Raw Feeding - Cancer Question

[brandimom]

I don't know if this thread has been posted in the past but I am wondering if there are any greys that have been fed a raw diet for a number of years but still got cancer.

[Sambuca]

I don't know of any personally (I don't know that many dogs fed raw), but I'm sure there are many dogs who have been fed raw that got cancer. Cancer can be from diet, environment and probably most commonly, genetics. If it's in the genes, it's hard to avoid even on an amazing diet.

[Guest Hoolyghans]

Anecdotal only.

Our Spike was and oops puppy fed half raw (kibble breakfast, raw dinner) from about 4 months old.

In September we lost him to Hemangiosarcoma.

He was 2 1/2

[Guest Swifthounds]

I'm so sorry about Spike. That was such a shock. For all the worry over osteo, which gets dogs in middle age or old age normally, hemangio is in many ways much more nasty and less discriminating.

 

Also anecdotal, and a bit of a tangent. Oops puppies have become more popular as the DNA testing and other requirements have made them more common. I don't know why - and I won't speculate - but a fair amount of them seem to die much younger than their raced counterparts. Of two oops litters from long ago, - one that would be 9 and one that would be 11 now - my Vixen (11) is the only one still alive and in good health. I am thankful for her every day. I used to keep in touch with her litter mates humans, but that trailed off as they went to the bridge and I understand. She is raw fed now, but was not from birth. I bite my tongue when folks say they want the oops pup because they'll have it longer. Other than Vixen, my three youngest dogs at time of adoption were gone at not quite 6, 8, and just past 10.

 

I do recall someone studying grains and complex carbs as contributing to cancers in humans, but can't recall who it was.

 

I don't feed raw because I think it will spare me losing a dog to cancer, I do it because they're healthier on it (and happier).

[Guest greybookends]

There are certain cancers that are recommended a special raw diet to give the dog a longer life. I don't remember which, but I know of at least one that was diagnosed with cancer that when she was put on the diet got about another 3 years of life and in the end it was not the cancer that killed her.

 

Cancer is not discriminatory it will attack anything no matter what you do, not matter how old, no matter if the hound raced or was an oops puppy. It is a monster and anyone is at risk. It is best not to dwell on it and enjoy your hounds for how ever long you have. I hope it is a long and happy relationship and that it is age that takes them but if not I will deal with it as it comes.

[sweetdogs]

As Sambuca said, cancer is multi-factorial. All we can do is do the best we can - if you feel a raw diet is best for you & your hounds, then do it. My angel Liath was raw fed from her first day in a home in 2000 till she died of a bone tumor in Feb 2008 at 11 1/2. My old man Faolin has been raw fed since 2000 also & will be 14 in 6 weeks. I had a raw fed cat die of gastric lymphoma at 14 (I blame petromalt) & another of old age at 19 1/2. I think raw feeding is best but that is the right decision for me & I know it won't prevent anything genetic. I can only control so much.

[Guest Hoolyghans]

That's interesting about oops puppies.

I wonder if the oops factor comes from mom isn't in condition for breeding and/or wasn't given proper pre-natal care since the handlers didn't know she was knocked up. Or maybe mom/dad never were breeding candidates to begin with but since they took matters into their own paws...

I suppose there is no good way to track that sort of thing since there aren't records kept.

 

I'm in contact with 3 of his littermates, they know to keep a close eye on theirs though Spike's progressed so very quickly there was no time to catch it early. His first signs were very minor (slight weight loss) only a little over a week before we lost him. He only looked more "not right" 2 days before he went to the vet and even then, it didn't seem like an emergency, it was "let's get him in to be on the safe side". His condition plummeted overnight (tumor probably ruptured) at the vets and we let him go the next day. When we went from the regular vet to the specialist, he was almost accusatory in saying that Spike *must* have been sick longer than we were admitting, no dog fails that fast. I showed him the pictures on my phone from the dog park two weeks prior when he was running around like a nut. He got a lot nicer after that.

 

I do still think raw is an ideal way to feed. Even though it didn't save Spike, perhaps it gave us a little more time than we would have had? Of course no way to know for sure but it makes me feel better to think that.

I'm still feeding Abba & Louie half & half. I'd very much like to do full raw but logistics (price, local availability/variety) prevent that for now. I keep checking my options though!

[Guest ChasesMum]

yes, a friend of mine has fed raw for years and her girl Maggie was diagnosed with Lymphoma 2 weeks ago.

[Guest IrishGH]

Our first two adopted Greyhounds are from opps litters, one is 7 the other is 6. The oldest was whelped in the adoption center, the younger went into adoption at about 4 months. Both have competed in Lure Coursing and Racing events, the oldest is retired from competition due to a kidney problem.

The debate whether to feed Raw or Kibble or a mixture of Raw & Kibble is a ongoing discussion with only anecdotal conclusions. Racing Greyhounds are feed a Raw/Kibble diet from a young age thru their race career till they go into adoption. Once adopted most are fed a kibble diet, to say it's diet that causes cancer begs the question "Which diet caused the cancer?"

 

Cancer is not discriminatory it will attack anything no matter what you do, not matter how old, no matter if the hound raced or was an oops puppy. It is a monster and anyone is at risk

 

I Agree

 

Pat

[NeylasMom]

Yes, Neyla was raw fed from shortly after I adopted her at the age of 4 1/2 to several days before I let her go last week from osteosarcoma.

 

I believe that her raw diet helped to prolong not only her life post-diagnosis, but her health during that time. A lot of dogs with bone cancer suffer from something called cachexia - it becomes difficult for them to absorb nutrients and maintain their weight. My opinion is that a raw diet provides more bio-available nutrients in a more appropriate format and therefore may help prevent cachexia in cancer dogs. No research, just a common sense theory in my mind.

[gazehund]

I adopted DaBones and Kia in 2000. They were raw fed right from the beginning. Lost both to osteo in 2008.

Edited December 29, 2010 by gazehund