Food is so confusing.  It all is, actually.  Amputation VS No Amputation.  Chemo VS No Chemo.  What to feed.  What to supplement.  It's never ending.  Grain free foods seems to be what's most recommended for dogs with cancer.  There was recently a discussion here on the Eating Healthy Forum about Natura selling to Proctor & Gamble … Natura makes EVO & California Naturals.

If you look at the Tripawds Nutrition Blog , there are many suggestions for supplements and foods.  

Best of luck!

Food is a never ending question.  I have fought this one almost from day one.  Trouble, in addition to the cancer had allergies all her life.  Feeding something that would not make her allergies flare and would suite the bill for cancer was a real challenge.  For many years I fed IVD Duck and Potato (now Royal Canin). When we acquired a second dog last year, I needed something a little less expensive and more readily available - Duck & Potato was available only from the vet, and not all vets!  I decided to try Natural Balance - venison & sweet potato, - single source protein, single source carb for allergies & no grain for cancer.  That worked well for a little less than a year.  We had to give a round of prednisone and the 'starving munchies' made it necessary to feed more than normal.  Trouble gained weight.  Desperately trying to reduce the calories, I switched to the Natural Balance reduced calorie.  Trouble wasn't satisfied, and it had brown rice (not my first choice for a cancer dog) After 2 weeks of a grumbly dog, I asked our vet for a home cooked reducing diet.  We started it on Wednesday.  She isn't starving anymore, but I've had to substitute turkey for the beef.  She has a beef allergy.  Will we stay with this long term?  Not sure, but hoping to stay with it long enough to get the weight down and her at a stable lower weight.

You will make it through the food puzzle.  Define what your needs are and start there.  If one doesn't work the way you expected, try a different one. There are websites that rate commercially prepared foods.  Choose a high rated food in your budget that fits your needs.  If you cannot find a prepared food, your vet can probaby recommend a home cooked to get you started.

hugapitbull said:

There are websites that rate commercially prepared foods.  Choose a high rated food in your budget that fits your needs.

http://www.dogf.....dvisor.com

Oh, and for supplements for cancer-related problems, I've only ever gotten suggestions here.  When I asked Yoda's (my osteosarcoma boy's) oncologist about supplements, she said that unfortunately they aren't taught about supplements and don't have literature on their effectivenes, so it was up to me, what I thought best, basically.  She wasn't for or against them. 

One of Gerry's vets was familiar with Dasuquin and suggested it right away when I asked if there was a supplement or anything (I was playin' dumb a little bit there, since I'd already gotten recommendations here) that could be good for maintaining Gerry's joint health, given the extra strain on three legs.

So it doesn't hurt to ask oncologists/vets for tips on diet and supplements, and that's always preferable to trying to figure it out yourself, but they might not have much to say on the subject.

I completely relate to the confusion and stress when it comes to feeding the dogs.  However, I just recently finished a nutrition course in my Vet Tech schooling and I have a lot of things worth noting.

First off: for all those who are home cooking their dog food, the main worry is that your dogs may not actually be getting the nutrients they need.  These dogs need to go in for regular check ups twice a year instead of just once a year to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need.  I would also highly suggest that you give your recipes to your vets for them to analyze.

Second: There are a lot of different holistic dog foods out there.  However, after looking at a lot of them and comparing prices, I would highly suggest you all take a look at Diamond dog food.  This would be great for Denali's family as it's a holisitc dog food, but at the price of a typical dog food.  A 20 lb bag is only about $20.  My dogs love it!

If you are looking at the nutrition labels, the things you need to look at are the guaranteed analysis and then the first five ingredients.  The guaranteed analysis will show you the main types that are in the ingredients.  You want to look at how much protein there is (above 20 percent is good), how much fat, and how much fiber there is.  If your dog is overweight, geriatric, or diabetic it's best to have high fiber diets.  As for fat, well you don't want too much of it.  I would also look at if they mention Vitamin A and E which are essential to any dog, and as long as they have it then you are good.  When it comes to the ingredients, they are placed in order of the most to the least.  The first ingredient is going to be the main ingredient.  Make sure there is some sort of meat in the first 5 ingredients.  When it says by-product, it is saying that the meat that is being used are things like kidneys, liver, intestines, etc.  

These are just some essential things to look at when it comes to looking at dog food.  I took the time to look at the ingredients that were mentioned by everyone, and they all seem to be fine.  The biggest thing that comes next is price.  That is where the owner has to make the final decision.  

Good luck all!

I switched my dogs to Blue Buffalo Holistic diet after Jake was diagnosed. http://www.blue......shtml It was cheaper than the prescription vet diet I had previously been feeding him. I also cooked a chicken/turkey stew with veggies once a week, and supplemented their dry food with it. They loved it!