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Heart disease in your dog

Reduce the impact of an ailing heart with nutrition therapy

If your dog has heart disease, it’s a real game changer—for both of you. But not to worry: with the right treatment and a diet tailored to their new diagnosis and other needs, you can ease the symptoms and give your four-legged friend a good quality of life, despite their heart condition.
Read on for veterinary advice from your Globalvet team on feeding Fido a heart-healthy diet.

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The heart: Pumping life into your dog’s body

As with any mammal, your dog’s heart and entire cardiovascular system are central to their survival. They determine certain vital signs like:

  • Blood flow
  • Diastolic and systolic pressure

Basically, all bodily functions rely on the cardiovascular system, which circulates blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to all cells in the body. That’s true for your dog, but also many other living beings, including you!

Finding out that your dog has heart disease can be very upsetting. But don’t despair. Your dog can still live a good life despite having a cardiovascular condition.

Unfortunately, treatment won’t cure your dog’s failing heart, but you can reduce the impact the disease has on their life with the right care for their specific problem.

Is your dog at risk of developing a heart problem? Heart disease strikes about 10% of dogs. Most dogs aren’t born with it but develop it at some point in their lifetime.

There are 2 main types of heart disease in dogs:

  • Degenerative valve disease (DVD)—the most common being mitral valve disease (MVD)
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)

DVD is the most common type of heart disease in dogs, representing 80% of all canine heart conditions, versus 5% to 10% for DCM.

DVD primarily affects small to medium sized dogs, with a strong genetic predisposition in breeds like:

  • Cocker Spaniels
  • Dachshunds
  • Beagles
  • Chihuahuas
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

DCM, on the other hand, is much more common in large dogs, with breeds like boxers and Doberman pinschers more genetically predisposed.

How can you tell if your dog has heart disease? Symptoms may include:

  • A severe cough that sometimes causes gagging
  • Difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Visible weight gain or loss
  • A swollen abdomen

Since these symptoms are fairly common, your vet can narrow down the diagnosis through:

  • Listening to your dog’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope
    • This can reveal:
      • Heart murmurs (other abnormal sounds audible with the heartbeat)
      • Fluid in the lungs
    • Heart ultrasound
      • Ultrasound imaging can help detect changes in the:
        • Muscle
        • Ventricles
        • Auricles
        • Heart valves
      • Heart X-rays
        • X-ray imaging can reveal an increase in heart volume
      • Electrocardiogram (ECG)
        • This test can detect:
          • An enlarged heart
          • An arrhythmia, i.e., irregular heartbeat
        • Blood and urine tests
          • These tests may reveal:
            • Dirofilaria immitis (dog heartworm disease)
            • The condition of other internal organs
          • Tests to measure cardiac biomarkers
            • These tests are used for early detection of heart disease

Although a change in diet is usually not enough to treat heart disease, special nutrition therapy can help:

  • Slow the progression
  • Minimize the need for medication
  • Improve their quality of life

Feeding your dog a heart-healthy diet: How and why

Minimize the impact other conditions have on your dog’s heart health

When your dog’s body uses oxygen, it can generate detrimental by-products in the form of free radicals. Fortunately, antioxidants are clinically proven to protect your dog’s cells against the damage these unstable and reactive molecules can cause.

That’s why antioxidants are a common ingredient in specialty dog foods formulated to promote heart health.

To keep your dog’s heart working as well as possible under the circumstances and help them feel better, therapeutic food makers use the latest nutrition knowledge to incorporate other beneficial nutrients like:

  • Arginine, an amino acid believed to aid in
    vasodilation (blood vessel dilation) and oxygenate the heart
  • CoQ10, a coenzyme that:
    • Acts as an antioxidant
    • Helps protect your dog’s heart cells from free radical damage

These foods also contain protein and phosphorus in the right amounts. If your dog has both kidney problems and heart disease, limiting these two nutrients can slow the progression, preventing more problems down the road.

When consumed as part of a special heart-healthy diet, these ingredients all interact in different ways to reduce the effects other conditions can have on your dog’s weakened heart.

Promote heart health

Foods formulated for dogs with heart disease contain low levels of sodium, which can:

  • Reduce fluid buildup
  • Help the heart work more efficiently
  • Limit the impact of hypertension or fluid retention (Ascites, Oedema)

If your dog is suffering from heart disease, fat intake plays an important role in their treatment plan. Why? First, because the high energy density helps meet your dog’s energy needs, especially if their appetite is waning and they’re eating less than usual. Second, because the heart muscle draws 60% of its energy from the long-chain fatty acids found in fats.

 

Vet-recommended heart care foods contain quality fats in sufficient quantities to meet your ailing dog’s needs. They also contain L-carnitine, an amino acid that plays a critical role in energy metabolism in the cells of your dog’s heart. In addition to helping provide the fuel necessary for the heart to function properly, L-carnitine also acts as a detoxifying agent to keep toxins from building up in the heart cells.

MAINTAIN OPTIMAL BODY COMPOSITION OF YOUR DOG WITH HEART DISEASE

When your dog suffers from a heart ailment, keeping them fit is an important part of any treatment. That means monitoring your dog’s weight and muscle mass to make sure both remain at optimal levels.

 

Is your dog obese? Obesity can hide or aggravate heart disease by:

  • Increasing your dog’s blood volume
  • Raising their blood pressure
  • Making them more intolerant to exercise

 

To give your dog their best chance at a long and healthy life, get their obesity and weight under control. It will contribute to ease respiratory problems and help your canine companion regain some of their quality of life.

 

How do you treat obesity? Talk to your veterinarian. They can devise an action plan that takes your dog’s heart condition, needs, and other health issues into account. They can also offer support and track your dog’s weight to make things stay on track.

 

But weight isn’t everything. You also have to make sure your poor-feeling pup maintains muscle mass. In the grip of heart disease, your dog needs a higher intake of high-quality proteins to avoid severe muscle wasting, known as cachexia. This is especially important if your dog is suffering from congestive heart failure.

 

Heart cachexia can greatly diminish your dog’s life expectancy, so make sure they’re getting enough protein.

 

Specialized heart-healthy foods take these deficiencies into account and contain enough high-quality proteins to meet your dog’s needs. Your veterinarian has expertise in this area and can recommend the right protein-rich diet.

Improve your dog’s quality of life

When your dog has a heart problem, making sure their nutrient needs are being met can go a long way toward alleviating their symptoms and slowing the progression of the disease—all of which can greatly improve their quality of life.

If your dog tends to retain water, it’s important to keep their sodium intake under control. Water retention can trigger a series of reactions that can exacerbate symptoms like:

  • Coughing
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Weakness

Many specialty canine cardiac foods contain lower levels of sodium for that very reason. Your veterinarian can provide more information.

Find the best heart-healthy food for your dog in our stores

Every Globalvet clinic store carries a range of specialized foods for dogs with heart disease. Find the one your vet recommends in store or online.

Need advice on pet food?

Contact your local clinic or visit our online store.

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