Do grain free diets cause DCM?

Recently there has been a lot of publicity about a possible link between grain free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) – this recent article aims to sort the facts from the fiction.

Here’s some of the key points:

1. This does not appear to be just an issue with grain-free diets.  The apparent link between  diets and DCM may be due to ingredients used to replace grains in grain-free diets, such as lentils or chickpeas, but also may be due to other common ingredients commonly found in BEG diets, such as exotic meats, vegetables, and fruits.
2. Grain free diets are thought to cause low taurine but most dogs diagnosed with DCM have normal blood taurine levels
3. Raw or home made diets are not safe alternatives.

For further information on the link between diet and DCM see this article and for more on raw diets click here.