Pet Cancer Diets and Nutrition

Pet Diet & Nutrition 3 min read

Just like humans, dogs, and cats suffering from cancer or going through cancer treatment may suffer from a severe lack of appetite, which only contributes to further deterioration in their health and well-being. In fact, adequate nutrition is particularly important for any pet being treated with chemotherapy drugs since a lack of nutrition predisposes our pets to the toxicity of the drugs and results in a poor therapeutic response. That’s why it’s so important to talk about pet cancer diets and nutrition.

Proper diet and supplementation are absolutely essential for a good quality of life.

Proper diet and supplementation are absolutely essential if your pet is to have a fighting chance of overcoming this dreaded disease and having a good quality of life. Researchers are still studying what nutritional requirements for pets with cancer need. However, there are some studies that have shown that a diet with increased protein and fat, decreased carbohydrates, and the addition of supplements and omega-3s may be beneficial for dogs and cats with cancer. The diet for dogs should be 35-40% protein; 30% fat; and 20% carbohydrates. Cats should have more protein, less fat, and minimal to no carbohydrates. Let’s explore some of the reasons why this type of diet may be beneficial for pets with cancer.

High In Protein

A diet high in protein is thought to beneficial due to the decrease of certain amino acids such as arginine found in the plasma of cancer patients. Arginine can be found in animal sources like beef, poultry, and seafood. You may also find arginine supplements through your local holistic veterinarian.

High In Fat

The reason pet parents want to feed their pets a diet high in fat is due to the way tumor cells, unlike healthy cells use fat. Basically, tumor cells have difficulty utilizing lipids for energy. A diet high in fat will also help with cachexia (or wasting) experienced by cats and dogs with cancer.

Low In Carbohydrates

A diet low in carbohydrates is thought to be helpful since pets with cancer have increased lactic acid in their blood. Since the metabolism of simple carbohydrates produces lactate, its thought that a diet low in carbohydrates may be beneficial.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The addition of omega 3’s may prove useful for cancer patients as it may help promote weight gain, and may have anticancer effects. For an omega supplement try NHV PetOmega 3.

Additional Vitamins and Supplements

Additional vitamins and supplements will help boost the immune system and help fight tumors and increase energy and well-being. NHV recommends Pet Cancer Super Support Kit, which contains NHV ES Clear for cancer support, NHV Milk Thistle for liver support, and Turmeric, which helps to scavenge free radicals and is also a superfood.

Feel free to contact your NHV Pet Experts. We have a vast array of holistic recipes in our library, which we can choose from to help you and your pet.

Now that we know what diet to give our pets with cancer, how do we actually get them to eat it?

bones, meat and vegetables cooking in a large metal pot

Feeding a sick pet can be tricky. Once our cats and dogs lose their appetite it can be difficult to convince them to eat. At NHV we really like using bone broth as a topper to be put on top of the pet cancer recipe or dry food for dogs. Bone broth has a mouth-watering smell that will help stimulate your dog’s appetite and get them to want to eat. It’s also rich in nutrients and is made for pets without toxic ingredients like onions so you know you’re feeding them something healthy as well as tasty. You can find recipe ideas for making your own bone broth at home here.

Patra wearing an apron and gloves, standing in a kitchen with fresh ingredients

Another tip to getting your furry companion to eat is to simply sit with them. Sit down in their eating area, coax them over gently, give them a pat and a kind word. Your simple gesture of love will do wonders to get your pet to at least begin to eat.

Once again if you need a recipe or any advice please do contact your NHV Pet Experts, we are here to give you the support you and your fur baby need.

cancer support

ES Clear™ for dogs

USD $44.95

liver support

Milk Thistle for Cats

USD $42.95

arthritis support

Turmeric for Cats

USD $46.95

Dr. Amanda Nascimento DVM, MVSc, PhD

Dr. Amanda completed her undergraduate degree in veterinary medicine in 2010 and graduate studies in veterinary pathology (MVSc. 2012 and PhD 2016) at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine – University of Saskatchewan in 2018. Dr. Nascimento will be hosting her own blog series and sharing her knowledge with our extended NHV family.