When your dog has been diagnosed with cancer it is a whirlwind of tests and then treatment options (usually comprising of some variation on chemo, radiation and surgery). Unless you have a holistic vet, you won’t often find vet recommendations for nutrition or natural medicines, but there is a lot that you can do and it’s not complicated.
When I’m working with a dog with cancer I have 5 key diet principles:</strong
Nourish the body, starve the cancer
Boost immunity
Soothe pain and inflammation naturally
Detox the body
Support their liver and kidneys (especially if having chemo and other meds)
Different cancers can also have different food or supplement emphases too. For example, with Mast Cell Tumours I recommend a Low Histamine Diet, for bone cancer I include bone density and cartilage support, for hemangiosarcoma it’s turkey tail and sunscreen, and a range of other supplements and nutrients to address the specific issue.
Let’s dive in to Nourishing the body, starve the cancer
It is vital that your dog’s cancer diet starves the cancer but nourishes the body to boost immunity and help maintain weight and muscle mass.
This mainly means low to no carbs. It is said that ‘cancer has a sweet tooth’. Cancer loves carbs and sugar. In fact it robs the body of that energy and turns carbs into sugar (blood glucose). This feeds the cancer and accelerates growth while depleting the patient.
It also means nutrients that support the body’s natural immune system and other essential bodily functions, like gut health, digestion, blood cleansing and cell renewal.
So, what’s in?
Quality protein including offal
(offal 10-25% of total meat) (60-80% of total meal)
High quality lean protein including muscle meat and offal. Lean, grass-fed beef or chicken*, kangaroo, turkey, fish, venison, duck, pork, goat and lamb.
*I prefer a dog with cancer to not have much, if any, chicken as it can be packed with inflammation-causing omega 6. Pasture-raised is much better, but minimising its inclusion rather than having it dominate the diet (which often happens) is good.
Please note: Some vets recommend not feeding raw to your dog if they are on chemotherapy. If cooking, only a light cook is needed to kill of any pathogens. This is also a good way to introduce raw meat to the diet if it has not been used regularly before.
Please also note: If your dog has mammary cancer feed her white meats only, not red.
Low carb, whole vegetables and fruits (20-30%)
Dogs are omnivores and need vegetable matter for optimal health. Low carb, whole veggies that are fermented, grated, steam or pureed – at every meal – especially cruciferous (like broccoli and cabbage) and dark leafy green vegetables and those high in betaglucans, like beets, are fantastic nutrition for all dogs, but especially those with cancer.
These veggies deliver much needed nutrients as well as providing fiber to help keep gut health happy – the engine room of the immune system.
Berries, such as blueberries, are also fantastic nutrition bombs to include in meals or offer as snacks.
Good fats and omega 3 fatty acids (5-10%)
Often misunderstood as predominantly ‘bad’, fats are the most important part of your dog’s diet after protein. They not only provide energy but they ‘form the membranes of all the cells, help absorb fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), help control hormones, are crucial for brain function and health and play a huge role in soothing inflammation’ .
Fats are vital to health. Dogs need both saturated and unsaturated fats. Largely they fall into Omega 3 (O3) and Omega 6 (O6) fatty acids. O6 largely produces hormones that increase inflammation (an important part of the immune response), and Omega 3’s control the immune system and work together with the O6 in a countering or antagonistic manner. Therefore, the right balance is vital here.
For dogs with cancer we generally want to reduce inflammation so we put more emphasis on the Omega 3, especially DHA and EPA.
Fish oil or krill oil are often touted as great sources but are not ideal due to the vulnerability to oxidization, high risk of contaminants and the pressure on the oceans of overfishing. Whole fish, phytoplankton, green lipped mussels, flaxseed oil and freshly ground meal, are especially good here. Quality, pasture raised eggs also great once or twice a week (pending dog size).
Grass-fed or wild grown animals generally have the most O3, while grain-fed or stressed animals tend to have more O6. This is important to consider with regard to muscle meat and offal, as well as bones, especially marrow bones. Remember the adage “you are what you eat eats”.
Keto: Many dog lovers explore the potential benefits of a Keto diet for their dogs with cancer as the high fat content is said to feed the body and not the cancer. It is important to calculate food intake to match Keto ratios and to monitor blood ketones to ensure ketosis is achieved.
Keto has been shown to have great benefits for some dogs however low to no carb and medium protein levels with good fats are also a good combination for dogs with cancer.
Please note: These menus are keto-friendly but not strictly keto ratios. Do not try keto if your dog has pancreatic or digestion issues that mean your dog has low tolerance for fat.
And, what’s out?
Carbs carbs carbs
As I said above, kick out the carbs. Even starchy vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato (unless purple), definitely no potato or pasta (which should never be in their diet anyway please) or anything that turns into sugar in the body. If you can do nothing else, do this. Please.
Dry food / kibble
Yes even ‘grain free’. Kibble – even the expensive stuff – is generally full of carbs and not much nutrition. Read the ingredients to know what’s in there. You might be surprised. If you can’t eliminate it completely then please add in from the ‘what’s in?’ list above and reduce accordingly. Any reduction in kibble is a win.
Grain fed chicken
Science has warned over and over (since 1863 actually) that inflammation is ‘critical’ to tumour progression. Foods that promote or create inflammation and are generally high in Omega 6, such as grain-fed chicken, work against us when our goal is to soothe inflammation.