What diet and supplements can help my senior dog's heart condition?

While these vegetables are okay to add in as a supplement I would make sure that kibble is 90% of the diet to avoid nutritional deficiencies. Recently there has been some concern about boutique, grain free and exotic ingredient diets and a link to dilated cardiomyopathy which could cause heart enlargement, and it seems like kibble from larger companies like Royal Canin are the safest option. Fish oil may be beneficial for dogs with cardiac disease.

Great question! Most diets that are formulated for heart conditions are low in sodium, and thus prescription based. Lower sodium diets are not typically recommended for the "average" dog. Talk to your vet about the Science Diet H/D or Royal Canin Early Cardiac diets for Lulu.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this would be a good short term diet, this lacks some key nutrients, vitamins and minerals. For that reason, a more complete commercial diet such as any of the Purina Pro Plan or Science Diet foods would be more appropriate. Good luck!

In general, it is not recommended to feed dogs a grain free diet unless they are known to have a grain allergy (which is very uncommon). There are many misconceptions about pet nutrition circulating. While the link is not yet understood and has multiple factors, something about the grain free diets may be allowing heart disease to develop in certain dogs. I recommend to feed a high quality brand with a good reputation and minimal problems with food recalls. The brand I like the most is Royal Canin. They conduct feeding trials to measure the digestibility of their diets. Most pets who eat this brand have excellent coat and stool quality. They also tend to produce minimal stool which is a sign the diet does not contain fillers and is highly digestible. I also recommend Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Electrolyte abnormalities are a known side affect of heart medications. It's important to make sure she's eating a good-quality balanced dog food so that's she taking in the proper electrolytes. It is also wise to periodically check her blood work to test the electrolyte levels and see where she is. If there are some that are either high or low, your veterinarian may recommend supplementation. There are also heart diets on the market that may be beneficial to her. Hill's and Royal Canin both make cardiac prescription diets. Here are a couple of links for additional information about what you can feed her. I hope this helps! http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/diet/ http://www.vermontveterinarycardiology.com/index.php/for-clients/feeding-the-cardiac-patient

Many OTC wet dog foods can be high in salt content, which should be avoided in dogs with heart disease. If you would prefer that Champ be on a wet dog food, then you may want to discuss a prescription heart diet with your vet. If your vet does not have concerns about salt content at this stage of heart disease, then you can choose a diet based on your budget and dietary preferences for Champ. I feed my dogs Purina ProPlan because I like their quality of ingredients and the diet fits in my budget.

Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!