BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
A new study by researchers at the University of Guelph has found that pulses (lentils, beans and peas) in grain free dog foods are not linked to heart problems in healthy dogs, specifically diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The study was published in April in The Journal of Nutrition. Dogs in the study were observed over 20 weeks as they ate a grain-free diet containing up to 45 percent pulse ingredients. The dogs developed no signs of heart disease and maintained lean body weight.
Pulses are used in plant-based dog food to provide dietary protein. There have been concerns that pulses do not contain adequate amino acids needed for heart health. Specifically amino acids key for making taurine. The lack of amino acids can also lead to loss of lean muscle mass due to lack of proper protein absorption.
Twenty-eight Siberian huskies were entered into the randomized controlled trial. The breed was chosen because huskies are not traditionally at risk for genetic causes of DCM. A diet containing either 0, 15, 30 or 45 percent whole pulse ingredients was assigned to each dog. The pulse ingredients included green and yellow peas, pinto beans, chickpeas and lentils. The diets also included chicken as an animal protein and all had the same protein and fat levels.
Veterinary cardiologist, Dr. Shari Raheb, performed echocardiographs to detect heart changes and blood was collected routinely to evaluate for cardiac biomarkers and amino acid changes. The dogs were weighed weekly and scanned to asses body composition at the beginning and end of the study. None of the dogs developed any changes associated with DCM nor did they show any changes to body composition throughout the study.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Kate Shoveller who is a professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the Ontario Agricultural College and Chare in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Physiology and Metabolism for Champion Petfoods. According to Dr. Shoveller, this study represents the longest controlled feeding trial to assess cardiac health in dogs eating pulse diets. Dr. Shoveller also explained that previously conducted studies were not conclusive on whether dogs not genetically predisposed to DCM were adversely affected by pulse ingredients.
The study was funded by Champion Petfoods and the diets were all processed in Champion facilities. The published article can be accessed at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623355007.
