Early Heart Disease in Dogs

If your dog has been diagnosed with early heart disease, there are alternative approaches to medication that might help. If your dog is in the early stages of this disease, naturopathic treatments are likely to be very effective. (If the disease had progressed further, I’d recommend going with your vet’s recommendations for conventional drugs.)

A homemade whole-foods diet can be very helpful, as can various supplements that support the heart and circulatory system. Introduce these substances one at a time, eventually working up to giving your dog daily doses of all of them: a half clove of fresh garlic; 200 mg of magnesium; 500 mg of calcium citrate; 500 mg each of the amino acids carnitine and taurine; 1,000 mg of fish oil; 180 mg of coenzyme Q10; and 200 IU of vitamin E. (These doses are for a 50- to 70-pound dog; reduce them proportionally if yours is smaller.)

The herb hawthorn can lower blood pressure, if that’s desired, but it may take six to eight weeks to work, and should not be given with glycoside drugs like digitalis. Motherwort and ginkgo biloba have both long been used as blood tonics. If your vet approves, give your dog 50 mg of either per 10 pounds of body weight.

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Read more: Dogs, Pets, Remedies & Treatments, disease, dogs, heart, natural

By Donna Kelleher, D.V.M., Natural Solutions

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Roy P.

12:07AM PDT on Jun 23, 2011

Our daily intake determines the status of our health. What we take in will result in sickness or suffering our health. Healthy foods like vegetables, fruits and others is essential to keep our body fit and healthy. Regards, Discount Vitamins

send a green star

Jesse C.

8:09PM PST on Jan 30, 2010

Fight for pet rights!!! They deserve better health care availability!!
Please sign my petition!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/health-coverage-for-pets

Thanks Jesse!!

Felicia T.

3:09PM PDT on Jun 15, 2009

More articles such as this are needed, and very much appreciated!

Past Member .

9:24AM PDT on Jun 14, 2009

thanksss...
Kabin

Konteyner

MeowFoul B.

6:46AM PDT on Apr 15, 2009

great article, most vets just want to shove your dog full of pharmaceuticals etc, and that's mostly just to get the money, or taking the easy way out. thanks for this mel.

9:33AM PST on Feb 25, 2009

Just another note of Thanks. Your insite to alternative approaches to medication that might help our pets is blessing to owners everywhere.

By the way, I was told and have been using Mylanta on my senior chihuahua for Kidney trouble and it seems to have helped so much. There is some ingrediant in the Mylanta that has proven very helpful to cats w/kidney falure. Any thoughts to confirm or against this use?

More importantly, I would anxiously like to hear of any suggestions for aiding a sluggie gullbladder (new medical term). It was suggested to medicate with Ursodil, or Eursodyol, which is very hard to find and Extremely expensive. It is also hard to find it for dosing a small animals.

Any suggestions would be a lifesaver for a rescued min-pin.

Thanks again for all your efforts. Your input is beyond helpful.

Felicia Tawil
Aid4Animals.ort

Alex R.

6:44AM PST on Feb 25, 2009

That's great advice Dr. Kelleher! Wish there were more Vets like you ~

Good luck findin' one that won't want to put your doggy or kitty on a boatload of pharmaceuticals right off the bat.

Oh, and a side note the same recommendations work for humans, go figure.