# Cancer Diet and dogs



## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

So from my last thread in this section you may remember that one of our dogs at work has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

She is working well for the time being, but will be expected to deteriorate obviously. Crunch time for treatment decisions is here for the dog's owner.

He has asked me what I know of dietary changes warrented for a dog with cancer. I know I have seen some articles about limiting sugar and carbohydrates.

The dog was on a grain free kibble, but he switch to a good quality grain formula about a year ago. 

Worth it to switch the dog to grain free or raw diet? Any articles you might have bookmarked that he should look at? I have sent him a few links to start with, though people who have been through this may have some info I don't.

Cheers.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> So from my last thread in this section you may remember that one of our dogs at work has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
> 
> She is working well for the time being, but will be expected to deteriorate obviously. Crunch time for treatment decisions is here for the dog's owner.
> 
> ...


Moving a dog over to raw or home cooked generally is the first place people are recommended to start with dogs who have cancer. I'd also suggest they contact Lew Olsen and get on her k9 Nutrition yahoo list. There are other mailing groups available but that list is a good networking tool without the crushing weight some of the bigger lists have. Lew maintains her own personal website and does sell products which others on the list have tried.

I wish your friends luck with their dog.


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

My friend's vet a very well know homeopathic & chiro & acupunmcture vet recommended a raw diet for her golden with bone cancer. He stated no chicken. Not sure about if there is any difference with turkey or any other kind of fowl. I believe that she said that he stated something about it heats up the body or creates too much heat while being processed or something like that. It was 3-4 years ago. I already feed raw, so I kinda only 1/2 listened when she said that he told her to switch to a raw diet. Maybe Maren can comment on that. He also suggested fresh fish.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Fish oils do seem to be suggested as a supplement...


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Google Essiac Tea. There is also a very good cancer treatment book I got from Borders but can't seem to lay my hand on. It goes in to the traditional treatments for different types of dog cancers along with diet and nutrition.

Terrasita


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> ... He has asked me what I know of dietary changes warrented for a dog with cancer. I know I have seen some articles about limiting sugar and carbohydrates. ...


Almost all the cancer-specific diets I've seen focus on fresh raw food and very limited grain, and yes, long-chain Omega 3s and the E to protect the PUFAs. But I agree 100% with Nicole that Dr. Lew Olson is a great resource (and Mary Strauss too). 

Olson's book will be out in June of 2010 and I am waiting very impatiently. Meanwhile, her newsletters are great.

Here's one of Lew Olson's cancer articles at B-Naturals.com:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cancer-dogs-and-supplements/

And here's Mary Strauss: 
http://www.dogaware.com/cancer.html


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## Chris Libs (Nov 16, 2009)

Where is the osteosarcoma? 

I can tell you a lot but first of all get her on artemisinin. There is a yahoo group on artemisinin and canine cancer and two universities doing studies. No known side effects, cheap and quick. 

My beloved "Sky", groenendael was a "teenager" at 11 yo, competing in agility nationals and soon started limping. He was still placing high in local agility trials at 11. The horrible OS dx was made and a fellow agility enthusiast told me about artemisinin and the best case scenarios I found were with that. 

A very long story, made short, we reversed the OS that came on very aggressively in his right distal femur. I have all the xrays, etc to prove this, vets were amazed. Sky died at almost 12 yo but not from OS and a full necropsy showed the tumor in his femur was barely noticeable, the bone strong again and no mets in his lungs or anywhere in his abdomen. Dogs in Sky's line lived 10-12 yo.

I'm happy to help. Sky is my inspiration to open my facility (horse boarding) into a holistic and rehab for horses, dogs and cats. 

Artemisinin is the thing to start with but we did many more things. Sky who started out in much pain, was relieved of pain, back to his old self with a limp, still wanted to track and do agility. There are very powerful herbs out there that we also did. I could write a book! Feel free to contact me directly.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

The lion's share of nutritional research in cancer and dogs has been on lymphoma, not osteosarcoma. It would also depend on which, if any, chemotherapy protocol they want to follow. I don't recall off the top of my head which one (I'm out of town on an externship at the moment and I don't have access to my books and notes), but I do recall hearing that giving antioxidants like vitamin C and E are actually counter productive to how chemotherapy works (that the normally good properties of both help out the tumor cells, which is not what you want). 

Also raw diets are contraindicated with dogs with aggressive cancer like osteosarcoma. The body in that state is immunocompromised and due to bacterial contamination of raw meat, home cooking is the way to go. Incidentally, that's usually one of the few times you see parvo in older dogs is when they are immunocompromised from cancer. So as supportive of as I am of the raw diet, I'd do home cooked for cancer dogs.

There are some nutritional strategies for lymphoma and they include omega 3s, very low carb (not all no grain foods are low carb...EVO Turkey & Chicken has the lowest available commercially at 12%), moderately high protein (preventing cancer cachexia or wasting), moderate to high fat (unless the patient is already overweight), and high arginine.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks guys. He is visiting the specialist tomorrow. I am pretty sure that he is not going to go with chemo or amputation. 

It is in the wrist and has not spread to the lungs yet (the only other area checked I guess). Dog is healthy (acting) and happy, slight limp and slight swelling. 

Thanks for the info everyone, I will pass it on.


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