BALTIMORE — A Harford County pet owner believes her dog’s diet may have played a role in her death.
In 2019, Alison Sheaffer’s double doodle, Nyla, was diagnosed with advanced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart muscle disease that can lead to heart failure.
While large breeds are more prone to the disease, Nyla's age at the time, five-years-old, made her vet question factors that could have led to the diagnosis.
“Her prognosis was about a year and Nyla lived until May of this year,” said Sheaffer.
Nyla was put on an extensive pill regimen with regular vet visits, and Sheaffer changed her diet.
“She started to get a slight improvement, which meant that it was from dog food more than likely rather than something that was hereditary to her,” said Sheaffer.
Nyla was originally on a grain-free diet. A potential link the Food and Drug Administration started investigating back in 2018.
“We were seeing breeds of dogs that weren't traditionally developing dilated cardiomyopathy and there was some concern in the late 2010s that there may have been a nutritional relationship to its development,” said Dr. Steven Rosenthal, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Cardiology) with Chesapeake Veterinary Cardiology Associates Cardiac Care for Pets.
The FDA saw a spike in reports in 2019, but in the last year, Dr. Rosenthal, who also treated Nyla, said there's been a decline, which he attributes to food companies changing their formulations, more public awareness, and too much paperwork.
And while the scientific community hasn't yet pinpointed the underlying cause of diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy, Dr. Rosenthal suspects it's a combination of ingredients.
“All of the data points towards diets that are high in legumes and their parts, so peas, lentils or pea protein, pea fiber, lentil fiber, you know, there's some combination therein that seems to be the cause of this issue,” said Rosenthal.
The FDA announced in December that it would no longer release public updates until there's meaningful new scientific information to share.
“While adverse event numbers can be a potential signal of an issue with an FDA regulated product, by themselves, they do not supply sufficient data to establish a causal relationship with reported product(s). FDA continues to encourage research and collaboration by academia, veterinarians, and industry," according to the FDA's website.
A spokesperson with the FDA added:
"The FDA takes animal health very seriously and will continue to work across the scientific and veterinary communities to further investigate this important issue. The FDA sees this as an ongoing, collaborative, multidisciplinary scientific venture, of which we have just one piece as the regulator of animal food and reviewer of adverse event reports received as part of the pet food early warning and surveillance system. The scientific community engaged on canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) continues to assess the available information and fill data gaps to determine what factors may contribute to the development of non-hereditary DCM."
The Pet Food Institute, whose members make up the majority of U.S. pet foods and treats, also said they're investigating any relationship. In a statement, Dana Brooks, president and CEO of The Pet Food Institute, wrote:
"The safety of pet food is of the utmost importance to the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and our member companies, who make the vast majority of U.S. pet foods and treats. As pet owners ourselves, PFI and our members care deeply about cats and dogs and are committed to ensuring the health and well-being of America’s pets by taking seriously our responsibility to produce safe, nutritionally balanced pet food. PFI member nutritionists, veterinarians and product safety specialists have been closely studying the issue of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) to better understand whether there is a relationship between DCM in dogs and diet. The broader library of research suggests, and FDA has similarly stated, that multiple complex factors may influence the development of DCM in dogs, including genetics and individual physiology. The cumulative research instead suggests that non-hereditary DCM in pets is likely a complex, multi-factorial issue."
“We should choose a diet based on the recommendations of working with your family veterinarian, veterinarian nutrition specialists, etc. and not necessarily just who has the prettiest advertisements on television, or the best-looking bags that have nice pictures on the outside of them. It's really what is in the diet itself,” Rosenthal advised.
Sheaffer feels she did everything she could for Nyla, but wishes she'd done more research into her diet sooner.
“She loved to jump in this pool and swim in this pool, and she was just a great dog. She was very unique. And they'll never be another one,” said Sheaffer.
Some of the symptoms of DCM include fatigue, panting, labored breathing, and coughing.
In addition to talking with your vet, Dr. Rosenthal recommends choosing a pet food that meets the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
He's also seen home-cooked diets become more popular and said there are websites that can help you make sure you're crafting a balanced meal for your pet, including Balance It.
For more information on the FDA's investigation and frequently asked questions, click here.
