Dog Cancer Diet and Natural Supplements

A natural, homemade dog cancer diet can highly enhance a dog's immune system so that he is in a better position to fight against cancer. Many veterinarians suggest that an appropriate cancer diet for dogs should generally be low in carbohydrate and high in fat. This page explains why such a diet is appropriate. It also looks at the Budwig diet, as well as some beneficial supplements that should be given to dogs with cancer.

You are reading this page probably because your dog has unfortunately been diagnosed with some form of canine cancer.

Don't despair and don't give up hope. I know it is hard but all is not lost yet. There are a lot of things that you can do to help your dog through this difficult time.

One thing that you definitely can and should do is to take a look at your dog's diet. A suitable cancer diet enriched with beneficial supplements and herbs can provide your dog with lots of "ammunition" to fight this battle, so read on...

Please also take some time to look at the navigation bar on the left of this page. You will find a lot of information all related to canine cancer - from cancer symptoms, treatment to prevention, and more! Educate yourself the best you can. Take control. Share your experience at our Cancer Forum. You will find a lot of first-hand experiences written by other dog parents fighting the same battle. You will also most definitely find friendly and kind emotional support and encouragement from other visitors to our site.

Now, the cancer diet ...

Dog Cancer Diet

From a holistic point of view, many forms of dog cancer are caused by a weakened immune system, which in turn is caused, amongst other things, by a poor diet. It is important, therefore, that a natural and nutritious diet, enriched by appropriate natural supplements and vitamins, be given to a dog with cancer.

The first thing that many veterinarians tell dog parents to do when their dogs have been diagnosed with cancer is that, they should not be feeding their dogs commercial kibble. Instead, a natural, organic home-cooked or raw diet is recommended. (See this dog parent's experience on Homemade Food and Cancer.)

There are also suggestions that dogs with cancer be fed a special dog cancer diet, namely, a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

In an article entitled "Nutritional Approaches to Cancer Therapy", Dr. Ogilvie (DVM at Colorado State University) states that most cancer cells rely on simple carbohydrates (sugars) and to some extent, proteins, as energy sources to grow and reproduce. However, cancer cells do not do so well on specific types of fats. He feels that a proper diet can help in cancer treatment, and suggests that a dog cancer diet should contain:

Unsaturated Fats: Unsaturated fats, especially high quantity of Omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. flaxseed oil), should be given to dogs with cancer. On the other hand, Dr. Ogilvie warns that Omega-6 fatty acids (e.g. borage oil, primrose oil) have been proven to accelerate cancer growth; therefore, Omega-6 should be limited or avoided.
Proteins and Amino Acids: Moderate amounts of proteins and amino acids should be included in a dog cancer diet. The proteins must be of high-quality (human-grade) and easily digestible. In addition, two amino acids that should be present the diet are arginine (an immune system booster) and glutamine (which supports and maintains the health of the GI tract).
Complex Carbohydrates: If you want to include carbohydrates in your dog's cancer diet, use only very small amounts of complex carbs such as oat, brown rice, barley, etc..
Simple Carbohydrates: Simple carbs (sugars) should be kept to a minimum. (Note, however, that it doesn't mean you should not give veggies or fruits to your dog at all. Some veggies (e.g. broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts) contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and are beneficial to dogs.)

It should also be noted that while a dog with cancer can benefit from a high-fat cancer diet, some dogs are prone to pancreatitis if fed excessive amount of fats. If your dog has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer, therefore, be sure to consult with a holistic vet to see if your dog can be safely put on a low-carb, high-fat diet.

Feeding Tip

A dog with cancer will understandably lose his appetite, resulting in malnutrition. One simple way to stimulate his appetite is to warm his food up to around 100°F (about 38°C) to release the aromas in the food.

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Dog Cancer Diet - Natural Supplements

Natural supplements should form an integral part of a dog cancer diet. Specifically, you should give your dog the following supplements if your dog has cancer:

Digestion Enzymes

Even an all-natural, nutritious dog cancer diet cannot help your dog if she cannot digest the foods properly. Digestive enzymes aid digestion and absorption of foods, enabling your dog to get all the nutrients from the foods to help fight cancer. Digestive enzymes such as Prozyme should therefore be added as a supplement to a dog cancer diet.

Probiotics

Probiotics are important in supporting and strengthening a dog's immune system. The digestive system is the largest immune organ in dogs. However, very often, dogs on medications (such as antibiotics, corticosteroids), under stress, or after surgery are depleted of the "friendly" bacteria that live in the dog's gut. As a result, the good-to-bad bacteria ratio in the dog's gut is upset, greatly weakening the dog's immune system. To strengthen the already weakened immune system of a dog with cancer, therefore, a high-quality probiotic product is essential.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants remove free radicals from the body system, thereby helping cancer prevention and slowing the growth and the spread of some kinds of cancer.

Some excellent antioxidants are:

Vitamins C and E
The mineral selenium
Green tea
Coenzyme Q10

Flaxseed Oil and Cottage Cheese

Ever heard of the "Budwig Protocol" or "Budwig Diet"? It is a simple diet of cottage cheese and flaxseed oil suggested by Dr. Johanna Budwig (a German research scientist). In her life-long research on fats and proteins and how they affect our health, Dr. Budwig found that when organic flaxseed oil are combined with organic cottage cheese, which is rich in sulfur protein, the chemical reaction produced makes the oil water-soluble, making it easy to be absorbed into the cell membrane. Thus, mixing cottage cheese with flaxseed oil supplies your body with an abundant supply of lipoproteins. Dr. Budwig claimed when cancer patients followed this diet for around 3 months, the size of their cancer tumors would gradually reduce.

There are also anecdotal stories about how dog parents have successfully treated their dogs with cancer by using this diet. Since flaxseed oil and cottage cheese are healthy foods, it seems there is no harm in trying. However, a word of caution: some dogs are prone to develop pancreatitis when fed excessive amount of fats, so watch your dog carefully if you do decide to try this diet. You may want to use some herbs (e.g. dandelion or burdock) to help his pancreas.

For the Budwig Diet, here is what you need to do:

Add one tablespoon of organic flaxseed oil to half a cup of organic cottage cheese. Using a mixer or blender, blend the two ingredients well. You can feed it to your dog three times a day for at least 3 months.

This video shows you the key points to remember when preparing the Budwig Diet:

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Dog Cancer Diet - Great Products

Genesis Resources Canine CAS Options for Dogs : This natural product contains not only Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants (such as Vitamins C and E, selenium, Coenzyme Q10, and green tea), but also mushrooms (reishi, maitake) that have also been found to be anti-cancerous. It can be used safely in complementary to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Fungi Perfecti MUSH Medicinal Mushroom Blend: This supplement contains mushroom extracts (e.g shiitake, maitake, etc.) that are all known for their antioxidant and anticancerous properties.
Bach Flower Essences Rescue Remedy : As you can imagine, a dog with cancer is under a lot of stress, both physically and mentally. It is especially so if the dog is under chemotherapy, or has undergone surgery. Use this product to help relax the mind of the dog, It can relax a stressed and nervous dog and can restore feelings of calm and wellbeing. Add 2 to 3 drops of the remedy in your dog's drinking water every day for good result.