nutrition | School of Veterinary Medicine

Link Between Dog Diet and Heart Disease: Information Resources

UC Davis veterinary cardiologist Dr. Joshua Stern led a team of researchers that has found a link between some popular grain-free, legume-rich dog diets and a type of nutritional deficiency and canine heart disease known as taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy. The FDA took notice and issued warnings about the potential connection.

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Homemade Cat Food Diets Could Be Risky

UC Davis researchers analyzed homemade cat food recipes and found none provided all essential nutrients for healthy adult cats.

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Preliminary Study Suggests Mercury Not a Risk in Dog Foods

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, recently investigated levels of methylmercury in a small sampling of commercial dog foods and found good news for dog owners.

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Good News About Mercury in Dog Food

An investigation into levels of methylmercury in a small sampling of commercial dog food offers good news for dog owners.

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Pet Owners Urged To Take A Second Look At Their Dog's Diet

A new study found a link between some popular grain-free dog foods, with a high content of legumes, and canine heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The disease can lead to sudden death in dogs.

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Study Finds Spike in Deadly Heart Disease Linked To Trendy Dog Diets

UC Davis veterinarians led a team that has found a link between some popular grain-free, legume-rich dog diets and a type of nutritional deficiency and canine heart disease known as taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy. The study was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Some Calories More Harmful Than Others

While calories from any food have the potential to increase the risk of obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases, 22 nutrition researchers agree that sugar-sweetened beverages play a unique role in chronic health problems. The disease risk increases even when the beverages are consumed within diets that do not result in weight gain.

Human & Animal Health

Specialized Diet Helps Dog Manage Chronic Kidney Disease

Niya, 15-year-old female Keeshond, was battling urinary tract infections and incontinence, and her medication was decreasing her appetite, so her primary veterinarian in Maryland thought that help from a specialist was warranted. Around that time, Niya’s owners, Debora and Chris Luther, were planning a trip to California to see family. The Luthers were very familiar with the UC Davis veterinary hospital—Debora graduated from UC Davis in 1977, and Chris grew up in Davis with his mother Linda having worked at the university for many years—so they decided to bring Niya with them to California and have her examined by specialists at UC Davis.

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