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My dog's dry food linked to heart disease. What should I feed him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 1 year and 9 months old | 55 lbs

When we rescued Vinny he was fed Rachael Ray Nutrish, so we kept with it. A new study just came out in regards of what dry dog foods have been linked to heart failure and Rachael Ray was the last one on the list. With so many foods that contain so many different additives and chemicals, what would be the best dry food to switch to? Or should we stick with what we have?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on July 1st, 2019

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.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 6th, 2019

    We are seeing an increase in dogs developing cardiomyopathy in dogs who are grain free diets. The FDA is investigating this now, and it's believed it has to do with the ingredients used in these grain free diets like lentils to replace the grains. I have never recommended and will never recommend a grain free diet, it's a dangerous fad.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 22nd, 2018

    Hello, there has been a recent associated in grain free dog food and heart disease in dogs. The FDA has recently released a warning to the public about this recent association. Further studies are being conducted to prove this, but in the interim, it is safest to avoid feeding dog food labels as being grain free. Here is the FDA warning. Hope this helps. https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm613305.htm

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 3rd, 2019

    Thank you for your question about Ariel. There are no conclusive studies saying grain free diets are not safe or are completely safe at this point. There is evidence to say that not all pets are suited for a grain free diet and that some of them appear to develope heart disease potentially related to grain free diets. Food allergies occur in only 15% of pets and of that 15%, the majority of the allergies are to the protein source, not the carbohydrate (which is grain). I do not generally recommend grain free diets to my patients unless I know they have a grain allergy or have at least documented a food allergy. The most common allergies are to chicken, beef and then wheat. I routinely recommend a high quality diet such as Royal Canin or Purina ProPlan. If your pet does have a documented food allergy, work with your veterinarian to determine the best diet for your baby. I hope this helps!

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