Purina announces the “first and only” diet for canine epilepsy – Dogtor J’s Response

Recently, Purina released NeuroCare, the “first and only diet to nutritionally manage dogs with epilepsy”. Of course, I could not wait to examine the ingredients and read their claims. I was not surprised to see that the ingredients included wheat, barley and corn ( it is a Purina product, after all) but I was pretty amazed to find their claims of success were as high as they were, knowing that the elimination of gluten and corn was a key factor in the development of my G.A.R.D. over 15 years ago.

So…I dashed off a letter to a few other pet food companies, alerting them to the fact that they ALREADY had diets in their line-up that were far superior to NeuroCare and could be billed as anti-seizure diets with a higher success rate (if they were willing to accept the premises of The G.A.R.D . and do the studies to prove the efficacy for themselves…two big ifs.)

Below is the version that I ended up posting on the Purina Veterinary Exchange Facebook page for my colleagues to read. It is the more personalized version (for Purina) of the Facebook post I placed on my DogtorJ and GARD Facebook pages for my followers to read. I also tacked on Purina’s response and my follow-up to their rather canned post.

I hope this helps,
Dogtor J

Purina announces the “first and only” diet to manage canine epilepsy – Dogtor J’s Response

Yes…Purina announces the release of the “first and only diet to nutritionally manage dogs with epilepsy” called ProPlan NeuroCare. Although this is milestone step…to have a pet food company claim that diet has anything to do with epilepsy…their new diet is NOT the first diet for epilepsy nor will it nutritionally manage dogs with epilepsy in the way that a properly formulated diet can.

You claim “71% of dogs showed a reduction in seizure frequency, 48% of dogs showed a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency, and 14% of dogs achieved complete seizure freedom”.

I am amazed that you can boast these results, knowing that NeuroCare is loaded with gluten (from wheat and barley) and corn, the removal of which was KEY in my development of The G.A.R.D. The Glutamate & Aspartate Restricted Diet) … over 15 years ago!!!

But…this IS a milestone, nonetheless. In the same way that gluten awareness has hit the big time, the importance of diet in epilepsy and other neurological conditions is finally coming into its own. The human medical community remains a mixed bag on this issue, with many neurologists embracing the (flawed) ketogenic and modified Atkin’s diets while others still contending that diet has nothing to do with epilepsy.

So, to see veterinary medicine…at least a prominent pet food manufacturer…throw their hat into this ring is a very exciting and promising event.

Upon seeing the prominent first page ad for ProPlan NeuroCare in a veterinary periodical, I immediately dashed off an email to competing pet food companies alerting them to the fact that they (Natural Balance, Royal Canin, and Hills) ALREADY had diets in their line-up that were FAR better for managing epilepsy than Purina’s offering.

The ideal commercial diet for canine epilepsy at this time are the sweet potato and fish formulas from Natural Balance and Simply Nourish (PetSmart’s house brand). They meet the elimination criteria (no gluten, dairy, corn or legumes) and contain the animal protein (fish) and carbohydrate source (sweet potato) that are the lowest in glutamic acid while being the least allergenic/reactive. But, just about any grain-free diet is far superior to NeuroCare for managing seizures (except for those loaded with legumes). If the majority of grain-free foods did not contain peas and other legumes (which are super-rich in glutamate) they would all be more effective.

So…tell your friends that the concept of dietary management of epilepsy has finally made its way into conventional veterinary medicine. Just know that there are much better commercial and homemade alternatives to NeuroCare that will yield phenomenally better results, approaching 100% improvement and cessation of seizures caused by idiopathic epilepsy (as long as concurrent conditions, such as hypothyroidism and liver disease, are identified and treated).

But, that’s not all! As I have written many times, epilepsy is just the tip of the iceberg…the glaring example of what the proper elimination diet can do for the multitude of medical conditions that plague us and our four-legged family members.

However…to start this healing process, we MUST eliminate all gluten (wheat, barley, rye), corn, legumes and dairy products from pet food. I am not quite sure why Purina (and Hills) cling to the contention that wheat and corn are healthy for carnivorous dogs and cats, especially when nearly every other major pet food producer is proud to say their products don’t contain these things and have big banners on their bags saying so.

Some day, your R&D department will catch up with the times and make healthier foods. You are fully capable of making an anti-seizure diet that blows NeuroCare away. Just contact me if you’re interested.

Purina’s Response

Purina Veterinary Exchange Our number one commitment is the health and well-being of pets, John. We have over 400 scientists, including veterinarians and professional pet nutritionists who formulate our products to ensure that they provide complete and balanced nutrition. All of our products are 100% complete and balanced for their intended life stage and are safe to feed. Learn more here: http://puri.na/1kFdrjw.

My Follow-up Response:

Sadly, this is one time the veterinary profession lags way behind our medical counterparts…the area of food intolerance.

So little is being written on gluten, dairy, soy and corn intolerance in pets, even though I was taught about gluten intolerance in the dog over 37 years ago.

Yes…it was restricted to the poor Irish setter (which is almost extinct as a breed now thanks to wheat being introduced into pet foods in the late 1980s). But…that hapless breed was just the martyr. It clearly affects countless breeds (and cats) but somehow, the veterinary profession is blind to it…despite the majority of pet foods now being PROUD to say their formulas contain no wheat. Why IS the grain-free craze so popular?

I don’t doubt your scientists are working hard to create a balanced diet. But…you’ve heard that if you start with a false premise you will come to an erroneous conclusion. That’s what’s happening at Purina, I’m afraid. Your scientists need a refresher course in nutrition, specifically food intolerance, lectins, and the leaky gut syndrome.