TAURINE DOSAGE FREE
Not all pets diagnosed with DCM while being fed a grain free or limited ingredient diet respond to taurine supplementation, but some certainly do. Joshua Stern, a cardiologist from UC Davis is conducting research on Golden Retrievers with DCM and taurine deficiency. sells a 100 count bottle of 1000mg taurine capsules for approximately $20.Ĭurrently there are no published studies confirming a link between boutique/grain free diets and DCM, but several studies are underway. It comes in many different formulations including chewable tablets, capsules (250 mg, 500 mg, 1000 mg), liquid, and powder. Supplemental taurine is easy to obtain at local drug stores or nutrition stores.
The reference range for whole blood normal taurine levels in dogs at this lab is 200-350 nmol/mL, with a critical level of <150 nmol/mL. Samples should be shipped in heparin (green top tube) and the test results take about 5-7 days to return. 5Ī whole blood taurine level costs about $200.00 at Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. For dogs over 25 kg, 1-2 grams taurine PO BID or TID. For DCM in dogs under 25 kg the dose is 500-1000 mg taurine PO BID to TID. For DCM in cats the recommended supplementation taurine dose is 250 mg PO SID to BID. Plasma levels can reflect acute changes, therefore whole blood levels will be more accurate in determining the whole body taurine level. The best way to determine if a pet has taurine deficiency is to run a whole blood taurine level.
Freeman calls them Boutique Exotic Ingredients (BEG) and more information can be found in her article at the following link Lisa Freeman, a nutritionist at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, said in regards to DCM in non-taurine deficient dogs, “What seems to be consistent is that it does appear to be more likely to occur in dogs eating boutique, grain-free or exotic ingredients diets.” Exotic ingredients include novel proteins (venison, buffalo, kangaroo) and legumes like lentils, chickpeas etc. 3 In addition, we have diagnosed 5 cats within a 6 month period with DCM that had been eating grain free/boutique diets and had confirmed low taurine levels. This would decrease the availability of sulfur amino acids which are precursors for taurine. They did not find evidence that rice bran was causing low taurine levels in large dogs being fed lamb and rice diets, however they reported that beet pulp may have lowered the whole body taurine in dogs by increasing excretion of fecal bile acids and decreasing protein digestibility. tested whether or not rice bran or other fibers including beet pulp affected bile acid excretion. The grain free diets have become very popular in recent years, so perhaps it is the formulations that are causing the issue. Both dogs developed taurine deficiency and DCM. Some recent cases diagnosed at AAMC include a dog being fed a vegetarian diet his whole life that was high in lentils and a dog on a strictly vegan diet. We are seeing DCM in “atypical” breeds like Boston Terriers etc., and the commonality amongst these patients is that they are being fed a grain free or homemade diet. Unlike cats, dogs can make taurine from other dietary amino acids and therefore don’t have to rely on diet.Įspecially noteworthy is that the breeds we have recently been diagnosing with DCM are not the breeds known to have a genetic predisposition (Dobermans, Boxers, and American Cocker Spaniels). 2 Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot make taurine, so the amino acid is considered essential. 1 Subsequent articles by many of the same authors investigated the supplementation of taurine in these cats. The authors reported the discovery that taurine deficiency in cats can cause DCM. In 1987, Pion et al.’s article on, “Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy” was published in Science. At Angell Animal Medical Center (AAMC) we have been diagnosing an increasing number of dogs with DCM and have been wondering why this is the case. The cardiac disease dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been genetically linked to certain dog breeds and can also be seen post doxorubicin administration. Veterinary Clinic for Low Income Pet Owners.Vet Services Report Cruelty Animal Advocacy Adopt
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