Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello,
We just received the biopsy results for my 13 year old GSD and she was officially diagnosed with OSA. We will likely be starting chemo soon but my question is about her diet. My understanding is that for dogs with cancer, it is best to minimize or cut out grain and have her eat primarily meat and thus protein. However, her blood levels indicated that her BUN level is high, although the rest of her blood work is perfect (creatinine, etc.). Because all of her other values are normal, the vet thinks its because she eats a lot of protein. Currently Crystal eats cooked chicken as well as dry dog food. Should I reduce the amount of protein in her diet or increase the amount of protein? On the one hand, I want to have her on a diet that will best combat cancer but on the other hand, I don't want to stress out her kidneys or other organs.
So glad to hear that Crystal is doing well.
I wished I could help you but I've never gotten into doing the protein diet. We didn't have a cancer dog (that we knew about). But I know other's her have stuck to low grain diets.
Just to help others on what BUN means: (since I had to look it up too)
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) is another measure of wastes (urea) in the blood.
Urea is produced from the breakdown of protein already in the body and protein in your diet. A high BUN usually means that kidney function is less than normal, but other factors may affect the BUN level. Bleeding in the intestines, congestive heart failure, and certain medications may make the BUN higher than normal. As BUN rises, symptoms of kidney disease may appear, such as a bad taste in the mouth, poor appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Sometimes a low BUN may also mean that you are not eating enough protein.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Sounds like Crystal eats well! Have you searched the Tripawds Nutrition blog for advice?
You'll find plenty of canine cancer diet info there. Cancer feeds on carbs, so a high protein grain free diet is best.
Here a just few links from a brief search:
Wysong Epigen, a High Protein Kibble Alternative
Save on Wysong Premium Raw Dog Foods
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
admin said:
Sounds like Crystal eats well! Have you searched the Tripawds Nutrition blog for advice?
You'll find plenty of canine cancer diet info there. Cancer feeds on carbs, so a high protein grain free diet is best.
Here a just few links from a brief search:
Wysong Epigen, a High Protein Kibble Alternative
Save on Wysong Premium Raw Dog Foods
Crystal does eat well, especially for being as picky as she is. I did do a lot of reading about cancer diets and that's why I'm not debating whether or not I should be increasing or decreasing her protein. Ideally, I want to start her on a high protein grain free diet but since her BUN levels are indicative of her system not being able to handle so much protein, I don't know what to do. I'll keep looking around the nutrition blog for advice.
Maybe Dr. Dressler can give you some direction.
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
tatespeeps said:
Maybe Dr. Dressler can give you some direction.
Great idea! Thanks tatespeeps!
Sorry for the delay but my power has been out due to a freaky ice/snow storm here in the Seattle area. I think that I would feed the low-carb diet and recheck the BUN and creatinine in 1 month. Your vet should also run a urine test to make sure that the urine is concentrating normally.
Pam
tazziedog said:
Sorry for the delay but my power has been out due to a freaky ice/snow storm here in the Seattle area. I think that I would feed the low-carb diet and recheck the BUN and creatinine in 1 month. Your vet should also run a urine test to make sure that the urine is concentrating normally.
Pam
Thanks Pam!
tatespeeps said:
Maybe Dr. Dressler can give you some direction.
Here is the link to Dr. Dressler's new and improved Canine Cancer Survival Guide:
Dressler’s Revised Dog Cancer Survival Guide is a Must-Have for Pet Pawrents
And the e-book version with bonus material:
Comprehensive Dog Cancer Survival Guide
And his free canine cancer diet e-book:
Dr. Dressler’s Free Dog Cancer Diet e-Book
Hope this helps!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I've yet to introduce myself to the forum, but I thought I'd chime in on this one and mention a few things that might be worth looking into.
About 3 years ago, a blood test showed my dog to have high BUN and creatinine levels as well as dilute urine. The vet mentioned that this was indicative of early stage kidney failure. At the time, I was feeding my dog Orijen kibble with a little bit of extra meat. The vet suggested that I switch to a low protein diet. Taking this with a grain of salt, I went home and did a lot of research. I found that it was more important to worry about the amount of phosphorous in the diet, and that a good amount of protein would actually be beneficial. The amount of phosphorous in the kibble was pushing the high limit of what a dog should be eating. I started preparing all of my dog's meals myself, so I'd have most control over his phosphorous intake. Basically raw meat + cooked veggies + calcium supplement (ground eggshell), with limitations on things with high phosphorous content such as bony meat, eggs, and dairy. He did eat those things, but just in limited amounts. I didn't worry about much protein he was getting. I think that he was eating roughly the same amount of protein as he was before I switched his diet, if not a little more. My dog was 8 years old and about 65-70 pounds at the time, he got about a pound of meat per day. The calcium was added, because it acts as a phosphorous binder. We ran a blood test a couple months later, and all the levels returned to normal. Subsequent tests have never showed increased levels again.
Looking at a copy of my dog's medical records, the doctor mentioned:
"Now kidneys may have recovered to cause kidney values to look normal, or possibly the change in diet to raw food has caused decrease in waste products produced and has caused values to look normal. Cannot tell the difference which one may have occurred. But since values look good, continue same diet, just decrease amount because he is gaining weight." Apparently, my dog was getting fat.
@wakka987 Thanks for the input! Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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