet food brands that have been anecdotally connected with cases of DCM, without significant weight behind those claims, is misleading to the general public and could undermine a general understanding of the disease itself. 

News organizations CNN, Forbes, International Business Times, CBS and others are reporting on the FDA’s investigation using headlines such as “Dogs in Danger? 16 Brands of Dog Food Could Cause Heart Disease, FDA Warns” and “FDA Identifies Dog Food Brands Associated with Canine Heart Disease.” This makes it sound like there’s a direct connection between these pet food brands and DCM, which has not been proven. However, many readers may not pick up on the fact that the investigation is currently inconclusive and assume that their dogs are in danger.

The fact is, the FDA has found no concrete evidence that any pet food is causing DCM. It has only gathered information on what food brands were fed to pets that were diagnosed with the disease. As Steve M. Solomen, D.V.M., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, even said, “...we have not yet determined the nature of this potential link [between dog food and DCM].” 

While the FDA notes a recent spike in DCM reports, this too could be misleading. In its latest report, the agency said that “the majority of reports were submitted to the FDA after its first public alert in July 2018.” In fact, 517 out of the 524 reports the agency has received since 2014 were filed in 2018 and 2019. Is this a sign of an escalating problem, or the result of growing awareness of a health issue that actually predates the rise of grain-free pet nutrition? The way it has been presented to the public often implies the former.

Of course, everyone can agree that animal welfare should be the No. 1 priority. There have been 119 dog and five cat deaths that need to be addressed. It’s up to the pet industry, the veterinary community and the FDA to get to the bottom of these DCM cases. However, this should be done with sound science, not dangerous speculation, especially when the investigation is still underway. 

[CrazyDaisy]

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@geezerette wrote:

Here is another perspective from Pet Business (dot) com:

07.09.2019

By Jen Goetz

In the third update on its investigation into a possible connection between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) grain-free dog food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named names, opening up a wave of dangerous speculation that certain brands could be life threatening to pets. 

Publishing the names of 16 pet food brands that have been anecdotally connected with cases of DCM, without significant weight behind those claims, is misleading to the general public and could undermine a general understanding of the disease itself. 

News organizations CNN, Forbes, International Business Times, CBS and others are reporting on the FDA’s investigation using headlines such as “Dogs in Danger? 16 Brands of Dog Food Could Cause Heart Disease, FDA Warns” and “FDA Identifies Dog Food Brands Associated with Canine Heart Disease.” This makes it sound like there’s a direct connection between these pet food brands and DCM, which has not been proven. However, many readers may not pick up on the fact that the investigation is currently inconclusive and assume that their dogs are in danger.

The fact is, the FDA has found no concrete evidence that any pet food is causing DCM. It has only gathered information on what food brands were fed to pets that were diagnosed with the disease. As Steve M. Solomen, D.V.M., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, even said, “...we have not yet determined the nature of this potential link [between dog food and DCM].” 

While the FDA notes a recent spike in DCM reports, this too could be misleading. In its latest report, the agency said that “the majority of reports were submitted to the FDA after its first public alert in July 2018.” In fact, 517 out of the 524 reports the agency has received since 2014 were filed in 2018 and 2019. Is this a sign of an escalating problem, or the result of growing awareness of a health issue that actually predates the rise of grain-free pet nutrition? The way it has been presented to the public often implies the former.

Of course, everyone can agree that animal welfare should be the No. 1 priority. There have been 119 dog and five cat deaths that need to be addressed. It’s up to the pet industry, the veterinary community and the FDA to get to the bottom of these DCM cases. However, this should be done with sound science, not dangerous speculation, especially when the investigation is still underway. 

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Many of the "named brands" are considering legal action against the FDA.  There is no definative link and the publication has caused some to take a financial hit.  There is also an undercurrent that big brand dog foods are pushing the topic to drive the small companies out of business.  Seems to be working. 

[nyc1]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@nyc1.  So what do .you feed your dog?  So far, I've not heard anyone mention a brand that's a balanced diet.  You'd think it was a secret.

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We give her Fromm's Duck and Sweet Potato as her dry food.  She only gets dry food in the morning, and at night we add some green beans,  and some canned (Merrick) wet food (about 2 rounded tablespoons).  If I'm making chicken I'll add that to the dry food at night...   or some cooked hamberger,  along with the string beans.  Sometimes I'll add a little carrot.  Fromm's dry is her main food.   We used to give her Holistic Select, but our vet is no longer recommending it, and I truly trust our vet.  Ultimately, it's our decision.