FDA's diet and DCM investigation: where it stands in 2026

The US Food and Drug Administration’s most recent public update on its investigation into diet and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs was published in December 2022. In it, the FDA said it would not release further updates until there was meaningful new scientific information. It’s the most recent update we found on the FDA’s investigation page when writing this article; check the page itself for anything newer.

For dog owners, that means the official position is the one from late 2022: a possible link between certain diets and DCM was investigated, and was neither confirmed nor ruled out.

What the investigation was about

The FDA began looking into reports of DCM in dogs eating certain diets in July 2018. Many of the diets in the reports were labelled grain-free and listed peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes high in their ingredient lists. DCM is a disease of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure. Some breeds have an inherited tendency to it, but many of the reported dogs were from breeds not usually affected.

In June 2019 the FDA named the brands most frequently mentioned in the reports it had received. It did not ask for any recalls and said the reports alone did not show that these foods caused the disease.

What the December 2022 update said

The FDA said that the reports it had received did not, on their own, establish a causal link between the diets and DCM, and that DCM is a complex condition that may involve multiple factors. It said it would continue to work with researchers and would share meaningful new information when it had it.

The full text, with the earlier updates, is on the FDA’s investigation page.

Why it matters that there’s no verdict

An open question is uncomfortable, and it’s tempting to fill the gap with certainty in either direction: “grain-free causes heart disease” or “the scare was nothing”. Neither is supported by what the FDA has published. Reports pointed to a pattern worth studying; they didn’t prove cause, and they didn’t rule it out.

What it means for you

If your dog eats a grain-free diet, the advice hasn’t changed: talk to your vet about your dog’s breed, diet and health, especially if you notice signs such as tiring quickly, coughing, fainting or faster breathing at rest. Don’t switch foods abruptly unless your vet advises it.

Our guide grain-free dog food and DCM explains the background in more detail.

What we’re doing

Our database records whether each formula is grain-free and where legumes and potatoes appear in its ingredient list. You can filter on both in the Food Finder. We’ll update this page and the guide if the FDA publishes new information.