A new study claims that peas may increase the risk of heart disease in dogs, so dog owners are being advised not to give veg leftovers to their pets after dinner.
Experts found a link between legumes in some “grain-free” dog food and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The disease causes the heart muscle to enlarge, making it difficult to pump blood around the body.
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Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, have been forwarded to the FDA, which is already looking into the issue.
Study author Dr Lisa Freeman told NBC News:
“Until we know the exact cause, we want to be cautious of all the ingredients the FDA is investigating.
“Peas might be a good clue as to where we can be looking.
“As one more piece of the puzzle, this doesn’t give us the final answer, unfortunately. But it gives us things to follow up on.
“This research helps us narrow down the targets to look at so we can focus on the most likely causes and get to an answer more quickly and prevent other dogs from being affected.”
They warn pet owners not to feed their pets peas or other pulses from their dinner plates.
But other veterinary groups say it’s fine.
The AKC says dogs can eat peas “occasionally” as long as they aren’t tinned.
The AKC website has a list of vegetables for dogs to eat.
And the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) have agreed on the same.
Tufts University researchers compared 830 compounds in nine traditional dog foods to nine that the FDA has linked to DCM.
They discovered that 122 compounds had a significantly higher concentration in DCM-associated products.
A machine learning algorithm narrowed the number of suspect compounds to 30.
Peas had the strongest correlation with these 30 compounds.
However, some of the suspect ingredients are found in dog foods that have not been linked to DCM, suggesting that they were flagged for other reasons.
Between January 1, 2014, and April 30, 2018, the FDA received 524 reports of DCM in animals.
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However, between 2014 and 2021, the FDA received over 1,100 reports of diagnosed DCM.
At least 280 of them have died from the condition.