If your dog is experiencing a health problem, your veterinarian may recommend that you feed them a low sodium dog food. In most cases, the only dogs that require low sodium dog food formulas have problems with their heart, liver or kidneys. In most other cases, sodium is important for maintaining healthy nerve and muscle cell function. Here is a guide to low sodium dog food formulas.
Choosing a Formula
Not all low sodium dog food formulas are created equally. It’s important to know the difference between “low sodium” dog food and “lower sodium” dog food. In general, a “lower sodium” dog food formula does not necessarily have to be low sodium – it could simply include less sodium than a previous formula developed by the company. Even a formula labeled as “low sodium” may still have levels of sodium that are too high for dogs with health problems.
Salt and Sodium
Many dog owners make the mistaken assumption that just because a dog food formula is “salt-free”, it is automatically lower in sodium. Sodium may be hidden in other ingredients, such as meat, eggs, fish or dairy. Never refer to the ingredients to discern if a diet is low in sodium. Instead, read the nutritional facts and guaranteed analysis on the dog food formula package.
Congestive Heart Failure
A low sodium diet is one of the most important parts of caring for a dog with congestive heart failure. A dog may develop congestive heart failure when fluid builds up in the areas around the organs, due to the heart not functioning properly. This causes the chambers of a dog’s heart to swell up in size, making the walls of the heart become less stable. Over a period of time, a dog’s heart function will deteriorate, and the heart may eventually not be able to pump blood at all.
The reason why a low sodium diet is so important for dogs with congestive heart failure is because sodium affects the heart. In this condition, the heart will cause a dog’s body to hold extra sodium, which is what causes the fluid buildup around a dog’s organs.
Making Your Own Low Sodium Dog Food
If you are worried about choosing the right type of low sodium dog food for your dog, you can also choose to make your own. There are hundreds of recipes available online for healthy low sodium dog food formulas. Many of these recipes call for ingredients that you may already have at home! Examples of ingredients in a low sodium diet include:
- Skinless chicken
- Fish Oil
- Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
- Pumpkin
- Oatmeal
- Peas
- Lamb
- Vegetables
Be sure to monitor the amount of sodium in each ingredient that you use, in order to ensure that your dog is receiving a low sodium diet. Making your own low sodium diet is a great way to ensure that your dog won’t experience further health problems from an excessive amount of sodium.