Feeding grain-free/low-protein kibble to large dogs, especially predisposed breeds, increases their risk for taurine deficiency-related DCM.
Thirty years ago, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of California, Davis discovered the link between
taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart muscle disease in cats.
1 According to Morris Animal Foundation, "The veterinary community was stunned" by this news, in part because the UC-Davis researchers were able to prove that
DCM was reversible when cats received the amount of taurine they needed in their diet.
2
Of course, most holistic veterinarians and others knowledgeable about veterinary nutrition and who understand the link between diet and disease weren't surprised. Taurine, which is an amino acid, is
found in meat, and cats, as meat-eating obligate carnivores, haven't developed the ability to make their own taurine.
This means it's an essential amino acid for cats - they must get it from their diet, and 30 years ago when UC-Davis veterinarians made their discovery, we were well into the age of processed pet food, having made cats (and dogs) almost entirely dependent on humans for their nutrition.
Pet food formulators often guessed at the effects of extensive processing on nutrients. This is especially true for pet food (feed) that blends leftover pieces and parts from the human meat processing industry with other sources of questionable nutrients before they are rendered and cooked at high temperatures, depleting the nutrients that existed before processing, as well as altering the chemical composition of ingredients (and often creating toxic byproducts along the way).
Comment: What the human race has done to our lakes and oceans is tragic and it's not surprising that it's coming back to bite us. Despite the health benefits of fish consumption, the levels of toxicity are leading many to question whether or not it's worth the risk.
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