The traditional treatment for canine cancer is chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or a combination of those therapies. Some supplements can enhance the efficacy of conventional treatments. Fish oil is particularly important if your dog has cancer.
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Effects
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Fish oil reduces inflammation in the body and can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, according to Dr Jeanette Thomason, a veterinary naturopath.
Benefits
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The polyunsaturated fats in fish oil may inhibit tumor metastasis and reduce the likelihood of wasting that sometimes accompanies canine cancer.
Function
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According to Life Extension Magazine, the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil inhibit the creation of cytokines that feed the dog's cancer cells.
Expert Insight
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Researchers in the Comparative Oncology Unit at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University published a study in the journal Cancer, detailing giving dogs with lymphoma arginine and fish oil along with chemotherapy drugs. The dogs receiving arginine and fish oil had a survival rate of 700 days vs. 400 days for dogs not taking the supplements.
Considerations
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Life Extension Magazine states that dogs involved in the above study also had a longer period of time before recurrence of cancer--425 days vs. 275 days in dogs not receiving fish oil and arginine.
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