Heyyy DannyBoy, good to see you here. Hope you don't mind I moved your post here to "Eating Healthy," since your main question was about grains.

Please understand that we aren't vets, and none of us ever want to go against what your vet tells you. But your oncologist will probably have more comprehensive information about nutrition, plus you can also check out our Nutrition Blog for more tips.

Here's what a lot of us here have learned about cancer...

There is a lot of information available by doctors and nutritionists that point to the fact that carbs, grains and starches (which turns to sugars in our bodies) feed cancer cells. Avoiding sugars is one o the keys to fighting cancers, which is why most of us go on a grain-free diet. Here's what Dr. Dressler, the Dog Cancer Vet, says about grains:

"Why You Should Avoid Most Comon Grains

...Notice, however, there are no added sugars and very few grains on this list. That is not only because these foods are not in their natural diet.

It is also because these foods feed cancer, not your dog. Here's why:

Carbohydrates come in the form of sugars (simple carbohydrates) or starches (complex carbohydrates). Cancer prefer simple carbohydrates as their main fuel source.

The easier it is for a startch to be broken into simple sugars, the more the cancer will like it, because cancer likes to get food fast and with minimal work. (Think about how i steals blood vessels from neighboring cells and breaks down muscles for food, rather than waiting to be bed by the body).

In other words, cancer is a junk food junkie.

Very few dog lovers actually feed their dog pure sugar, but many feed their dogs carbohydrates without realizing it."

Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide

You're off to a great start by feeding Evo, as long as it's grain-free . Milk Bones (assuming you're talking about the actual brand?), are full of things you'll want to avoid while fighting cancer. There are tons of much healthier treats available and if you're handy in the kitchen, we have some recipes here in the forums and in our Tripawds Nutrition blog.

One of the reasons DannyBoy might not be as hungry as he was is because he's not burning up energy as much, since his activity has been reduced. So it's not all bad as long as he wants to keep eating his other foods. Remember, helping his stay slim is critical for getting along well on three legs!

Hope this helps answer your question!

Sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin pulp (unsweetened) will firm things up. The canned food and medications can cause runny poo too. Feeding straight kibble results in firmer stools (there's practically no moisture in kibble) but they need to drink more water to compensate.

Have you decided which vet to go to for the chemo?

indi said:

...the brand everyone recommends, Inova, got bought by P&G and now who knows what is going on.

We do!  Check out this Tripawds Nutrition blog post for premium grain free kibble alternatives.