In July 2018 the FDA announced its investigation into increased veterinary reports of the heart condition cardiomyopathy (CDM) in dogs consuming certain types of commercial diets. Some of these dogs also showed low blood levels of taurine. Should you be concerned?
I belong to many Chihuahua groups on Facebook and it breaks my heart that so many Chihuahuas and their pawrents are struggling with heart disease and even heart failure. Heart disease is on the rise in all dog breeds, but especially in Chihuahuas. Why? Let’s just dive right into the subject of taurine and why it’s important, especially for Chihuahuas.
What is Taurine?
Taurine is referred to as an amino acid; however, it’s not a typical amino acid because it does not serve as a building block of protein but instead is found abundantly in tissues and organs throughout the body in tissues, brain, heart, retina, and even the muscles.
It has been considered nonessential for dogs and adult humans because our bodies and our canine friend’s bodies can synthesize it from sulfur-containing other amino acids as well as from vitamin B-6.
Taurine plays an important role in both biological and physiological processes in the body. DCM in dogs is seen by a veterinarian as weakness of the heart muscle, leading to complications such as enlarged heart and congestive heart failure. (See: How changing my Pebble’s diet added years to her life even though she has DCM.
In the FDA report, one thing that was common was that all affected dogs ate a commercial diet with potatoes or legumes as the main ingredient. Keep in mind, however, that these were chemically altered potatoes and legumes through the manufacturing process. Reports of DCM have risen in dogs consuming grain-free diets, but no one knows why. There are also other possible factors:
- Dietary chemicals
- The dog’s ability to process nutrients
- His/her health status
- A dog’s ability to synthesize and metabolize taurine
- The fiber content of the diet
- Genetic predisposition
- Ingredient processing
- Interaction of ingredients
- Overall nutritional composition of the diet
- The protein content of the diet
Benefits of Taurine
Taurine is also beneficial for other reasons. They are:
- Defends the liver against oxidation from free radicals
- Fights obesity
- Helps control diabetes and its complications
- Improves the body’s immune response
- Promotes reproductive health
- Protects the retinas and vision
- Reduces seizure symptoms
- Strengthens the heart muscle
- Supports healthy vascular function
Should You Supplement?
Many pawrents have asked me if they should supplement their Chihuahua’s diet with taurine. I am very cautious when making recommendations. The reason is that every Chihuahua is an individual. Whether or not to supplement should be weighted in relation to many other factors, including the Chihuahua’s overall health and his or her current diet.
There are differences in how countries regulate supplements. In the United States, these substances are not as vigorously regulated by the FDA as other medications. This means they can be sold without the manufacturer having to prove they are effective, whether they are safe, and without a guarantee of consistent or accurately reported ingredients.
In Canada, products that have been evaluated for quality, safety, and effectiveness by Health Canada and authorized for sale will have a license number on the label.
Instead of trying to supplement your Chihuahuas diet with taurine, discuss with your veterinarian first or get the advice of a canine nutrition specialist.
