For anyone who has not read the June 27th update from the FDA on the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) issue potentially related to dog food, here it is (along with the Vet-LIRN update from FDA):
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/science-research/vet-lirn-update-investigation-dilated-cardiomyopathy
Now, I am currently feeding Owen a food which doesn't have any legumes. I also use some wet foods as toppers and I avoid peas/lentils/legumes in them as well.
I read the entire report from FDA and even read all the reports that were submitted to FDA. I am honestly not completely sure what to make of the whole situation. There are reports of somewhere around 560 dogs (probably higher now but we don't know how much higher) that have DCM apparently linked to diet. However, as FDA says, there are over 77 million pet dogs in the U.S. so that is not a high percentage with DCM. There is the possibility, however, that there are many more affected that are not diagnosed because of the expense of diagnostic tests and/or owner lack-of-knowledge about the condition.
I am still of the opinion that this is a nutrient deficiency or a toxicity related to something in the food. I am not of the opinion that dogs NEED grains, because that simply doesn't make any sense from a biology perspective. I do think that we, as pet owners, should probably avoid foods that have peas/a lot of peas until we know more about the cause (which FDA still hasn't found). Based on the information that FDA provided, I do not believe potatoes are an issue at all.
I still find it very odd and interesting/telling that cats are not really affected by this (there have been a VERY few cases but not significant at all). I believe that this fact suggests that it is a nutrient deficiency related to an amino acid that is either not in sufficient quantities in the food or not being absorbed for some reason. The reason I think it may be an amino acid deficiency is that cat foods are nearly all supplemented with more amino acids than dog food is because cats have a very high requirement.
If you read the necropsy reports from FDA, they found fat accumulation around the heart of many of the affected dogs. This makes ME wonder/speculate if it might be related to carnitine, an amino acid. Carnitine is required for fatty acid metabolism and there are scientific articles that state that without carnitine in sufficient quantity fat will build up in the body in various places. Cat foods are more likely to be supplemented with carnitine (and other amino acids) than dog food. In addition, the amino acid lysine is the precursor to carnitine (it must be present in the diet in sufficient quantity for the body to make carnitine). Lysine is easily broken down in the production of dry food. A reaction known as the Maillard reaction occurs, which causes the irreversible binding of lysine with sugars/starches in kibble and, therefore, renders the lysine unavailable to the pet.
In any case, I am currently avoiding peas/lentils/legumes in Owen's food (I'm still feeding my cats Blue Wilderness and have no plans to change) and am considering changing his food to one that completely removes peas (I'm currently considering Dr. Tims and Farmina with me leaning towards the Dr. Tims).
If you have any concerns about your pet(s), PLEASE see a veterinarian.
