Nutritional requirements for a dog with osteosarcoma,
or any cancer, are different from that of a healthy dog. Tumor cells
thrive on carbohydrates. So a canine cancer diet is very low in
carbohydrates. I have listed a quick “low glycemic food” reference at
the bottom of the page


Beside low carbs, a canine cancer diet needs high quality protein for
tissue repair and must include a substantial amount of fats – while the
body can use fats for energy, interestingly, tumors cannot. So a high
fat diet may slow down the tumor’s growth and give your dog a chance to
fight the cancer.


To give your dog the best possible chance, you will want to cook for
him or her. In doing so, there are a few things you will need to do:



  • Avoid all aluminum and Teflon cookware.

  • Avoid microwaving your dog’s food.

  • Avoid using tap water in your dog’s meals.

  • Consider The Budwig Diet as your dog’s core diet.


What is the Budwig Diet?


The Budwig Diet is part of a protocol created by Dr. Johanna Budwig,
a brilliant health practitioner who worked in Germany from 1952 to
2002. In over 50 years of practice, Dr. Budwig claimed a cancer success
rate of over 90%. People from all over the world with different types of
cancers, some of whom were pronounced terminal with only weeks to live,
saw results in three or four months.


Dr. Budwig has been referred to as a top European cancer research
scientist, biochemist, blood specialist, German pharmacologist, and
physicist. She was a seven-time Nobel Prize nominee. In 1952, she was
Germany’s Central Government’s Senior Expert for fats and pharmaceutical
drugs and considered one of the worlds leading authorities on fats and
oils.

While her practice was with people, Johanna Budwig recommended her diet for dogs with cancer as well.

A key to understanding the Budwig diet is oxygen, consuming foods

that offer to help cells absorb oxygen. In 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg
received the Nobel Prize for discovering that cancer can be created when
cells can no longer absorb oxygen. Dr. Budwig built on that knowledge
to develop a diet and protocol that restores cells to normal
functioning.

Flaxseed oil combined with quark or cottage cheese promotes

bio-oxygenation. When Dr. Budwig analyzed her patients’ blood it showed a
strange greenish-yellow substance in place of the healthy red oxygen
carrying hemoglobin, the reason why cancer patients become anemic and
weak. When her patients ate the flaxseed oil and cottage cheese and
stopped eating hydrogenated fats, the strange greenish elements in the
blood were replaced with healthy red blood cells as the phosphatides and
lipoproteins miraculously reappeared. Life energy was restored and the
weakness and anemia disappeared. Cancer, liver dysfunction and diabetes
symptoms, in many cases, were also alleviated.

The Budwig diet is simple to make.  It consists of organic, cold

pressed, flaxseed oil thoroughly blended with organic low fat cottage
cheese or a soft European cheese called quark.

Dr. Budwig stressed the need to follow her program in an exact manner

otherwise the results would probably be very disappointing and even at
times counterproductive. For
example some mix the flaxseed oil with yogurt instead of low fat cottage
cheese. This does not work because the cottage cheese contains the
sulphurated protein that is so important in the Budwig formula.


When the oil and cheese are thoroughly combined. The sulphur protein
components in the cottage cheese, such as cysteine, makes the flaxseed
oil water soluble, easily digested, and readily metabolized by the
cells.


The video below will demonstrate how easy the Budwig diet is to prepare for your dog.


To begin, you will need to have 2 appliances:



  • A coffee bean grinder to grind the flaxseeds.

  • An immersion hand-held stick blender to thoroughly blend the oil and dairy ingredients together.


The ratio in the recipe is 2:1. That is, two tablespoons of your cottage cheese or quark to 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil.


Buy regular flaxseed oil without lignans (Barleans is a good brand)
since whole flaxseeds, which include lignans in their hulls, will be
ground and later added into the mix.


To be sure of freshness, check the expiration date on your oil and
keep it refrigerated. Flax oil degrades quickly. Be sure the oil you
purchase is cold pressed, i.e., never heated in the processing. Make
sure the oil is refrigerated or frozen as much as possible. Heat of any
kind destroys the value of the oil. Oils are good as long as they are
cold pressed, fresh and kept cold. This cannot be over emphasized I
would not purchase Flaxseed Oil that was kept on a store shelf at room
temperature.


So let’s get started.


This recipe uses  6 tablespoons (1/4 cup, give or take, measurement
is not exact) of cottage cheese with 3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil (a
2:1 ratio). Measure out the ingredients into a small glass bowl.


And thoroughly blend them together with your long stick immersion blender to ensure that the oil and dairy bond together.


This step is critical and the core of the Budwig Diet. The is the
step where the sulphur in the dairy connects with the oil molecules to
allow the oil to become water soluble, easily digested and readily
assimilated into the cells.


Blending takes only about one minute. Ease the blender up and down in
the mix as you blend until you have a whipped cream consistency and no
oil is separated from the cheese.


Now, take two tablespoons of whole, brown flaxseeds (preferred over
golden flaxseeds) and grind them in a coffee bean grinder. It takes
about a minute to grind the seeds into very small pieces. Pour them into
the oil-dairy mix and stir with a spoon. If your mix is a little too
thick, you can add a little milk to thin it. Juice can also be added,
fruits and/or berries, if your dog likes fruits, but avoid grapes, raisins or grape juice; these are toxic for dogs.


The core diet can be offered as a snack or as a meal replacement if
your dog is weight-watching. After mixing, it can be stretched with
additional cottage cheese, milk, or diluted with a little water and
syringed into your dogs mouth. If you plan to mix it into a home cooked
meal, prepare the meal separately before hand and combine the two.


The mix must be consumed within 15 minutes after preparation. After
that, the seeds are considered rancid. Do not save leftovers. Start a
new batch for each serving. If your pet needs enticing, add a tiny bit
of food your dog loves, a bit of cheese, a piece of sardine, even fruit.


You can add digestive enzymes into the mix to help break down the
fats. The mix is rich for a dog and the enzymes will help protect the
pancreas.


For a 100 pound dog with stage IV cancer, slowly work up to 6
tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day to avoid diarrhea. Begin with 3
tablespoons (or less) of flaxseed oil, split into two or three doses. In
other words, if you were giving 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil, it would
be combined with about 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese.


After 2 weeks, bump it up to 4 tablespoons. The next week 5
tablespoons. The following week, you will arrive at the 6 tablespoons.


Halve the dose for a 50 pound dog.


For smaller dogs, the dose would be one quarter.


The recommended health maintenance dosage for a 100 pound dog is 1
tablespoon of flaxseed oil to approximately 1/4 cup of cottage cheese
daily.


In her book, Dr. Budwig says she uses 3 tablespoons of oil a day and
sometimes up to 6 for very seriously ill people. The above dosages are
just suggestions and in no way constitute medical advice. The dosage
your dog may require could be less than suggested. Talk to your dog and
feel your way. Ask Your Dog. You can contact your pet’s subconscious with yes-no questions. And he or she will answer.


Please note: Once you begin the Budwig Diet, you must continue or the cancer can return.


Another note:  The Budwig Diet is not the entire Budwig protocol. However, it is the core diet. In the Budwig Center
for humans, the identical diet, therapies, and herbal remedies are not
given to each person. Blood and Quantum testing and a Health Check
Questionnaire is completed beforehand to tailor the treatment to the
type of cancer being treated, along with immune status, toxin levels,
energy, etc. That being said, many dog owners have employed this diet successfully.



Exceptions to the Budwig Diet


There is an exception to this diet. Dogs with pancreatitis must avoid
fats. Additionally, the fat content in the Budwig diet can sometimes
induce pancreatitis. Liver blockages can develop because of years of
eating processed dog food which makes a dog more susceptible to
pancreatitis.

Symptoms of pancreatitis are: General weakness, unresponsive, refuses

to move much, refuses food. Testing shows increased liver enzymes.

Treatment: Fast your dog on water for a day or two. Eliminate all

fats (including the Budwig Diet) and increase regular food intake
gradually. A liver cleanser, such as Milk Thistle can help clear the
blockage.

After several weeks or a month, if your dog is asymptomatic, you

might try to gradually add in the Budwig Diet. Additionally, using
digestive enzymes along with the Budwig Diet to help break down the fat.


If your dog has liver cancer or any liver dysfunction, he or she will
be unable to convert the flaxseed oil to Omega 3 fatty acids, so the
Omega 3 will have to be given in the form of Cod Liver Oil instead of the flaxseed oil.


Treatments/Supplements Not to Take with the Budwig Diet



  • Do NOT take Protocel, Cantron, Entlev or Cancell (registered
    trademarks). The products work in a manner opposing the Budwig Protocol
    and may offset the Budwig Diet.

  • Do NOT take any product with Paw Paw or Graviola, including Amazon
    Factor Protocol. These plants lower ATP energy and may work against the
    Budwig Diet.



Making a Home Cooked Meal

A doggie dinner can be as simple as a single meat or fowl, a single

organically grown vegetable or veggie medley, a little water and a
little garlic  (sprig of parsley, bay leaf) simmered in a crockpot on
low heat for about six hours (be sure to take out the bones before
serving).


If using the Budwig Diet, you will want to omit fish oils, flaxseed, and dairy since the Budwig Diet is already supplying them.

And you will want to add a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to

your pet’s diet. If on Avemar, you’ll have to select a multiple without
vitamin C OR avoid giving the vitamin/mineral supplement within 2 hours before or after the Avemar Dose.


Choosing Foods with a Low Glycemic Index (GI)

The glycemic index can give you an idea of what low carbohydrates

foods to combine with your high quality proteins and fats. A food with a
GI of 40 or less is considered good for a dog cancer diet. The
following list will give you an idea as to the numbers, but take the
list with a grain of salt since certain foods, like carrots were thought
to have a high glycemic index and actually don’t. And fructose, that is
pure sugar and doesn’t stimulate an insulin response, has all kinds of
negative and deleterious effects, including liver damage.


Vegetables

Vegetables can be an excellent source of fiber, as well as, adding other
nutritional compounds to the diet. Most leafy green vegetables are low
on the glycemic index. Green Peas are in the higher range at 48. Sweet
Red Peppers are low with a GI of 10, but your yellow and red vegetables
are generally higher.

Carrots are 49: Even though carrots contain sugar, some believe that

they don’t have that high a GI. Interestingly, there seems to be a
difference between cooked and raw carrots, cooked having a higher GI.
Also there are certain nutrients found in carrots, not found in any
other food, that have an anti-cancer effect.

Fresh corn has a GI of 60, beets 64, pumpkin 75, parsnips 97. This is

not to say you cannot use higher glycemic foods, just use them
sparingly to keep the overall GI low. Note: While onions are a 10, avoid
them – onions are toxic to dogs and cats.


Beans and Peas

Beans and peas are low on the GI. chana dal 8,  soy beans 18 – choose
only certified organic, most are genetically engineered (GMOs), dried
chickpeas 28, kidney beans, dried 28, lentils 29, lima beans (frozen)
32, yellow split peas 32, canned chickpeas 42, canned black-eyed peas
42.


Potatoes

A yam 37 is lower than a sweet potato 44. Most other potatoes would be considered high.


Grains

Grains are not really necessary in a canine cancer diet unless you are
on neoplasene which specifically states adding white rice. But FYI,
pearled barley is 25, brown rice is 55. If selecting a grain, always
select a whole grain.


Fruit and Berries

Many fruits are low in the GI. Cherries are 22, apple 38, pear 38, plum 39, and assorted berries 40. Avoid grapes and raisins. They are toxic to dogs and cats. For your information, watermelon is 104.


Sweeteners

Fructose 19: While its glycemic response is very, very low, fructose has
been called the most pernicious sugar there is causing all kinds of
negative and deleterious systemic effects.

Honey 55, Sucrose 68

Meat and Fish

Because meat and fish are considered high quality proteins and the
carbohydrate content of meat and fish is minimal, they have a low-GI
value – the fattier the meat, the lower the GI rating. However, since
meat is a main source of saturated fat, the leaner the meat the better.
By contrast, fish (especially oily fish) and game meats are healthy
options.


Dairy

Unsweetened dairy products are also a good protein source and low on the glycemic index.

Many canine cancer menu suggestions can be found online. This site in my opinion has the healthiest recipes.