Question: My11 year old, long hair Chihuahua, has been on heart meds for a few years.
The Vet wants him to be on Senior formula dog food because of the lower sodium content. I’ve been using Nulo Senior Formula. I’d like to try your small breed dry food…just concerned about the sodium level. Any thoughts?
Answer: Thanks for writing in. You must ask your veterinarian what level of dietary sodium is acceptable for your dog. Halo’s Small Breed Wholesome Chicken Recipe dry food has a dry matter (DM) sodium level of 0.31%.
The following are the typical guidelines for sodium restriction in dogs with heart disease depending on the severity of their heart condition.
– No signs of heart disease is mild sodium restriction: less than 100 mg/100kcal or 0.35–0.50% DM **Halo Small Breed Wholesome Chicken Recipe would meet this requirement.
– Early heart failure is moderate sodium restriction: less than 80 mg/100 kcal or 0.1-0.35% DM **Halo Small Breed Wholesome Chicken Recipe would meet this requirement.
– Advanced heart failure is severe sodium restriction: less than 50 mg/100 kcal or less than 0.10% DM.
Hope this help.
Dr. Donna Spector
Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency.
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Daphne Mitchell
Is there a Halo dog food for our 112 pound Doberman just diagnosed with cardiomyopathy who needs restricted sodium?
admin
Dear Daphne, Thanks for writing in. In general, the sodium restriction guidelines for heart disease are as follows:
· No signs of heart disease = mild sodium restriction: <100 mg/100kcal or 0.35–0.50% DM
· Early heart failure = moderate sodium restriction: <80 mg/100 kcal or 0.1-0.35% DM
· Advanced heart failure = severe sodium restriction: <50 mg/100 kcal or <0.10% DM
Halo does not make any dog food appropriate for advanced heart failure with severe sodium restriction.
A few diets fall into the moderate sodium restriction category:
· Original Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken dry formula (0.33% sodium)
· Hearty Surf n’ Turf (0.29% sodium)
· Vegan Garden Medley (0.25% sodium)
Several dry Halo diets fall into the mild sodium restriction category:
· Original Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken (0.33%), Wholesome Lamb (0.42%) and Wild Salmon (0.48%)
· Hearty Surf n’ Turf (0.29%), Pork/Peas/Potatoes (0.41%)
· Healthy Weight Turkey, Liver and Duck (0.48%)
· Vegan Garden Medley (0.25%)
Several canned Halo diets fall into the mild sodium restriction category as well:
· Spot’s Stew Wholesome Beef (0.40%)
· Spot’s Choice Shredded Chicken and Chickpea (0.41%) and Pork and Chickpea (0.46%) and Beef and Chickpea (0.41%)
· All canned Vigor diets (0.44-0.47%)
· All senior diets (0.42-0.44%)
· Vegan (0.44%)
Hope this information helps.
Dr. Donna Spector
janet hubbard
I couldn’t fin how to ask a question…so asking it here!
12 yr old rat terrier( 9 lb) needs low sodium diet due to CHF and being on lasix.
I have her on Halo Small breed New formula holistic wild salmon and whitefish.
Any and all advice would be appreciated.
Is this a
Belkis Cardona-Rivera
Hi Janet! So sorry to hear about your dog’s health issue. We don’t yet have the sodium information on the sodium in the Holistic Small Breed Wild Salmon & Whitefish, we should hopefully have it available by the end of the month. We do want you to know that our food is not considered to be a low sodium food and should not be used in place of any prescription diet that has been recommended by your own Vet.