Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsPlease - read up on grain free food and heart failure
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2019
My dog was on Nutro grain free foods his entire life—since he was a puppy—because I thought he had a grain allergy (it turns out it was a chicken allergy). After he was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and a heart murmur at age eight, my veterinarian and veterinary cardiologist discovered that the cause was his grain free diet. He was incredibly fortunate because with a change in diet and heart medication, he made a full recovery. The process also cost about a couple thousand dollars total between specialists and medications, which was worth it but very infuriating to think that it could have been avoided by not giving him this food. Before that, he got at a point where his heart changed so drastically that vets weren't sure what his prognosis was. I was so angry to think that this food could have caused my dog harm, not to mention it's more than twice the food I give him now. I emailed Nutro encouraging them to add a warning to their label, but their response was really disappointing and they didn't take any ownership over causing the problem, even though my vet knows it was. Please, research grain free diets (there's a great NYT article from the summer of 2018 about it) before considering putting your dog on one. Golden Retrievers are particularly susceptible to this issue and two at the vet I go to have died from heart failure and were only two and four.
