Maintaining optimum heart health is a crucial part of your dog’s well-being. Along with lessening the chances of developing heart disease, dogs with healthy hearts tend to lead more active and fulfilling lives. Thankfully, keeping on top of your dog’s heart health is something that can be achieved with a few simple daily habits.
Here are six things you can do to keep your dog’s heart healthy.
1. Make sure they get enough exercise
Just like humans, dogs need to take part in a sufficient amount of daily exercise to stay heart-healthy.
Your veterinarian can advise you on the precise amount of daily exercise that is appropriate for your dog. Also, don’t forget to vary up exercise routines by adding agility tasks and mental stimulation games to the mix.
2. Reduce their sodium
Dogs who consume too much sodium can end up with a higher chance of developing heart issues, along with putting themselves at risk of salt poisoning.
While commercial dog foods are usually formulated to provide only the essential amount of sodium that your dog needs, while human foods are often sodium bombs for canines, especially ones containing soy sauce.
Make sure to keep the extra salty snacks for humans only.
3. Maintain a healthy diet
Diet in general is a key way to make sure that your dog’s heart stays healthy. Your vet can help advise you on the exact amount of food that your dog should be consuming, but in general, try to avoid letting your dog snack on fatty human foods which can bring on a case of canine obesity. A well-balanced diet will go a long way to boosting your dog’s heart health.
4. Watch out for heartworm disease
Heartworm can be bad news for dogs and can even result in heart failure.
The disease can be spread through mosquitoes. So speak to your vet about preventative heartworm measures and medicines.
This is especially important in the summer months when mosquitos are out. However, mosquitos can appear all year long in certain climates.
5. Keep up with their regular vet checkups
Keeping up regular vet visits is an important part of staying on top of your dog’s heart health. This is because your vet will be able to pick up on any early signs of potential heart issues that you might not be able to notice yourself.
In general, aim for two wellness checkups a year, and once a year is a must as a bare minimum. Your vet can advise you further on how often your dog should come in.
6. Get to know your dog’s breed
As a general checklist, the following breeds of dog are most at risk of developing heart issues:
- Cocker Spaniels
- Pomeranians
- Irish Wolfhounds
- Boxers
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
- Saint Bernards
- Miniature Poodles
- Great Danes
- Miniature Schnauzers
If your dog is one of these breeds or a mix of these breeds, pay extra attention to their heart health. Even if you don’t have one of these dogs, talk to your vet about keeping your pooch happy and healthy.
