My dog has IBS. Is grain-free Rayne food safe for his heart?

Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!

In general, it is not recommended to feed dogs a grain free diet unless they are known to have a grain allergy (which is very uncommon). There are many misconceptions about pet nutrition circulating. While the link is not yet understood and has multiple factors, something about the grain free diets may be allowing heart disease to develop in certain dogs. I recommend to feed a high quality brand with a good reputation and minimal problems with food recalls. The brand I like the most is Royal Canin. They conduct feeding trials to measure the digestibility of their diets. Most pets who eat this brand have excellent coat and stool quality. They also tend to produce minimal stool which is a sign the diet does not contain fillers and is highly digestible. I also recommend Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is no proof that grain free diets help with anal sac issues, so I would switch Bauer off a grain free diet, especially in light of the issues with those diet and dilated cardiomyopathy. I'd put him on a diet like Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. I'd also put him on Glandex, a supplement which can help with his anal sac issues.

Unfortunately no one knows for certain right now. The concern seems to be with diets containing potatoes or legumes as a main ingredient, and this diet does have potatoes early in the list. It also seems that dogs that develop heart disease and that are being fed these diets have low levels of taurine in their blood, but at this point it isn't entirely clear if the diets are deficient or if there is something else going on that is interfering with the dogs' ability to absorb the taurine. I would recommend talking to your vet about options - if Brody has a medical condition you could discuss an appropriate alternative or potentially even check a blood taurine level and echocardiogram to look for signs of heart disease. If Brody does not have a medical problem it would be safest to go ahead and switch foods. This link has more detail: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm

Grain free diets are not recommended. They are marketing hype to cater to owners that think grains are bad for dogs. They are not. These grain free diets have been linked to causing heart disease in dogs. Please do not feed these diets. ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/health/grain-free-dog-food-heart-disease.html ) If you need a nutritional consult you should speak to your vet. That is what they are there for. There is no "best " diet. Diets are subjective. Each vet has their favorites. It doesn't mean one is better than another.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Copper. I do not recommend feeding a grain free diet. You are correct that some of these diets have been linked to heart disease. Furthermore, most of these diets are higher in carbohydrates and calories. This can lead to unnecessary weight gain. I recommend a well balanced puppy food from a reputable company. Depending on his projected adult size, you may consider a large breed formula. I personally recommend Purina Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin as they put an extensive amount of research into their diets. They have veterinarians on staff and perform feeding trials on dogs as opposed to laboratory analysis. These are benefits small boutique pet food company just cannot provide. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cooper. You have several options regarding the risk of DCM from feeding the grain-free diet. In these cases, DCM results from the diet being deficient in taurine. There is a blood test that your veterinarian can submit to measure Cooper's taurine levels. He could also have an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) to ensure he does not have any structural changes. Lastly, you can change his diet. You can consider Purina Proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach as it is a trust worthy brand and will help any underlying skin disease. I hope this information helps!