Diet for Dogs With Mast Cell Tumors
ByFriends,
Today’s post will likely be met with some skepticism from those immersed (and confined) to our Western medical approach. So if this is your framework, please keep an open mind. You will be pleased to know that the information here is taken from little known, but still Western, data banks.
I have recently been looking into some ways of decreasing some of the horrible effects of severe mast cell tumors in dogs. Lots of talk these days about Palladia, but there is more you can do!
As many of you are well aware, these cancers are able to release, on an intermittent basis, large amounts of chemical signals that produce nasty effects on the body. There are many different ones, and to avoid being utterly dull, here are just a few: histamine, substance P, and heparin.
The one which we have traditionally focused on is histamine. Histamine is the same stuff that our bodies, and those of our canine companions, release during an allergic reaction.
It does bad things like create swelling, redness, pain, blood pressure changes, vomiting, loss of appetite, acid stomach, and more.
Much of the sickness that dogs afflicted with mast cell tumors suffer from is caused by histamine excess.
Some focus has been placed on blocking the effects of histamine with various medications. However, very little has been placed on cutting off the body’s supply of histamine.
This is an intriguing and quite novel approach to dealing with histamine excess, and to my knowledge has not been tried in dogs. So here’s the info…give it a try, see if it helps the dog you love, and let our community know!
The basic story is you cut out foods that eventually end up increasing active histamine levels, by hook or by crook. Now, most of you know that carbohydrate restriction is important is helping with cancer generally. I discuss details of the dog cancer diet at length in the e-book, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
Here’s a new twist for those caring for a dog with a mast cell tumor diagnosis, especially the more aggressive ones (Grade 2 and 3).
Turns out there is some cutting edge new research going on in human medicine about ways to combat digestive upset, depression, anxiety, allergies, asthma, and more. Many cases of these syndromes involve excessive histamine effects in the body. There are very few diseases like mast cell tumors in people, but we humans do suffer from a close relative of mast cell tumors called systemic mastocytosis.
Anyway, those in the inner circle promote cutting off the wellspring of histamine in the body by simply not eating foods that promote histamine levels. Why not use a similar approach for dogs with mast cell tumors, another condition with histamine excess?
The biggies are those foods that are fermented as a part of processing. Dogs usually don’t eat or drink a lot of those (drinks with alcohol, the more “moldy” of the cheeses like blue, sauerkraut, and vinegar).
But…. there are some out there who feed their dogs tofu. Be careful! Practically speaking, tofu could be viewed as a histamine brick.
Another big no-no, if one were using this approach, is fish! Bacteria in the intestine of fish are quite busy making a lot of histamine, and levels rise after the fish passes away (but before the remains are gutted for food).
Dyes in food and the benzoates (BHT, BHA, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid) are also excluded from the diet. Read those labels!
Here is a link for more data. Note that the items on the restricted list not only contain histamine, but also are more prone to causing mast cells to release their illness-causing histamine reserves.
I hope this helps-
Best,
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.
17 Comments
October 21st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
should I stop giving my dogs brewers yeast tablets then???
i have 2 dogs with surgically removed mast cell tumors…
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:17 am
Dear Dr. Dressler,
In a previous newsletter you said that the use of Curcumin(95%)powder, in the amount of 1gr, mixed with lecthin could be given twice daily to help reduce or remove tumors that are present on a 60-65lbs dog. In your “Dog Cancer Survival Guide” on page 199 you suggest giving a 64lb dog three equal doses of 250 mg Curcumin powder(95%)mixed with the lecthin. I am wondering which dose would be the best to use and also if you have heard of using Coconut milk or cream instead of the lecthin as the base for the Curcumin mixture. It has been nearly a year since our Lucille was first diagnosed with Mast Cell, Grade 2, Intermediate Stage and by following your ‘Blog’ and reading your book she is doing well so far and while we have had to have another growth removed it was benige thank heavens and not the Mast Cell reocurring. So thank you always for your wonderful work that you are doing to help give us the knowledge to make the lives of our sweet companions better. Shirley and Lucille
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:30 am
Please include a link so this page can be printed. I’d like to keep these in the binder I put your book.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 am
Thank you or the great web site. I will obmit some of the vegs and fruits that cause a release of histamine in my dogs raw food as well as dhicken to.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
If fish causes histamine, does that mean it is not good to be adding cod liver oil to the dog food? And to avoid dog food with fish or fish meal in it?
October 24th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I was told by a vet who is, respectively, a DVM, a Chinese herbologist, and an alternative medicine specialist, to avoid carbohydrates in my dog’s diet, after he had a mast cell tumor removed from his ear. The mantra was “Cancer loves carbs.” She also suggested Pepcid to block histamines, while you suggest Tagament in your book. What confuses me is that the unrestricted list on the anti-histamine diet linked to your post includes carbs, so how do I resolve this inconsistency? My dog is a male, neutered Vizsla whose cancer was grade 2 and who does have the cKit genetic mutation for mast cell. I’ve had him since he was 9 weeks old. He is now 11.
Thank you,
Mary K. Chelton
October 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Mary, the list is on a human medical site concerning histamine-generating foods. Yes, avoid carbs, as a generality. Diet is discussed at length, among other things, in the e-book.
Best,
Dr D
October 27th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Hi Dr. Dressler,
So with a low histamine producing diet in mind for dogs with mast cell cancer, I now wonder is the “conventional” combination of fish oil (as well as krill oil) and cottage cheese is now a “no-no,” as both seem to be on lists as histamine producing foods. Does this mean we should revert back to the age-old flaxseed oil?
October 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am
There are so many dog foods available today, it is difficult to know which one to feed your dog. What dog foods would you recommend? I try to be careful to avoid dog food with animal by-products and dyes (food color).
Thanks fo ryour help.
Helen Morrill
St.Petersburg,FL
November 1st, 2009 at 5:34 am
I am confused… I went to the Histamine restricted diet link, and found ‘chicken’ on the Allowed AND
restricted lists. My dog has had 2 mast cell tumors removed and I don’t want to add to the problem. I give her 1/2 chicken breast- I buy it frozen- cooked and served right away with her kibble.
Thank you,
Candy
November 1st, 2009 at 7:52 am
Just found your website while doing some research, great site! Anyways i took my 3 year old staffie to the vet yesterday for the 2nd lump I’ve found on her within the year. Earlier this year she had a mast cell tumor removed with clean margins on her left rib cage, now she has a lump on her right shoulder area. The vet took an aspirate of it and told me there were a few scattered mast cells in there along with some inflammatory cells. He told me about a new medication for dog mast cells called Palladia and referred me to a dog oncologist. I called there and found out just to talk to him would be much more money than my budget will allow and that especially considering the next step might be surgery again etc, not to mention how much this medication will cost and the side effects. I’m learning more about dog diet and cancer. Should I change her diet as my first step? Is there anything more you can tell me?
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Dear Helen,
I like making your dog’s food at home following a recipe to make sure you are giving everything you need. Without knowing if your dog has cancer or what type, recommendations are a little tough. Good brands are Evo, Blue, Healthy Kitchen, Solid Gold, and others. Change foods slowly by mixing over at least a week.
Best,
D
November 11th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Dear Dr D.
My 10 year old Standard Poodle neutered has been dx with mast cell tumour and is awaiting referral to VRCC Essex UK. I am interested to cut out carbohydrates from his diet. Can I feed him fresh meat daily?
I take it no veg at all any more and can I continue giving him salmon oil on his daily meal? I have known that flax seed oil is very good and will get him some if you feel this will work for him. I am so grateful for any advice.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Recently our Scottish Terrier- Maggie, passed away aged nearly 15..
9 mths previously she was CAT scanned following a biopsy which essentially confirmed that secondary cancer was sited in a liver node.
At this point she was not a well unit…had trouble getting her head down to her food bowl, and had quite a bad breath.
After consulting a surgeon we decided to not risk an operation but to rather attempt a palliative treatment regime which would support what good liver function remained.
To that end, we had remarkable success and we shared another 9 reasonably happy months with her.
While I can’t detail here all the “tricks” we tried..the essential strategy for helping your dog in this situation is to be prepared to alternatively move from protein rich food to carbs and back again, and note how your dogs responds. I our case, Maggie had largely rejected dried dog food herself so we moved onto small but frequent meals of low fat cooked meat/mince, mashed cooked egg, cooked mashed potatoe/carrots, linseed oil, a little white raw lamb fat, a little cooked rice, cottage cheese and a few other different “human” foods.
The impact of this changed diet was nothing short of miraculous..her bad breath disappeared, the head wobbles were fixed and we only had one or two occasions where she didn’t hold her food down.
Our experience with Maggie’s condition did illustrate that diet plays a substantial part in supporting a dog living with liver cancer
November 18th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
HI Dr. D.
My 12.5 year old miniature pinscher has Grade 3 Mast cell tumours. She had 5 removed and now lots have come back. I am trying whatever I can to keep her happy. I cannot afford Chemo, nor radiation. I have JUST started her on the diet and she eats it well. I would love any info that I can do to ease the lumps appearing. She has been licking and chewing at them. She is also on Benedryl 12.5 mg 3x a day to ease the itch from histamine. I am fearful I won’t get to help enough before it is too late. She is loving walking still and eating is not an issue.
Geoff
November 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Geoff:
a consideration that may help:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/neoplasene-as-a-dog-cancer-treatment/
Do NOT call Dr. Buck directly as he can get a wee bit crabby with laypeople. Your vet must do it. Hope it helps!
Best,
Dr D
November 29th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Bruce,
I thank you for your input. Nothing like experience from the real world that can help others in similar situations. Thanks!
Dr D