Diet is crucial for dogs with cancer, and one of the biggest challenges can be obtaining a food that will help keep your dog healthy and that avoids ingredients that cancer thrives on. If your dog becomes a picky eater from chemotherapy side effects, it becomes all the more challenging. Here are the solutions I have found, but first a look at a canine cancer diet in general.
Cancer Feeds on Sugar. Avoid it!
Cancer tends to thrive on sugars, while it doesn’t fare so well on proteins and fats. Now you might immediately think that you don’t feed your dog sugar, but not so fast! Sugar is more than just the sweet white stuff that we humans put in cakes and cookies. Starchy items are normally either high in natural sugar or convert to sugar in your pet’s body. Sugar in pet foods primarily comes from carbohydrates such as grains, with corn being a particularity high sugar item. Sugars also can be derived from potatoes and vegetables such as peas and carrots. Fruit is also naturally higher in sugar. Often the mass produced grocery-store pet food brands will be high in sugar producing carbohydrates and low in protein. These foods are also high in omega 6 fatty acids, which increase inflammation. The inflammatory process helps cancer cells grow, so keeping inflammation in check is also important.
Meanwhile, studies have shown that dogs with lymphoma have a longer remission period when fed a particularly high protein diet supplemented with Omega 3 fatty acids to counteract the Omega 6 acids. A study done by Hill’s led to their current prescription diet product for dogs undergoing chemotherapy. I have chosen another product to feed to Ty, but I link to it since it came about as part of research being done into the effect of diet on canine cancer.
The upshot of all of this is that you want to seek out a high protein and low carbohydrate diet that includes extra Omega 3 fatty acids and preferably some additional fats. Liver is often recommended as an additional ingredient for that. Ingredients that absolutely should be avoided are all grains and potatoes. Some homemade cancer diets include whole grains such as oats in their recipes, but that is something that I personally still avoid. After that, limiting items such as peas and carrots is helpful. The addition of fruits in small amounts are OK, especially since most dog foods that include them do so in quite small amounts in relation to other ingredients and they do provide some good nutrients. Additions of leafy green vegetables are highly encouraged.
I also recommend moist foods, as that is important in a high quality diet. Moist foods can also include freeze dried or dehydrated foods that are reconstituted with water. The process of making kibble often involves some sort of filler, even in premium foods, and some of the nutrition gets baked out of it, so I prefer to avoid it.
Finding a Diet for Your Dog With Cancer: Homemade Options
When in comes to achieving a very high protein and low carbohydrate diet, some pet parents choose a homemade option. By making your own food, you can precisely control what goes into it. The problem, however, is that making food is time consuming, and many cancer diet recipes found online are not particularly balanced. Ideally, your dog should have a balanced diet that still meets the guidelines for a cancer diet. That can be hard to achieve.
I don’t have a homemade recipe to share because I researched and found a few commercial options that I felt fit the bill quite well for a canine lymphoma diet. But if you want to try your hand at making your own food, Dr Dressler, one of the the authors of The Dog Cancer Blog offers a free diet ebook with a recipe when you sign up for the blog’s newsletter. It is a useful newsletter too, and unsubscribing is easy, so nothing is wasted by signing up. I also highly recommend his book The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
A note on raw diets: Many raw diets, whether commercial or homemade, will fit the bill quite nicely as a cancer diet in terms of being high protein and low carb. However, some veterinarian oncologists ask patients to avoid raw diets during chemotherapy as the dog’s immune system is weakened at that time and dogs that would normally be able to handle the natural organisms found in raw food might not be able to tolerate them well. With that said,my own oncologist was fine with them, while I was a bit nervous. So, I ended up feeding a commercial freeze dried high pressure processed raw diet. And with that, we move on to the next topic….
Finding a Diet for Your Dog With Cancer: Commercial Options
There are some commercial dog food options that meet all the requirements for a good high protein, low carb cancer diet that are free of grains, potatoes, peas, and carrots. But boy did I have to do some searching to find them! Here are my top three choices. I have fed all of them to Ty. Plus, I am including a lesser preferred kibble option, because Ty gets picky about food when he gets chemo side effects and sometimes that is all he will eat.
(1) Primal Freeze Dried Raw Turkey and Sardine: Primal is my absolute favorite commercial product for dogs with cancer. It is the highest protein diet I could find, and it has a nearly perfect ingredient profile. it is 77% turkey 10% sardine and 13% supplements. There are only 1.9% carbohydrates. It includes liver and leafy greens. It is also balanced, and the sardines include extra omega 3s. Finally, while it is a raw diet, it is freeze dried and high pressure processed. That kills the organisms of concern, yet preserves the nutrition. It also makes it easy to handle and store. I find this to be the ideal food for Ty with his lymphoma. The down side to Primal is that it is very pricey.
Ingredients are as follows: Turkey, Turkey Necks, Whole Sardines, Turkey Hearts, Turkey Livers, Organic Collard Greens, Organic Squash, Cranberries, Blueberries, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Celery, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Cilantro, Organic Ginger, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder, Alfalfa, Dried Organic Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement.
(2) Evanger’s Super Premium Grain Free: I first encountered Evanger’s at the Blog Paws conference and learned that their super premium grain free canned food was also a nearly ideal cancer diet. For example, their grain free beef includes liver and leafy greens with none of the carbs of concern. There also are no fruits at all in it, if you want to avoid those as well. There is no more than 1.5% fiber. I find this to also be an ideal food for Ty and it is much more affordable than Primal.
Ingredients are as follows: Beef, Water Sufficient for Processing, Liver, Guar Gum, Spinach, Kale, Cinnamon, Vitamins {Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D2 Supplement}, Minerals {Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Potassium Iodide}.
3) The Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Fish and Coconut: The Honest Kitchen is my food of choice for my other corgi Eve who has GI issues from irritable bowel syndrome. But, until recently, The Honest Kitchen only made food that includes potatoes, peas, or carrots. That changed when they released their limited ingredient diets. They sent me a box of the Fish and Coconut to try, and I was quite happy with it. However, while Eve loved it, Ty turned his nose up at it. Ty was eating Honest Kitchen when he first became sick, and I fear that he associated his symptoms with it because he no longer will eat any of their foods when he used to love them. The only ingredients in this particular formula are: Pollock, organic coconut, chickpea, celery, pumpkin, and spinach.The Honest kitchen is pricey but not nearly as pricey as Primal. This is a freeze dried food that you reconstitute with water.
Kibble options: I’m not a fan of kibble, but have had to resort to it for awhile now after Ty started turning his nose up at all moist food options when he experienced chemo side effects. My choice for Kibble has been Zignature Zssential which is not ideal because of its inclusion of peas, but it is otherwise quite good, is high in protein, and includes supplements to increase Omega 3s. I feed this to Ty with either dry crushed primal on top or Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers on top to increase the protein ratio a bit more. Ty has accepted it that way.
Ingredients are as follows: Turkey, Turkey Meal, Salmon, Lamb Meal, Chickpeas, Duck Meal, Pea Flour, Peas, Sunflower Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid), Flaxseeds, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavors, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Salt, Dried Kelp, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate), Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Blueberries, Cranberries, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate).
Omega 3 Supplements
I supplement the dog food with Grizzly brand fish oil to further increase the Omega 3 ratios in the food. Fairly high doses are recommended for dogs with cancer, and I give Ty, a 30 pound corgi, 4 pumps from the 32 ounce bottle per day (2 on each meal). Ty also gets a scoop of Super Snouts Green Lipped Mussel on each meal for his bursitis, which is also a supplement that reduces inflammation and increases omega 3s.
In Closing
I hope this information is helpful for those seeking an appropriate diet for their dog with lymphoma or other form of canine cancer, especially for those looking for commercial food options. Be sure to read the rest of my series on canine lymphoma, which I am still adding to. Ty’s progress can also be followed on his facebook page, Puppy on a Roomba.
Nichole says
Having lost 2 to cancer this year, I can really appreciate this post
Tenacious Little Terrier says
Thanks for sharing your research. I think Mr. N would probably find the Primal most palatable.
Jana Rade says
I believe that our dogs get too many carbohydrates as a rule and I try to feed as little as possible normally with exception of “functional carbohydrates” such as in veggies.
Maureen says
I’ve switched up our treats to reduce/eliminate carbs altogether. I really appreciate the research you put into this blog. It was really informative!
Robin says
Cancer is such a horrible thing. You have a lot of great points here. Sugar is just as bad for our pets as it is for us. I’m glad to see that there are commercially available diets that work well for pets with cancer. Those companies are make wonderful products all the way around.
Pawesome Cats says
This is a really valuable post… we are big believers in wholesome, natural foods where possible. Our cats eat a raw diet, with freeze-dried treats and a few vegetables – predominantly pumpkin (for hairballs and digestive issues), and cat grass.
Dogvills says
This is a great resource for parents dealing with pet cancer issues.
M. K. Clinton says
This is very interesting. I feed Bentley and Pierre grain-free and have used the brands that you have listed. We just received a case of Evanger’s Beef and are excited to try it.
Talent Hounds says
What a helpful resource. The foods all sound fabulous, even if you are not dealing with cancer. Kilo has tried Honest Kitchen and loved it. Will check out the others. He seems remarkably healthy for now and enjoys a high protein limited ingredient kibble mixed with other home-made or store bought wet food. We both snack on and train with carrots, peas and other treats- and try to keep calories down. I hope Ty is kicking cancer’s butt! My good friend Bocker Labradoodle went through a tough long chemo program for lymphoma but is looking and feeling better now. X Susie
Beth | Daily Dog Tag says
There is so much good information in this post! I was devastated to learn a favorite senior dog I know has cancer, I’ll pass this information on.
Dolly the Doxie says
This is a lot of information! But we learned how important your dog’s diet is if they are fighting cancer. Hopefully we will never need to use it. We hope that Ty’s progress is optimistic and are going to try and follow his journey. Love Dolly
Marie says
A lot of wonderful information in this post. It’s so important to be aware of what is in pet food and what the effects of the ingredients will have on your pet’s health and well being.
Jessica B Gibson says
This is very interesting information. Luckly I havent had to deal with cancer, but this is great information to share.
Jenna "HuskyCrazed" Drady says
Very informative, thanks for the info!
Annette @PetsAreFound says
What an impressively well researched post. I’ll be sharing this with Australian canine colleagues. Thanks!
Sweet Purrfectioins says
Very informative post. I didn’t know about sugar and cancer
FiveSibesMom says
Excellent information. I’ll be sharing this and bookmarking as an important source. Thank you.
Cathy Armato says
Awesome post, such valuable info! I can’t believe how much sugar can be lurking in foods, even pet foods. Sugar us so unhealthy, for all of us.
Love & biscuits
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Rascal and Rocco says
What an awesome pet parent to make sure your dog has the best diet possible. Great info for the too many who are dealing with canine cancer. ~RascalandRocco
Michelle Maskaly says
Out of curiosity, what were you feeding him before? My Toby just got diagnosed with canine lymphoma and he has been on a grain free diet for years. Just curious. Thanks!
Carleen Coulter says
So sorry that you have to go through this with your Toby! I was feeding Ty Honest Kitchen grain free before he got sick. Ty too had been grain free for years, but Honest Kitchen at that time did not make a potato free food (they do now). So when he got sick I looked for foods that also did not have potato, peas or carrots. Basically, I tried to eliminate all starchy items.
Michelle Heslop says
Wonderful article! My beagle was just diagnosed with lymphoma and I am trying to figure out the best diet for her. Couple of questions; What made you choose to not go with Hills cancer food? For the Evanger’s Super Premium Grain Free is it just the Beef option that fits the profile? I greatly appreciate your blog and your help. Her oncologist apt is tmrw and I am armed with all of my questions and some ones I never would have thought about if it wasn’t for your blog. Thank you!
Carleen says
Happy I could help! I know I already answered part of your question on Facebook, but I didn’t go with Hills because it isn’t quite as clean in terms of fillers etc. Primal also adds ingredients like liver, coconut oil, and kale, which are great in a cancer diet. With Evangers, the beef option is the best. It also has a great ingredient profile. But they also had some questionable recalls lately, so I’m a bit less of a fan now. Sending love lots of good thoughts your way. You can fight lymphoma!
lisa says
Hi. Thanks for the great info. Our 3 1/2 yr Golden was recently diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. We have just switched him from Eukanuba to Evanger’s & he loves it. The Primal is too pricey. I would like to add something to increase the protein ratio. If I add sardines then should I still also add salmon oil? Or what sort and how much of Primal would be good as a topper/add in? Also at his weight of 80 lbs, the calcs seem to indicate feeding almost 5 cans per day to achieve approx 1600 calories. Split between 2 meals that seems like a huge amount of food in his bowl compared to the 2 cups of dry per meal he was having before. Can you advise?
Carleen says
Hi! I’m so sorry that you have to deal with lymphoma. I wouldn’t really have any qualms about adding both sardines and still giving salmon oil unless you are giving a ton of sardines. Then maybe cut back the oil a bit. If adding Primal, they have some calculators on their website. Those are not aimed at topper amounts, but I would maybe just take a look and give maybe 10% or so. Or maybe just crush a couple of bricks onto the food per meal. But, Evangers has a very good ingredient profile on its own, so there really is no need to add Primal to it. I would be more inclined to go with the idea of supplementing with the sardines and maybe give dehydrated beef liver as treats. Beef liver is a great protein source and you can get big tubs of it pretty cheap at places like PetsMart. I also give Kale as treats. With the amount of canned food, those calculators always seem super high to me. When I fed Evanger’s I gave less than they recommended, but I don’t recall just how much less. You might find this tool useful: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/
lisa says
Thank you. Evanger’s 9% protein doesn’t seem like much compared to Primal’s 40% so I do want to add to that. We’ll find out if he likes sardines! I am still trying to learn all I can about the best diet for him and still am not sure about protein/fat/supplement ratios. Thank you for providing such helpful info!
Carleen says
I’m happy to help! Evangers 9% is based in part with the percent of moisture content, so it can be a bit deceiving. Once Primal is rehydrated, it would have a lower percent as well because of the added water. I usually look for a low carbohydrate/fiber number and foods both without grains and without starchy vegetables such as potatoes, beans, and peas. They can be hard to find!
Monica Tiller says
My 12 year old dog cavalier was just diagnosed with Lymphoma. She had one round of Chemo shots and did not tolerate it well AT ALL! But the upshot is she is in remission- for now. I need to build up her immune system. Thank you for your cancer food suggestions! What do you think of the Neoplasia cancer diet that Just Food For Dogs offers? and adding sardines as a high protein source? A friend gives her dog organic goats milk as a probiotic? Your thoughts? In gratitude!
Carleen says
It looks like a decent diet. It does add brown rice and I prefer a lower carb than that, but there are also those who advocate for some whole grains in a cancer diet. For example, Dr Dressler’s Diet from the Dog Cancer Survival Guide includes oats. Even more than food, I would focus on supplements. Fish oil, if it is not already included in the food, and items such as Turmeric, and medicinal mushrooms can be helpful. Ask your oncologist first though because some supplements might interfere with certain types of chemo, especially Doxorubicin. We saved the mushrooms and such for after chemo finished, but some give them throughout. With tolerating chemo, talk to the oncologist, because there are things that can be done either by adjusting the chemo used or by giving things such as Cerenia for nausea. Dr. Dressler’s book has some great info on supplements. I link to it in this article: https://www.somepets.com/canine-lymphoma-resources/ or here is the direct link.
Marisa Sundin says
Thanks for gathering all this info! Another commercial supplement that I love is Buddy Custard. It’s an all-natural anti-inflammatory formula specifically for dogs!
shan says
My golden was diagnosed with Bcell lymphoma and we have been making his meals at home and adding some Primal as a mix in because of the cost. We had been using Sweet potatoes because we were told they weren’t part of the DCM-issue foods and that only white potatoes were, but others have said all potatoes are an issue. We don’t want to feed him anything that could cause more issues, but he does not like pumpkin or squash at all so we tried the Sweet Potato for fiber. It’s all so confusing, please advise
Carleen says
Hi! Sorry for the delay. Somehow I missed your comment. Unfortunately most DCM compatible foods are not particularly cancer compatible. In fact many of the “approved” ones are just about the worst for cancer diets. If your dog is highly at risk for DCM or actually suffers from it, you might want to stick with food focused on that as DCM could be the more serious disease concern if your dog actually has it. But if not, then personally, I stick to a cancer diet as DCM is not nearly as prevalent as cancer and the ties to diet with it are not a clear as some of the big food manufacturers would have you believe. I wish there was a perfect answer, but unfortunately I don’t have one. Honestly with lymphoma, sometimes too it ends up coming down to what your dog is willing to eat.