Bone cancer is one of the most widely seen cancers in dogs, and of the various canine bone malignancies, osteosarcoma is by far the most common. This can be a painful and debilitating disease for your pet, and you should consult your veterinarian promptly if you suspect your dog may have this cancer. Diet cannot cure your dog, but the proper food choices can help to slow the spread of this disease in your pet.
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Symptoms and Diagnosis
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Canine bone cancer is seen most often in the long bones of a dog's limbs. If your dog is experiencing pain in one or more legs when walking, this could be an early sign that a malignancy is present, according to PetEducation.com. Early detection of cancer in your pet is every bit as important as it is in human patients, so don't hesitate to see your vet if you suspect something is wrong. Lameness in one or more of your dog's legs also may be accompanied by swelling. Your vet is likely to use a combination of X-ray imaging and biopsy to definitively diagnose bone cancer.
Treatment
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Osteosarcoma, as well as other forms of canine bone cancer, is an extremely aggressive and highly metastatic malignancy. More often than not, your vet will recommend immediate amputation of the limb in which the cancer was diagnosed, according to TalkToTheVet.com. In rare cases, limb-sparing surgery may be a viable option. Because metastasis of this cancer to the lungs is quite common, most dogs with bone cancer are treated as though the lungs were already affected. Surgical amputation of your dog's affected limb is usually followed by a course of chemotherapy.
Dietary Guidelines
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Canine Cancer Awareness (CCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the widespread incidence of canine cancer and the ways in which it can be treated, stresses the importance of diet for dogs with cancer. A good canine cancer diet, according to CCA, should be relatively low in simple sugars, including any processed or fruit-derived sugars; moderate in complex sugars, such as grains, potatoes, fruits and vegetables; and high in digestible proteins, such as lean beef, white-meat chicken, egg whites, beans and skim milk. Fat is also good for dogs with cancer, according to CCA. It is particularly important to keep consumption of simple sugars low, CCA says, since these nutrients tend to fuel the growth of cancer cells.
The CCA offers a recipe for homemade dog food that was developed by the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and is available on the CCA site with the VIN's permission. The recipe, designed for a dog weighing 25 to 30 pounds, calls for 1 1/3 cups of cooked rice (cooked with 1/3 tsp. salt substitute); one pound of lean ground beef, drained of fat; 1/3 pound of beef liver, cooked and diced; 4 tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 tsp. calcium carbonate; 0.75 tsp. dicalcium phosphate; and the contents of nine 1,000-mg. fish-oil capsules. Feed your dog one-third of the mixture each day for three days.
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