Posts Tagged ‘Sound Selections’

Best Dog Food for Congestive Heart Failure

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Every dog owner wants the very best for their dogs. Unfortunately, occasionally we have to face the fact that our beloved dog has medical disorders that need to be addressed. For this particular article, let us concentrate on what is canine congestive heart failure and how to make nutritionally sound selections to avoid the congestive heart failure in your dog.

Heart disease is caused by an abnormality in the dog’s heart structure and performance. Usually, what happens is that this defect causes the dog’s heart to reduce its capacity to pump blood well which leads to ultimate cardiac failure for the already weakened dog. There are often no telltale signs of this disorder until it is in its final stages 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 occurring in your dog.

As with humans, a reduced salt diet will assist in keeping the health of the cardiovascular system. Try preparing ¼ lb of lean beef ground meat with 2 cups of unsalted rice and 2 teaspoons dicalcium phosphate in vegetable oil. You can also use high quality commercial pet food but check the nutritional content and consult with your vet before making any changes in the dog’s diet and lifestyle.

Another essential nutrient that could be supplemented in your dog’s daily food intake is Omega-3 fatty acids. This tends to not only reduce the risk of congestive heart illnesses for dogs, but with other equally critical cardiac disorders as well. Common and accessible sources of Omega-3 fatty acids are sea food and fish oils.

Vitamin E also tends to raise the antioxidant levels in the dog’s cardiovascular reserves. Studies have consistently shown that this particular vitamin helps animals with heart complications. When you are using a particular pet food, ensure that it has not been kept in storage for a very long period of time – particularly 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 enhances your dog’s heart rate, exercise tolerance and protection against some heart diseases. L-carnitine in partner with Taurine is recognized as good helpers in maintaining cardiac health for animals. Taurine specifically is said to prolong the life expectancy of dogs with congestive heart problems.

When looking at an appropriate dog food for congestive heart failure, do not neglect also the value of exercise as a preventive measure for canine congestive heart failure. An indicator of this ailment is the animal’s extreme exhaustion after exercising; so when you notice that the dog is exhibiting signs of labored breathing and excessive fatigue—take him to the vet for diagnosis immediately.

Hearing news of a dear pet’s life threatening condition is often understandably upsetting. A little effort and learning about the best dog food for dog congestive heart failure will make a difference in keeping your dog’s heart health. Remember this and be sure to look forward to your dog’s best years thus far.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,