Health Wise

"Cancer In Dogs, What You Can Do To Help Prevent This From Occurring"
by Richard O'Brien

You may have heard recently about “Gut Health” for people. Probiotics and yogurt are a few terms you may have heard being discussed recently, to name a few. Gut health for dogs is very important and is often overlooked by unknowing pet parents.

First, I will start with a little about my background with dogs. I have had dogs all of my life. Together with my wife, we have and have had a total of 15 dogs. I have worked with many dog rescue groups and ended up being an unofficial rescue for the “Rottweiler” and “Pit Bull” category dogs. Also, I began my education in training dogs in 1971 from an FBI dog trainer.

Let’s start by looking at dog food. There is a lot of back and forth about grain free dog food. Today’s dog has been domesticated for over 30,000 years. During all that time, “Dog” ate what was made available to them by their humans. Grains are a big part of everyday human life.

So, why the sudden marketing hype about the need for grain free food for dogs? What I have observed with the grain free diets for dogs is an increase in cardiomyopathy. I personally do not use or recommend a grain free diet.

If you are feeding your dog “fresh food” or freeze dried food, good for you. For kibble dog food, I recommend a limited ingredient dog food. A side note, the first five ingredients listed in dog food are the most important and where your attention is needed. DogFoodAdvisor.com is a good reference website.

Here are additional supplements I use to help prevent and also to use when cancer has been found:

• CBD – Lazarus Naturals Dog Chews. Here is the link: https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/products/forpets/digestive-health-cbd-dog-chews-pumpkin
• Curcumin Chews – CurcuVET-SA150 90 soft chews by ThorneVet. Here are the links: https://www.amazon.com/ThorneVet-CurcuVET-SA150-Muscle-Support-Medium/dp/B08QPN6KJF https://blueskyvitamin.com/products/thorne-vet-curcuvet-sa150-90-soft-chews
• Hemp – Zesty Paws Hemp Elements Aller Immune Chews. Available at Amazon or Chewy. This product contains DHA and EPA The main source of EPA and DHA are fish and fish-oil products, such as menhaden, cod liver and salmon oils.
• Probiotics – Zesty Paws Probiotic Chews. Available at Amazon or Chewy.
• Gut Support – ION Intelligence of Nature Gut Support for Pets. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/Strengthens-Digestion-Supports-Function-Promotes/dp/B07Z3173JP

I use all of these products and my dogs love them! All products have been reviewed and recommended by two veterinarians, one veterinarian with western medicine principals and the second an integrative holistic veterinarian. Other than being a customer, I have no other connections to any of these companies that are linked.

Additionally, when consulting with the integrative medicine (holistic) veterinarian, my dog (diagnosed with cancer) was prescribed Chinese herbs. There were 2 types:

• Four Marvels Kan (500mg tablets)
• Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood (500mg tablets)

One Final Note

One final note, and this is an important one for cancer prevention. Do not use any food or treat item that contains BHA. This is commonly used as a preservative.

BHA has a direct link to liver and other cancers. BHA is banned in the European Union. Why not in the U.S.A.? Something that all of us need to address with these manufacturers.