Grain-free dog food, accounted for 44 percent of pet food sold in specialty stores in 2017, according the New York Times. Along with pet foods that are vegan, organic, raw and you name it, consumers continue to increase spending on specialty pet food. However, veterinarians are concerned that grain-free diets pose health risks to dogs, especially if consumed long-term. FDA released a statement in July that it was investigating reports that grain-free dog food may be linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). DCM causes the heart to become enlarged, making it ineffective to circulate blood.
Source: SLATE, January 23, 2019. Link. A paper on the issue, released last month in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Link), offers similar caution: “Pet food marketing has outpaced the science, and owners are not always making healthy, science-based decisions even though they want to do the best for their pets.”
INSIGHTS: What is thought to be good for us, is not always good for our animals. There is not one iota of peer-reviewed data that shows a grain-free diet to be worthwhile for pets, nor humans. There are plenty of expensive and value-priced pet foods that meet AAFCO standards and most veterinarian preferences in retail locations of all kinds. It’s true owners want the best for their pets. Animal health pros can help show them what’s best. Grain-free is not a contender.