Nutrition and Congestive Heart Failure

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                      General Information



Your pet has heart disease, and a low-salt (low-sodium) diet is

a vital part of treatment.  Heart disease prevents normal

elimination of salt through the urine.  This causes accumulation

of salt in the body.  When this occurs, your pet also retains

extra water.  The increase forces the already weakened heart to

work much harder.



A low-sodium (low-salt) diet helps prevent salt and water

accumulation.  By controlling the sodium levels in the diet,

we decrease the workload of the heart.



Low-salt diets can be purchased from your veterinarian or

formulated at home.



                      Prescription Diets



Prescription low-salt diets are convenient and completely

balanced.  They contain the minimum amount of salt needed for

health.  The main disadvantage is that some pets do not like

these diets and are reluctant to eat them.  These diets can be

made more palatable by chopping or blending, warming in the

microwave or pan-frying without salt.  Such seasonings as garlic

powder, onion powder or oregano may also be used.  Do not use

garlic or onion salt!  These diets are complete and no other

foods should be added.  Do not substitute other foods without

first talking to the doctor.



    Feed Prescription Diet as follows:







                         Homemade Diet



Preparing a low-salt diet at home is somewhat difficult.  The

most convenient method is to use a recipe available from Hill's

Pet Products, P.O.  Box 148, Topeka, KS 66601.



                            Snacks



Do not give your pet commercial dog treats, snacks or biscuits,

as they are generally too high in sodium.  While it is best to

omit all snack foods, small amounts of fresh fruits, unsalted

Melba toast or dietary low-sodium cookies can be used as snacks.



                             Water



Fresh drinking water should be available at all times.  Do not

restrict your pet's water intake.  In some areas, the local

water supply may contain large amounts of sodium, or the sodium

content of the water may be high because of soft-water systems.

If either of these conditions exists in your home, your pet can

be given distilled water to drink.