How to ensure my senior dog on heart meds gets enough potassium?

Omega 3 fatty acids for pets can help with heart health. Royal Canin makes a diet for dogs with heart disease. Lastly, it is not fully understood, but there appears to be a link between grain free dog food and heart enlargement. If you are feeding a grain free diet, you may talk with your veterinarian about a diet change. I hope this helps.

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.

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!

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.

If Rosie will not eat her regular diet anymore you can try to offer her different types or canned dog food to see if any of these are appetizing to her. If she will not eat any prepared dog food you can still home cook for her but you will need to use a website like www.balanceit.com or consult with a veterinarian nutritionist to create a well balanced recipe. If Rosie is on just chicken, carrots, and broccoli she will eventually develop a nutritional deficiency so a balanced recipe is needed.

For now there is very little you can do except start the medication prescribed and wait for them to work. Your dog should start feeling a lot better within the next few days with less fluid in his lungs and better cardiac function. You can start feeding a special diet for dogs with congestive heart failure, such as Hills Prescription h/d. Such diets typically have restricted sodium levels to limit fluid retention, added taurine and L-carnitine, and amino acids that may help support heart function, added B-vitamins and magnesium. Here is some good information: 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.