Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in your dogs body, trumped only by potassium and it is essential for so many actions and functions. Given this abundance you’d think that your dog would have plenty of reserves of this important mineral. But did you know that low magnesium levels is more common than you think, especially if your dog is on a processed diet.
Minerals in general are so important for our dogs health but magnesium in particular is essential as it works on many different levels, including keeping your dogs heart healthy and strong. But getting good levels into our dogs can sometimes take a bit of work. Many of our pets are magnesium deficient and really its little wonder because they tend to share the same deficiencies as their human owners. Magnesium is very depleted in foods we eat these days, especially as I mentioned above when processed. So kibbles and commercial foods of all kinds tend to contain low levels of absorbable magnesium. But even those doggies on a raw diet may still find that their magnesium level is lower than it should be simply because the soils have become depleted. And if your dog has any type of stress or anxiety, they will tend to lose more magnesium, putting both the body and in particular, the heart under further stress too. So why is magnesium especially important for your dogs heart? Did you know that the highest level of magnesium in the body is actually found in your dogs heart?? And as a muscle, like other muscles in your dogs body, it relies on both magnesium and calcium contract and then relax. While the calcium causes contraction, it is magnesium that is needed to help relax the heart muscle – magnesium works like a calcium blocker to stop further contraction and allow the muscle to fully relax. When magnesium levels are low, calcium can overstimulate heart muscles causing a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Magnesium is therefore key to maintaining that balance. In addition, magnesium is essential for the rhythm of your dogs heart because it's involved in transporting other electrolytes, such as calcium and potassium, into cells. Electrolytes are all-important for nerve signals and the muscle contractions of a normal heartbeat.
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