The Golden Retriever is susceptible to a few different heart conditions. This makes it very important to know how you can support your Golden’s heart health before a problem develops. It is always far easier to prevent a problem then it is to try to heal a problem after the fact. So, in this article, we will be looking at some different ways to prevent heart issues and strengthen your Golden’s heart health.
It is worth noting that finding an excellent breeder is a great first step to preventing heart issues for your dog. Many heart issues are genetic, so asking your breeder about the heart health of the parents and grandparents of the Golden pup you are going to get is a great idea.
Diet
Diet can be great preventive medicine for a multitude of health problems, including heart issues. You will want to provide your Golden with a raw, species-appropriate diet. Providing your dog with a variety of proteins and organ meats is great preventive medicine.
It is especially important to feed heart. Heart from one creature to another is relatively similar as far as nutrients is concerned. This means that the heart of a cow, chicken, lamb, or duck will have all of the nutrients that your dog’s heart needs to thrive!
Fermented raw goat milk is also a great addition to your dog’s diet. It is high in taurine (an amino acid that is necessary for a healthy heart), essential fatty acids, probiotics, and more. Eggs and sardines are also great additions to your dog’s diet to help support a healthy heart.
Celery, watermelon, dandelion greens, and parsley are all great additions to your Golden’s diet too. These fruits and veggies can help to remove excess fluid from the body. This is helpful for heart and kidney health. If you feed these plants be sure to puree them for maximum absorption.
Supplements
There are several supplements that you can use to help promote heart health for your Golden Retriever. As a bonus, these supplements are also good for other parts of the body and overall wellness. Some are helpful to add to your dog’s daily routine. Others are not as necessary but may be helpful to rotate them, one this month and a different one the next.
Omega-3 fatty acids and CBD oil are both great things to add to your Golden’s daily diet. Both CBD oil and omega-3s help to reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation can lead to heart issues, so any reduction of inflammation is a good thing. Be sure to do your research and get a good brand of CBD oil. Raw sardines (that have been frozen appropriately to be fed raw) or phytoplankton are great options for omega-3s.
CoQ10 is a powerful nutrient to add to your Golden’s supplement regime. It is especially great if your dog is showing any signs of heart issues. It is a good idea to rotate CoQ10 as preventive medicine vs. just giving it to him all the time if he has no heart issue. Giving 8-10mg per pound of bodyweight is a good dose.
Decaffeinated green tea has healthy antioxidants that can help prevent heart issues and reduce inflammation. Use 1 tsp of green tea to 1 cup of water. Then give your dog 1 cup of tea 3-4 times a week for a 40-pound dog. This is another supplement that will be good to rotate.
Vitamin E at 100IU a day, Vitamin C at 25-30mg per pound per day, L-Carnitine around 1000mg per day, and taurine 250-750mg twice a day are all potential supplements to add to your Golden’s supplement rotation. These are all heart promoting nutrients that will support heart health.
Lifestyle
It is always important to keep life stressors at a minimum. Stress can cause inflammation in the body which in turn can stress the heart. This is one reason why socialization is so important when your Golden in a puppy. Introducing him to a variety of things as a puppy and making sure he has a positive association with them will help to reduce stress when he grows up.
Exercise
It is important to make sure that your dog gets plenty of appropriate aerobic exercise. Exercise like this can help to strengthen your Golden’s heart. However, you do not want to over-exercise as this can cause excess stress on the heart. Hiking, jogging, swimming, walks, agility, hunting, treibball, and others can be great forms of exercise for your Golden!
Summary
Supporting your Golden Retriever’s heart health is a wonderful thing to do. Sure, your Golden may never experience heart issues. But, the tips described here are not only helpful for targeting heart disease but can promote overall health.
Adding in just a few of these tips can help. But the real magic happens if you combine as many of these prevention tips as you can. Because you want your Golden to live a long healthy life, free from heart disease!
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