Taurine Deficiency In Dog Food

Taurine deficiency in dogs happens when there is a lack of the amino acid taurine which is important for dogs health in the body.

Taurine deficiency in dog food.

One of the most interesting and alarming things some veterinarians have noticed is that some cases of dcm appear to be correlated with certain types of dog food. If your dog suffers from food allergies or a sensitive stomach you may want to switch to a limited ingredient diet. What dog foods are associated with dcm and taurine deficiencies. However it is not new.

A connection between diet and dcm in dogs was first described in a paper published in the journal of the american veterinary medical association in 2001. Taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. Taurine status in normal dogs fed a commercial diet associated with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy. Best dog food for taurine deficiency and sensitive stomach.

The extent to which dogs may require dietary taurine is still under investigation and may be breed dependent. Taurine in dog food diets. In order for dog food to contain enough taurine it needs to contain meat. Taurine deficiency is one cause of a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy dcm.

At ollie we work hard to make sure all of our recipes contain adequate levels of taurine for your pup. Determination of the prevalence of whole blood taurine in irish wolfhound dogs with and without echocardiographic evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy. And certain other breeds were found to be at increased risk for taurine deficiency and dcm including newfoundlands st. Since then additional studies have shown associations between dietary factors and taurine deficiency in dogs such as lamb rice bran high fiber diets and very low protein diets.

Initially vets started noticing dcm seemed to be more common in dogs that were fed grain free diets which used things like legumes and potatoes rather than wheat. The recent spate of cases and media attention to taurine deficiency dcm in dogs suggests that this is a very new problem in dogs. To date however there are no stated requirements for supplementing dog food with taurine. Vollmar ac fox pr servet e biourge v.

A taurine deficiency can cause an enlarged heart which leads. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition berl. Taurine can usually be found in high quality dog food but you can look for other foods rich in taurine to strengthen your dog s heart. Foods made with fillers like corn wheat soy or potatoes tend to have less meat and this means less taurine.