The Truth About Grain-Free Foods & DCM: What We Know in 2026

A lot has changed since we first wrote about grain-free foods and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) several years ago. Research has continued, including a new 2026 study using data from the Dog Aging Project, so we felt it was time to revisit the subject and share what we know today.

Let’s Start With What Your Pet Actually Needs

Dogs and cats need protein, essential amino acids, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in the proper amounts. Neither dogs nor cats have a nutritional requirement for grains. Healthy adult dogs and cats also have no specific dietary requirement for carbohydrates.

That doesn’t mean grains are automatically bad. Dogs and cats can digest properly prepared carbohydrates, including grains. It simply means grains aren’t an essential dietary requirement.

So What Should You Look for in a Pet Food?

At Odyssey Pets, our approach is simple:

Feed the most animal-protein-rich, lower-carbohydrate, complete and balanced diet that works for your individual pet, your budget and your lifestyle.

Fresh, frozen, freeze-dried, canned and kibble can all have a place. The best food is one that meets your pet’s nutritional needs and that you can realistically feed consistently.

We don’t believe you should choose a food simply because the bag says “grain-free” — or because it says “with grains.” Those are labels. What matters is the food as a whole.

What About DCM?

In 2018, the FDA began investigating reports of canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain diets, many of which were labeled grain-free. This led to widespread concern that grain-free diets themselves were causing DCM.

Years of research since then have shown that the story is far more complicated than “grain-free causes DCM.”

Research Has Not Established That the Absence of Grains Causes DCM

One of the newest pieces of research comes from a 2026 study using data from the Dog Aging Project.

Researchers examined whether feeding grain-free diets was associated with new owner-reported cardiac diagnoses over a two-year period. They found no statistically significant association between grain-free feeding and new cardiac diagnoses during the study period.

That’s an important distinction.

It does not mean that every grain-free food is automatically a good food, nor does one study answer every remaining question about diet-associated DCM. But the evidence does not support reducing this complicated issue to the idea that simply removing grains from a dog’s diet causes DCM.

DCM can have multiple causes, including genetics and certain nutritional deficiencies. Taurine deficiency is one well-established nutritional cause of DCM, although it does not explain every case.

The takeaway? A “grain-free” label by itself does not tell you whether a food is good or bad. Look at the food as a whole.

Grain-Free Doesn’t Mean Low-Carb

This is one of the biggest misconceptions we see when talking with pet owners.

Removing rice, corn or wheat from a food doesn’t automatically make that food meat-rich or low in carbohydrates.

Some grain-free foods simply replace grains with other carbohydrate sources and starches. A grain-free kibble can therefore still contain substantial carbohydrates.

So don’t shop the buzzword.

Look at the whole food.

How much of the diet is coming from quality animal-based ingredients? How carbohydrate-heavy is the formulation? Is it complete and balanced? Does it meet your individual pet’s needs? And is it something you can realistically afford and feed consistently?

Those questions tell us much more than whether the front of the bag says “grain-free.”

The Bottom Line

Pet nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated, and it shouldn’t be driven by buzzwords.

Grain-free doesn’t automatically mean better, and grain-inclusive doesn’t automatically mean healthier.

What matters is the food as a whole: quality animal protein, appropriate carbohydrate levels, complete and balanced nutrition, and how well it works for your individual pet.

At Odyssey Pets, we believe in feeding as much quality animal-based nutrition and as few unnecessary carbohydrates as your pet, budget and lifestyle allow. Whether that means fresh, frozen, freeze-dried, canned or a high-quality kibble, our goal is simple:

Help you feed your pet better — not chase a label.

Sources & Further Reading

For anyone who wants to dig deeper into the research, we encourage you to read the science for yourself.

2026 Dog Aging Project Study — Veterinary Medicine and Science
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vms3.71213

FDA — Questions & Answers: FDA’s Work on Potential Causes of Non-Hereditary DCM in Dogs
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs

Tufts Petfoodology — The Role of Carbohydrate in Pet Foods
https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/2021/07/07/the-role-of-carbohydrate-in-pet-foods/

AAFCO — Understanding Pet Food & Reading Labels
https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/reading-labels/