I recently attended a day’s training all about respiratory vs heart conditions in dogs at one of the top referral centres and delivered by the top vets in their field.
It had nothing to do with pet nutrition but covered a topic that I always find so challenging when faced with a coughing pet – is it the lungs or is it the heart causing the coughing?
One lecturer in particular mentioned something so interesting that I had to write a post about it to share with all of you concerned pet owners. She made a point about grain free diets being the potential cause of the rise in the extremely rare condition – dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs.
She spoke of a particular case she had been treating recently – a Dobermann with dilated cardiomyopathy who had been diagnosed at the referral centre and came for regular check-ups on his heart.
He was doing so well until his second last appointment when his owners mentioned that he had slowed down, was coughing more and his heart parameters had worsened even though he was having the required amount of medication. Upon further questioning, the owners mentioned that they had changed him onto a more expensive grain free diet. This was the only change that they had made (thinking that as it was more expensive, it had to be better for him).
The referral vet advised that he went back onto the previous diet he was having and with his last appointment, he improved considerably!
Like other concerned pet owners and vets, I had read about the rise in the very rare condition of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs due to the increase in pets being fed grain-free diets or exotic diets promoted by pet food companies as fully hypoallergenic and healthy; when in fact they could be lacking in the essential nutrients that promote heart health.
This latest article in December 2019 seems to show that grain-free appears to be the main culprit.
What nutrients are needed for adequate heart health?
A very quick search on Google for the top nutrients needed for human heart health showed up this search –
Here are 15 foods that you should be eating to maximise your heart health (humans).
• Leafy Green Vegetables
• Whole Grains. Whole grains include all three nutrient-rich parts of the grain: germ, endosperm and bran
• Berries
• Avocados
• Fatty Fish and Fish Oil
• Walnuts
• Beans
• Dark Chocolate
I have read this with a smile on my face, as apart from the fatty fish and fish oil, I must have a very healthy heart as I so enjoy all of the top foods mentioned!
We know that dogs can eat avocados (in moderation), they cannot eat dark chocolate (as theobromide in it can be very harmful to dogs), but the important section I have picked up from this very basic search is –
• Whole Grains. Whole grains include all three nutrient-rich parts of the grain: germ, endosperm and bran.
Pet food manufacturers have all rushed to support the latest hype that your pet needs to be on extremely high meat protein food and have all grains removed, that they may be harming so many of your very loved pets.
Grain free diets are always more expensive, so the pet food companies continue to make far more profit from these diets than the average dog food, so please be aware of this and think twice when feeding that keto/Atkins/raw meaty/expensive grain-free diet to your pet!!!
Dogs CAN digest starches
Calculations have revealed that dogs can digest about 99 % of plant-based starch if provided to them in a suitable form
Vegdog All-In-Veluxe Supplement and Recipes COMING SOON!
We are so excited to not only be the importers of Vegdog Green Crunch to the UK, but we are working with their vet nutritionist Lisa Walther who formulated VEGDOG”s All-In-Veluxe Supplement to produce UK easy and 100% balanced delicious recipes
We just need to stop eating animals
As a small business, we will do all we can to continue to promote the nourishment of our pets with wholesome, clean and nutritious plant-based foods that hold no dangers of causing a second pandemic.
Interview with Dr Ernie Ward
So if you’re concerned about your pet food safety, let’s go plant-based. If you’re concerned about the carbon pawprint of your pet, then let’s go plant-based. If you’re concerned about your pet….
But aren’t dogs carnivores?
The maned wolf really blows the theory of our pet dogs needing meat in their diet completely out the water
Barney loves his snuffle blanket
This snuffle blanket is ideal mental stimulation for dogs
Bea climbed onto the sofa for the first time in over a year!
When we read this review, we felt quite emotional as the difference in Bea after only a month on a plant-based diet is remarkable
5 top reasons to choose a plant-based diet for your dog
There is evidence to prove that a plant-based diet that is properly balanced whether dry or homemade is kinder for your dog
We are so excited about our new ingredients!
Until we get our new recipe up and the new packs made, we are offering a 40% discount on all our current Umami protein packs
What no one tells you about wearing a face mask!
We are now told that when dealing with the public we have to wear a mask and here are some things that I experienced while doing vet work yesterday
See how much Marvin and Pedro like their food
Marvin was picked up as a stray by a local dog pound and the front leg was badly injured, they think he had been hit by a car
We support Donn and Río
Donn has pulled the pack off the counter before I could even start preparing them, and ate half of it as is!
