In general, raw or home cooked diets can be beneficial and preferred by holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists for dogs with cancer and most conditions – except if the cancer is in the bowel or liver or if the dog has a clinically expressed liver dysfunction. This is because bacteria in the food could multiply – especially if the contractions and relaxations (peristalsis) of bowel segments are irregular – thereby producing pockets of bowel stasis and promoting bacterial growth. The bacteria can then travel up the bile duct and further damage the remaining liver tissue.
For cases involving the liver or bowel, we suggest home cooking. One option is my Liver & GI Cleansing Diet.
Liver Cleansing Diet
So long as your companion dog does not have any food sensitivities to the ingredients based on NutriScan results, Dr. Dodds suggests a formula of 2 cups of pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet to 6 cups of veggies and potatoes, or 25% pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet to 75% veggies and potatoes. Turkey or pork can be substituted or added.
This recipe is designed for a 15-18 pound dog and to be fed over approximately one week; please adjust according to the weight of your pet.
Liver Cleansing Diet Phase 1
- 1 and 1/2 cups moist white cooking potatoes
- 1 and 1/2 cups sweet potatoes
- 2 cups pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet
Liver Cleansing Diet 2 – Add vegetables based on toleration
- 1 and 1/2 cups moist white cooking potatoes
- 1 and 1/2 cups sweet potatoes
- 1 and 1/2 cups of zucchini
- 1 and 1/2 cup green beans, celery, summer squash, chopped carrots, spinach, green beans or yellow squash and scrambled eggs, if these are tolerated.
- 2 cups pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet
- Scrub the potatoes well and cut them up crosswise into 2″ pieces so the skin circles the potatoes. OR, you can peel the potatoes before you cook them. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cooled, remove the skins.
Wash the vegetables steam or cook until very tender.
2 cups pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet poached in a frying pan with water until fish is white and flaky.
Mix all ingredients together until it is well blended. Depending on the size of your dog, you can double or triple the recipe. For flavor you can add a pinch of garlic powder and a little Italian Seasoning to each meal.
Multivitamin or supplement such as the Dog Essentials by Rx Vitamins or Vegan Dog Greens.
Feed three to four meals per day. Add the herbs, milk thistle (silymarin) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) to cleanse the liver.
In lieu of the homemade vegetable portion of the diet, you could opt for a dehydrated grain-free, vegetarian base and skip the added supplementation.
Milk Thistle Dosage
Dog’s size – Dose as % of adult human dose
- 5 lbs – 10%
- 5-10 lbs – 15%
- 11-20 lbs – 20%
- 21-40 lbs – 30%
- 41-70 lbs – 50%
- 71-100 lbs – 75%
- 100 lbs – 100%