Beth, it's so good to hear from you. How are things going?

We hope your friend's pup never, ever goes through cancer. As for preventing it, well, my unscientific and personal belief is that the healthiest diet available, consisting of real foods and zero tolerance for harsh chemicals like spot-on flea meds and such (which are not needed if a dog is eating a healthy, real foods diet), will go far. Our Nutrition blog has lots of tips.

However, the scientific part of me also realizes that studies (even our own Tripawds Amputation and Cancer Care Survey), show that while OS is prevalent in certain breeds, it can and does pop up in many unlikely dogs.  Also, dogs like Maggie, who were given this type of diet from day one, still got diagnosed with it. There are so many factors that play into the development of cancer, nobody can say for sure what can prevent it.  The best we can do is limit our exposure to toxins that might kick it into gear.

And as with everything about the Tripawds philosophy, the best we can do it so live each day the best we can, without worrying about things we cannot control. That is indeed, the Way of Dog.