[aimee]

Hi Patricia,

European countries do have confirmed cases of non- taurine dietary DCM as does Australia and others. I don’t know if there are central reporting agencies in those countries nor what the distribution nor availability of veterinary cardiologists is to confirm and track cases. Apparently, some are reporting to the FDA and to the “citizen science group who has confirmed them.

Additionally, this is a multi-faceted problem so IMO regional variations could exist.

I think your point is a very good one! I think one of the major faults of AAFCO is that they define nutrients by energy but do not define or publish guidelines on what energy intake is needed to meet metabolic needs.

I would consider most pets to have lower energy intake needs and using AAFCO I’ve found even that my own “easy keeper” may not hit targeted levels. Also, I’ve found numerous companies whose feeding recommendations if followed would also result in deficiencies. In my experience this has been with smaller companies and expensive diets like freeze dried and fresh. Going back near 20 years ago I had a major company share with me that all their diets were formulated at levels 25% above AAFCO min to account for “easy keepers”