![]() Both studies confirmed results from the previous studies – that atypical breeds could be affected but also breeds commonly associated with DCM. ![]() Two of the new research publications were retrospective studies – summaries of data from dogs seen in recent years at two different veterinary hospitals (Freid et al, 2021 Walker et al, 2021). As of July, 2020, the FDA had received more than 1100 reports of dogs with DCM (Solomon, 2020). Diets fed to the dogs reported to the FDA were commonly grain-free commercial dry diets that often contained peas, lentils, or potatoes/sweet potatoes (studies often refer to this category of diet as, “non-traditional” FDA, 2018 FDA, 2019a FDA, 2019b). ![]() What is different about diet-associated DCM is that it seems to be able to affect any breed of dog and it can improve significantly when the diet is changed. In 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an alert that they were investigating a potential connection between diet and DCM (FDA, 2018). It is a disease that, even with medications, does not usually improve and continues to progress. DCM causes the heart to enlarge and pump weakly, which can result in coughing, difficulty breathing, collapse, or even sudden death. It’s not a new disease in fact, DCM is the second most common heart disease affecting dogs, occurring primarily in dogs of certain large or giant breeds, such as Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, and Irish Wolfhounds. In addition to the two original peer-reviewed research publications on this disease from late 2018 (Kaplan et al, 2018) and early 2019 (Adin et al, 2019), five new research studies have been published in the last year, helping us to better understand this unusual form of DCM and getting us closer to identifying the specific cause.Ī quick recap about this disease: DCM is a severe disease of heart muscle that affects dogs (and other species, including cats, humans, and even whales). ![]() A lot has happened in the world in the last year and a half, but it hasn’t stopped research on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). ![]()
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