Taurine Deficiency

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Saw this in Doodle Family on FB and wanted the experts opinion.

Grain-Free Feeders - PLEASE READ:

We all know how difficult it is to make decisions regarding diet for our pets. I am sharing this information not to add additional worry or concern but to educate. I came across this yesterday when it was shared by a vet dermatologist in another group. I have been trying to get additional information since then and joined the Facebook page linked to the taurine deficiency research being conducted by Dr. Joshua Stern (vet cardiologist) at UC Davis. Here is what I know so far:

* DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) is a serious medical condition that impacts the muscles of the heart and reduces its ability to pump blood.
* Symptoms include lethargy, weakness, weight loss, collapse, coughing, increased respiratory rate, abdominal distention, irregular heart rhythm.
* Some breeds seem to have a genetic predisposition including Cocker Spaniels and large breed dogs particularly Golden Retrievers, Labradors, St. Bernards and Newfoundlands.
* Current research (not yet published) has identified a link between grain-free dogs foods that include peas and legumes and taurine deficiency that can lead to DCM. On the Taurine Deficiency page, the most commonly reported foods from owners of dogs with DCM are: Nutrisource, Acana (particularly pork and butternut squash), 4Health, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, Earthborn Holistic.
* It is believed that the peas/legumes may inhibit some dogs ability to produce or absorb taurine.
* The current recommendation is that if a food heavy in peas and legumes is being fed, consider a whole blood taurine test before any dietary changes are made. If the blood results indicate taurine is low, echocardiography is recommended.

I know that many of us use these foods and some of us have limited options in what to feed our dogs. I just wanted to bring this information forward and encourage you to discuss with your vet/IMS to decide whether this could be a concern for your pup.

https://www.facebook.com/julie.carter.37266/posts/10215672525987711

[Melissa]

Like you said, lots of agendas mentioned.  For me the part that stuck out is this (emphasis mine):

“If you feed your dog a food that contains any potatoes, peas, lentils, or other seeds of legumes (such as chickpeas/garbanzo beans, soybeans, other types of beans, and alfalfa seeds), look at the ingredients list. If the food contains one or more of these ingredients high up on the ingredients list, has several of these ingredients, and/or is a limited ingredient diet typically, one containing only one animal protein source and one or two carbohydrate sources – the possibility is good that the food is one of the type that is being looked at as possibly causing a higher incidence of DCM.” 

and if you are:

”Are you feeding your dog this food because you like the company, or it was recommended to you, or for no particular reason? Then consider switching to a diet that either contains fewer or none of these ingredients, and read on for more recommendations.”

Many of the foods recommended, and what I feed, meet those criteria.  I’m not sure how many others do. Hopefully more information will be forthcoming very soon.

[Marie + Marshall]

Thanks for posting!

[Mark Wilson]

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain....https://youtu.be/YWyCCJ6B2WE

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL!!!!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I've read all I can about this subject and have come to this conclusion: IF a dog tolerates it, it's not a bad idea to consider rotating their diet. Dogs in the wild probably didn't eat exactly the same thing every day for years on end. The animals that they preyed upon ate seasonal things- maybe berries in the Spring, grains in the summer, more vegetables in the Fall, etc. And not the same protein everyday. I used to rotate a few different kibbles. Two of my dogs did well with this- the third, not so much!

I personally feel that it's not a bad idea to add some "fresh" food- water packed sardines, cooked protein (eggs, chicken hamburger, etc.) along with some cooked low glycemic veggies- spinach, kale, zucchini, etc. Giving some of this and cutting back on the kibble automatically decreases the amount of peas (and potatoes) that they are getting in their current kibble.

Are they going to stay cancer free, with healthy hearts, joints, eyes, etc.? I have no idea! :-) But I figure that it can't hurt and it MIGHT help. My Vet is in favor of this type of diet, too. That being said, I'm super careful with what I add to my Bob's diet. I'm not willing to deal with diarrhea again! And, when I finally found a kibble that he does well on- Wellness Simple (thank you again, Karen!!), I switched all 3 dogs to that strictly for our own ease. It's kind of high in peas, but I'm not worried....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I so agree with this. 
And you're very welcome. :)

[Julie and Charlie]

The FDA released a pretty calm version of FAQs. 

Questions & Answers: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Inves...

Two interesting things here. They consider "main ingredient" to be anything before the first vitamin or mineral  ingredient. Second, based on the information available today, there is no advice to change foods. 

The number of cases reported seems pretty small ~150. Given there are 90-some million dogs in the US today... will be interesting to see how this turns out in terms of numbers, cause, and odds.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Julie. This is pretty much what I've been saying, although I strongly disagree about what constitutes a main ingredient, and it should set people's minds at ease- IF they will bother to read it, lol. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Here is a new article about the potential risks of feeding a grain-free diet. I am particularly intereste in learning more, since I feed greenbeans (legumes) to Wally and Charlotte with every meal.  

https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLi...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Laurie, while green beans do fall into the category of legumes by definition (pods with edible seeds inside), they are not nutritionally similar to legumes and are not really one of the ingredients being looked into in connection with taurine deficient DCM. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Thanks, Karen. Legume seeds are possibly suspect, so why would green beans not be included? What's different about them? Is it that they're not a starch?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, nutritionally, they are very different, and the absence of starch is one of the main differences. They are much much lower in calories than any other kind of bean, (which is why we use them for weight loss) and have only a fraction of the amino acid (protein) content. They are simple rather than complex carbohydrates. 

What they are looking at regarding the legumes is the possibility that the legumes are making up too large a percentage of the total (crude) protein in the food, and because legumes do not provide complete protein, meaning that they do not supply all of the essential amino acids, (only animal proiteins do that), there is not sufficient amino acid content for the dog to synthesize taurine. Green beans in the diet would have no effect on that because they supply almost no protein at all. For example, one cup of lima beans, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans or navy beans contains about 15 gm of protein. One cup of split peas supplies 16 gms of protein. One cup of lentils supplies 18 gm. And one cup of green beans contains 1.8 gm of protein, or one tenth the amount of lentils. 
I would not give the green beans another thought. :)