Dog Heart Disease May Be Linked to Potato-Based Pet Food, FDA Says

Potato-based pet foods may be causing heart disease in dogs, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration warned this week. The government agency is investigating a potential link between pet foods with peas, lentils, potatoes and other legume seeds and instances of canine dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs not typically vulnerable to the disease. “Highly unusual” reports of these dogs contracting the disease prompted the FDA to investigate their food sources, which, the agency notes, largely contained those certain ingredients. .@FDAanimalhealth is investigating the potential association between reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and certain pet foods the animals consumed, containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes as main ingredients. https://t.co/wdN7wm16kx pic.twitter.com/F97zkOA30l — U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) July 12, 2018 Found typically in larger breeds of dogs like Great Danes and Newfoundlands, canine dilated cacdiomypatohy enlarges the heart, thus weakening it and often leading to heart failure. The FDA said dogs that are not genetically predisposed to the disease, like Labrador Retrievers, Shih Tzus, and Bulldogs, all of whom had a diet largely based in pet foods that contained lentils, peas and potatoes, have reportedly had the disease. The FDA said it is contacting pet food manufacturing companies and veterinarians about this potential link. Representatives from Mars Petcare and Nestlé Purina, two of the biggest pet...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime Pets Source Type: news