Article – Golden Retrievers, DCM, and Diet

The issue concerning diet and DCM has been an important topic for dog lovers over the last couple of years. Hopefully, this article will help clarify this topic.

What is DCM?

 DCM is an acronym for Dilated Cardiomyopathy. DCM is a disease that causes the weakening of the heart muscle.  This weakening results in softer contractions of the heart and poor blood flow throughout the body. This weakening leads to heart enlargement due to fluid build-up.  Without treatment, this issue will lead to congestive heart failure and death. 

The root cause of DCM has never been determined. Nonetheless, it is thought that DCM can have several mitigating factors.  These factors are diet/nutrition, infectious disease, and genetics.  Due to the genetic factor, there are certain breeds that are more susceptible to DCM.  Until recently, Golden Retrievers were not considered one of these breeds.  That is what makes the new findings that will be introduced later in this article so important.

Associated Symptoms

It is extremely important to get yearly check-ups for your dog.  There are some subtle symptoms of DCM that you should be aware of and bring up even if your vet does not diagnose an actual issue. Pre-clinical DCM (prior to the appearance of symptoms) may be given a questionable diagnosis if they appear to be otherwise healthy.

These Symptoms Include:

• Pulse defects (too fast, too slow, muted)
• Premature heart contractions that originate in or above the ventricles
• Slow capillary refill time in the mucous membrane tissues (e.g., gums are slow to turn pink again after pressing on them gently)
• poor circulation
• Breathing sounds muffled or crackly due to the presence of fluid in the lungs

The more severe symptoms do not usually appear until the dog’s heart has been damaged.

• Lethargy (being tired)
• Anorexia (not eating)
• Labored breathing (seems uncomfortable or irregular)
• Panting (constantly panting with mouth open or closed)
• Coughing
• Abdominal distension (often caused by serum buildup in the abdomen)
• Sudden collapse (this is the worst of all symptoms as it is often caused by heart failure)

DCM and Genetics

As mentioned before, one of the believed causes of DCM is genetics.  There are certain breeds that are more at risk for DCM than others.  These breeds include the Doberman Pinscher, Scottish Deerhound, Boxer, Cocker Spaniel, Newfoundland, Great Dane, and Irish Wolfhound.  It is said to be so common in the Doberman that very few survive for more than six months after diagnosis.

There is a genetic test for DCM.  In the case of Golden Retrievers, it seems that the statistical average for positive carrier DCM tests has not increased.  In early 2018, news broke everywhere that atypical breeds for DCM were showing up at much higher levels than normal.  Golden Retrievers were one of the most focused on breeds since the breed itself is not known for DCM. This does not mean that it is impossible, however, it is not common within the breed. 

Diet and DCM

When the increase of DCM showing up in the Golden Retriever and other atypical breeds was exposed, there were many arguments that the taurine level in the food was the problem.  The belief was that the dog foods did not contain enough taurine to support the heart functions. 

There is a good chance that this original belief was formed due to the already documented connection of low taurine and DCM in specific breeds of dogs (mainly the cocker spaniel) that are not known to genetically carry the DCM gene.  Some of those who believed this theory held on to the taurine argument with white knuckles. It is not evident whether or not their conviction was based on pure science or the idea that they could have unknowingly been feeding their dog’s food that could be harming them.

Seven to nine months after the findings were first released, additional research was performed and it was determined that DCM related to taurine deficiency in the diet was NOT the issue.  According to a Blog article written by Debbie Phillips Donaldson, who is the Editor and Chief of Petfood Industry, the new reports discussed three different case types of DCM.  These included:

• Standard cases in breeds typically predisposed to the condition
• A new group of dogs with taurine deficiency and DCM, of both typical and atypical breeds, and their conditions have improved with a change in diet.
• Another new group of diet-related cases, but these dogs (again of typical and atypical breeds) are not at all taurine deficient. This was shown in the majority of cases.

The Diet

The focus for studies at this point are those DCM cases that are diet-related, but not taurine deficient related.  The main reason for this focus is because these cases are the ones that are keeping scientists wondering.  Since the majority of these new cases follow these specifications, the actual cause must be determined. 

It seems, instead, that the DCM showing up in Golden Retrievers leans towards being food-related.  However, the cause is still in question when it comes to goldens. As mentioned before, with the Golden Retriever, the research shows that approximately 40%-50% of the cases are actually testing with low taurine levels. The rest of the goldens in the study had normal taurine levels.   Nonetheless, when the diet is changed, many of the dogs seem to improve in health.

Which Foods?

In these studies, many of the dogs that were diagnosed with DCM were on a Grain-Free diet.  Additionally, those that were not on grain-free diets were on  ‘“boutique” diets, meaning specialty pet foods or ones from smaller pet food companies.  Many of these diets contain adequate taurine.  In turn, it is evident that the provided taurine levels in these foods are not the problem.

None of the above-mentioned cases were on “traditional” dog food.  By traditional, I mean those dog foods that have been around for the last fifty to seventy-five years.  I cannot name brand names because even those brands have created one or two versions of the “grain-free” formula due to product demand.  However, if you can think back to before the whole grain-free fad started, you should be able to remember those foods I consider “traditional.”  New is not always better. 

What to Look For

The general idea within the original reports is that the culprit of diet induced DCM are the lentils, peas, and potatoes used as primary ingredients. If a component is listed as one of the first six ingredients then it is considered “primary. Ingredients are listed by weight in an analysis, so the higher on the ingredient list, the more of that component is found in the recipe. In the past, grain sources such as corn or wheat were the primary starch used in foods. It is now much more common to replace these grain sources with peas, lentils or potatoes. Nonetheless, the newfangled diets needed to find “fillers” for their foods. Unfortunately, these ingredients can now be found in foods that are not grain free.

Around the same time as the blog article, the FDA released a report dated July 12, 2018.  In this report it stated:

On June 27, 2019, the FDA published a new report.  According to this report, the “normal” reported cases of DCM to the FDA range from one to two a year to an unbelievable number.

Not Genetic

Dogs not genetically predisposed to DCM are the focus for graphs. In addition, 452 of these dogs were on an all-dry food diet.  A total of 431 of these dogs shared type/brand of diet. Chart released by the FDA.

In addition, this study compared the ingredients associated with each of the foods the dogs in these cases were fed.  They found that “ [m]ore than 90 percent of products were “grain-free”, and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils.  A far smaller proportion contained potatoes.”

These results prove that the issue with these foods is the use of peas and/or lentils.  These ingredients are considered the main “culprits” because the “ average percent protein, fat, total taurine, total cystine, total methionine, total methionine-cystine, and resistant starch content on a dry matter basis (in other words, after removing all moisture content) were similar for both grain-free labeled and grain-containing products.”

Since many of the dogs in this study were/are golden retrievers, cardiologists have focused on why this has shown up so strongly in this breed.  Some of these Goldens are taurine deficient and they have not been able to figure out why.  Due to the testing that showed the guaranteed analysis levels are basically the same in grain-free and traditional foods, the association must have something to do with the peas/lentils.

Final Thoughts

In the end, it is evident that there is a connection between peas/lentils and DCM. This means that the DCM has some association with the dog’s diet. Even though the scientists are still not completely sure why these ingredients are causing an issue, there is no doubt that the issue is present.  In turn, if you are feeding a diet that has peas, potatoes, or lentils in the first TEN ingredients, it would probably be best to change foods. In general, avoid grain-free and “boutique” foods.

These studies have just started, but I am positive they will be continuing for the next couple of years.  Hopefully, the FDA will be able to come up with some concrete answers and changes associated with allowed dog food ingredients to help us protect our four-legged family members.

If you would like additional feedback concerning what you should feed your golden retriever, please look over our article titled “Feeding Your Golden” and “Approved ‘Safe’ Foods.”

Please follow our Facebook page for continuous updates on what is going on here at Regency Ranch.

#bestdogsever #regencyranchgoldens #regencypups.com

Disclaimer:

The information provided on this website was not written by a veterinarian or a certified animal nutritionist.  I am a breeder who cares for my dogs, has done thousands of hours of research, and has learned from trial and error. I have chosen to share this information with you.  Nevertheless, you have to make your own decisions.  If you choose to follow noted recommendations, then that is your choice.  Regency Ranch and/or its representatives hold no liability if results are not as expected. This information is not given to diagnose or prescribe. If your pet has a medical problem, you should consult your veterinarian. The ideas and information on this site have not been endorsed or approved by the FDA. In no event shall the owners of this website be liable for any damages.

Sources:

Kimball, Ron. “Figure 1.” Kimball Stock Dog 03, 2019, kimballstock.com/pix/DOG/03/DOG-03-RK0247-07P.JPG. Accessed 03 Aug 2019.

Medicine, Center for Veterinary. “FDA Investigates Potential Link Between Diet & Heart Disease in Dogs.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, 12 July 2018, www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy. Accessed 31 July 2019.

Medicine, Center for Veterinary. “FDA Investigates Potential Link Between Diet & Heart Disease in Dogs.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, 27 June 2019, www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy. Accessed 30 July 2019.

Phillips-Donaldson, Debbie. “Update: FDA Pet Food Ingredient and DCM Investigation.” PetfoodIndustry.com, PetfoodIndustry.com, 19 Sept. 2018, www.petfoodindustry.com/blogs/7-adventures-in-pet-food/post/7469-update-fda-pet-food-ingredient-and-dcm-investigation. Accessed 30 July 2019.