Diet Is Vital For Dog Cancer Recovery

Cancer develops, because your dog's immune system has weakened and was unable to fight cancer cells as they developed. If undergoing chemotherapy, your dog's immune system is diminished further.

As a result, dogs with cancer require an integrated treatment program including a highly nutritional diet and anticancer supplements that augment traditional treatment. Even if not diagnosed with cancer, dogs need a nutritional program to maintain their healthy immune system and prevent illnesses from developing. However, deciding what to feed your dog can be a massive undertaking with such a wide range of options available.

Why a special diet for dogs with cancer?
There are many different therapies used to fight canine cancer, depending upon the patient and the type of cancer. But one thing all dog cancers have in common is the need for a specialized diet. Every process in the body is regulated and controlled by what is ingested. If you want the best chance for a good outcome, you must give your dog the proper building blocks to use in fighting this disease, and keep out those toxins which will cause further harm. Diet is crucial for a dog with cancer.

Give your dog well balanced meals and fight dog cancer
The next most important issue is diet. A dog with cancer is building a lot of new tissue, and adequate proteins and cell membrane compounds omega 3 fish oil are required to do this.When the adequate amounts of the correct proteins and fats are not present in the diet, the body will rob it from other places, leading at best to muscle wasting, but more likely complications with the functions of the kidneys and liver.

This can lead to kidney and liver failure, which is something your poor dog does not need on top of the cancer. Fortunately, these secondary liver and kidney complications can usually be avoided by watching the dog's diet.

"Diet is one thing that is easily controlled, and is often the only thing that makes the difference between a successful treatment outcome and a failure"

The first rule for feeding a dog with cancer is to STAY AWAY FROM GRAINS! Dogs did not evolve as grain eaters. Most of our commercial dog foods are based upon rice, wheat or corn. But if we look at dogs in nature, we find they never graze in the wheat field or rice paddies. Dogs have evolved for the past 10 million years as primarily meat eaters. They simply do not produce the enzymes necessary to digest grains. While rice and corn may be a good filler for the dog food companies, they don't make a good filler for the dog.

Feel free to add canned sardines (best), cottage cheese, eggs and yogurt (plain). High fat content is good. Some vets advocate a raw diet, while some say it should be cooked. More important than cooked or raw is the amount of animal-based protein and fats. Keep in mind, dogs are primarily carnivores. They do best on the diet they evolved to eat.

Immuno modulators that should be used in all canine cancer patients. K9 Critical Care should be used at a dose of 1 capsule per 10 lbs per day to enhance immune function and cancer recognition. K9 Transfer Factor or Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula or K9 Colostrun Transfer Factor, or other transfer factor product should be used to enhance bio-availability of the K9 Critical Care. Usual dose is 100-200 mg / 10 lbs / day

Other purported Anti-Cancer herbs:
Cat's Claw: Uncaria tomentosa, comes from Peru and was used to treat arthritis and cancer. Studies have confirmed that it has antioxidants and immune-enhancing properties.

Biosilymarin: This helps prevent liver damage. It can help treat hepatitis and prevent injury from other drugs. It can protect the liver from chemotherapy and anti-convulsants (phenobarbital). Suggested dosage is 250 mg for a dog under 25 lbs, and 500 mg for a dog over 25 lbs once daily. Biosylimarin should be used in most cases of liver cancer, but always ask your veterinarian.

Shark Cartilage: This has anti-angiogenic properties which reduce blood vessels in tumors. You can use 1000-2000 mg of shark cartilage if recommended by your vet or oncologist

Additional Treatments:
Acupuncture: Acupuncture can relieve pain and provide analgesia without the side effects of drugs. It can stabilize the function of the adrenal gland and increase endogenous corticosteroid secretion without the side effects of steroids. Electrical acupuncture can improve muscle strength and reflex activity.

It can help relieve muscle spasms after operations. Acupuncture is usually a process of several treatments. If it doesn't show results in 3-5 treatments then it probably won't work. Your veterinarian could refer you to a veterinary acupuncturist.

Static Magnetic Therapy: North pole magnets create alkalinity by decreasing hydrogen ion concentration in tissue. They suppress cell mitosis, viral/bacterial growth, tumors and inflammation. Apply a north pole magnet over the tumor area for 15-20 minutes a day. Medical magnets should be 1000-3000 gauss.

Healing touch: Some believe that life force and energy can be transferred to a patient through touch and this will cause healing benefits. No spiritual belief is necessary and there is no harm that can be done. Some studies have shown that touch can reduce stress and blood pressure of the patient.

It is not easy to demonstrate the results of healing touch. Petting your sick dog is good therapy for both of you and certainly will not cause you any harm. He or She needs lots of love and attention at this time, as do you. If you want more information about these additional treatments please do a search on Google.

IMPORTANT: Cancer is a very serious disease. The information provided here is intended for educational use and is not intended to substitute for the advice of a professional. This page is not intended as an endorsement of any product. You should discuss all forms of treatment with your veterinarian