Whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) realized it or not, their recent warning letter (July 12, 2018) regarding dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs has implicated all grain-free diets, not just those fed to dogs suffering from this disease. The implication that all diets containing legumes and tubers are somehow suspect is a big stretch, but that is how the market is reading it.
Unlike melamine in 2007, the current issue is diffuse regarding affected animals; numbers are limited and the disease appears by the reports to be reversible. Considering the number of grain-free pet foods that are in the market and the number of years they have been there relative to the recent spike in reports of DCM, it would suggest this is not a systemic or widespread issue associated with the noted ingredients. Rather, it is more likely connected to a few foods that happen to be grain free and that have some other inherent issues, much like we discovered in the early 2000s when there were DCM reports in certain dog breeds fed low caloric density lamb meal and rice diets.
