FDA Warns That 16 Dog Food Brands May Cause Heart Disease In Pets

There's been a spike in heart disease cases in dogs and the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) says that it may be linked to 16 types of dog food.

More than 500 reports of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs have been discovered and the FDA is looking into it in relation to certain brands of dog food.

“We know it can be devastating to suddenly learn that your previously healthy pet has a potentially life-threatening disease like DCM,” Steven Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said Thursday in a statement. Because the FDA has “not yet determined the nature of this potential link, we continue to encourage consumers to work closely with their veterinarians.”

The FDA alerted the public on the cases last summer but didn't specify what brands. Now, the FDA has released the 16 types of dog food brands and the number of cases that they think are related to each brand.

One brand named was Ziganture, which disputed the connection.

“In parallel with the FDA investigation, our own third-party internal studies found no link between our high-quality pet food products and any of the other physical characteristics that correlate to DCM,” Zignature said.

Here is the list of 16 pet food brands and the number of reported DCM cases that the FDA warns may be related to each brand.