How Nutrition can help your pet fight cancer

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.In recent newsletters I’ve talked about the importance of supporting and strengthening your pet’s immune system as their best defence against cancer.

This week I’m going to focus on how feeding a biologically appropriate diet can support a pet with cancer.


Feeding a balanced fresh meat diet
In dogs and cats biologically appropriate nutrition means a total raw food diet containing a high proportion of meat protein.

A good raw food diet should contain at least 60 to 80 percent fresh raw meat, the appropriate ration of fat somewhere from five to 10 percent, a portion of cereal and vegetable matter and a balance of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and antioxidants.


The role of antioxidants in fighting cancer
Antioxidants are found naturally in fresh foods, and are present in particularly high levels in many richly coloured fruits and berries. Antioxidants play a vital role in protecting the body from oxidative free radicals which are formed during the normal metabolism of cellular function and which cause damage to cells’ genetic material, potentially wreaking havoc on your pet’s health.



Antioxidants clear oxidative free radicals from your pet’s cells on a regular daily basis so it’s vital that antioxidants are supplied in the diet, or provided as supplements in cases where an additional immune boost is required, for example when treating cancer.


A balanced raw food diet will also supply a significant and high level of natural antioxidants. For more information on the role played by antioxidants read my article on the Vets All Natural website.


Other natural treatments

There are as many different types of cancers as there are different types of herbs, neutroceuticals and supplements recommended for its treatment, and many of them have a profound impact on the immune system and can assist in treating cancer. Chinese medicine supplies a range of herbal supplements that have proven efficacy against some types of cancers – in particular some of the medicinal mushroom extracts are highly effective. More recently medical investigation into the function of salvestrols has also shown increasing promise as a potential supplement for use in cancer therapy.


My experience has shown me that advanced cancer can be very difficult to treat, and I am always very open and honest when communicating with clients that realistic outcomes must always be considered. The combination of surgery, diet, supplements, herbs, and sometimes chemotherapy, can provide good outcomes for cancer therapy, but on the whole short-term remission is very often the best we can hope for.

[native pepper]

G'day Dot, enjoy reading your posts on pets, however have a slightly different approach to treating dogs illnesses, especially when it comes to diet and would be interested in your view on my approach.

Have had dogs since I was 2 and had many over the years, as sadly they don't hang around as long as humans. My oldest dog stumpy tailed Aus cattle dog dingo cross(Ringo), was 19 when he died in his sleep and he lived on a mostly vegetarian diet, which included fish, wallaby bones and fowl, his health was excellent until the day he died.

Currently have two male dogs, one an 8 year old border collie ridge back cross (Spook) with epilepsy and a little year old keplie I rescued, who was about to be put down with lymphoma. Dax (Kelpie) spent his life from 6 weeks in a dogs home cage, so had no manners or sense of life. He had lumps under his chin, on his front legs and little lumps everywhere, plus looked like a prison camp refugee, his fur was like string bark, very dull and he had little energy. He was a few days away from going under the needle, so told them I'd look after him until he died as believed he had the right to at least experience life outside a cage and run round free for awhile.

The first thing was to feed him up with lots of veggies and beans saturated in chook and fish fats, which after watching his new mate, gobbled it down. It wasn't long before he began to smell terribly and his constipation and rock solid bowel movements suddenly disappeared, had a few clean ups inside until he worked it out that outside was the place to go and that only took 3 days.

He was allowed to run free on my property and got tired very quickly walking up all the hills, so had to carry him a few times. Then fasted him for 2 days and fed him heaps of native black back salmon, which is the best tasting fish in the planet. From there, he went onto the same diet as his mate, which is 70-80% vegetables and the rest fish. Within the first week, he was starting to bound round the place and within a month his lumps had gone from his chin and elsewhere, and the big ones on his front legs got much smaller. The amount of energy he has is amazing, takes of like a rocket and runs round and round until he collapses, constantly annoying his mate to play and chase him. Only to get barrelled into the ground when Spook has had enough, but he comes back for more and loves being with Spook, who's a gentle kind but stern disciplinarian when it come to in house etiquette.

Took him back to the home and the vet was shocked at his condition and refused to believe what I had done had worked, but I've had 3 dogs with cancer and two came through to survive to old ages. The other one died as at the time, I followed the direction of the experts and didn't know any better. I'm also a survivor of terminal cancer so decided to use the knowledge gained in saving myself to help my dogs.

Had Dax 3 months now and he is over flowing with energy and fighting fit, loves life and getting better with every day, his fur is beautiful and soft, no weepy sad eyes, just extremely enthusiastic inquisitiveness. A friend who visited the other week, bought the dogs some bovine meat bones, which they devoured with glee. The next day, the lumps on Dax's legs had got bigger, his fur was stringy and he looked awful, just lying around for the day and had lots of trouble relieving himself. So gave him a big bowl of fish and veggie soup with chilli, Tas native pepper and ground chick peas. Which cleaned him out, but it took many days and another fast before his lumps went down and he returned to almost normal.

In the wild, a dingo's diet consists of 79-80% vegetables, the rest, fresh caught meat. In modern life, dogs are fed contaminated bovine meats which have been subject to pharmacological and chemical saturation during their life, slaughter and distribution. In the wild the meat is extremely fresh and the first thing a dingo does in eat the contents of the stomach of the kill, in urban life, the meat they get from the butcher is weeks and months old, and from the big supermarkets, maybe years old and not the sort of food a dog should be having. Same with packaged dog foods, poisonous junk in my opinion, then again I don't eat anything processed in any way. Never get a cold, flu or sick, am 70 and take no form of medication, plus play in pubs and clubs constantly, where half the customers have a cold or the flu. So feel my dogs deserve the same.

Just like humans, if you feed them crap of processed contaminated wrong foods, they get sick and develop cancers. To me you should never feed your dog bovine meat constantly, but should provide them with a balanced diet of what they would get in the wild and only use fresh caught native meats. Bovine meats are extremely carcinogenic and when you combine them with the colour dies, antibiotics, chemicals, preservatives and additives fed to them in feed, the only outcome is sickness and cancer down the track for many, human or animal.

Naturally for most, it's not easy to provide a decent dietary approach. I go out of my way for my dogs and when travelling spend a few days before preparing their travel meals, which get frozen and are available for the entire trip.

Spook has has bad epilepsy and a friend gave me some marijuana biscuits, which stopped the fits instantly for many months and he has had only one since, that's when I ran out. Now have a supply of biscuits for him from a human epilepsy sufferer and he hasn't had a fit since, his supplier is someone I've know for decades and had to sit by whilst he fitted many times, until he started smoking dope and it stopped. So he made biscuits and had no fits in the last 15+ years and same with his daughter.

Here's a photo of the new Dax

[Dot]

Hi Native Pepper and Dax,
I totally agree with your thoughts with the modern rubbish that pets are subjected to in their food. I don't agree with an animal being vegetarian totally as they were not designed for this diet and I have seen some dogs suffer badly from a totally vegan diet. As you say the first place the dingo's and dogs left to fend for themselves go for the gut of their kill. My last Dobermann (shelter dog) had inflammatory bowel disease so he could not tolerate the red meat proteins so he had a diet of green tripe (not cooked) and a holistic food (steamed dry) of salmon plus vegs. He was a picture of health right till the time he went to sleep. Would you mind if I sent your thoughts to the vet that writes these articles. The food I use for my cats and friends dogs is of mixed vegs etc and you rehydrate it then mix the meat (feral pref) I use human grade roo but when I can get them fresh rabbits off the farm. Have a look at the www.vetsallnatural.com.au and any questions etc are always answered. Pity more people didn't think of what crap they do feed their mates. My latest shelter cat had the most horrendous bum wind and burps but after I got him on the right food he is just a pleasure to have purr in my face and nothing offensive from the tail end either There is a newish dry food now available to the public and it is Aust made and None of the nasties in it but I pref the VAN stuff. Thanks for your interesting post.

[native pepper]

G'day Dot, you're welcome to use what I've written. My dogs also love hazel and macadamia nuts, Dax watched Spook crack them and took about 3 days to get it right himself, but left the nuts on the floor, much to Spooks delight. It was only when he saw Spook eating them he tried and now I get woken every morning by the cracking of nuts, there is a truffle farm near me and they let me take the hazel nuts, otherwise they rot on the ground.

Alga

[Dot]

Thanks for that Alga. Be interesting to see Dr Bruce's reply. We had a dog that would pick the blackberries off the vines, he curled his lips up so tight it looked so funny and in NZ my first Dobe would go and pick a grapefruit off the tree and eat that, weird animals, weird slaves.

[native pepper]

I get lots of fresh fruit in season Dot and can't eat it all, so mix it all up in a blender, then freeze it. Normally end up with a 200lt freezer full of it each year. This way have fresh fruit frozen smoothies all year round. Spook loves a bowl of it in summer and he always comes running when he smells it, will be interesting to see how Dax handles his first try next summer, don't give it to them in winter, too cold for them. His food choices were very limited, so he takes a lot of time checking out new foods and always waits until Spook eats before tasting it. Like spook he loves rolled organic oats, which I buy by the sack. They have a bowl of hazel nuts and one of oats always there and Dax has this habit of eating oats them coming for a pat and dropping oats everywhere on the way. Hasn't worked out in house etiquette properly yet. So am always cleaning up oats and drying water off the floor after he drinks and dribbles everywhere. Luckily it is getting less and less as he is great fast learner and really wants to please.

Spook loves the bread I make, especially if it is toasted and hot. So make him rolls and he devours them, Dax is yet to eat the bread, just looks at it then pushes it under something, but looks very perplexed when he sees spook eating it. The difference is Spook has been brought up on wholemeal bread and can tell the difference between the grains in it and is particular, won't eat Rye and neither will I.

They are really funny, sometimes Spook won't eat his food, but goes and eats Dax's, Dax always watches with great interest, then goes and eats Spooks, but it all works out and there doesn't seem to be any conflict or jealousy in them. Spook is a very gentle dog until he has had enough harassment, especially when Dax grabs him by the collar and tries to drag him round, Spook grabs his little head in his mouth and growls, which makes Dax cringe very quickly, then has he another go, so Spook goes into his cave and Dax is not allowed in there, so he is safe. Dax lies out side trying to entice him out, which is also a good laugh to watch as he goes through his come on have a go antics.

Alga

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Love watching how animals interact and play.