# Need a low sodium dogfood



## lvmydachshund

Our 11 yr old mini-dachsy has developed a heart condition and needs a low sodium food. Of course our Vet recommends Science Diet H/D which when looking at the ingredients is trash. We started feeding her Blue Buffalo Senior before it was apparent she needed a low sodium diet and she seemed to be always hungry (or did she like it so much she could 't get enough) Anyway.....when researching low sodium dog food their does'nt seem to be much choice. Also, when looking at ingredients of the available natural foods their is no listing if sodium content.
Anyone have any suggestions? Your help will be appreciated.


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## josh83

lvmydachshund said:


> Our 11 yr old mini-dachsy has developed a heart condition and needs a low sodium food. Of course our Vet recommends Science Diet H/D which when looking at the ingredients is trash. We started feeding her Blue Buffalo Senior before it was apparent she needed a low sodium diet and she seemed to be always hungry (or did she like it so much she could 't get enough) Anyway.....when researching low sodium dog food their does'nt seem to be much choice. Also, when looking at ingredients of the available natural foods their is no listing if sodium content.
> Anyone have any suggestions? Your help will be appreciated.


Orijen Adult has 0.4% sodium don't know if thats low enough Adult Analysis


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## sassymaxmom

I doubt you will find a commercial food that has less sodium than H/D. I kept Sassy's cooked diet just at her sodium requirement and I spent a lot less money making her food than buying the script stuff. The prescription food has 80 mg sodium per 100 grams where Orijen has 400 mg per 100 grams.


Knowing exactly the issue you are dealing with is important as well. Have you seen this article?
DogAware.com Health: Heart Disease in Dogs


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## Yogi's Dad

Can anyone tell me what Low sodium dog foods are out there.......my 19 1/2 yo Jack Russell just got back his blood work and his sodium is high. He is currently eating BB Senior Life Chicken and Brown Rice .......I haven't been able to find the sodium content listed anywhere.


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## Shamrockmommy

Precise Naturals Senior has sodium at 0.1% the lowest I've found. It worked well for my bichon n when she was in heart failure. The company is family run, no recalls and its quality food. One of my favorites, but stick to the Naturals line and not the Holistic.


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## A&W

lvmydachshund said:


> Our 11 yr old mini-dachsy has developed a heart condition and needs a low sodium food. Of course our Vet recommends Science Diet H/D which when looking at the ingredients is trash. We started feeding her Blue Buffalo Senior before it was apparent she needed a low sodium diet and she seemed to be always hungry (or did she like it so much she could 't get enough) Anyway.....when researching low sodium dog food their does'nt seem to be much choice. Also, when looking at ingredients of the available natural foods their is no listing if sodium content.
> Anyone have any suggestions? Your help will be appreciated.


Listen to your vet. If you won't listen to this vet, find one you will listen to.

You aren't in a position to decide what is best for this dog, especially if your approach is to read the ingredients.

Don't mess with your dog's life because of the way YOU feel.


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## Dr Dolittle

wow! AW, you just made my day! Amen!


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## Celt

The problem with this is that quite often vets can only give one, maybe two, recommendations. If your pup won't eat the food, you're left with no real options other than "starving" your dog into reluctantly eating. Maybe my oldsters were unusual, but keeping weight on them was a serious struggle. Letting them go, even just a couple of days, wouldn't be something I'd be willing to do, especially if the food caused them to eat less. They didn't have much of a "reserve" to buffer them if they were to get ill. So, personally, I don't see a problem looking for a food that fell within the parameters of the vet's recommendation.


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## Dr Dolittle

Celt, I agree with you but the problem is we need to look at sodium levels on a mg per 100 kcals, a very accurate measurement when dealing with an ill pet. most food companies will give you an as fed basis number if you call them but have no idea what mg per 100 kcals is. the difference is as fed is affected by moisture and calorie count. the latter gives you the actual amt on a per calorie basis. there are 4 companies that make vet diets that are low in sodium, far lower than any over the counter stuff. Even renal(kidney) diets are restricted in sodium and would be an option. nothing wrong with looking for the same sodium level but I'll buy you lunch if you find anything close to those vet diets. And as A&W said, not feeding one of those diets because they don't have the fashion ingredient manipulation that food marketers give now is no reason not to use them. they are designed scientifically and specifically for specific diseases by the top nutritionists and chemists in the world...and they have a long history of working quite well. And I am not praising vets either! just the diets they have access to! most vets are clueless!


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## Celt

I do agree that there are times when a prescribed diet is necessary, but the food isn't pretty worthless if the dog won't eat it. When I said that one should look for a food that fell into the vet's parameters, that included any other prescription diets. I've found that many times a vet will insistent on a certain diet/medication, even if it's not being "tolerated" well by the dog. At those times, it's often up to the owner to find something that'll work for their dog. 
To be honest, I don't look at ingredients too closely. For the most part, I just check that there's a meat protein (preferably a meal or dehydrated) fairly high in the list, and not too many things that I don't recognize.


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## zootv

Have you looked into just making your own food? Look at BalanceIT? https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php Balance IT has a recipe generator and you can use one of their supplements to make sure your dog is getting all the right stuff. Also they can custom do recipes with your vets approval. I am about to start doing this with 1 of my dogs because of food allergies.


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## ButtersPupp

How is the Honest Kitchen? I saw this Pet Food review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCdROTAsBTw. Any other suggestions?


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## HIM_Darling

I came across this thread while searching google for updated information on low sodium foods and thought I would update it for others that happen to find it as well. 

One of our dogs was put on Hills h/d canned(sodium .10%) by his vet for a very slight heart murmur and yet he wasn't bad enough to need any kind of medication for it. He was acting starved all the time and we researched the food and saw that it was complete crap and that it is not recommended by some veterinary colleges until the dog is in heart failure because of its low protein amounts.

I started doing research into better foods and we ended up feeding Wellness complete health senior dry food(sodium .11%) and mixing in wellness 95% canned food mixing up a tablespoon of the lamb, chicken or turkey. I've recently emailed a few new companies I've found for their sodium levels and am waiting to hear back from them. 

We looked into the honest kitchen verve as its sodium is only .18%, but it would cost twice as much and right now we have no issues with feeding dry food. If we ever have to switch to a softer food that is what we will probably switch to.


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## xellil

I had to feed canned science diet to a foster dog once. It was canned and the color was white and had the consistency of paste glue I used to use in school as a kid. Very clearly on the label it said only feed for a short time since it had no nutrition in it. I think a lot of their food is like that, and yet vets will put people's dogs on it and not tell them when to go off, so they don't.


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## EmmaRoo

Contact VeRUS Pet Foods. They can tell you the sodium content in each of their foods and help you find which is best for your dog.


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