Raw with Tucker

[~Tucker&Me~]

So as some of you might know, Tucker has an aggressive form of cancer and is receiving chemotherapy. He has been fed kibble his whole life, but in the last year and a half or so we have tried raw a few times and he never had any sort of adverse reactions. Recently, I have been giving him and Spy raw. Probably... For the last 3 weeks or so? Anyway, today I was thinking more about it and was wondering if giving raw to a dog who's immune system may be compromised is a bad idea? The last thing I would want is for him to get even more sick

Also kind of unrelated but is it ok to give two sources of meat in one meal? So could I give chicken things with a turkey neck in one meal, for example?

[PWCorgi]

A friend of mine has a greyhound who was just diagnosed with bone cancer. One of the first things she did was start adding more raw, and from the little I've heard she seems to think it is making a difference.

From what I understand, cancer feeds on carbohydrates, and obviously raw is going to get rid of carbs the fastest.

[Southpaw]

There's conflicting info on this. Some say it's fine, some say it's riskier. Personally.... I'm a huge fan of raw diets and feel that it is ESPECIALLY important for an immune compromised animal to be on a good diet. So I would continue with it. But that is just me and I can understand others might not be comfortable doing that.

And yep, you can totally mix proteins.

[naturalfeddogs]

If anything, raw will BOOST the immune system. I would certainly go for it. It can't hurt at all. Nothing is more natural and species appropriate.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I will be keeping him on raw

I don't think you should base your final decision on what opinions people express. You should definitely seek out a holistic veterinarian or holistic canine nutritionist and find professional advice.... good luck.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by mutts

I don't think you should base your final decision on what opinions people express. You should definitely seek out a holistic veterinarian or holistic canine nutritionist and find professional advice.... good luck.

Well I have been a part of this online community for ~6 years or so I think now and trust most of the regulars. Tbh I have gotten much better advice in general here than from my vet, who wanted me to neuter Spy at just under 6 months and feed him Medi-Cal lol. We also had a member a while back who was a canine nutritionist so if I run into problems I may contact her. Thanks though

[Maxy24]

I think raw would help him stay at his best so long as he doesn't tend to get diarrhea easily or anything like that. But I would take extra care to practice safe handling of the meat. Always defrost in the fridge, don't leave the meat out for a long time, don't reuse food that's already been out, etc. That way any bacteria that is present will not grow significantly and his system will have no trouble handling it.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by mutts

I don't think you should base your final decision on what opinions people express. You should definitely seek out a holistic veterinarian or holistic canine nutritionist and find professional advice.... good luck.

I actually rented a book out of the library yesterday and never thought to see what it said regarding cancer and a raw diet. I just looked now and feel very confident in my decision. The book is Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze, and she says that a dog with cancer can benefit from raw because it is not only more nutritious, but it also does not have the carbs that kibble has. There is evidence that carbs (sugars, specifically) feed cancer cells and can speed up the growth of the tumour. She basically argued that feeding a carb-less (or as low as you can go) diet is BETTER because you are not providing food for the tumour to grow. She stated it much more eloquently and scientifically sounding than I did, though

[HayleyMarie]

Originally Posted by ~Tucker&Me~

I actually rented a book out of the library yesterday and never thought to see what it said regarding cancer and a raw diet. I just looked now and feel very confident in my decision. The book is Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze, and she says that a dog with cancer can benefit from raw because it is not only more nutritious, but it also does not have the carbs that kibble has. There is evidence that carbs (sugars, specifically) feed cancer cells and can speed up the growth of the tumour. She basically argued that feeding a carb-less (or as low as you can go) diet is BETTER because you are not providing food for the tumour to grow. She stated it much more eloquently and scientifically sounding than I did, though

I wish you good luck And I hope you get results.

Im excited to start Mitsu on raw when I am able. Hope fully it will help her out, since she has a heart defect.