Get Dr. Dressler's Dog Cancer Diet FREE Dear friends and fellow dog lovers,
Here is the follow up on the CLA post… Â
Just for the record, I don’t care for the stuff. Â The forms of CLA are all mixed together usually. Â At some point they will separate the forms of CLA in the mixture, Â and then we can re-assess. At this time though, at least one of the forms in the mix does yucky things.
Here are reasons why I feel this way:
One thing I really do not care for is that CLA lowers cancer-fighting adiponectin levels in the body (previous blog).Â
It also increases blood sugar (sugar is cancer food) and promotes weight loss (bad in dogs losing weight already due to cancer). Â It also causes the release of inflammatory signals in the body. Inflammation is linked to cancer progression (here is more info, and here too.)
I know that some out there will insist upon CLA, it worked for so and so’s dog, and this person said it is good… okay, okay! Â Here’s some stuff you can do if you are using a CLA-containing supplement for your dog with cancer, whether it be lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, osteosarcoma, or some other common canine cancer.
1. Fight blood sugar elevations caused by CLA. Avoid sugars and white carbs in the diet, and restrict carbs overall. Use EGCG to lower blood sugar (read more).
2. Fight inflammatory signals caused by CLA. Go with curcumin or EGCG, they both inhibit the enzyme called COX-2 that does most of the bad stuff seen with inflammation. You could also use a little peroxicam from your vet, and a very low dose if you use it with EGCG.  See old blogs on these topics for more info.
What about the dogs with mycosis fungoides, that type of lymphosarcoma that responds to safflower oil (safflower oil has CLA in it)? Â Well, if it is working, I would definitely combine it with some anti inflammatory agent too. EGCG would be a good choice. Â The inflammatory signals created in the body by safflower oil are not healthy.
3. If you insist on this supplement for cancer, and your dog is already losing weight, please be sure to also combine it with abundant omega-3′s (previously discussed) in addition to the anti inflammatory. Â These help block CLA from worsening any pre-existing weight loss. Â
The topic of cancer diets is food for another post.
Always check with your vet and veterinary oncologist before using any treatments on this blog. Â This blog is provided for information only, not recommendations for a any specific dog.
Best to all,
Dr D
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
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Hey there! Gabby had bloodwork done yesterday. The vet said she seems to be handling the Chemo well, her platelets are a little lowered- to be expected, BUT her white blood cells are a little above normal.
I have been giving her HALF the dose of K9 immunity, transfer factor, and Omega in an effort to make sure she can tolerate it. I have been doing this for about 2 weeks. She is taking 3 mg of melatonin at night, and I will be slowly adding the Circumin and EGCG. She is also on Peroxicam every other day taken with a “Pepsid”
Anyway, since her white blood cell count is a little high, her vet wants to put her on antibiotics.
What I want to know is, should I be concerned? Obvoiusly her immune system is functioning, which is good, but should I be concerned about the supplements or what this white blood cell count could mean?
Oh- & she was a little fussy over her food today. She didn’t eat until the afternoon.
Dr Dressler,
So is it for sure the CLA component in the Safflower Oil that produced remission in a few dogs with Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (Mycosis Fungoides) in the Michigan study or is there some other component in Safflower Oil that could account for the remission. They suggest a safflower oil with a “High Linolenic Acid” content, as in Hollywood Brand.
Second question to this post: What is the dose of EGCG for a dog and if a dog has oral cancer, would it be good to put the capsule in the dog’s water to kind of bathe the gums with the stuff? Is EGCG ok for dogs with liver enzyme issues?
Lilly