Reply to FDA warns an increase in canine heart disease might be linked to grain-free dog foods

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here is the thing: dogs can have peas, potatoes, and whatnot in their kibble,  but they ALSO need a source of taurine from meat or wherever.  The dog foods aren't  going to cause the cardio myopathy- it's the lack of taurine that can lead to it.
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Is a dog food enriched with taurine good enough or does the dog need a natural source of taurine like chicken breast/thigh meat?  If so, how often do they need it?

Also, if the issue is due to a lack of taurine which is found in the muscle (not fat, skin, etc) then is it accurate to attribute the problem to strictly "grain-free" diets?  I would think that a grain-free chicken based diet would be fine, right?  Or is there something specifically lacking in high protein feed/no grain diets, in general?

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I think it is the amount of taurine...what food is listed first and the order. I feed my dogs Merrick.  It is grain free ( not because I care, they just do well on it), and has sweet potato and peas, but it comes with chicken or beef. I also top the kibble  with canned beef, salmon, or chicken. I would also have no problem feeding them Purina. Several dogs I had did fine with that.

Now- I make rice when the dogs have a bad stomach day, and will use the bland Science Diet if there is an ongoing issue with some diarrhea( it works!) , but I won't do rice as a long term primary diet. As we know, rice has a natural arsenic in it- also in apple juices, etc., and I worry that it might affect  some development in hemangiosarcoma- there seems to be a link with angiosarcoma ( the human form) and arsenic, so that is a small concern of mine  even though I do think HSA is largely genetic, and not diet related.

But I do still use rice from time to time. I don't agree with grain free diets as a norm, or raw food diets. This is a fad that has gotten some steam from marketing, yet it has really taken on a life of it's own. [/quote]

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