Pet Food Processing - January 2024 - 11

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
the
next
DCM?
Before jumping to conclusions about the risks of copper and
liver disease in dogs, the industry needs to conduct research.
By Stephanie Clark, Sydney McCauley and Bradley Quest | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com
In the ever-evolving landscape of pet nutrition, a new
debate is occurring around copper levels in pet diets and
their potential link to hepatopathy, a type of liver disease,
in dogs. This discussion taking place within the
veterinary community today echoes earlier, highly publicized
concerns about grain-free diets and their potential
link to a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy
(DCM). Given the significance of such claims and
the pet industry's commitment to the health and wellbeing
of animals, it is important to be aware of these concerns.
At the same time, we must scrutinize all such developments
through the lens of controlled, prospective
research that can observe and identify trends over time.
Drawing parallels to the problems created by DCM,
a researcher at The Veterinary College of Medicine
at Cornell University is currently delving into copper
levels by requesting nutritional information from pet
food manufacturers and advocating for maximum copper
levels. Similar to the initial rumblings and origins
of the DCM controversy, the push to scrutinize copper
mirrors the methodology that sparked the controversy
around DCM, namely a reliance on anecdotal observations
and retrospective case studies with significant
limitations that cannot nor should not be used to draw
sweeping conclusions. Upon further inspection, we also
see other similarities, from claims about an increase in
the incidence rate of copper-related disease, the use of
case studies that include predisposed or already sick animals,
and opinion pieces being taken as objective data.
The importance of learning from past experiences and
demanding more robust research methodologies cannot
be overstated.
Claims of incidences on the rise
The absence of concrete data supporting the purported
increase in DCM cases in 2019 mirrors the uncertainty
surrounding copper-associated hepatopathies. In the
case of DCM, there was no large-scale data published to
support these beliefs. However, a commentary published
by the Journal of the American Veterinary Association
(JAVMA), which anchored concerns that helped fuel
the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) public comments
on the issue, alleged that " over the past few years,
an increasing number of DCM cases involving dogs appear
to have been related to diet. "
Subsequent analysis of information shared by the
FDA under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) undercuts
any notion of an increase in DCM. Furthermore,
www.petfoodprocessing.net | January 2024 | PET FOOD PROCESSING 11
Scrutiny over the
level of copper in dog
foods was brought
before the Association
of American Feed
Control Officials
(AAFCO) in April, but
the organization said
it would not adjust
guidance on Cu levels
until scientific findings
can definitively prove
changes are needed.
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Pet Food Processing - January 2024

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