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Canine Cancer Prevention
Canine cancer prevention involves feeding the dog a natural healthy diet with supplements, minimizing exposure to toxins, strengthening
the dog's immune system using herbs and essential oils, and eliminating stress in the dog's life.
Dog cancer is perhaps one of the most feared of canine diseases. If you look at the figures, you will understand why - about one in four dogs will develop cancer
at some point in their lives, and over half of the dogs aged over 10 years old will die of cancer.
Unfortunately, there is not a magical "checklist" which, if we do everything on the list, we can prevent our dogs from getting cancer.
However, there are a lot of things that we, as dog parents, can do to help minimize the chance of our dogs developing cancer.
Be proactive! Read this page and do the several simple yet important things suggested to help prevent cancer development in your dogs.
Canine Cancer Prevention - Diet
One of the most important things that we can do for our dogs to minimize their chances of getting cancer is to provide them with a natural, high-quality diet that is
high in protein, and low in carbohydrates.
If you are feeding your dog a low-grade grain-based commercial dog food, you need to seriously consider changing the food. There are several reasons why such food poses a risk
on your dog's health:
- A dog's natural diet consists of protein, fat, and some vegetables (but not usually grains like corn and wheat). Feeding your dog food that
comes as close as possible to their natural diet ensures that they have a healthy immune system.
- Grain-based foods, if processed at high temperature (as in the case of kibbles), produce carcinogens.
- Grains can feed cancer - Grains and sugars are packed with starches and simple carbohydrates (simple sugars) and cancer cells just love
simple sugars. Many forms of corn and wheat break down very easily into simple sugars. If a dog is starting to develop cancer and if his diet is a grain-based diet,
it means that his food is feeding the cancer and promoting cancer growth.
- Low-grade dog foods usually contain chemical preservatives, artificial colors or flavors - all of which contain carcinogens.
The best diet for our dogs is a well-balanced home made dog diet. Some holistic practitioners suggest that a
raw diet is the best for dog cancer prevention; however, if
you are not comfortable with handling raw meat and bones, a home cooked diet is fine,
provided that the foods are not cooked in a high temperature (make sure that the cooking temperature is below 212°F or 100°C). Alternatively, you can also get
high-quality freeze-dried or dehydrated foods.
Besides foods, we also have to pay attention to the water. It has been found that tap water in many areas in the USA contains a host of residue chemicals, hormones,
and other contaminants that can cause cancer (both in humans and dogs). Installing a water filter or using uncontaminated, unfluoridated bottled water is advisable.
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Canine Cancer Prevention - Dietary Supplements
To prevent canine cancer, in addition to a healthy diet, dietary supplements are also essential. In particular, antioxidant supplements are important because they help
protect the dog's body against damage by free radicals.
Organic Coconut Oil is an excellent antioxidant - it has anti-tumor properties
and the fatty acids in coconut oil help prevent and alleviate inflammation and other problems. Recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per 10 pounds of body weight
per day.
Other powerful antioxidants include vitamins A, C,and E, selenium, alpha lipoic acid,
and grape seed extract.
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Canine Cancer Prevention - Herbs
There has been a lot of research on using herbs to prevent cancer. Herbs that have been found to have anti-cancer properties include:
- Mushrooms - Cordyceps, Reishi, Shiitake, Maitake: Mushrooms, especially reishi, has been used for many years in China and Japan as herbs
for cancer prevention and treatment in people. Recent research has found that these mushrooms can enhance the immune system, due to their high levels of polysaccharides
and their effect on white blood cells.
In addition, these mushrooms have been found to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, immune-stimulating, and antioxidant properties.
Natural mushroom supplements such as
Fungi Perfecti MUSH Medicinal Mushroom Blend
 can be given to dogs
to get the maximum anti-cancerous properties of these mushrooms.
- Green Tea: Green tea has been found to be effective in boosting and stimulating the immune system. It is also an antioxidant and astringent and
has been shown to be an effective herb for cancer (especially for some kind of stomach and skin cancers).
- Garlic: Garlic has a lot of sulphur-containing compounds
(thus the strong smell!). These compounds are helpful in enhancing the immune system. It has also been shown that garlic stimulates the growth of beneficial cells.
- Other Herbs: Other anti-cancer herbs include curcumin, turmeric, astragalus, and ginger.
Learn More about K9 Cancer!
Use the navigation bar on the left of this page to find more information on canine cancer.
Join our Cancer Forum to share your experience!
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Canine Cancer Prevention - Exercise
Since the lymph system is one of the most important defense mechanisms in the body, maintaining a healthy, well-circulated lymph system is essential in cancer prevention.
How can we keep our dog's lymph system healthy and well-circulated? One simple thing we can do is to give our dog regular exercise. Another way to stimulate
lymph circulation is to brush your dog vigorously every day from the direction of his feet up to his heart.
Regular exercise also prevents obesity in dogs - a lean dog is healthier and is more ready to
fight infections and other diseases like cancer than a fat dog.
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Other Ways to Prevent Canine Cancer
Eliminate Environmental Toxins
We should make the living environments of our pets as carcinogen-free as possible. For example, as much as possible, we should not expose our dogs to:
- cigarette smoke;
- gas exhaust;
- radiation (x-rays; TV);
- toxic chemicals such as topical pesticides, lawn treatments and agricultural chemicals.
Vaccinations
There is more and more concrete evidence linking vaccinations to canine cancer. Routine
vaccinations top the list of things that disrupt the immune system. Many holistic vets now suggest vaccinating our dogs on an "as-needed" basis, rather than giving
them every possible vaccine every year.
Find a vet who is willing to give your dog blood titer tests (which can tell if your dog's antibody levels for a particular infectious disease, e.g. distemper, remain high
enough to resist infection) and re-vaccinate only if the titer tests show low antibody levels. Ask the vet to use single vaccines instead of combination vaccines.
Spaying and Neutering
Certain types of dog cancer, such as breast, ovarian, and testicular cancer, can be prevented by early
spaying or neutering.
On the other hand, early spaying increases the risk of developing hemangiosarcomas in female dogs. Also, dogs who are spayed/neutered before one year of
age have a higher chance of developing osteosarcoma compared to intact dogs.
Try to find out if your dog's breed has inherited cancer risks and, if so, for which type of cancer. This can help you make more informed decisions as to whether you should
sterilize your dog.
Sleep
You may wonder how sleep can help minimize cancer in dogs. It has been found that unnatural sleep/wake cycles in humans are a cause of cancer because they interrupt
melatonin production. Melatonin is a powerful cancer-fighting hormone that boosts the immune system, and to produce adequate amount of melatonin, at least nine hours of
sleep in total darkness is required. (Total darkness increases production of melatonin.) By extension, dogs should also get at least nine hours of uninterrupted
sleep in total darkness so that they can maintain high levels of melatonin in their bodies.
Stress
Last but not least, the emotional wellbeing of your dog is important - try to provide an environment for your dog that is as stress-free as possible.
Detoxifying your dog regularly is also helpful to prevent canine cancer.
Visit Dog Detox to see how!
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