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Functions Remember the childhood song "the knee bone's connected to the..."? The body is the most brilliant machine in existence and all parts affect other parts. The heart and lungs function independently while supporting each other. Oxygenated blood from the lungs travels to the heart where it's pumped back into the body. When either lungs or heart are functioning less than optimally, the body attempts to compensate and the heart may enlarge while unable to pump efficiently. The lungs may congest. Supporting Health Essential fatty acids (found in Borage Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Wild Salmon Oil and Primrose Oil) are a part of every cell in the body. Wild Salmon Oil has been proven to help heart function. Taurine is critical to heart health and has been found to be deficient in many dogs eating home-prepared or commercial diets. For this reason, some commercial diet manufacturers are adding it to their formulations. CoQ10 can help in many ways including oral health and oxygentating blood. Bacteria from the mouth, particularly from under the gum line, enters the blood stream, thus able to negatively impact the heart. B vitamins play critical roles and studies show that they can support heart and lung functions. Antioxidants such as Ester-C and Vitamin E are heart and lung friendly and Ellagic Acid in combination with vitamin E (see Antioxidant Booster) has been shown to positively impact heart health. For Further Reading Optimal Nutrition by Monica Segal This book discusses some mechanisms of heart disease and dietary applications that work best.
Vitamin B-6 and Coronary Disease by Dr. S Friso et al Nutritional Therapy in the Treatment of Heart Disease in Dogs by Dr. RS Dove Valvular Heart Disease in Dogs by Dr. J Rush |
