Your pet can have health challenges just like humans do. Some of the most challenging disorders are heart diseases. Your dog may have a heart murmur, problems with heart valves, or even an enlarged heart. Heart problems snowball into challenges in various parts of the body. At this point you might want to consider feeding them low sodium dog food.
When your pet struggles with such a condition, it can no longer dynamically expel sodium from its body. The kidneys and central nervous system are involved in this affected process. As a pet owner, you need to find pet food that assists the body in dealing with this challenge.
Buying guide
The most logical approach is to give your dog food which contains less sodium than usual. This will help so its system doesn’t have to work as hard as to get rid of excess fluid caused by high levels of sodium in the body. Take note that an amount of sodium is still necessary in its diet so you can’t simply stop giving it food types that contain sodium.
Sodium plays a role in the transmission of impulses between nerves. It also helps regulate blood pressure. These processes are central to your dog’s functioning; therefore it’s vital to have enough sodium in its body but too much is detrimental.
If you’re concerned about your pet’s health and the vet has told you that heart problems are prevalent or even just starting up, you need to change your dog’s diet. Whatever your dog is taking in determines its level of health and by changing its diet you should see benefits within weeks.
So what should you be looking for when searching for a new food source?
- Low sodium levels to assist the heart functioning
- High nutrient levels to make sure your dog receives all that’s necessary to keep healthy for as long as possible. Due to treatment focused on your dog’s heart, it may urinate more and lose more nutrients than usual. These need to be adequately replenished.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to reverse the effects that heart problems have. There can be damage to the muscle itself or even in other parts such as the urinary tract. But an exceptional diet can help your pet’s system and prevent damage from happening too quickly. For this reason it’s imperative to offer as much help as you can in terms of the correct diet. The longer your pet can maintain a certain level of health, the longer it will enjoy a better quality of life.
Many heart problems occur when pets get older, but this type of problem isn’t exclusively connected to age. Unfortunately many breeds are prone to certain disorders, and heart problems are one of the prevalent ones. Depending on your dog’s age, you may need to purchase food appropriate for its age because younger dogs need different nutrients than older dogs to develop and keep in top form.
Purina Veterinary Diets Canine NF Kidney Function Dry Dog Food
Purina assists your dog’s heart condition by adjusting the levels of certain nutrients:
- Protein and phosphorous are kept low so your dog’s kidneys don’t have to work too hard
- Sodium is reduced so there’s less of the substance that has to be processed through your dog’s system
With these adjustments Purina attempts to give pets with this specific disorder a chance at an improved state of health. However there are various other factors you need to take into account and see whether it affects your dog positively or not.
Pros
- The correct amounts of nutrients are introduced as mentioned above. While damage of the heart can’t be reversed, these precautions help slow down the effects of the disease
- Purina makes sure it stays within regulations set out by AAFCO. This means you can be assured of the nutritional value the food has for your dog. The USA makes sure dog food is beneficial to pets and manufacturers have to stay in line with requirements in order to stay legally open
- Purina is one of the more affordable options available so this product should help you manage your budget while helping your dog with its health problems
Cons
Purina has a few items on the list of ingredients that may not be beneficial to your dog. This will be determined by how sensitive your dog is to certain elements:
- Whole grain corn—Corn isn’t easily digested and some dogs are allergic to it. By not being digested your dog receives very little benefit from the nutrients locked up in each grain. This turns a great ingredient into a low quality item
- Brewers rice—The value of this ingredient is widely debated. This is a great source of nutrients but can also aggravate allergies if a certain dog is very sensitive to any grain products
- Absence of meat—No real meat is used as a primary ingredient. Apart from missing out on the beneficial nutrients found in meat, the food also doesn’t acquire a meaty taste which dogs are attracted to. This could mean your dog will need incentive to eat its food such as supplements or mixing it with other food types. This may affect your budget
Summary
This is an affordable pet food option to help your dog towards improved health. The appropriately adjusted levels of nutrients supply your dog with everything it needs so its body can have a chance of recovery or at least managing the situation better.
Hill’s Prescription Diet h/d Canine Cardiac Health
Hill’s goes the extra mile for its clients by developing food that’s ideal for certain disorders. Your dog’s heart problems are manageable with the correct sodium intake and this Hill’s product offers exactly that. Along with this, your dog receives many nutrients to benefit overall health, so other parts of its system stay in top condition.
Pros
- Hill’s decreases the sodium level of this food. This assists in keeping your dog’s blood pressure at lower, healthier levels
- Hill’s attempts at helping the heart itself by increasing taurine and L-Carnitine levels. Taurine will help the metabolism in the heart’s muscle, while L-Carnitine helps the heart function better. Remember that the amount of damage already done to the heart will affect the results of the food you give your dog
- If diuretics make up part of your dog’s treatment you’ll be happy to know this product offers a lot of B-vitamins and magnesium. Even if some of them are lost through urination, your dog will still retain enough for optimum functioning and excesses will always be expelled
- This is a wet food which can act as a great complement to dry dog food to make it palatable for picky eaters. Therefore it can be used as a supplement to what your dog eats otherwise
- The manufacturers use real meat during production. This is great for two reasons:
- Real meat produces great flavor so your dog will love what it gets at mealtimes
- Less artificial flavoring is necessary which means your dog is safe from allergic reactions
Cons
- Hill’s is one of the more expensive brands available on today’s market. While you’ll get value for money, you’ll have to make decisions in terms of your personal budget before starting your dog on this diet
- The product contains corn which is difficult to digest. This means your pet won’t get the benefit of nutrients locked up in this substance. In addition, some dogs are allergic to grains such as corn so you need to monitor what the effect of the food is on your pet. One thing to look out for is whether it develops dry skin or a dull coat. This is the first sign of allergic reactions.
Summary
Hill’s is known for its high-quality pet food items, so you can be sure your dog will receive great nutrition. Natural products as well as the many nutrients Hill’s adds to this specific product means your dog’s heart disorder can be managed. Your dog’s current health will improve and you can slow down the effects of the problem. As with many great products, it does come with a hefty price tag so you need to consider this before committing to it.
Royal Canin Canine Renal Support F Dry
This Royal Canin product isn’t specifically aimed at heart conditions but rather kidney problems. This is still a great option to help your dog function better when in the grip of heart diseases because many organs work together and influence each other. With its focus on the renal system, Royal Canin lowered the levels of a few nutrients.
The levels Royal Canin address include:
- Proteins
- Phosphorus
- Sodium
Your dog can eat this quality dog food and you can be sure that both his heart and kidneys won’t be overtaxed.
Pros
- In terms of heart disease, this product assists by keeping sodium intake very low. The manufacturers made sure to still add enough of this substance since it’s vital for your dog’s day to day functioning
- In terms of support to the kidneys, less proteins mean your dog’s kidneys can have the rest they need. Less toxins need to be dealt with and there’s less buildup of toxins in the body
- Royal Canin raises the level of B vitamins and fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. They are a prominent role player in everything from your dog’s skin to its heart. These healthy ingredients help your dog to maintain overall health so it doesn’t have more symptoms impacting its health. Since it’s hard enough to cope with one problem at a time you should guard against more issues arising
Cons
- Royal Canin changed its main ingredient from a meat product to a grain. On the packet you’ll see this ingredient is brewers rice and unfortunately, the value of this item is debatable. Many experts doubt that it adds nutritional value and sensitive dogs’ allergies may react to it
- Royal Canin is an expensive option when deciding between dog food brands. It’s not wise to change your dog’s food type too often because they need to get used to every new item you introduce to their bowl. You need to consider the cost if this product is going to become your dog’s long-term answer to heart disease challenges
Summary
This product is designed for a different ailment than heart disease. Due to its low-sodium levels, it can still benefit your pet though, and if this food is a better match with your dog’s system it will definitely help it maintain a better state of health than when it’s eating normal dog food.
Conclusion
It can be devastating to you as a pet owner when you hear your pet may suffer from a chronic disease. It’s imperative that you have courage so you can do your utmost in finding the answer to the problem. Feeding your dog a low sodium dog food can help their condition.
The items listed here are all great options to give your dog a better chance at fighting the condition because the manufacturers made sure sodium levels were lowered. Because some dogs are extremely sensitive to certain ingredients, you may need to test all of these dog foods on your dog to see which one doesn’t trigger allergies.
The taste should also be acceptable to your dog’s senses. If your pet doesn’t want to finish its food at mealtimes it won’t get all the nutrients it needs to manage the disorder.
Hill’s product for cardiac health is your best option when searching for an answer to your dog’s heart challenges. This is because Hill’s designed a dog food especially for those pets struggling with their hearts, and this item has the least amount of questionable ingredients as part of the manufacturing process. This lowers the chance of negative effects so you know your pet is looked after in the best way possible.
