Nursing approach: clinical nutrition of the canine with cardiac disease
Abstract
Nutrition is a critical component of caring for small animals, but special consideration should be made for the patient with cardiac disease. The degree of heart disease varies greatly, and consequently, so do the nutritional requirements of the patient. Anorexia and cardiac cachexia are problems that veterinary nurses should be aware of; nurses should be able to formulate feeding plans for the individual patient, and be able to provide owners with practical advice.
Heart disease is one of the most common conditions in the dog. It is a broad subject, ranging from congenital disorders to acquired diseases, with some patients having no clinical signs, while others have life-threatening heart failure. Often when a patient is in heart failure they become anorexic, which can be one of the causes of cardiac cachexia. Anorexia has been shown to be a contributing factor for owners when considering euthanasia of their pet (Mallery et al, 1999). Concurrent diseases, heart failure medication, laboratory parameters and diet preferences of the patient and owner make it impossible to recommend a ‘best cardiac diet’ for all canine patients.
Heart disease can occur at any age. Common congenital defects in dogs include patent ductus arteriosus, aortic stenosis and pulmonic stenosis. The most common acquired canine heart diseases are degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD) and dilated cardiomy-opathy (DCM). DMVD is seen in up to 75% of dogs presenting with heart problems (Atkins et al, 2009).
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