older dog with heart mummer

Question
Long story short, I found a dog on the side of the road. I took him to the vet and they said that he has a 6/6 rating with his heart. He also has a fractured hip and chin he also has no teeth ( they have been pulled out). My question is what kind of food can I feed him that has no soduim? I tried him on boiled chicken and that was a no go. Tried to soften dog food and put a low sodium chicken broth and he has refused it too. What should I do?

Answer
Hi Mia,

Thank you for opening your heart and home to this dog.

There isn't such a thing as a no-sodium dog food, the best you can shoot for is a low sodium diet.  It's hard to imagine a dog refusing boiled chicken, he might have refused food if he's in pain from his fractured hip.  Besides that, just cooked chicken isn't a balanced diet for a dog. If you don't mind cooking for your dog, you can try one of these recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Homemade-Pet-Food/Detail.aspx

http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemade_dog_food_recipes

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/dogfoodrecipes.htm

There are prescription low sodium diets which you can either get through your vet's office, or on line. Your vet can help you decide which is right for your dog:
Hills Prescription K/D, H/D, G/D and Purina CV-Formula, Royal Canin Veterinary Modified Formula Diet, Royal Canin Veterinary Early Cardiac EC 22 diet.

I believe the following "over the counter" dog foods are considered to be low sodium:

EVO Grain-Free Dog Food (It's a high calorie diet so you may need to feed less of it.)
Wellness CORE Diet
Steve's Real Food for Pets
Merrick Senior Medley Dog Food
Science Diet Senior

Sometimes dogs don't like reduced sodium foods for the same reasons why people don't like them!  Salt adds flavor. It can help to tempt the dog to eat by mixing in a grated hard boiled egg, or scrambled egg. Warming the food will help release it's aromas, and can also help. Sometimes it helps to "jump-start" a dog into eating by hand feeding him. Again, start with something a dog finds appealing, like a hard boiled egg.

If your vet did not prescribe medication, beta-blockers can help to improve exercise tolerance, reduce heart workload and prevent abnormal heart rhythms.

You might also think about giving your dog a L-Carnitine and Taurine supplement. L-carnitine can improve heart rate, lipid patterns, and exercise tolerance, and protect against cardiac necrosis. Taurine is an amino acid that is found in muscles, it is most abundant in the heart tissue. It maintains cell membranes, regulates heart beats, protects the heart from calcium overload.
Another supplement to consider is Coenzyme Q-10.
Talk with your veterinarian about the correct dose for your dog, and possible drug interactions.

Best of luck,

Patti