Dog CancerCancer remains the biggest dread for most of us - one in three people are likely to develop it at some time in their lives, and the figures for our pets are no different.Diagnosis and treatment of cancer disease or neoplasia has made great advances in recent years, and just as in human medicine, there are a great number of screening tests and imaging techniques to help vets identify the location, type and stage of tumours. Staging is about identifying the age or maturity of the tumour and the presence or likelihood of its spread to other tissues in the body (metastasis). The three cornerstones of veterinary cancer treatment remain surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but we find that we can do a great deal to improve the quality of life of our patients by care attention to the diet and supplements they take. The immune system is of vital importance in the battle against cancer. It has the ability to recognise abnormal cells and we should do everything we can to support it in this mission. What specifically can we do to help?
The AntiOxidants have specific and well-documented effects and are used to help disable some of the dangerous free radicals that continue to cause cell damage Additional Fish oils in the diet can help promote tumour regression and inhibit metastasis, also helping reduce the cachexia (weight loss) often associated with cancer. These are crucial to the healthy functioning of the immune system. Green tea and its extracts inhibit tumour growth and metastasis and many studies now indicate that the phytochemicals contained in certain types of mushrooms as in Mycoplex coriolus have an immune stimulating and anti tumour activity. can have a real impact on survival. Diet & Appetite Tumours like glucose but have difficulty metabolising fat. If we are able to change the diet of our cancer patients, we will aim for a low carbohydrate, moderate to high fat and moderate protein diet. This obviously has to modified to take into account any of the specific organ systems that my be affected by the disease. Sick animals often have a poor appetite, so supplementing with a multivitamin and mineral mix will help ensure that no nutritional deficiencies develop.
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