How canine heart disease was tied to grain-free dog food
Dog food is shown in a pet store in Westfield, Ind., Tuesday, July 19, 2022. In 2018, the FDA began investigating whether the increasing popularity of grain-free dog foods had led to a sudden rise in a potentially fatal heart disease in dogs. Four years later, the FDA has reached no conclusion, but the publicity surrounding the issue has shrunk the once-promising market for grain-free dog foods. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
(AP) — In 2018, the FDA began investigating whether the increasing popularity of grain-free dog foods had led to a sudden rise in a potentially fatal heart disease in dogs.
Four years later, the FDA has reached no conclusion, but the publicity surrounding the issue has shrunk the once-promising market for grain-free dog foods.
A six-month investigation has found that a tangled web of industry funding and interests influenced the origin, data collection, and course of the FDA study.
Makers of grain-free dog foods and their suppliers, in turn, have exerted pressure on the FDA to protect their market share.
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