It's not the brand of dog food it is the formula.  All of these foods have a large amount of pea protein and often it is split into different ingredients on the bag including lentils,chickpeas,pea flour,etc.  By splitting the ingredient list like this it makes it look like meat is the main ingredient when in fact more protein is coming from the legumes.  Many of these companies do not add taurine to their foods, although they might now.  Taurine is not found in peas but in meat.  Theoretically dogs can make taurine from other precursors (amino acids) found in meat.  Some of these dogs have low taurine levels but some are normal so I don't think anybody really understands why some dogs have issues and many don't.

Most dogs can handle grains just fine and if you are worried about corn and wheat then feed one with rice, oatmeal, or barley.  A lot of these foods on the list also have unique or exotic proteins such as pork or kangaroo and unless your dog has true food allergy (which is rare) you can rotate proteins but try to stick with more common ones.  I do realize that a lot of dogs on this site have cancer so you do want to limit carbs but I would focus more on meat than plant proteins.  Veggies do not seem to cause an issue.

When I first heard about this a year ago I did some research and was shocked to see how many companies did not add taurine and how many do not even have a nutritionist on staff.  I think that is why you do not see Purina, Royal Canin, or Hills on this list because a lot of science goes into those diets.  This list is simply a compilation of the foods that cardiologists reported that the affected dogs were eating so I do not think there is anything nefarious going on here.  I changed my dogs from the grain-free Fromm Large Breed Adult to the regular formula and I still like the brand.  I also rotate between flavors and brands from time to time.

I currently am advising my clients to avoid foods high in pea protein.  If you really think your dog has a food allergy you need to feed one novel protein and one simple carb (duck and potato/rabbit and rice/etc) or a hydrolyzed diet (my favorite is Royal Canin HP which has soy).  If you home cook your food just make sure you have an adequate mineral and vitamin supplement and you often need to add fish oil as well.  You can go to BalanceIt.com but I do not think they will advise on raw diets.

Pam

Yes the legumes do raise the overall protein content which is why Dog Advisor separates out meat protein from other sources.  They did just put out new ratings of grain-free foods after the FDA report.  I do not think anybody knows an ideal meat protein ratio; I think small amounts of peas might be okay but someone will have to evaluate that.  I have in the past fed Nature's Logic and they use millet as an alternate carb source but I am not sure how much protein is in millet. It is worth noting that grain-free is not the same as low-carb since potatoes and peas also have quite a bit of starch.

Taurine is only present in meat and different meats have different levels.  I saw a list at one time and if I remember right the more common meats such as chicken and turkey (especially dark meat) have higher levels than some exotic meats.  Taurine is also high in organ meats (liver/heart) as well as in seafood.  It is not clear if normal levels of taurine in the blood correlates to normal levels in the heart muscle so that is why dogs with DCM should have a taurine supplement even if blood levels are normal.  Cardiologists are looking at all of these factors to try and sort out the cause of this problem and most likely it is multi-factorial.  I have given my dog Julian a taurine supplement for the last 3 or 4 years because he tends to be overweight and he is not eating anywhere near what the bag recommends (the bag says 8-10 cups per day but he gets 4 cups per day plus a little canned).  Even though he is on a food that provides taurine it is based on serving size and he clearly is not getting the full amount.  Giant dogs are more prone to DCM so this is probably overkill but taurine is safe and it is not pricey.  

This is a confusing issue and we all want to feed the best for our dogs.  Even if you home-cook it can be hard to get taurine levels and micronutrients right unless you have a nutritionist to guide you.  When evaluated almost 85% of home-cooked foods are missing something; usually minerals, omega 3s, and fiber.  There are many websites that can help you with this and I think that BalanceIt.com also sells or recommends brands of supplements.

Pam