Is Performatrin Ultra grain-free food with potatoes safe for heart?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If the study you are talking about is referring to DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) in large breed dogs, I believe the correlation they are making is between grain-free diets and the development of DCM. Grain-free diets are very trendy right now, and there is NO benefit to feeding your dog a grain-free diet. Many small pet food companies are not well regulated for quality control, and oftentimes the nutritional information they provide on the bag is nowhere near what is actually in the food. Legumes and potatoes can be substitutes for grains, but they lack many of the essential nutrients that grains provide to dogs. This lack of specific nutrients can make dogs, especially large breeds, more prone to developing heart disease. I recommend feeding your dog a food formulated for adult large breed maintenance. Excellent brands are those like Hills, Royal Canin, Purina, and Blue Buffalo. These larger pet food companies are very well-regulated and nutritionally balanced for dogs. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I definitely understand your concern. I do think it would be best to switch them to a regular diet. There are many types out there that are affordable and good. I like the Purina Pro Plan shredded blends in that category because they are palatable, affordable and of very good quality. Good luck and have a great day!

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.

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!

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.

The role of grain free diets in heart disease is still very poorly understood but is most likely due to a chronic dietary deficiency (such as taurine). A short (6-8week) novel diet trial to investigate if food sensitivities are triggering the IBS should not cause any long term issues and it may be possible to source a suitable (non-flavoured etc) taurine supplement as a precaution, especially if fed for longer. There are alternative ranges such as royal canin anallergenic or hills z/d which are hydrolysed rather than novel protein if you are very concerned

I personally am not a fan of dog foods that are grain free or with lentils in them. New research has come out showing that in certain breeds of dogs, diets with lentils in them prevented taurine absorption. This has lead to diet-induced (taurine deficiency) dilated cardiomyopathy in the future for those dogs. In addition, grains are truly beneficial to dogs and provide a source of fiber and lasting energy. The truth is that a grain allergy is actually very rare in dogs. Of all of the dogs who have allergies, the most common allergy is environment. Only 10% of dogs with allergies have food related allergies, and the majority of those are protein related. I only recommend grain free diets if the dog has a diagnostically proven grain allergy. If you don't like Science Diet or Royal Canin, certainly I won't recommend them, but I do like Purina ProPlan and Iams. I feel my own dogs Iams, and they do great on it. I would recommend one of those food for them. I hope this helps.