holistic help for dog with lymphoma

Question
Hello,
  Do you know what supplements might help a dog with lymphoma?  She is undergoing chemotherapy.  Right now I give Omega 3's, arginine, SAMe, fiber tablets, magnesium, vit D, and may start propolis.  I don't give anti-oxidants a few days before and after the chemo as there is one school of thought that says they may prevent cancer cells from dying.  I give a vit C, selenium, zinc, and vit E supplement every other day otherwise.  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Ruth,

Iams makes a dog food that is supposed to follow the nutritional recommendations of Dr. Oglive at Colorado State University, who has done some controlled studies on diet as it relates to Lymphoma. Hill's also makes a prescription diet (n/d, I think) that follows the same recommendations. These may be worth looking into.

According the the University of Florida Veterinary Medicine, although eating healthy is the best tool in the fight against cancer, once cancer takes hold certain dietary changes may be help the patient fight against the effects of the cancer. Tumor cells rely heavily upon carbohydrates for their energy and rob the body of amino acids. On the other hand, tumor cells cannot utilize lipids (fats) for energy while the rest of the body can. As such, diets with increased fat content may slow tumor growth, allowing the patient to fight against the tumor. Protein content must be maintained a levels sufficient for tissue repair, but carbohydrates should be held to a minimum. If you can't cook for your dog, a commercial food should be of good quality, moderate protein (18-22%) content, low carbohydrate (3-13%) content, and high fat (55-60%) content. One dog food that fits this bill is Mighty Dog Bacon & Cheese dog food.

As for dietary supplements, the immune system stabilizer Gamma Linolenic Acid (a mixture of evening primrose oil, borage seed oil, black currant oil) has been proposed to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Coenzyme Q-10 as well as the Omega's that you're already using are important for cancer patients.

You should not use Vitamin C unless your vet has approved it's use, and has given you a correct dose. Feeding a dog Vitamin C may have a negative affect on both the dog's liver and kidneys.

Milk thistle is an herbal product that help protect the liver from toxic damage. It has been used to protect the liver from damage from chemotherapy in human patients. Talk to your vet to get the correct dose for your dog.

Many of the antioxidants help stabilize DNA and help reduce cancer development or progression. Some data suggests that antioxidants can reduce the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy, but this is not well documented. It may be best to stop antioxidants 3 days before radiation therapy or at the start of chemotherapy, re instituting the antioxidants a few days later.

Aside from continuing with your current vet and your dog's Chemo treatment, you might find it helpful to consult with a Holistic Veterinarian. You can locate one here:

http://www.holisticvetlist.com/#search

Best of luck,

Patti