It kind of looks like your post, because it's on page 3 of a discussion of grain free and it's relationship to DCM may have been totally overlooked. You might want to try reposting as a new thread.
But here are some thoughts on the issue. I've been feeding dogs (mostly Dobermans since 1959 and I've used (at the recommendation of a long ago vet) almost exclusively kibble manufactured by big companies who use nutritionists who formulate food, keep actual dogs whose role is to test foods to make sure that they actually accomplish what they are supposed to accomplish. It's worked well for me and I'm somewhat leery of taking recommendations offered by some of the purported experts who offer their opinions and rate various kibble.
I'm really curious about these ingredients that are supposed to organ damage and/or cancer. That's a new one--but I admit I don't really keep up with reading the various lists of good/bad/indifferent kibbles.
So what are the 19 controversial ingredients and the 3 harmful ingredients in ProPlan?
For the record--most of my dogs (the exception was a dog with a kidney infection that we--his vets and I--could not control and who was euthanized at nearly 8 because the ongoing elevated temperature was killing him slowly) but the rest of them on average were between 9 and 10 years and while 2 actually died because of DCM/CHF in the case of 1 and sudden death a nearly 10 in the case of another all the rest may have had cardio but it wasn't what killed them--most were euthanized because of other issues but all were either between 9 and 10 or over 10 and my geriatric guy now will be 14 in November.
For nearly that last 20 years I've fed ProPlan--mostly the Focus Sensative Skin and Stomach (salmon and rice) or Focus Chicken and Rice.
This is a kibble that has kept my dogs in excellent shape--bright eyed, full of energy, glossy coat, appropriate weight without needing to feed large quantities of food, small firm stools--that's what I look for in terms of results and that's what I've gotten from the ProPlan diets.
Not every dog will do well on the same diet--but most of the diets created by the big food companies are not computer formulations but are actually tested on real live dogs to make sure they perform as promised.
While the prescription diets are often more expensive than the non-prescription diets I find the ProPlan to be reasonably priced--it isn't part of the prescription line.
I don't home cook--but I do add things to my dogs diets from puppyhood on--and I don't feed puppy food or large breed puppy food--I feed kibble that is ALS (all life stages)--and this has some advantages that aren't always met with a puppy food for the larger breeds at least. I add either cottage cheese or yogurt, hard boiled eggs, small quantities of ground beef, ground turkey or chicken--cooked to a sloppy Joe consistency and the dogs get a couple of tablespoonsful with a meal. I do this with the puppies because I want them to eat every meal eagerly--so I want the habit to be formed when they are young. I don't bother adding vegetables to the kibble--they get bits of anything I happen to be fixing for me--lettuce, celery, tomatoes, green pepper, most fruit (no one except me really likes grapefruit)--one of the cats is particularly fond of melon.
So I'm still really curious about the list of controversial things and the 3 harmful things that are supposed to be in ProPlan.
Don't know that this answers any of your questions but it's what I've done for quite a long time--seems to work.
For the record--I do not feed any formula that uses lamb as the main meat protein source--over the years I've tried lamb formulas occasionally and none of tem seemed to provide what my Dobermans needed--the first thing that happened was their coats started looking dry and dull and the next thing that happened was that they became very hard to keep in good weight.
dobebug
