FDA names 16 dog food brands in heart failure investigation

These are the brands the FDA listed in their update:

• Acana
• Zignature
• Taste of the Wild
• 4Health
• Earthborn Holistic
• Blue Buffalo
• Nature’s Domain
• Fromm
• Merrick
• California Natural
• Natural Balance
• Orijen
• Nature’s Valley
• NutriSource
• Nutro
• Rachael Ray Nutrish

The FDA says the dogs affected mostly ate dry food that was “grain-free” and contained peas or lentils. They also say large breeds were more likely to be affected.

The FDA says symptoms of the condition include loss of energy, cough, difficulty breathing, and episodes of collapsing. If your dog is showing these symptoms the FDA urges you to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Champion Petfoods, the maker of Acana and Orijen, had this to say regarding the FDA’s update:

“On June 27, 2019, the FDA released an update saying that it is ‘continuing to investigate and gather more information in an effort to identify whether there is a specific dietary link to development of DCM.’ More specifically, its update provides no causative scientific link between DCM and our products, ingredients or grain-free diets as a whole,” a spokesperson for Champion said.

“Our hearts go out to every pet and Pet Lover who have been impacted by DCM. We take this very seriously and will continue to work internally and with other industry leaders on research into the cause of DCM in order to help Pet Lovers understand the facts. Our own research, and the millions of pets who have thrived by eating our food over 25 years, have shown that Champion pet foods are safe,” the spokesperson continued.

DCM is a serious but rare condition. Of the 77 million dogs in the U.S., 0.5% to 1% have DCM, and of those dogs with DCM, fewer than 0.1% are speculated to have DCM related to diet, although that is not scientifically proven.