Pet Care for Dogs with CHF

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) in dogs – sounds scary, isn’t it?

Its heart wrenching to see the diagnosis report of your furry friend read - Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Your mind would be clouded with a thousand questions including:

Is this heart disease fatal?

Will my pet have to undergo surgery?

Will my pet suffer terribly?

Thanks to the advancements in veterinary care, pet meds like Vetmedin for dogs is capable of curing this frightening disease. However, just medicating your four legged companion religiously is not enough to watch it dance, run and jump again. Whole lot of love and a proper diet are the other essentials to bring Fido back into form.

Well; it is also important to understand that almost 60 percent of older dogs suffer with CHF. So, panic is not the solution.

Handling the pet with care and administering Vetmedin for dogs is the right answer. Not to forget; ample love is the best medicine.

Pet Care Tips

First and foremost, you must understand the difference between heart disease heart failure. A dog with heart disease shows signs including heart murmur, valve changes and other heart abnormalities. However, outwardly signs are not seen in pets with heart disease. Conversely, heart failure is when a dog with heart diseases shows disturbing outwardly signs like coughing, difficulty in breathing etc. Categorically, heart failure is an advanced form of heart disease.

This is why there is no standard diet prescribed for dogs showing symptoms of heart disease and heart failure. Apparently, the diet changes in tandem with the stage of heart disease that he pet is in. It is therefore, advisable to take a veterinarian’s advice for the right diet for your furry friend.

Besides this, there are some basic diet tips that you must follow to keep Fido happy and healthy.

• Both obesity and losing weight can be detrimental to a dog with heart disease. So, maintaining the ideal body weight is a must. Moreover, loss of weight in pets suffering from heart diseases results in loss of muscle, which makes the mute animal weak. For, in pets suffering with CHF, the body breaks down the muscles and not the fat stores when the dog loses weight.
• Traditionally, complete sodium restriction was suggested for dogs with CHF. However, complete sodium restriction is seen to be more detrimental than beneficial. So, only a mild restriction is advisable. Moreover, avoiding high sodium foods like pizza, bread etc is advisable.
• Preventing metabolic stress in dogs suffering with CHF is advisable. In a bid to do so, many pet parents were advised to eliminate protein rich foods from the dog’s diet. However, as CHF leads to a loss in muscle mass, protein rich food must enjoy a place in the dog’s diet.
• Beneficial supplements like Omega-3 fatty acids must be included in the dog’s diet to keep it healthy.

So, get the right diet prescribed by a reputed and experienced veterinarian and watch Fido dance and play once again.

The author is a pet lover and animal health enthusiast. He has worked closely with veterinarians and understands animal health issues. He is also an avid reader and a proficient writer. He has written articles and blogs about pet medications.