Latest on Dog Food and Cancer
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: April 13th, 2021
Is there a link between dog food an cancer? Many feel the answer is yes, and there is evidence to support this link.
Today’s post will look at some of the newest thinking on dog food and cancer.
First of all, a dog’s wild diet is quite different from that of a modern, commercial diet. In the wild, a meal was composed of mainly protein, with very little fat, and a small amount of vegetable (plant) matter. Bones supplied calcium and phosphorus, and internal organs provided vitamins.
This diet had almost no carbohydrates. There was no cooking involved. No preservatives were used. The wild diet did not have any added oils like corn oil.
Here’s a bird’s eye summary on the latest linking dog food and cancer.
First, in preparing commercial food, it is heated at high temperatures. The same can be said about cooking food in the kitchen at high temperatures. This process produces potent carcinogens called acrylamide and heterocyclic amines, known carcinogens.
Second, carbohydrates which are turned into simple sugars are now known to be cancer cell’s preferred fuel. Cancers have a particular type of metabolism that thrive on sugar intake. By providing a diet rich in carbohydrates, we are also supplying cancer cell fuel.
Is it true that preservatives can cause cancer? In some cases the answer is yes. Nitrates and nitrites are not carcinogenic by themselves. However, they change in the intestine by combining with other substances to make N-nitroso compounds. These are potent carcinogens.
To make matters worse, the oils found in most commercial diets (and in packaged, ready to eat foods for us humans), are rich in oils like corn oil, vegetable oil and beef fat. These oils contain very high amounts of a group of fats called omega-6 fatty acids. These oils increase inflammation in the body. There is now abundant evidence that cancer and inflammation are tightly connected.
Many dogs get overweight since their food is rich in calories. Obese dogs make less of a cancer-fighting hormone called adiponectin. Lean dogs make much more of this important hormone.
What’s the bottom line?
Foods that are human grade, cooked at low temperatures, low in added harmful oils, and fed in proper amounts is the way to go.
For more on dog food and other things tied to cancer development, check out The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
Best,
Dr D
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Good Lord, you are in Maui?! Are you ok? I do pray for all those affected by this terrible situation.
I’m trying to find independent data about the link between dog kibble and dog health for a Doctor friend of mine. I am a true believer in feeding dogs fresh food (not ready for raw) and most info is linked to someone selling a food product (which of course won’t fly with someone with his background). I told him I had heard that the life span of our dogs has declined since the introduction of kibble, I’ve heard this over and over. But can’t find the data. He has two beautiful big dogs and they are getting older. I hope to convince him to change his food. I need to know what to add to a homemade food that would replace the bone that is consumed in the wild? What organ meat should be added to a basic chicken recipe with a bit of veggies and fruit and a bit of brown rice? I would like to make food for my son’s dog. Maybe a supplement daily would suffice?
Hi Robyn! Yes, we are all on Maui, and thankfully, our team is safe and so are our loved ones. We are still heartbroken and deeply affected, of course. I was just speaking with a Red Cross volunteer who has gone to disasters all over the world, and he said that he has NEVER been to a disaster where so many local people stepped up to help. That Maui is really a special place. And it is! Thank you for your concern.
As for information on diet for your friend, I’m going to point you to a few articles on our new website, that go over some of the risks:
https://www.dogcancer.com/articles/causes-and-prevention/acrylamide-in-dog-food/
https://www.dogcancer.com/articles/causes-and-prevention/how-to-reduce-cancer-risk-using-food/
https://www.dogcancer.com/diet-and-lifestyle/
Those will help to get you started.
[…] Traditional dog food is sometimes full of grains that can be contaminated with toxins such as aflatoxin B1 that cause cancer. In addition, carbohydrates from grains and corn are converted to sugar in the body, which: fuel for cancer cells. […]