Royal Canin Cardiac Diet is a dietary support for dogs with cardiac disease, aimed as a complementary food to medical therapy, aiming to minimise sodium intake and the associated fluid retention with the resulting coughing and discomfort caused to the dog. Designed for your pet's special needs and delivering all his required nutrients in a palatable format, Royal Canin Cardiac diet should be your pet's sole source of food and should be fed only to the affected pet. Avoid feeding snacks, treats or titbits which may contain high sodium levels.

Royal Canin Cardiac canned diet is a low sodium diet for nutritional support of any stage of heart disease, although it may be of particular benefit in the later stages of the disease. Royal Canin Cardiac diets are formulated for the nutritional support of pets with Congestive heart failure. Heart disease in dogs is often caused by defects in the valves or the heart muscle (myocardium). Many forms of heart disease in dogs are progressive, however, a combination of therapy, dietary support and a managed lifestyle can ensure better quality of life for your dog.

The key features of Royal Canin Cardiac diet are highly concentrated energy, reduced sodium, enhanced levels of taurine and L-carnitine, enhanced flavanol levels, high digestibility, restricted phosphorus content and antioxidants. Royal Canin Cardiac diet is enriched in antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, taurine, lutein, flavanols) to help maintain health and vitality. Antioxidant is a general term for different types of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and other components naturally present in many foods. Antioxidants neutralise the free radicals produced even during normal body metabolism.

Changing your pet ‘s diet to Royal Canin Cardiac should always be carried out over several days. It is not uncommon for pets to refuse a new diet or to suffer from stomach upsets if the change is not gradual. On day 1, begin by adding a small amount of the new diet to your pet ‘s existing food. As each day passes, add more of the new diet to less of the original food, until eventually you are only feeding the new diet. This change should take around 5 days. Royal Canin are leaders in palatability.

Royal Canin Early Cardiac has special ingredients to meet the specific needs of your pet. The heart is the pump that drives blood containing oxygen and nutrients through the blood vessels to the cells of the body. Air is inhaled into the lungs where oxygen is picked up by red blood cells in tiny blood vessels. The oxygen-rich blood is then carried to the left side of the heart by a large blood vessel. The heart pumps the oxygen-rich blood through the arteries to the body tissues, collecting absorbed nutrients from the intestinal tract on the way. The cells of the body remove the oxygen and nutrients from the blood, and exchange them for metabolic waste products from the cells (e.g. carbon dioxide) which are then removed by the blood. The de-oxygenated blood returns from the body to the right side of the heart in the veins. The right side of the heart pumps the de-oxygenated blood back to the lungs where carbon dioxide is removed and more oxygen is picked up. The left and right sides of the heart are separate, so that the entire system is a circuit moving blood in one direction through the body. Most forms of heart failure involve a decrease in the pumping ability of the heart on one or both sides. This results in a build up of fluid leading to fluid accumulation and congestion in the chest and/ or in the abdomen. Animals with heart failure may retain salt (sodium chloride) and therefore water in their bodies leading to fluid retention. Feeding a low salt diet ensures that your dog does not have high levels of salt to retain. The fluid may accumulate in the lungs and in the abdomen, leading to coughing, difficulty in breathing and abdominal distension. If the heart is not pumping efficiently, the amount of blood circulating to the body will be decreased and you may see fatigue, weakness and a pale appearance of the gums.

Management for my dog‘s heart disease, heart medication prescribed by your veterinary surgeon, Royal Canin Cardiac diet and restricted exercise.