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DIET
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The following information is simply
informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice
of
a veterinarian nor to assist you
in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with
your
own veterinary physician for confirmation of any
diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
Diet plays a
very important part in the maintenance of a dog with
cancer. The main rule of thumb for feeding your cancer
dog, according to Dr. Ogilvie who worked alongside the Morris
Animal Foundation, is to feed a diet which consists of limited
quantities of simple sugars, moderate amounts of complex sugars,
high quality digestible proteins (in moderate amounts), and specific
amounts of certain types of fat. His research led to the
manufacture of Hill's Science Diet n/d which is cancer
specific.
Simple sugars
consists of any processed sugar and fruit sugar. These would include
rice syrup, molasses, honey, corn syrup, maple sugar or syrup,
glucose, sucrose and dextrose. Almost anything ending in "ose" is
considered a simple sugar. More examples of simple sugars would be
milk, fruits and vegetables such as carrots, beets, squash, turnip
and sweet potatoes.
Cancer cells feed
on sugar. We are attempting to starve those
cells.
Complex sugars,
which are also called complex carbohydrates, supply muscle energy.
Some examples of complex sugars include breads, cereals, grains,
rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and pasta.
Digestible proteins
include egg whites, chicken (white meat), lean beef, beans, skim
milk and lamb.
Fat is an important
part of the diet as it may provide more energy than carbohydrates or
proteins. It provides a source of essential fatty acids for healthy
skin and coat. It also transports the fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and
K.
If you are
fortunate enough to have extra time to cook, homemade is also
wonderful.
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HOMEMADE CANCER DIET
RECIPE:
The
following work was originally published by Veterinary
Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's
permission:
A balanced homemade
formula for dogs with cancer. The following recipe will make three
days worth of food for a 25-30 pound dog.
Ingredients
Amount:
Lean ground beef, fat drained 454 grams (1
pound)
Rice, cooked 227 grams (1 1/3 cups)
Liver, beef 138
grams (1/3 pound)
Vegetable oil 63 grams (4 ? Tbs)
Fish oil
9 grams (9 1000-mg fish oil capsules)*
Calcium carbonate 3.3
grams**
Dicalcium phosphate*** 2.9 grams (3/4 tsp)
Salt
substitute (potassium chloride) 1.9 grams (1/3 tsp)
BNBalanced
vitamin/trace mineral supplement
* Note: The amount
of fish oil that must be added to homemade foods to achieve the
total n-3 fatty acid levels in Canine n/d is usually not practical
or economical to use. Owners are encouraged to feed the highest fish
oil dose tolerated by the dog. Cost is approximately $0.05 to 0.10
per capsule.
** Calcium
carbonate is available as oyster shell calcium tablets or Tums
tablets (0.5 g in regular Tums, 0.75 g in Tums Extra and 1.0 g in
Tums Ultra).
*** Bone meal can
be used in place of dicalcium phosphate.
Directions: Cook
the rice with salt substitute added to the water. Cook the ground
beef and drain the fat. Cook the liver and dice or finely chop into
small pieces. Pulverize the calcium carbonate and vitamin/mineral
tablets. Mix the vegetable oil, fish oil (break open capsules) and
supplements with the rice and then add the cooked ground beef and
liver. Mix well, cover and refrigerate. Feed approximately one-third
of this mixture each day to a 25-30 pound dog. Palatability will be
increased if the daily portion is heated to
approximately body
temperature (Caution: when using microwave, avoid "hot spots," which
can burn the mouth).
Nutrient Profile (%
dry matter basis):
Protein 35.3
Fat 41.6
Carbohydrate
17.8
Calcium 0.65
Phosphorus 0.54
Sodium 0.36
Potassium 0.68
Magnesium 0.05
Energy 1,989 kcal/kg as
fed
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HOME COOKING/FEEDING
TIPS:
Client
Handouts: by the VIN Community
Nutritional Alternatives for
Cancer Patients
Susan G. Wynn, DVM,
OVA
Home
Cooking
With the exception of canine lymphoma, there is no
accepted dietary
recommendation for cancer patients.
Veterinarians and pet owners
interested in alternatives or
complements to conventional practice
often shun commercial
diets, and some cancer patients refuse them,
as well. We
have used a variety of home prepared and commercial
diets for
our cancer patients. Based on Oglivie's work using low
carbohydrate, moderate fat and moderate protein diets for
lymphoma
patients (Ogilvie, 1998), we have used homemade diets
that reduce
carbohydrates while providing quality protein,
presumably
appropriate fat and fatty acid profiles, and high
levels of nutrient
rich vegetables.
Rule number one is to
KEEP THEM EATING, so we don't stand on
principle if our patients
dislike our cooking. On the other hand,
the majority of
the canine and feline patients appear to improve in
general
condition after becoming acclimated to the diet below, and
we
assume that their general improvement bodies well for the course
of their disease, at least to optimize survival
times.
Here are the guidelines for cooking for cancer
patients:
50% fish or poultry
50% mixed frozen or fresh
vegetables.
Olive oil as a source of fat calories – about 1 tsp.
per 20lbs of
body weight.
A vitamin-mineral supplement
according to label directions if a
veterinary product.
A
calcium source – preferably from bonemeal or Tums – about 250mg
per 15 pounds of body weight.
Many people use a crock-pot
to stew all ingredients together. Some
prefer to steam the
vegetables and the cooked meat and throw
everything into the
food mill so that it looks like commercial
canned food.
Raw meat is never recommended for animals undergoing
chemotherapy or who are immunesuppressed in any way. This
recipe is
NOT balanced – the patient and the recipe should be
re-evaluated
frequently in order to adjust the recipe according
to the animal's
weight, disease progression, and other changes
in condition.
There are a number of spices shown to have
anti-neoplastic activity
that will also improve the flavor of
this recipe, garlic may induce
differentiation and apoptosis in
some tumor cells (Li, 1998),
(Thatte, 2000). Turmeric, the
yellow (and rather mild) spice that
gives curry its yellow
color, has recognized preventive activity,
but of importance for
cancer patients, turmeric is antioxidant and
induces liver
detoxification enzymes (Piper, 1998). Try FRESH
minced
garlic – about 1 clove per 40 lbs. of body weight, and
turmeric,
about 1tsp per 50lbs of body weight.
Nutritional
Supplements
Antioxidants are often recommended for cancer
patients; they may
slow proliferation of neoplastic cells and
reduce adverse effects of
chemotherapy. While many believe
antioxidants interfere with
chemotherapy, others suggest that
they actually enhance the effects
of chemotherapy (Conklin,
2000). Antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E,
selenium and the
antioxidant enzymes are mutually dependent on each
other for
their generation and activity. For this reason,
antioxidants should be provided as a broad spectrum, rather than
singly.
Fish oil (salmon or menhaden body oil) appears to
have
antiproliferative activity in some tumor cell lines,
antimetastatic
activity in laboratory animals, and
anti-cachectic activity in human
patients (Rose, 1999), (Sauer,
2000). It is frequently recommended
for canine and feline
cancer patients at a rate of 1 regular
strength capsule (300mg
of DHA and EPA) per 15 lbs. of body
weight.
Summary
None of the nutritional therapies
discussed have proven effects,
used alone, in specific cancers
of canine or feline patients. This
author uses them in
most clinical cases presented, however, based on
clinical
success in the past. If cancer patients feel good enough
to tolerate the diet change and supplements, this regimen of low
carbohydrate home diet with therapeutic spices, antioxidants and
fish oil can improve and maintain good physical
condition.
It is also important to note that due to the
various nutritional needs of a cancer dog, a good high-quality dog
food should also be served when making homemade.
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LINKS PERTAINING TO DOG FOOD IN
GENERAL:
Not all high priced dog foods equal high-quality. Refer to
the following links for more information on
this:
What's getting into your
pets? - A News Reporter's
Investigation
What's really in Pet
Food? - Animal
Protection Institute
The best
rule of thumb in purchasing dog food is to chose those with all
natural ingredients and/or containing human grade contents.
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