Get Dr. Dressler's Dog Cancer Diet FREE I was talking to one of my clients today in the exam room. Â She owns an awesome Golden Retriever named Baloo. Â Like his namesake in the movie “The Jungle Book,” Baloo is happy, friendly, goofy and….chubby. Â
I started telling Baloo’s owner about the cancer rate in the breed. It is estimated that around 2/3 to 3/4 of all deaths in Goldens are due to cancer.  This is the effect of breeding over many generations.  Very, very scary  stats if you own a Golden Retriever.  Lymphosarcoma (a white cell cancer), osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and hemangiosarcoma (usually in the spleen) are common cancers they get, but others are possible too.
So here we have a Golden, one of the big cancer breeds, and he is getting fat. Â I couldn’t even feel his ribs when I pressed on the side of his chest. Â His owner told me his brother is 100 lbs…just big boned, you know…
Too much food, not enough exercise…and another cancer risk is created. Â Most of us know naturally that a lot of body fat is not healthy. Â But cancer in dogs?? Yep, it increases odds. Turns out that fat cells secrete a substance called adiponectin. Adiponectin has a cancer protective effect. Â So more fat, more protection, right?? Wrong. Â
Adiponectin is released only in very small amounts if there is STORAGE of fat, in overweight dogs. When fat is getting BURNED, adiponectin is released. Â Lean animals secrete more adiponectin than chubby ones. Â
So the take home message is that exercise and good body condition lower odds of cancer and this applies to dogs. Hate to sound like a broken record, nag nag, but true. Â So get outside and get your dog’s adiponectin up.
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
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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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Aloha,
I have pennypie. She was diagnosed with, lymphoma, 1 1/2 years ago. I think you were the first one to notice it. I was
and have been so broke I could not get all the medical care she needed. I did give her lots of Q10, vit c, e, salmon oil, and now shitake. I gave her low but high quality protien,and real food. I was told, that she should have prednisone.
She was going strong until 2 weeks ago, when I thought I would loose her. Maybe she had a stroke? I double her dose of pred, which was low, 5 mg. to begin with, but as we know it is a double edged sowrd. What to do, it is a problem now, since she has become totally paralized in her rear legs, but whe eats well, and wags her tail. Will her paralysis be premanent, and why did that happen. I think the antioxidants have worked, so far.
See my other comment on your 1st post, mahalo,
D
Ok so I am the owner of beautiful Baloo and I am happy to say that Baloo weighs at least 10 pounds less than he did when Dr. Dressler saw him last year. We reduced his dry food intake by 1/2 cup and gave him a cup of green beans. He loves his ball and the park next to our home where he goes twice a day. He also enjoys his swim on Sunday’s at his favorite West Side beach. I would say that his weight reduction has increased his energy level and stamina.
Hi, we are the owners of a 7 year old Golden Retriever. Sadly he was just diagnosed with an aggressive form of Lymphoma. Needless to say we are devastaded and confused on what to do. A local oncologist is recommending Chemo, but because of cost, exposure to our children and the fact that our friend would only live another year or so, we do not know what to do. Are there any other alternative methods that we can try to keep our beloved pet with us or do you recommend giving him Chemo? Our hearts are breaking and making this final decision is very difficult for our family. Please help!!
TO ALICIA….EXPOSURE TO YOUR CHILDREN..??? DO YOU MEAN YOU FEEL THEY ARE AT RISK BECAUSE OF THE CHEMO OR ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THEM “WITNESSING” YOUR DOGS ILLNESS???? I KNOW THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ALL. BUT THERE IS NO WORRY ABOUT THE DRUG EXPOSURE.
IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD THE CONVENTIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY USED PLEASE TRY THE HOMEOPATHIC WAY…TRY…YOU WILL ALWAYS BE GLAD YOU TRIED EVERYTHING YOU COULD….I DID GO THROUGH CHEMO WITH MY CHOW THAT HAD BLADDER CANCER….THE DIET IS SO, SO IMPORTANT…NO CARBS…NONE!!!! lOTS AND LOSTS OF OMEGA 3. I GIVE MY DOG SALMON AND OMEGA 3,6,9 EVERY DAY AND ALSO HAVE HER ON RAW GROUND MEAT WITH COTTAGE CHEESE, AND SALMON MIXED INTO IT. IF YOU GET A RX FROM YOUR VET FOR SCIENCE DIET/ND…IT IS GOOD FOR THE “WASTING AWAY” CHANGES THAT COME WITH THE DETERIORATION OF YOUR DOG. NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY EAT THEY SEEM TO LOSE WEIGH BUT THIS HIGH FAT DIET HELPS. ANYWAY…I DID USE ND FOR 3 MONTHS THEY DECIDED AFTER RESEARCHING THAT THE RAW FOOD DIET IS BETTER, BUT DO USE THE OMEGA 3,6,9. GOOD LUCK
Dear Alicia,
the question of what to do is totally dependent on the type of person you are, your belief systems, your tolerance for side effects and so on. It is time for a very focused treatment plan assessment. I outlined 3 “types” of people in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide, from people who are willing to risk some side effects in exchange for increased life quality to those who are not and are only concerned with life quality (as opposed to life quantity). You need to define who you are. Dog cancer treatment is an ethical decision as much as a medical one. Since cure of systemic cancers is extremely rare, the choice to utilize chemotherapy is a bit arbitrary.
Having said that, lymphosarcoma is perhaps the most treatable cancer type, and in the world of dog cancer a year is quite good. The majority of dogs do not experience chemo side effects, certainly not like in people. Some do.
Consider the MDR-1 test to see if the doses of drugs like doxorubicin or vincristine need to be reduced in your dog:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/
As far as other treatments, I would really suggest looking into the Dog Cancer Survival Guide since there is not room here for all the information. Diet, supplements, life quality enrichment, touch therapies, elimination of light during sleep, social connections and more can all add up and help…
I hope this helps,
Dr D