Parenting-Furkids
Dogs => Caring For Your Dog => Medical Issues => Topic started by: DeeDee on April 15, 2018, 01:34:15 PM
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I've always thought that every species needs taurine. This only makes me sure they do. This is why my dogs get hearts.
Taurine Deficiency Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers
by Janet Olson, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is becoming more prevalent in golden retrievers. Dr.
Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology) at UC Davis, starting seeing a pattern
and recognized that many cases were due to dietary taurine deficiency in golden
retrievers fed grain free diets. Here is what we know so far:
Background
Taurine is an amino acid that is found in high concentrations in heart and muscle.
Among its many functions, it aids in normal contractile function. Evidence shows
that taurine helps mediate calcium channel transports and modulates calcium
sensitivity of the myofibrils.
Taurine deficiency as a cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is not a new
issue. Taurine deficiency in cats was characterized by Pion et al in the late
1980s. Taurine deficiency has since been characterized as a cause of acquired
DCM in dogs as well.
Currently identified diets of concern in these golden retrievers
According to Dr. Stern, the majority of cases they are seeing at UC Davis are
from grain free diets that are high in legumes, like acana pork and squash
singles.
What can we do? Some Guidelines.
• ASK: Make sure to ask your clients (whether they own golden retrievers or
not) what diets they are currently or previously have fed their dogs
• INFORM: Inform your clients of his issue
• ACT: If they are currently on, or have been on grain free diets in the past,
submit baseline WHOLE blood taurine levels and AFTER submitting the WHOLE
blood taurine levels, switch diets if indicated. Temporary taurine supplementation
may be necessary. If levels are low, take baseline chest films, if cardiomegaly
noted on the radiographs, an echocardiogram is indicated to complete your
baseline evaluation. Additional therapy may be indicated.
Veterinary Cardiology Specialists, PLLC
612-353-7440
www.vetcardiologist.com <> janet.olson@vetcardiologist.com <> www.facebook.com/vetcardiologist
PDF Link: https://mckeevervetderm.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/543/2017/09/TaurineDef.Goldens.pdf
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So my take on it is, it's not the grain free that is the issue, it's the lack of MEAT in these diets?
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So my take on it is, it's not the grain free that is the issue, it's the lack of MEAT in these diets?
I'm not so positive on that. This formula they specifically pointed out says it's 50% meat, though has a LOT of peas and legumes in it. I also can't even figure out if Acana Singles are a new raw or just another kibble. If it's another kibble, having only one supplement in it (zinc) kind of scares me:
https://acana.com/usa/our-foods/dog-foods/singles/pork-squash/
AMERICA’S BEST AND FRESHEST INGREDIENTS ACANA Pork & Squash features an unmatched variety of local ingredients that are raised by people we know and trust, deemed “fit for human consumption”, and then delivered to our Kentucky DogStar® kitchens fresh each day!
Deboned pork*, pork meal, whole green peas, red lentils, pork liver*, pork fat, pinto beans, chickpeas, herring oil, green lentils, whole yellow peas, whole butternut squash*, pork kidney*, lentil fiber, natural pork flavor, pork cartilage*, dried kelp, freeze-dried pork liver, whole pumpkin*, kale*, spinach*, mustard greens*, collard greens*, turnip greens*, carrots*, apples*, pears*, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product.* delivered fresh or raw
OUR ONLY SUPPLEMENT: ZINC.
OUR ONLY PRESERVATIVE: VITAMIN E (MIXED TOCOPHEROLS).
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I also can't even figure out if Acana Singles are a new raw or just another kibble. If it's another kibble, having only one supplement in it (zinc) kind of scares me:
It is kibble.
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It is kibble.
Then that's scary. Everything good has been cooked out of it, and they're only adding zinc back?
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I dug around some more and found the dropbox that the .pdf was referring to since, for some reason, clicking on the link in the .pdf wasn't working for me.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c6thdgx1il02fq/AAB1sDvLZe6gE3httPskz9-0a?dl=0
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At a glance, I read this as "don't feed grain-free." :(
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At a glance, I read this as "don't feed grain-free." :(
I'm taking away that something's wrong with feeding a lot of peas and legumes. None of the grain-free foods that don't have a lot of those in them are implicated in the problem.
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I'm taking away that something's wrong with feeding a lot of peas and legumes. None of the grain-free foods that don't have a lot of those in them are implicated in the problem.
This is why I personally am not a fan of legumes: they're basically seeds with their shells still on them. When you think about it, Nature didn't intend for them to be digested. Animals eat them and poop them out, and the seeds then grow into plants. So unless the "shell" has been removed, and/or the legumes have been fermented, I don't think they're very digestible. And if they are still "intact" so-to-speak, that inability to be digested may interfere with the digestion of other foods eaten with the legumes.
I don't know if this is true/correct or not, so I could be totally wrong. But that's my 2cents, fwiw.