The role of dietary management in canine heart disease is to provide a proper balance of total nutrients while meeting the special dietary needs of the patient. Feeding controlled levels of key nutrients may reduce the workload on the heart while meeting the nutritional needs of the animal. Because heart failure may compromise other internal organs such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and liver, it is also important to provide a highly digestible, easily metabolized diet which the patient will readily consume.