In July 2018 the FDA flagged a possible link between grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart disease, in dogs without the usual genetic risk. By the time the agency paused routine public updates in December 2022, it had received 1,382 reports — more than 90% involving grain-free foods and 93% containing peas and/or lentils.
The veterinary cardiology community now frames this as a "BEG" issue — boutique, exotic-protein, grain-free diets built on high proportions of pulses (peas, lentils, chickpeas, potatoes) — rather than grain-free as a blanket category. Many grain-inclusive foods with heavy legume loads were also flagged.
A 2024 review concluded that grain-free diets containing high proportions of peas and lentils continue to show associations with non-hereditary DCM. Case series report that some affected dogs improve when switched to traditional commercial diets, though improvement is not universal and some heart changes persist.
The mechanism is still unidentified — simple taurine deficiency has been ruled out as the sole cause. The FDA has not declared causation; it resumed the possibility of updates if meaningful new science emerges.
Practical takeaway: if you feed a legume-heavy grain-free diet, discuss cardiac screening (echocardiogram or NT-proBNP) with your vet, especially for large breeds or dogs on the diet for over a year. Choose foods formulated by veterinary nutritionists with transparent histories.
