In Memory of Thea

This month we want to remember Thea who passed away suddenly from dilated cardiomyopathy, most likely caused by a grain free diet. Thea, who would’ve turned 4 years old last week, was a ball of energy and excitement who was obsessed with playing fetch, snuggling her brother, Max, and dressing up for holiday photo shoots.

Recently, veterinary cardiologists have identified a possible link between cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and “grain free” boutique diets high in lentils, peas, other legume seeds (pulses) and/or potatoes. The FDA is currently investigating this connection, which likely involves many complex factors.

Thea’s parents were unaware of the current concerns about grain-free diets and are working hard to share her story: “Losing a pet is always hard, but losing them at such a young age and being blindsided by it made this loss so much harder. I really hope that sharing Thea’s story will help to raise awareness and hopefully help save other dogs. We only wish we’d been made aware of the risks of her diet before it was too late.” -Thea’s Mom, Christina

Please be aware of this serious issue — and despite claims on the food websites, this issue is real! We are seeing cases every week 🙁 For more information on choosing foods safe for your pet check out our grain-free handout on our website at: https://evolutionvet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/DCM-Flyer-2019-Updated_TM_LR.pdf

We interviewed Thea’s mom, Christina, to learn more about Thea’s life:

“Thea joined our family when she was only 8 weeks old, and from that moment on she was a ball of energy and excitement. She was OBSESSED with playing fetch and would take any opportunity she’d find to roll a ball to your feet and hope/beg that’d you’d throw it for her. She was our personal energizer bunny…from 7am to about 10pm she was go-go-go. She also loved water and swimming, which seemed to be pretty rare for boxers. When the sprinklers in our yard would come on it was her personal goal to test the water from each and every spout.

Her and our other boxer, Max, grew up together for the last 3.5 years and they were inseparable. She had no concept of personal space boundaries with him (as you’ll see in a couple of the pictures) and had to be wherever he was. She was his little sidekick and they loved to race around the backyard after each other and after the unsuspecting bunnies that would wonder into the yard. Over time we also realized that she was a fan of dressing up and would let us put her in just about anything for a few treats. Holiday themed photo shoots became a recurring (and hilarious) event at our house, and she was always the star. Her snaggletooth always seemed to be more prevalent during these photos, which made them even more adorable.

Thea would’ve been turning 4 years old tomorrow. Losing a pet is always hard, but losing them at such a young age and being blindsided by it made this loss so much harder. I really hope that sharing Thea’s story will help to raise awareness and hopefully help save other dogs. We only wish we’d been made aware of the risks of her diet before it was too late.

– Thea’s mom, Christina