From the very beginning I found the earlier released FDA report to be incomplete and biased. Anyone who has talked to me about how they heard "grain-free is bad" knows that I have not and do not support this statement. There were way to many unknowns, like previous or existing health issues, and I suspect possibly an agenda pushed by the pet food giants.

Excerpt from the peer reviewed article:

“We wanted to gain the best understanding of this issue, so we examined the results of more than 150 studies, which taken together did not support a link between grain-free and legume-rich diets, and DCM,” said Dr. Sydney McCauley, an animal nutritionist and the article’s lead author. “What the science does make clear is that DCM is largely an inherited disease.”

“We believe that further research is needed in order to reach sound conclusions with respect to the relationship between diet and DCM,” said Dr. Eva Oxford, a veterinary cardiologist and an article co-author. “This is why BSM Partners has initiated multiple original research projects that will shed additional light on this topic.” 

I certainly hope anyone who immediately jumped on the "grain free is bad" bandwagon without doing their own research, will take the time to read the peer reviewed article from The Journal of Animal Science and realize a lot more research was needed before advising a diet change (even the FDA recommended NO diet change). I can't tell you how many scared pet parents came in to my store worried that they were harming their pets because their vet told them to change their pets food, most often without nutrition/diet even the reason for the visit. The fear was unnecessary and did more harm than good.

As always, we encourage a fresh diet with rotation. No one kibble (grain or no grain) or protein should be your pet's only option. Whenever possible, boost that bowl of kibble with something fresh, it can be as simple as adding an egg. And of course, we are here to help you! Frankie and I are both certified Pet Nutritionists so you can trust us to help you with healthy diet choices.