![]() They did not find evidence that rice bran was causing low taurine levels in large dogs being fed lamb and rice diets, however they reported that beet pulp may have lowered the whole body taurine in dogs by increasing excretion of fecal bile acids and decreasing protein digestibility. tested whether or not rice bran or other fibers including beet pulp affected bile acid excretion. The grain free diets have become very popular in recent years, so perhaps it is the formulations that are causing the issue. Both dogs developed taurine deficiency and DCM. Some recent cases diagnosed at AAMC include a dog being fed a vegetarian diet his whole life that was high in lentils and a dog on a strictly vegan diet. We are seeing DCM in “atypical” breeds like Boston Terriers etc., and the commonality amongst these patients is that they are being fed a grain free or homemade diet. Unlike cats, dogs can make taurine from other dietary amino acids and therefore don’t have to rely on diet.Įspecially noteworthy is that the breeds we have recently been diagnosing with DCM are not the breeds known to have a genetic predisposition (Dobermans, Boxers, and American Cocker Spaniels). 2 Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot make taurine, so the amino acid is considered essential. 1 Subsequent articles by many of the same authors investigated the supplementation of taurine in these cats. ![]() The authors reported the discovery that taurine deficiency in cats can cause DCM. In 1987, Pion et al.’s article on, “Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy” was published in Science. At Angell Animal Medical Center (AAMC) we have been diagnosing an increasing number of dogs with DCM and have been wondering why this is the case. The cardiac disease dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been genetically linked to certain dog breeds and can also be seen post doxorubicin administration.
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