Nutritional Help for Dogs with Heart Failure

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Some of the things that others consider to be more complicated may nevertheless be very worthwhile. This is the take-home message I got after reading the article I’m going to point you to, but the message isn’t new, really. I’ve never doubted the power of balanced home-prepared diets. What I find exciting is that it’s finally being recognized by scientists focusing on dogs.

 

Sometimes, when working with veterinarians, I’d wonder if they really believed in my approach or if they accepted it with a shrug. Now, having worked at this for so many years, I feel we (all of us) are coming to a better understanding of just how important a fresh food diet can be.

This article points to that, but it’s the concluding statement that drives it home. Of course, choosing those foods thoughtfully can make an even bigger impact, and the seminar I held on the power of food just one year ago came to mind. At that time, I was a bit nervous about presenting the things I’d studied and experienced via clients’ dogs, but the news was so exciting that I decided to share it. As it turns out, this article touches on only a few of the things I mentioned, but it’s important information that I hope you’ll put to good use.

 

Abstract

 

In dogs with heart failure, cell oxygenation and cellular metabolism do not work properly, leading to the production of a large amount of free radicals. In the organism, these free radicals are responsible of major cellular damages: this is oxidative stress. However, a suitable food intake plays an important role in limiting this phenomenon: on the one hand, the presence of essential fatty acids in the composition of membranes decreases sensitivity of cells to free radicals and constitutes a first protection against the oxidative stress; on the other hand, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, and polyphenols are antioxidant molecules which can help cells to neutralize these free radicals.

 

Concluding statement:

 

In practice, dietary feed for cardiac insufficient animals are only supplemented with essential fatty acids with an omega 6/omega 3 report which can vary from 2 to 10. Regarding the antioxidant molecule supplementations, they are often absent or below the contributions needed to have benefit for the heart. This is probably due to the difficulty to preserve a sufficient amount of antioxidants during the manufacturing process. In these conditions, the establishment of a home-made ration could be the best means to have a proper antioxidant supplementation although more complicated for the
owner.

 

You can read the full article here.