[Acroyali]

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cardiovascular-diet/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/heart-healthy-diet/

Also, it might be worth checking with your vet about making sure his potassium isn’t being depleted by his medications. Ask to have his levels checked if you haven’t already. (This isn’t to say the medications are bad–heart disease is nothing to sneeze at and medications can, and are, life savers and life-extenders and helps give the dogs much better quality of life.)

When I had a dog with heart disease, he fainted once and it scared me badly. I’d never seen a dog faint like that but he came to in a few moments and seemed unshaken. My vet highly recommended adding fish or salmon oil and vitamin E for heart support (I use wholistic pet organics brand, as it contains both!) I also added COQ10 (liquid).

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/06/02/the-silent-pet-killer-that-you-can-now-avoid.aspx

While it’s not applicable for every person and every dog, I did opt to feed my dog a raw diet. For a time, he went “off” his raw food so I fed him cooked and canned and he gobbled it up. He was around Gizmo’s age; while I feel raw is best if a dog who (formerly) ate a certain diet for years and enjoyed it then abruptly stops, there’s a reason. The goal was to keep food in him so we fed him what he wanted. During the time(s) he was happily eating raw, we fed him a lot of pastured beef, chicken, and turkey hearts for the naturally occurring taurine (crucial for heart function, and I feel food sources are better than synthetic but that’s simply my preference.)

One other thing. If you live in a cold weather climate, or live somewhere where you experience very cold months out of the year, keep Gizmo inside at all times unless you take him out to potty. My dog had a horrible fainting episode when I took him out to pee when it was extremely cold (sub-zero; we were outside for less than 30 seconds when it happened.)

I know, emotionally, it’s difficult for you. I hope some of the links and suggestions help. I wish you the very best of luck.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Acroyali.