Pet Corner

Heart Health in Pets

By Gary L. Ailes, DVM

Cardiac health in our pets is as important as it is in their human guardians. As dogs and cats age, like us, they are susceptible to cardiovascular problems. Heart problems can also arise due to certain nutrient deficiencies.

For those who have pets with heart problems, I strongly suggest you consider adding CoQ10-H2™ at a dose of 100 to 150 mg daily, L-Carnitine at a dose of 250 to 500 mg daily and Taurine at a dose of 300 to 600 mg daily.

A deficiency of taurine has been shown to cause dilated cardiomyopathy (the deterioration of the function of the heart muscle) in cats and boxers. I believe it is a problem in all dogs and cats just at different levels. By adding this product to your pet’s diet, you will increase the efficiency of the heart muscle and you will be doing favors for you pet’s skeletal muscles, brain and central nervous system.

L-Carnitine is needed in the muscle tissue to get fats to the energy production factories called mitochondria in the cells. In stressed hearts, it is definitely helpful with the other supplements.

CoQ10-H2 is the active form of CoQ10 and is more effective in its support of cellular energy production. In the stressed heart, this is synergistic with the other two supplements in helping the heart to function well. There are other positive effects of these products, which make the supplementation even more worthwhile.