DCM Update

So many news articles are misleading pet parents by saying 16 brands are responsible for the 560 cases of DCM when THAT IS FALSE. Yes those brands were named. But so were 50 others.

Including Hill's Science Diet, Purina, Royal Canin, Iams and Pedigree! 

 We went through all of the case reports submitted to the FDA and here is what we found:

 

• The bar graph presented by the FDA does not paint the full picture. Over 60 different brands were named meaning it is NOT "BEG" diets that are potentially causing DCM. What is BEG? Well,                             

                                      • B stands for Boutique which means small independent store brands, but since Mars, Purina, and Hill's were named, it is definitely not "Boutique" food causing DCM.

                                      • E is Exotic meats and in the report, the FDA listed the number one meat ingredient in most of the cases was Chicken, which is by no means an "exotic" meat.

                                      • G stands for Grain-Free and yes most of the reports were from grain-free diets. But some weren't. Meaning it is still possible to get diet related DCM from a grain free food and it might not be as frequently reported because that is not what the FDA requested.

• Some of the case reports were inconclusive saying "this could be early warning signs of potential DCM"
• Most of the reports were from vets that recommend the Big Pet Food brands (Hills, Royal Canin, Purina, etc) which could be biased because that means they are also less likely to report cases where the dog is already on those diets.
• The FDA asked for reports of Grain Free food and that is what they got. They started with an answer and are trying to pick data to prove it. They are working opposite of the Scientific Method. If they asked for all reports of DCM or diet related DCM, the data might be different.
• These are just the cases reported. Not all cases of DCM. It's important to remember these cases are coming from pet parents and vets, not any official research group from the FDA or anywhere else, therefore it is probably biased in many different ways. For example, pet parents feeding expensive brands such as most of the infamous 16 are also more likely to be able to afford to pay for their dog to go through the expensive and extensive diagnostic process and thus report it.
• Lisa Freeman, who studied at Nestle(Purina)-funded University Tufts, contributed to many of these case studies being referenced.

What does this mean?

The bar graph of 16 brands is a list of foods more likely to be suspected by certain vets.

The data is all over the place. It is just a bunch of random reports sent in by self-selected vets and customers that they individually believe could possibly be diet related, all because that is what the FDA put out a call for. It isn't even really an update at all because they have made no discernable progress in finding what is causing diet related DCM.

From the FDA report: 
"Based on the data collected and analyzed thus far, the agency believes that the potential association between diet and DCM in dogs is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors"

Full List of Brands Named:

(Organized by Parent Company)

Mars

• California Naturals
• Nutro
• Iams
• CRAVE
• Pedigree
• Royal Canin
• EVO

Smuckers

• Rachael Ray
• Nature’s Recipe
• Natural Balance
• Pure Balance

Nestle (Purina)

•  Purina
• Castor&Pollux Organix
• Merrick
• Whole Earth 

Colgate-Palmolive

•  Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance
• Hill's Science Diet Prescription

Champion Pet Foods

• Acana
• Orijen

Diamond Pet Foods

• Taste Of the Wild
• 4Health
• Kirkland Nature’s Domain
• Diamond Naturals
• Diamond Professional 

General Mills

• Blue Buffalo

Pets Global

•  Zignature

Midwestern

• Earthborn Holistic
• Pro Pac 

Tuffy's

• Nutrisource

Petcurean 

• Go!
• NOW

Well pet LLC

• Wellness
• Eagle pack
• Holistic select 

Agrolimen

• Nature’s Variety Instinct

Midwestern

•  Pro Pac
• Earthborn Holistic

Kroger

•  Abound

Petsmart

•  Authority

Barkstrong

•  Wild Calling!

Wegman's Brand

• Wegmans

Petco

•  Whole Hearted

Central Garden & Pet

•  Pinnacle

Nutrena

• Loyall professional

Pet Supplies Plus

• Redford Naturals

Chewy.com

•  American Journey

Freshpet Inc.

•  Freshpet

Pet Valu

•  Performatrin

Ellen DeGeneres

• Halo

Independently Owned

• First Mate
• Canidae
• NRG
• Nulo

Family Owned

• Victor
• Fromm
• Lotus 
• Horizon pulsar
• Dr. Gary
• Annamaet
• Health Extension
• V-Dog
• The Honest Kitchen
• Weruva
• Rawz
• Primal
• Sportmix
• Ziwipeak

FDA Update


Case Reports

 

Lisa Freeman and Nestle Funding Tufts

If link doesn't work go to the FDA update and under "Diet Information from Reported Cases" click on the link "Canine Dialated Cardiomyopathy Complaints Submitted to FDA CVM"