The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (64 page)

Protein is a very important component of your dog’s cancer diet. For one thing, dogs love the flavor of most proteins, and that encourages them to eat. Protein is also a dense source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The following are good choices for protein: beef, chicken, fish, turkey, venison, duck, pork, goat and lamb. The exception is if your dog has mammary cancer; if this is the case do not feed her red meat, because it has been shown to be a risk factor for tumors of this type. Offer her white meats, including fish and chicken, instead.

Buy lean cuts of meat (chicken breasts instead of thighs, for example), because the fat in most animal flesh contains more omega-6 fatty acids than I recommend for a dog with cancer. Trim skin or fat off the meat before you cook it. After cooking, remove fat by pouring it out of the pan or straining.

Don’t worry about losing flavor with the fat; you’ll add cancer-fighting omega-3 fats later on and there are several non-carcinogenic flavor-boosters in the recipe section.

Some people suggest that tofu be used as a protein substitute. I do not recommend tofu, because most dogs do not digest it very well. When your dog is fighting cancer, anything that unnecessarily strains her system is best left off the menu. The value of tofu as a protein does not outweigh its digestive difficulties for a significant number of dogs.

Excess omega-6 fatty acids suppress the immune system; supplementing with additional omega-3 fatty acids can offset this effect. Omega-3 fatty acids can also help to offset the effects of inflammation in your dog’s body. I recommend two sources.

The two recommended sources of omega-3 fatty acids are krill oil and fish oil (my favorite picks are available at
www.DogCancerShop.com
). Pick one of these oils, use it for three to four weeks, and then switch to the other, alternating oils throughout the treatment. There are many brands of fish and krill oil; when choosing one, the most important factor to pay attention to is the level of DHA and EPA available. For maximum benefits, try to find good concentrations of these in the formula. Formulations are constantly changing, of course, so it’s hard for me to give you the “correct” concentrations, because what’s on the shelf today may be reformulated tomorrow. A good guideline, however, is this: for every 1000 mg serving of oil, about 180 mg should be EPA (18%) and 120 mg should be DHA (12%). Most fish oils are in this range.

If your dog has a pancreatic disease, a “sensitive stomach,” or other digestive issues, your veterinarian may alter portions of this diet, as high levels of fat in the diet may worsen such a condition.

Krill oil comes from krill, the tiny shrimp that are the primary source of food for whales. I like krill oil for several reasons. Krill are near the bottom of the food chain; fish higher on the chain live longer and their fatty tissues tend to accumulate heavy metals like lead, some of which are carcinogens (most, but not all, of these are removed from fish oil). There is also evidence that krill oil, taken in high doses over time, may help with depression in humans. There is more evidence for this effect with krill oil than fish oils. We know from human studies, that depression and cancer are linked, so efforts to fight depression in dogs are logical. Finally, living on Maui makes me acutely aware that the oceans are getting overfished.

HOW TO GIVE KRILL OIL

Krill oil typically comes in 1,000 mg soft gel capsules. To feed it to your dog, just mix the whole capsule into food, or cut the capsules at one end with a pair of kitchen shears and gently squeeze the oil into the food, mixing thoroughly. If your dog can swallow softgels whole, feed your dog krill oil this way.

The sudden introduction of fatty acids can cause stomach upset and diarrhea, so work up to a full dosage over about fourteen days.

Up to 10 pounds:
1,000-2,000 mg daily

Dogs 10.1 - 35 pounds:
3,000-4,000 mg daily

Dogs 35.1-60 pounds:
6,000-9,000 mg daily

Over 60.1 pounds:
10,000-12,000 mg daily

Note that the doses are given in a range. This is because there are so many brands, which each formulate the oil in different ways. Use these doses as guidelines, rather than hard-and-fast rules. Alternate the use of krill and fish oil every month.

Krill oil may have some “blood thinning” effects. Stop giving krill oil ten days before any surgery and wait until ten days after surgery or after sutures are removed or dissolved, before giving it again. Also, allergic reactions to shellfish or fish are rare, but possible. Immediately stop use and consult your vet if you think your dog is having an allergic reaction.

The second oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which I recommend, is fish oil (from menhaden, mackerel, salmon, etc.). The effects of fish oil are generally similar to those of krill oil. It’s more readily available and usually cheaper than krill oil, which may be important to some guardians. However, fish oil also shows less evidence for impact on depression. There used to be some concern about the heavy metal levels in fish oil, but today name brand fish oils have lowered these to allowable levels.