By Andrea S. Freeman, VMD, MS
Several generations ago it was common to feed pets leftovers from the family dinner table as their sole diet. However, as our understanding of veterinary nutrition evolved, commercial pet foods were designed to provide a more complete, balanced, and consistent diet for our pets. It also became apparent that dogs, cats, and humans all have very different nutritional needs. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious type of heart disease that leads to heart failure and death, was one of the first medical conditions caused by nutritional deficiency to be identified in dogs and cats. Taurine deficiency in pet food was discovered to be the cause as it was discovered that dogs and cats need significantly more taurine in their diets than humans. Recognition of this and other variations in species micronutrient requirements led to the development of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), who along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ensure that commercial pet foods meet the minimum nutritional requirements for each species. For years following, diet-associated DCM cases were seen only in pets fed home-cooked or other non-mainstream commercial diets.
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In more recent years, consumers have a preference for pet foods that look more appetizing to people, as well as more natural and organic to avoid antibiotics and pesticide residues, and grain-free foods to avoid gluten intake for the treatment of allergies and as a means to avoid corn, a food that is known to be genetically modified, have resulted in major changes to the pet food industry and huge growth in the sale of raw diets, smaller boutique brand pet foods, and grain-free diets. But cats and dogs are not small people and dietary tolerances differ. For instance, chocolate and grapes are toxic to dogs, but not to humans. And while food allergies are not uncommon in dogs and cats, the most common food allergens for them are not grains but are actually the most common protein sources used in pet food – chicken and beef. In July 2018, the FDA published its first warning about diet-associated DCM in dogs after veterinarians were reporting a higher incidence of the disease in dogs fed boutique and grain-free diets. In June 2019, the FDA updated its warning and provided data about the number of reports, breeds affected, and the pet food brands most involved (this information is available online). This data reported that 90% of the diets fed to affected dogs were advertised as “grain-free” and 93% used peas and/or lentils as the grain substitute. Research is still ongoing to better understand the mechanism behind the changes to the heart muscle that occurs with these diets, but it does not seem to be due to taurine deficiency. The good news is that these changes are reversible, particularly if the diet is changed before serious heart muscle remodeling and heart failure have occurred. Thus, the general consensus amongst most veterinarians is that diets containing peas, lentils, or other legumes as the major carbohydrate sources should be avoided.
Concurrently, there are also many pet owners who prefer to home-cook meals for their pets. However, even for veterinary nutritionists, it can be difficult to properly balance home-cooked diets to ensure all of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients are included. Chicken and rice-based diets, although commonly recommended as easily digestible diets for short-term feeding in pets with stomach upset, are notoriously nutritionally deficient, especially in iron and calcium. Feeding a primarily AAFCO-approved commercial diet with a smaller portion of home-cooked ingredients and a pet multi-vitamin may be the compromise for pet owners who still wish to home cook for their pets.
Veterinarians recognize that each pet has different dietary needs based on their age, activity level, and the presence of any concurrent medical conditions. As such, pet owners should consult with their veterinarian when deciding upon what diet is best for their pet.
At KIND Veterinary Care Center, we are committed to providing exceptional and compassionate lifelong care for our patients. As a full-service veterinary hospital, we offer comprehensive and convenient medical, dental, and surgical services with a personal touch.