What's the best diet for a dog with cancer undergoing chemotherapy?

I'm sorry to hear you pet has cancer. Making pet food is complicated and your best option is to work with a veterinary nutritionist. Many nutritionist offer online or phone consultations. Especially with the diagnosis of cancer, there are certain nutritional considerations now that are different from a dog without cancer. The nutritionist will formulate a diet to fit the exact needs of your pup. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! As a veterinary oncology veterinarian I can tell you that there is no proven diet for cancer patients. The only supplement that you could potentially add that could have anti-cancer activity but most importantly helps with the skin and joints is fish oil. I would recommend you get the commercial kind online or at your local pet store. Other than that, the best cancer diet is the diet that Jake loves as again there is no diet that has been proven to help with cancer. This is the time to make him happy so I would focus on a diet that he likes regardless of protein, fat or carbohydrate contents. Just make sure it is not too rich as it can upset his belly. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While there are no anti-cancer foods, medications, or supplements, we recommend keeping pets at an ideal weight and body condition score (BCS), regularly exercising them, and feeding them a consistent diet. Avoiding human foods or very fatty foods can help reduce the risk of developing diseases such as liver disease or pancreatitis. Do not smoke cigarettes around your pet. That being said, cancer in dogs is unpredictable, and can occur even if you do your very best to keep Oscar as healthy as possible. I recommend at least annual check-ups at the veterinarian, and having him evaluated any time you feel that he is not acting himself! Sometimes subtle clinical signs such as hiding, skipping a couple meals, etc, can be signs of underlying disease. I hope this is helpful!

I'm sorry Frank has cancer! Brands of food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. You can try adding some pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) to his dry dog food to add more fiber in his diet, which may help. Keep in mind, however, that this tumor may be blocking his anus, making it hard for him to poop, and that no diet will stop the growth of the tumor. You can speak to his vet to see if surgery is an option to remove the tumor, or if chemotherapy is an option. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

I'm so sorry to hear the Cooper has cancer. I understand your concern. There is no blanket answer to your question though. He may be nauseated so taking a medication like Zofran (ondansetron) daily may be helpful. Ask your vet about using that. You know him best so just give him anything he wants to eat. You can try human baby food (meat flavors) often that works. Dogs also like Hill's a/d that you can get from your vet and it is very high in calories so they don't have to each much to take in more calories. I do think it is best to consult with your vet on this issue since they have all of his medical history. It is hard for me to comment without all the facts. I hope you understand.

At this point it sounds like she needs a higher amount of calories. There are some food you can try but with her history of the pancreatic cancer component it could cause inflammation of the pancreas. I will discuss with your veterinarian something like hills a/D, recovery diet, are you at Max-Cal diet. Sometimes something like Ensure works as well. Sometimes we also use kitten or puppy food as it has a high calorie counts as well. But again your veterinarian maybe concerned about him on a fat with your dog having pancreatic issues.

While I don't know of any nutritionists that specialize specifically in oncology, most nutritionists should feel comfortable formulating diets for oncology patients. The website BalanceIT.com is based in California and has boarded veterinary nutritionists on staff. They can help formulate a recipe and will ship necessary vitamin supplements internationally.