(WKRN) – The US Food and Drug Administration is warning dog owners that some pet diets could lead to disease that causes congestive heart failure.
The FDA has been investigating the link between some dog foods and dilated cardiomyopathy, also known as DCM or canine heart disease, since July 2018.
There have been more than 500 reported cases with 16 pet food brands showing up the most, USA Today reported.
Most cases involved large breed dogs, for example, golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, but some small breeds were also affected, so researchers concluded there wasn’t a genetic connection.
One connection they did find was the dogs ate dry dog food and the vast majority were grain-free or had peas and/or lentils, USA Today reported.
The dog food brands the FDA found to have the most cases linked to DCM are:
- Acana, 67.
- Zignatue, 64.
- Taste of the Wild, 53.
- 4Health 32.
- Earthborn Holistic 32.
- Blue Buffalo, 31.
- Nature’s Domain, 29.
- Fromm, 24.
- Merrick, 16.
- California Natural, 15.
- Natural Balance, 15.
- Orijen, 12.
- Nature’s Variety, 11.
- NutriSource 10.
- Nutro, 10.
- Rachael Ray Nutrish, 10.