How to Keep Your Pet’s Heart Healthy

BY VERA TWEED

“Pets bring a lot to the table in terms of unconditional love, which is a significant factor in heart longevity,” says boardcertified cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, MD, a pioneer in nutritional healing and a big fan of animals. Dogs, cats, and horses have played important parts in his life.

“If you come home to a loving dog after a heart attack, your incidence of survival is much higher than coming home to an empty house—or even a judgmental spouse,” says Sinatra. So feeding your pets well will enhance both their health and yours.

A Personal Dog Story

“Over the years, I had dogs that died of heart failure, and it’s heartbreaking,” recalls Sinatra. “Here I am as a heart specialist—so I decided to place my dogs on COQ10 and I also gave them sardines and wild salmon, because they contain a high degree of CoQ10.” The nutrient is essential for the heart to generate energy and plays a vital role in preventing and relieving heart failure. Sinatra developed a line of products for pets called Ageless Paws (agelesspaws. com); his CoQ10 drops have 10 mg of liposomal CoQ10 per serving.

Three pet dogs on his regimen—an elkhound and two chows—maintained good health into their later years and outlived counterparts in their breeds.

The Most Nutritious Foods for Pets

“A lot of canned pet food uses old animals,” says Sinatra. “Old animals lose their nutritional value, and certainly their CoQ10 content.” These are the best food options:

*Sardines and wild salmon are high in CoQ10 and healthy omega-3 fats, and low in mercury.

*Animal hearts and livers are other top food sources of CoQ10.

In addition, look for pet foods made without additives and other chemicals. Bison is a clean food source because it’s raised without growth hormones and rarely given antibiotics.