Tag: cardiomyopathy

66 Dilated Cardiomyopathy associated with Grain Free Diets

There have been disturbing reports, mostly in Golden Retrievers that are eating grain free, legume (pea) based diets that are developing Dilated Cardiomyopathy. This is a heart muscle disease that causes enlarged hearts, most commonly seen in cats that are eating diets deficient in taurine. Taurine is an amino acid present in most meat and milk. It has been well known that deficiencies in cats can cause dilated cardiomyopathy, but has been rarely seen in dogs until now.

Most of these cases seen by veterinary cardiologist have been on “boutique”, homemade, or raw diets, not the major pet food manufacturers. Some universities are looking for more patterns, but it has been seen most often in Golden Retrievers. https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/180801e.aspx?utm_source=email-optin&utm_medium=javma-news-180801&utm_campaign=animal-health&utm_term=link&utm_content=pet-diets-heart-disease

I am amazed daily by the number of clients that proudly boast their dog is on a grain free diet. Many think that grain free means no carbohydrates, and that just isn’t the case. To manufacture the kibble, they need some carbohydrates, so the makers use potato, peas, and other legumes instead of wheat, corn, barley and oats. I myself try to eat low carb to manage blood sugar, but I can’t do No carb. I am not gluten intolerant, so I do enjoy my home made sour dough bread in small quantities, especially when it is fresh out of the oven. I have met very few dogs that are gluten intolerant, but there are definitely a few. There are compelling studies for dogs with inflammation in skin or gastrointestinal tracts that benefit from gluten free diets. Gluten is a protein in found in wheat, barley and rye.
I think we need to be careful when we choose pet foods and not buy into fads. Look for the AAFCO label, which means the diet meets all the known standards for nutrients in the diet. And look for a reputable manufacturer. Currently, I am most familiar with and recommend Hills, Purina, Iams/Eukanuba, and Blue since these companies all make good veterinary therapeutic diets. There are probably others that are top notch, but just don’t make therapeutic diets.

To feed grain free or not isn’t black and white. It might be very appropriate for some pets, but we need to watch these new cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers that might be related to grain free legume based diets.

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm613355.htm

https://www.texvetpets.org/article/grain-free-diets/
https://weethnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/the-myth-of-the-natural-diet/
https://weethnutrition.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/pet-food-basics-dr-weeths-top-tips-for-feeding-your-new-dog/

#45 This Is Us Spoiler- Feb 8, 2018

February is Heart Month

I am a big fan of the TV series “This is us”. It has been no secret that the dad, Jack, dies when the triplets are teenagers. But we didn’t know exactly how he died until the show after the Super bowl, last Sunday. Here is the spoiler- it was heart disease, not the fire.
And this is National Heart Month. People wearing red dresses to raise awareness, Valentines and all that.
How is this related to heart disease in pets? Many people don’t know that dogs, cats, and ferrets can get heart disease. Mostly we see congestive heart disease and cardiomyopathy, not myocardial infarctions, aka “heart attacks” like Jack did. Humans do get congestive heart disease 2nd to valvular disease, and some poor young athletes have dropped dead on the playing field with cardiomyopathy that they didn’t even know they had.
What’s the difference? What do all these words mean?
Congestive heart disease is where the blood is not pumped 100% forward through the heart because one or more valves doesn’t close all the way, leading to fluid” backing up”. And the most common valve affected in the mitral valve on the left “high pressure” side of the heart, so it backs blood up to the lungs. This is the most common type of heart disease that I see as a general practitioner. It is usually in smaller dogs, older dogs, and ones that have had some teeth/gum disease. There is definitely a gum disease/valve link. I will usually hear a heart murmur, which is actually the sound of the turbulence of the blood in the leaky valves. It can later progress to the dog coughing on exertion, or when they have been sleeping on one side. When this occurs in humans, they have the option of open heart surgery and valve replacement. The procedure was actually pioneered on dogs as surgery model but it is seldom done on geriatric canine patients. We manage it as clinicians and owners with rest, blood pressure medicines, diuretics to move the fluid away from the lungs, and a drug called pimbobendin (Vetmedin) that helps the heart pump stronger. It replaces the digitalis medicine that we used years ago. Thankfully, I don’t see congestive heart disease in cats, or ferrets. Unfortunately, King Cavalier Spaniels as a breed have a high incidence of congestive heart disease, even at a young age, so there seems to be a genetic component is some breeds.
Cardiomyopathy means disease of heart muscle. The actual muscle becomes weak, stretches out slowly, making it larger and harder to pump blood efficiently. We see it in some breeds of dogs, like Boxers, Dobermans, and some cats like Maine Coons. It is a tragic disease because it is hard to manage and the pets die young. In the 1980s we were seeing a lot of cats of all ages with it. Veterinarians discovered that cats needed a unique amino acid called taurine for heart health, and it was absent in some cat foods. Once that amino acid was added to cat food, this form of cardiomyopathy all but disappeared. Thus we discovered that cats aren’t just little dogs, and you can’t feed them dog food exclusively.
Ferrets also get cardiomyopathy. We haven’t found a genetic or nutritional link in this species, and it is difficult to manage those “big” hearted fellows too.
Heart attacks in pets? Probably not the same underlying coronary artery disease as humans, but they certainly can die suddenly from heart disease of any kind.
I wish I had great news about ways to “cure” heart disease, but I don’t. Pets and people die when the ticker gives out, just like Jack did. And we cry.

For more information:
http://newsroom.heart.org/events/february-is-american-heart-month-6669831
article on mitral insufficiency- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1968
canine cardiomyopathy – http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2496
feline cardiomyopathy- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2507