February 10th, 2010 
admin my 11 year old dachshund got diagnosed with congestive heart failure today.))): will a low sodium diet be good for her? if so, what is a good brand?
I feed wellness super 5 senior,good food and less sodium than the canidae senior he was on.Stay away from the science diet and other prescription foods sold at the vets.
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No sodium restriction is necessary unless the condition has progressed to retention of fluid in the lungs (night cough) or in the abdomen (tummy). The object is to keep salt (Sodium Chloride) to a minimum. No added salt should be used and ingredients high in salt must be avoided. Potassium chloride, rather than sodium chloride is the ingredient of choice if the diet is too bland.
Fresh beef cuts are low in sodium. Fish, shrimp and shellfish are quite high in sodium and so should be avoided. Most commercial foods are high in sodium. Milk products, salted snack foods, mixed seasonings and canned vegetables are also high in salt – unless the package states that they are salt-free. There are low sodium prescription diets your vet can recommend.
A homemade low sodium diet would be:
Use ¼ pound ground round or other lean beef, 2 cups of cooked white rice, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, 300mg of Calcium lactate and one pet vitamin. Many pets with heart disease lose weight. In those animals a product like Nutrical or Energel and a high-protein treat can help maintain their weight
Your dog’s life can also be extended by the use of diuretics and other meds your vet can prescribe.
Diuretics cause the kidneys to remove excess fluids from the body, reducing the heart’s workload and decreasing congestion. The most commonly used diuretic is furosemide. If furosemide alone doesn’t work, your veterinarian may add other diuretics, such as spironolactone and chlorothiazide.
Positive inotropic drugs make the heart pump more effectively, usually by increasing the heart muscle contraction. The most commonly used positive inotrope is digoxin. Because the therapeutic dose is only slightly lower than the toxic dose, veterinarians must closely monitor patients taking this medication. Other positive inotropes are dopamine and dobutamine.
Vasodilators relax the muscles of the blood vessels, reducing the pressure against which the heart must pump. Examples of vasodilators are enalapril, captopril, hydralazine, prazosin, and nitroglycerin.
Depending on the nature of the heart disease, other treatments may include oxygen therapy, bronchodilators, antiarrhythmia medications, taurine supplementation, potassium supplementation, and anticlotting medications. If your dog has fluid in his chest cavity, your veterinarian may drain the fluid to ease the breathing and make your dog more comfortable.
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I feed wellness super 5 senior,good food and less sodium than the canidae senior he was on.Stay away from the science diet and other prescription foods sold at the vets.
References :