My dog with CHF ate biscuits. Is his increased coughing from sodium?

If his respiratory rate is normal, he's eating and drinking, seems to be feeling good (not acting lethargic), and recovers quickly from these coughing fits (within 2ish minutes), I don't think you need to take him to emergency. A mild degree of coughing is to be expected in these guys. Try to get a video if you can, that way when you do take him in, the vet can see the severity of what you are seeing at home. I would recommend you call your vet and see if you can increase the dose of Tussigon. Use the following guidelines for when to take him to ER: *respiratory rate at rest persistently above 40 breaths per minute *unrelenting cough or any coughing fit that causes his tongue to turn a blue or purple color *not eating, or acting increasingly tired and lethargic *any new symptoms arise (vomiting/diarrhea, change in the appearance of his belly such as appearing bloated, etc) I hope that's helpful for you! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

What a great question! The most recent research indicates that dogs with CHF that are doing well usually do not need a sodium restricted diet. The most important thing is to keep them eating well, and salt increases palatability of most foods. However, a pet that is decompensating may benefit from a sodium-restricted diet. The prescription diets for heart disease typically have around a 0.10% salt content by dry matter.

It is true that Hills makes a diet that is designed to support heart health. The diet is designed to be low sodium low protein low phosphorus and high in corn which contains several different vitamins and minerals that will support the health of your dog when they are in heart failure. That being said neither I nor any of the other doctors with which I work go around recommending this food to any of our cardiac patients. This is because there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of this product. That is not to say that it doesn't work as there are many different anecdotal reports that it has extended people's pets lives. In terms of the water you are giving your pet if you are concerned that there is a high level of sodium in the water I would recommend having it tested. You could also give bottled water if you are concerned. The mainstay treatment for cardiac failure in dogs are diuretics and blood pressure drugs. Depending on the cause of the congestive heart failure there's another drug called pimobendan that your veterinarian may also recommend. In some cases this has been proven to significantly extend quality and longevity of dog's lives.

There is no harm in giving her honey, though it may not help at all. When dogs are in heart failure, or have a history or congestive heart failure or heart disease, usually a cough is due to one of 2 causes-- 1) fluid in the lungs OR 2) the enlargement of the heart pushes on the on the large airways, causing a "tickle" type cough response. Take her in to see your vet. It would be best to have some chest X-rays taken to see if she is in congestive heart failure, and to monitor the size of the heart. If she is NOT in congestive heart failure, your vet may prescribe a cough suppressant medication to help ease the cough. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is a great question, and thanks for taking such good care of Chloe! Salt is added to most dog food to improve the flavor, and it is not common to have variable amounts depending on the food. We do not recommend salt restricted foods unless a dog is already in Congestive Heart Failure, at the recommendation of your veterinarian. What is most important for Chloe is that you are feeding a high quality diet that helps her have a healthy coat and normal, formed feces. Hope this helps!

Poor Lily! Given than you just increased the medication and she eating and acting normally, give it 24 hours to see how she dos. If things do not improve in 24 hours or she gets worse, take her into the vet. I hope this helps.

Daisy Mae is taking a generally effective combination of medications to manage congestive heart failure. In cases of CHF, a change in coughing is generally indicative of changes in the heart size or fluid accumulation in and around the lungs. In these cases, cough suppressants are not likely to be effective. Do not give her any over the counter cough suppressants without speaking with your vet. If you cannot take her to an ER tonight, closely monitor her breathing for signs of distress and take her to your vet in the morning.