Posts Tagged ‘Telltale Signs’

What is the Best Dog Food for Congestive Heart Failure?

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Every dog owner wants the best for their dog. Unfortunately, sometimes we are forced to face the fact that our dearly loved dog has medical disorders that need to be addressed. For this specific article, let us concentrate on what is canine congestive heart failure and how to make nutritionally sound choices to avoid the decline in your dog’s health due to heart failure.

Heart disease is the result of an aberration in yourdog’s heart structure and performance. Typically, what happens is that this deficiency causes your dog’s heart to decrease its ability to pump blood well which leads to ultimate heart failure for the poor dog. Often there will be no telltale signs of this ailment until it is too late so we would do well to learn the best dog food for congestive heart failure – it is one of the most helpful tools to avoid this from happening to your pet.

Just as is the case with people, a reduced salt diet will assist in maintaining the health of the cardiovascular system. Try preparing 1/4 lb of lean beef ground meat with 2 cups of unsalted rice and 2 teaspoons dicalcium phosphate in vegetable oil. You can also use organic commercial dog food but check the nutritional content and consult with your vet before making any alterations in the dog’s diet and lifestyle.

Another important nutrient that should be added in your dog’s daily food intake is Omega-3 fatty acids. This seems to not only reduce the risk of congestive heart illnesses for dogs, but with other equally critical cardiac disorders as well. Omega-3 is found abundantly in sea food and fish oil supplements.

Vitamin E also tends to raise the antioxidant levels in your dog’s cardiovascular reserves. Studies have constantly shown that this particular vitamin helps animals suffering from heart complications. When you are using a particular pet food, make sure that it has not been kept in storage for a very long period of time – especially if its nutritional content indicates that it has high unsaturated fat. This is one contributing factor in depleting the pet’s Vitamin E leve.

Other nutrients that help in improved canine cardiovascular function are L-carnitine and Taurine. L-carnitine improves your dog’s heart rate, exercise tolerance and protection against many types of heart diseases. L-carnitine in partner with Taurine is acknowledged as good helpers in maintaining heart health for animals. Taurine specifically is said to extend the life expectancy of canines with congestive heart diseases.

When determining your dog’s diet, do not neglect also the value of exercise as a preventive measure for canine congestive heart failure. A symptom of this ailment is the dog’s extreme exhaustion after exercising; so when you notice that the dog is exhibiting signs of labored breathing and extreme tiredness – take him to the vet for prognosis right away.

Hearing news of a beloved pet’s life threatening condition is often heartbreaking. Just a little effort and learning about the best dog food for congestive heart failure will go a long way in keeping your dog’s heart health. Bear this in mind and enjoy your dog’s best years yet.