My dog has perianal fistula. Is Zignature food safe for his heart?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I definitely understand your concern. I do think it would be best to switch them to a regular diet. There are many types out there that are affordable and good. I like the Purina Pro Plan shredded blends in that category because they are palatable, affordable and of very good quality. Good luck and have a great day!

Unfortunately no one knows for certain right now. The concern seems to be with diets containing potatoes or legumes as a main ingredient, and this diet does have potatoes early in the list. It also seems that dogs that develop heart disease and that are being fed these diets have low levels of taurine in their blood, but at this point it isn't entirely clear if the diets are deficient or if there is something else going on that is interfering with the dogs' ability to absorb the taurine. I would recommend talking to your vet about options - if Brody has a medical condition you could discuss an appropriate alternative or potentially even check a blood taurine level and echocardiogram to look for signs of heart disease. If Brody does not have a medical problem it would be safest to go ahead and switch foods. This link has more detail: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm613305.htm

Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!

A hydrolyzed therapeutic diet might be the best option for a dog with food allergies and potential heart disease. Hills makes a version called z/d, Royal Canin makes HP and Purina makes HA. Your vet would know more details however and might make a different recommendation based on Champ’s history so you should contact them before changing the diet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this would be a good short term diet, this lacks some key nutrients, vitamins and minerals. For that reason, a more complete commercial diet such as any of the Purina Pro Plan or Science Diet foods would be more appropriate. Good luck!

Omega 3 fatty acids for pets can help with heart health. Royal Canin makes a diet for dogs with heart disease. Lastly, it is not fully understood, but there appears to be a link between grain free dog food and heart enlargement. If you are feeding a grain free diet, you may talk with your veterinarian about a diet change. I hope this helps.

It will make little difference in the long run. Dogs rarely develop heart disease due to a high fat diet like humans do. The heart disease a Cavalier is predisposed to stems from a failure or weakening of the heart valves that control blood flow through the heart. As long as Chloe is active and not overweight, the diet change is fine. Switch food gradually to avoid GI upset.