How are you addressing the FDA’s warning about heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy / DCM) that may be linked to diet?Updated 6 months ago

We understand dog parent concerns about diet-related DCM and have stayed very close to the scientific developments over the last five or so years. When we formulated Petaluma’s first diet in 2018, there was already a large conversation happening in the pet food industry and amongst veterinarians about diet-related DCM (focused mostly on grain-free formulas). Our formulation team of veterinary nutrition experts factored in possible risk factors at that time, including specific supplementation with methionine, taurine, and l-carnitine - nutrients that play crucial roles in heart health.

We have taken a cautious approach to our use of pulse ingredients. Pulse inclusion is limited to approximately 20% of the total formula and less than 30% of the total protein contribution. While chickpeas are listed as the first ingredient on our label due to regulatory requirements, we have opted to source from a broad range of plant-based ingredients rather than relying heavily on one or two. As a result, chickpeas represent less than 15% of our food.

We have experienced a wave of new scientific studies published in the last 24 months demonstrating the safety of legumes. We have a longer blog post ("Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dogs: Updated Information & Nutrition Guidance") that you may find interesting.
The largest study into DCM to date, conducted by the University of Missouri, involved 65 dogs fed four different diets (both grain-inclusive and grain-free) over a 7-month period. This comprehensive study found no relationship between cardiac biomarkers and diet type, challenging the notion that grain-free or legume-containing diets are linked to heart issues in dogs (Frontiers in Animal Science, 2023).

A collaborative study by the University of Missouri and BSM Partners investigated the incidence rate of DCM cases at veterinary cardiology hospitals across the United States. This research found no correlation between DCM cases and the sales of grain-free foods. Furthermore, the study revealed that there has been no increase in DCM rates over the last 20 years, despite the growing popularity of grain-free and legume-containing diets. (Frontiers in Animal Science, 2022).

Proving a negative - in this case, definitively showing zero relationship between legumes and DCM - is inherently challenging in scientific research. Despite no evidence demonstrating a clear link between DCM and legume content, some clinical veterinarians still express skepticism about the safety of grain-free dog foods and/or those that include legumes as a significant protein source. This ongoing debate underscores the complexity of canine nutrition and the importance of continuing research in this field.