If you walk into a pet supply store, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of dog food options – kibble, raw, gently cooked, freeze dried and canned – and the claims that each package makes – Limited Ingredient Diet (LID), ancestral, for all life stages, AAFCO approved, no peas or potatoes, grain free. And what about the things you hear on the media, such as recalls or foods causing diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)? With all this confusing, and sometimes conflicting information, how do you choose what to feed your pup? Everyone will have a different opinion, and I’m certainly not an expert, but here are some things I’ve learned over the years, especially after Chops was diagnosed with DCM and both girls entered their Super Senior Years.
Diet Changes for Seniors?
As a dog gets older, they drink less water and might have more difficulty processing foods. They are typically less active and spend a good bit of their days napping. Many dogs deal with problems from being overweight; however, both of my girls have struggled to maintain weight. Some older dogs have dental issues that make eating hard foods an uncomfortable experience. Seniors also tend to have various health issues that can be exacerbated or improved by diet. Does it make sense to modify your dog’s diet as they get older? Above all, I recommend talking with your vet. Each dog is an individual and no diet is perfect for all dogs. Consider what your dog needs, what your dog should avoid and what your wallet and schedule allow. Here are just a few notes to think about as you research your options.
Kibble tends to be less expensive (though some brands are still crazy costly), more readily available and very convenient to store and serve. Unfortunately, it is also a highly processed food that senior dogs might have trouble digesting properly. Additionally, its low water content is a negative for older dogs who need additional water incorporated into their diets if they aren’t drinking enough on their own, which is common. Kibble tends to include a lot of carbohydrates (necessary for extruding into the kibble form), which may be difficult for a senior to digest and can cause inflammation, which is especially problematic for dogs with arthritis. If you choose to give kibble, read the label and, better yet, go to the company’s website to learn the origin of their ingredients and the nutritional analysis. If you feed kibble, consider adding some canned food or fresh dog-healthy ingredients for moisture content.
Some people are strongly in support of feeding raw diets to dogs at all life stages. Personally, I found that raw diets were too rich for my older dogs. Additionally, raw food must be handled properly to help manage the risk of bacteria. Do your research and discuss this diet option with your vet if you’re interested in feeding your pup raw food.
Fat and excessive sodium can be problematic for dogs, particularly if they have kidney or heart issues. However, it’s unnecessary to rule out sodium and fat entirely.
Some older dogs benefit from eating multiple smaller meals each day.
Homemade vs. Commercial Gently Cooked Dog Food
After reading all the cons of processed dog food, you might wonder if there are any other options out there. I’ve settled on “Gently Cooked” foods as my preferred diet for my pup. It’s cooked, so you don’t need to worry about the risks associated with feeding raw. It has a high moisture content, and it’s made with whole foods and necessary supplements with no fillers (like in kibble) or thickening agents (canned). Obviously, every product is different, so read the label to know exactly what is in the brand you’re considering. Typically, these products come frozen. Place a packet in your fridge for a couple of days to thaw, then place the appropriate amount in a microwave safe bowl, chop it up and heat it for 20 to 45 seconds until warm, but not hot.
If you take a look at the cost of gently cooked foods, you might wonder if it makes more economical sense to make your own gently cooked food at home. I did quite a bit of research on this, and have actually tried it a few times for short periods, primarily when health issues have prevented me from giving my dogs their normal food. Here are some things to consider if this is something you want to tackle.
The most important concern: It’s imperative that you use a recipe formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionist that is balanced and complete for canines. Dogs have specific dietary needs and simply feeding them a bunch of meat, or meat and veggies, isn’t sufficient. You’ll need to incorporate additional supplements to make sure they’re getting everything they need. However, this part can be tricky. In order to get it right, you need to assess what vitamins and minerals are already included in the recipe and what is missing. Then evaluate what your dog needs based on their health issues, stage of life, etc. Some companies provide a home cooked recipe along with the necessary supplements. This isn’t formulated specifically for your dog, but it should mean that the meal, once whole foods and supplements are combined, is balanced and complete for canines (assuming you prepared everything correctly). You can also hire a certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate a recipe specifically for your dog. AAHA wrote a good article on the challenges of home diets and options for getting it right.
Making meals at home is actually more expensive. If you raise your own meats, presumably the cost is better. But for me, the cost of the ingredients is actually higher than purchasing the meal pre-made commercially.
Making food at home is very time consuming. To do it right, everything needs to be precisely measured and cooked for a very specific amount of time.
Keep in mind that if you make your meal at home and it isn’t complete or balanced, you might not see effects of the nutrient deficiencies for many years. It’s important to consider long-term health.
My opinion: It’s much less expensive and less time consuming to purchase commercially made gently cooked meals. Additionally, commercial recipes should meet standards for being complete and balanced, and all batches should be tested before becoming available for sale to make sure there is no harmful bacteria or parasites present.
Are Meatless Diets an Option for Dogs?
This is a tricky one and my knowledge about it is quite limited. While cats require meat as their primary food source (considered obligate carnivores, learn more in this Texas A&M article), dogs are omnivores, able to obtain nutrients and energy from both meat and non-meat sources. But can a dog get all the nutrients it needs from a diet with no meat? I'm pleased to see that, while still limited, research studies have begun to dive deeper into whether the nutritional make-up of vegan diets can support long-term dog health. Thus far, the research I've been able to find through the National Institute of Health National Library of Medicine's site shows mixed findings. One study, published in 2021, reviewed 13 plant-based diets available in Canada. Only four canine diets met AAFCO (US) standards, and only one met FEDIAF (European) standards. None of the feline diets met nutritional standards. The study does not reveal the actual diets tested or which of the four met AAFCO standards. Another study, published in 2023, compared the digestibility of two vegan gently cooked diets and a chicken-based kibble. All three recipes met AAFCO standards for "complete and balanced." The study suggested that human-grade gently cooked vegan diets that are approved by veterinary nutritionists, might support better gut health than a meat-based diet. Learn more about this recent study in this article by earth.com. So what do we do with this information? Here are my thoughts as a dog mom and not a veterinary nutritionist. I believe that a plant-based diet is worth additional research. As a vegetarian, I appreciate the option of feeding my dog a plant-based diet because of animal welfare and environmental reasons. Additionally, Chops is allergic or sensitive to most meat proteins, and having a non-meat alternative could be a game-changer for her and others like her. However, before I can feel comfortable with a plant-based diet, I need to see further research that looks at the long-term implications. In many cases, the effects of a dog's diet might not be seen for years. Diet-related Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is just one instance of diet causing long-term health issues that likely develop over many years. Moreover, we need more research on meat-based diets as well. As you'll see below, Chops developed DCM while on a predominantly lamb-based diet. I hope to see a seven-year study (or longer) that compares the long-term health of dogs on vegan and meat-based diets, particularly of gently cooked recipes as well as kibble recipes since these are the foods I consider the healthiest (gently cooked) and most widely used (kibble).
What to Know About Diet-related DCM?
You might have read articles about diet-related Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). I didn’t know much about it until Chops was diagnosed with it a few years ago. Based on the information provided by our cardiologist, “DCM is a slowly progressive condition in which the heart muscle (myocardium) loses its ability to contract normally and effectively. Since the heart muscle cannot work as efficiently to pump blood out of the heart, blood backs up within the heart chambers and the heart enlarges in size.” Some dog breeds are believed to have a genetic predisposition for DCM, but it appears that diet is a contributing factor in some cases.
Unfortunately, much is still unknown as to why some diets seem to contribute to DCM and others don’t. There is speculation about the lack of taurine and/or grains or the inclusion of legumes and/or potatoes causing DCM, but there is no concrete evidence to prove this. To make matters more confusing, my dogs were litter mates and were on the same foods their entire lives; however, only Chops developed DCM.
With all of the unknowns, what should you do to try and prevent diet-related DCM? There are no solid answers, even from our cardiologist, but here are a few things I can suggest you consider.
Make sure you take your dog in for regular check-ups with your vet (annually for young dogs, twice a year for seniors). If your dog develops a heart murmur, which is often a symptom of DCM, your primary vet should be able to pick it up during your visit. This was the first indication that Chops had DCM.
Learn more about DCM on the FDA’s Questions page.
Stay up-to-date on any new findings by the FDA regarding the possible correlation between diets and DCM. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any new reports in some time.
To be on the safe side, I’d avoid foods that have been linked with DCM. View the list of complaints submitted to the FDA regarding DCM (including the food the dog was eating, breed, age and notes) through April 2019. If you want to see if your pet’s food has been identified as possibly being related to DCM, just do a search on the document (control F, and then type in the food name). Keep in mind that a number of pet food companies modified their diets after the research began on DCM, so just because they’re on the list doesn’t mean they’re no longer an option. Check those labels!
Avoid legumes as one of the top ingredients. While legumes have been in dog food for many years, some recipes in recent years (including those on the FDA complaint list) have been including more legumes, meaning that your dog is receiving a higher percentage of legumes and less of what many would consider “quality” ingredients, like meat. If the label of your primary food has legumes/pulses (peas, lentils) as one of the first few ingredients, you might want to avoid it.
Incorporate healthy grains. Some dogs have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat and/or corn, so many commercial dog food brands offer "grain free" recipes. Given Chops' sensitivity to most meat proteins, most of the food available that she can eat, often considered "limited ingredient," is grain free, though she's not allergic to grains. In fact, grains can provide valuable nutrients for dogs. If you want to avoid wheat and corn, look for millet, barley or oats. Learn more about grains in dog food in this Texas A&M article.
Talk with your vet about providing your dog with taurine, an over-the-counter supplement. Many foods have started to include a taurine supplement, so check your food label. It is not known if the lack of taurine contributes to DCM, but my cardiologist has advised taurine supplements as an added precaution. Related to this, it appears that lamb and rice diets have been associated with low levels of taurine, or more specifically, a lack of absorption of taurine (at least that’s my non-science brain’s way of understanding it). Therefore, you might want to avoid using lamb as a long-term protein source, especially if that’s the only meat protein source you’re providing. My dogs were on lamb and rice diets for most of their lives until Chops was diagnosed with DCM. You can look up various research studies related to lamb and taurine in dog diets through the National Library of Medicine.
Consider rotating the meat protein you give your dog. Because of allergies and food sensitivities, Chops can’t have most foods. Thankfully she does well with beef, so that’s what she has been getting the past few years. However, if Chops didn’t have food sensitivities, I would change her protein every six months or so.
Remember that dog food-related health is a long-term game. Some dogs, like mine, are sensitive to all diet changes and may have food allergies and sensitivities, which causes immediate/short-term problems. However, for issues like DCM, you won’t likely see the effects for many years, which is one reason it’s so hard to pinpoint the real cause(s) of diet-related DCM. This is why rotating foods can be beneficial.
While DCM can be a very dangerous and scary health condition, it’s important to note that with proper care, medications and change in diet, your dog can live a long, healthy and happy life with DCM. The medications and cardiology tests are expensive, but I want you to know that DCM is not typically a death sentence for a dog if it’s properly managed. Case in point, Chops is still thriving at 17 years old! Of course, you want to do everything you can to prevent it, and it’s imperative that you visit your vet regularly to catch it early if your dog does develop DCM, but it is treatable. With medication, which she’ll be on for the rest of her life, and diet change, Chops’ heart is now normal for a dog her age.
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