Being inside the pet food industry is challenging but usually fulfilling…I get to meet lots of different pet parents, sales associates, rescue groups, etc…however, just as people in the medical industry hate WebMD, GOOP and Dr. Oz, we have our own list of flies in the ointment. As a nutritional professional, I work so hard, trying to educate pet parents on what is ACTUALLY healthy for their pets, just to be met with “well, I read on the internet…” or “my vet told me only to feed Hills, Purina, Royal Canin”. Oh, the misinformation makes my head hurt and my eye twitch!

Listen, your vet knows medicine, that is their job but they are not trained in nutrition…No, they aren’t. They only get a few hours of nutrition training and it’s always sponsored by one of the aforementioned brands. Yes, ALWAYS.

In regards to this FDA nonsense, there really is only one, true culprit in the increase of DCM in dogs…

Here is a graph, put together by Dog Food Advisor regarding DCM in dogs:

See that big, tall red line? 452 cases reported were dogs who ONLY ATE KIBBLE. Chances are pretty good that the other cases were people either home cooking meals that didn’t have proper nutrients or an overabundance of salt-filled human food, or people attempting to feed vegetarian or vegan diets. Feeding ONLY kibble is what is causing this spike in DCM in dogs because the amino acids from animal protein are lacking, they’ve either been cooked out or there isn’t enough meat to allow the cysteine and methionine to help produce enough taurine to keep your dog’s heart healthy.

It’s really THAT simple but you can help! If you HAVE to feed a kibble to your carnivore, make sure it has lots and lots of meat in the top 5 ingredients AND ADD HIGH QUALITY CANNED, DEHYDRATED OR RAW FOOD TO THE MIX. That last part is crucial! We have to make up for the lack of amino acids in your dog’s cereal, I mean kibble. 

If you had to eat plain cereal for every meal, every day, your body would go wacky too. But if you were allowed to add things like yogurt, fruit, nuts and different kinds of milk to it, it would be easier to remain balanced and healthy. THIS IS COMMON SENSE, PEOPLE!

Pet parents, WE are in charge of learning the facts and making sure our carnivores are healthy, happy and stick around as long as possible. Stop being fooled by nonsense that, if you just stop to think about it clearly, DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE.

I’ve met a lot of you out there and I know you aren’t stupid. Don’t let the FDA, Dog Food Advisor, Royal Canin, Hills and Purina make you FEEL stupid.

Do your RESEARCH. Give your dog VARIETY for a wider panel of amino acids. This will ensure your dog is creating all the taurine they need. Also, if you want to add meat to the mix for extra taurine, go here to know which meats are highest in TAURINE.

Also, please keep your pets safe this week, lots of bombs make for lots of pets that run away. Use calmatives and white noise and keep your pets indoors.