When your dog is diagnosed with cancer, you may feel a sense of hopelessness. You begin to ask the worrisome question "What can I do?". One of the best things you can do for your dog besides the best proper treatment, love & support is to provide them with a nutritious, healthy diet. Many dogs suffering from cancer will require a special diet high in protein, unsaturated fats, omega 3's and low in complex carbohydrates & sugars. Starve cancer cells by avoiding sugar.Many pet owners have decided to get out their doggy cookbooks. The debate still continues over raw diet and its cancer fighting benefits. Some pet owners opt to feed their dogs a raw diet, while other suggest that raw meat is never good for a dog undergoing chemotherapy and who has a low immune system. Remember, before you start your dog on any diet, you should consult with your veterinarian or holistic vet first and do your research. Every dog is different and each dog requires individualized care.
Its important that after the cancer diagnoses that your dog stays on your vets consistent & strict cancer fighting diet. This will increase your dogs chances of survival & prognosis. Like humans, a good diet also helps to boost & strengthen dogs immune system. Here are some tips to ensure your dog has a healthy and balanced diet that will help in their fight against cancer.
Its important for your dog to have protein rich food. So, what are some good sources of digestible animal protein?
Feed your dog beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, canned fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, eggs and dairy products such as whole fat yogurt and cottage cheese. Some holistic vets suggest that dogs should eat animal proteins and some vegetables,
Now on to the topic of fat content..
Its important that your dog has good a amount of fat in their diet. Meat is a good source of fat, and the fattiest meats include lamb, pork and goat. When feeding poultry, leave the skin on, which is where most of the fat resides, and use dark meat, which is higher in fat, rather than light meat. Eggs also contain fats. Canned fish is also a good source of fat. Remember that a diet high in saturated fat is very beneficial. Omega 3's found in salmon, fish & flaxseed oil can be placed in your dogs food daily (not recommended for dogs undergoing radiation therapy).
Fight Canine Cancer with Nutritious Homemade Dog Recipes
Here are some homemade dog food recipes for canine cancer sufferers from our friends at ehow. Dish up! These recipes are better healthy options then processed foods. Dogs with cancer should avoid commercial dog foods which is high in grains, starches and sugars which fuel cancer cells.
Recipe #1. Mix together 1 scrambled egg, 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup of cooked yellow squash and 4 oz. of low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese. Then add meat to the mixture. You may add 1 pound of ground beef or 1 pound of chopped chicken. This recipe will make 2 servings for a 50-pound dog or one serving for a 100-pound dog.
Recipe #2. Mix in a large bowl: 1 can salmon, 1 hard-boiled egg, 1/2 cup of chopped spinach or cabbage, 1/2 cup of carrots and 4 oz. of low-fat cottage cheese. Servings are same as above.
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 release the aromas in the food. Make sure before feeding that the food is properly cooled down before serving.
Is your dog or cat a cancer survivor? We would love to hear about your pets heroic winning battle. Give someone suffering the gift of hope! Share your pets story by commenting below.
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3 comments:
my doggie was diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) over four years ago. her lymph nodes were enlarged and her first vet misdiagnosed her but fortunately we got a second opinion and it was quickly confirmed. she went through a course of chemotherapy called the wisconsin protocol. initially she did not have much of an appetite and lost some weight but after the first few weeks she adjusted and regained her appetite. she was on hill's science diet dry dog food before the cancer and the doctor recommended we incorporate hill's science N/D canned food as well. apparently it is geared towards patients with cancer. my dog did chemo for almost three years and was in remission the entire time. we take her for regular check ups every two months because of her history. recently she was having loose stool so the doctor recommended we incorporate pumpkin into her food which is really working well. we no longer feed her the n/d but usually use a variety of organic wet dog food (such as halo, etc) in addition to the hill's dry food.
My dog Darby was diagnosed with Lymphoma on August 29, 2009. It was a very heart breaking diagnosis for me. Upon diagnosis, I immediately changed her diet. I knew that I had to keep her stong and very healthy for the battle ahead. I began to put together my team. Oncologist, Primary Vet, and holistic vet. We began the CCNU chemo protocol. It is the least invasive. I chose this protocol because I knew I was committed to doing anything and everything else possible to help her fight the cancer. Our holistic / homeopathic vet, devised some cancer remedies for her. Her diet consists of salmon, sardines, chicken, beef...Veggies include, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, zuccinni, green beans, sometimes I incorporate organic canned squash. Dairy includes eggs, cheese for a treat, and cottage cheese. Darby does not get any carbs such as bread, crackers, wheat, potato, etc...I occassionally feel her a quarter size amount of carrot and sweet potato. Darby is also on a variety of supplements; multivitamin, antioxidant, fish oil, egg shell, digestive enzyme, vitamin c and probiotic. Our routine is very time consuming, but we do it every morning and every evening. Darby was in partial remission when we started the CCNU. After our first treatment, she was in full remission. It broke my heart to give her the chemo pill, so at my second visit, I asked if we had to continue. They said yes, the treatment was 4 months. My baby was in remission, I hated continuing....3rd visit, her liver enzymes were up, they took her off chemo. Blessing in desquise...maybe so.....she is still being treated homeopathically. and is till in remission...My girl is doing fantastic. As a gift, I bought her 2 parakeets to entertain that little jack russel mind of hers. .......I keep m y fingers crossed and continually work towards doing everything I can to keep this pooch of mine in remission......I hope my experience helps someone out there....Good luck and God Bless>>>
My 9 yr. old Golden Retriever, Zoey was diagnosed with cancer in her chest and lymphoma on Oct. 28, 2009. She stopped eating her dog food a couple of weeks before we took her in to the vet. I realized she still had an appetite so I started making her meals and she was eating well. We opted not to do any treatments because of her age and I don't believe that chemo. actually cures cancer. I've been into natural cures for quite some time and I know there are natural cures for my girl out there. Since Zoey's diagnosis, she's lost 12 lbs. She's had ups and downs. My big obstacle has been getting her to eat enough to stop losing weight and start gaining. She loves chicken and so I boil up a chicken breast and add a bit of powdered bullion to the water for a little flavor. She really like that. Getting her to eat vegetables is impossible. And I know she needs them. As far as supplements, she gets 4-6 grams of vitamin C powder, 600 mg. Vit. B17, 400-800mg tumeric. I mix the B17 and vitamin C in with a bit of applesauce because when I mix it with yogurt it upsets her stomach. I've just recently started giving her pediasure because she was vomiting every day and she needed to get electrolytes. She doesn't care for the flavor and wouldn't drink it so I gave it to her with a syringe. Her appetite is coming back and she's eating on her own right now but she still needs more nutrition in her diet. The B17 helps the swelling go down in her lymph nodes. I ran out and she didn't have it for 2 days and I gave her the meds that the vet gave us that were for inflammation and pain. Her whole face swelled up and her lymph nodes were larger too. So, I stopped giving her those and just the other day I looked them up on the internet and was appalled at what I read about them. One of them in particular. That one actually would have killed her! Once I got her back on the B17 her nodes when down to half the size and she started doing better. It's taken several days but I have hope now that her appetite is back and I'm glad to have found some positive stories of other dogs that are beating cancer. I feel that neither dogs nor people should die of cancer. Dogs have no control over their environment and what they are exposed to. It's just not fair for them to die from a disease like cancer. It tears me up to see her going through this but I refuse to give up.
Thank You for your posts and I pray that your dogs live out their lives to the fullest cancer-free.
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