This dog blog will answer the major question, “What to feed a dog with cancer who won’t eat?” we will also discuss the major reasons for dogs not eating, what feed to offer your dog, and what type of nutrients should be added to your dog’s diet.
What to feed a dog with cancer who won’t eat?
You should feed a dog with cancer who won’t eat, a diet low in carbohydrates, moderately high in protein, and high in fats. You can feed your dog with a feeding tube so that the digestive tract of your dog is functional and is serving better to your dog.
What are the reasons for dogs not eating?
Following are the reasons for dogs not eating in cancer:
Tumor
The tumors in the digestive tract are painful and will hinder the normal digestive process of the body. It means the digestive process is disturbed which can lead to loss of appetite. The loss of appetite can lead to cancer cachexia, a condition in which there is a loss of fat and muscles from the body.
In general weight loss, only the fat of the body is lost but in the case of cancer cachexia, the fat and muscles both are lost.
Radiation therapy
The next is radiation therapy which can cause inflammation of the tongue and esophagus, which is not healthy for your dog. This will affect the digestive capacity of the gut. This will also reduce salivation, which will make swallowing difficult for your dog.
In short, radiation therapy decreases the appetite of your dog and, in turn, decreases the weight of your dog.
Radiation therapy is usually not recommended, but if there is no choice your vet will go for radiation therapy on your dog.
Metabolism of the body
The metabolism of the body is disturbed because of the cancer cells in the body. The cancer cells use glucose in different ways to produce different by-products. The different by-products are harmful to your dog, so it is very important to keep this in mind.
The body will spend more calories to tackle the by-products of cancer which is a mess. In this way, the appetite of your dog will be affected due to the altered metabolism of the body.
Use of antibiotics
Antibiotics are widely used to tackle any secondary bacterial infection in the body. The secondary bacterial infection can lead to disease in the body, which we cannot afford at this time.
In cancer, the body has already become weak because of the weak immune system of the body. If there is any secondary bacterial infection in the body, it can lead to serious health complications.
The antibiotics affect the appetite of your dog, so the dog is not able to eat anything. It also alters the sense of smell and taste, which also affects the appetite of your dog.
What can you offer your dog that is suffering from cancer?
Following are the things you can offer your dog:
Low carbohydrate diet
You should offer a low carbohydrate diet because the cancer cells use carbohydrates and convert them into by-products, so giving high carbohydrates can increase the number of cancer cells in the body.
High-fat diet
It is observed that the cancer cells do not use enough fat to gain energy and multiply. You should offer your dog a high-fat diet, which will give energy and will add to the weight gain your dog.
Moderate to high protein
The amount of protein depends upon the condition of your dog. If the kidneys and the liver are working well you can give a high protein diet to your dog as the muscles are degenerating, and your dog needs to build muscles. Muscles are pure proteins.
If the kidneys and liver are not working well you should give moderate amounts of protein to your dog so that the liver can metabolize it and the kidneys can excrete it.
What types of nutrients should be added to the diet of your dog?
Following are the types of nutrients added to the diet of your dog:
Arginine
Arginine is an amino acid that will help in building stronger muscles. This way your dog will be able to gain physical health, and it will improve its quality of life.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the health of your dog because they help to detoxify the toxins in the body of your dog.
Conclusion
In this brief discussion, we entertained our major question, “What to feed a dog with cancer who won’t eat?” we also discussed the major reasons for dogs not eating, what feed to offer your dog, and what type of nutrients should be added to your dog’s diet.
