Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [85]
In conjunction with Hill’s Pet Foods, Dr. Gregory Ogilvie at Colorado State worked to create a commercial canine diet designed to counter the metabolic changes caused by cancer. Studies are underway to develop a cancer diet for cats that works as well as Prescription Diet n/d (for dogs), which is relatively low in simple carbohydrates, and relatively high in DHA, a polyunsaturated fatty acid thought to prevent the growth and spread of tumors.
Dr. Ehrhart has launched a similar study in cats at the University of Illinois to determine how diet might affect cancer therapy. “Cats are very different because they’re obligate carnivores, while dogs are omnivores—we can extract human data and apply to the dog and vice versa, but cats are totally different creatures. The way cats assimilate nutrients is very different.” She seeks feline cancer patients to participate in the study—contact Dr. Ehrhardt at the University of Illinois for further information about enrolling your cat. Patients admitted to the program receive free food and rechecks, but owners fund the cancer treatments themselves. “It would be people who have chosen to do the cancer treatment already, and also elect to participate in the study,” says Dr. Ehrhart
Feeding the cancer patient well offers important support and goes hand in hand with other therapies such as chemo or surgery, says Dr. Wynn. “We think homemade diets really help them feel better. Sometimes putting them on a homemade diet gives them kind of a boost—whether its phytochemicals, whether it’s a change in the amount of fats and starches, we don’t really know.” Cats fed homemade diets seem to enjoy a better quality of life, says Dr. Wynn, but says, “This is something that I wouldn’t do without veterinary supervision.” Do-it-yourself or fad diets, without the help of a veterinary nutritionist, risk making the cat even sicker.
The website www.petdiets.com is run by veterinary nutritionists who can help you and your veterinarian design an appropriate recipe. “I recommend one that’s about 70 percent meat, 30 percent veggies, plus appropriate vitamins and minerals,” says Dr. Wynn. In addition, she includes fish oils for their antioxidant properties, as well as turmeric and garlic. “That’s not for flavor. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) inhibits tumor growth and metastasis, reduces side effects of chemotherapy, and increases action of some chemotherapy agents.”
Holistic veterinarians often recommend turmeric, a cooking spice, as a cancer treatment but mainstream medicine also points to its potential. Cancer specialists at Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center are testing curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, for its ability to stop cancer cells growing in cats. While dog and human liver enzymes turn off the beneficial effects, the feline liver metabolizes compounds in a unique way, and may benefit from the spice, according to Dr. Doug Thamm, the veterinary oncologist leading the project.
Alternative Therapies
Combination therapies that provide herbs and supplements may help counteract or diminish side effects of cancer treatments, or boost the action of radiation or chemotherapy, says Signe Beebe, DVM, a certified veterinary acupuncturist and herbologist practicing at Sacramento Veterinary Surgical Services. Holistic practitioners often recommend an integrated approach to dealing with cancer. “For example, you can use Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve the blood cell count, which has a tendency to drop as a side effect of the strong radiation or chemotherapy.
Another holistic treatment that may help your cat is called IP6, found in grains such as barley. “Inositolhexaphosphoric acid, or phytate, is available as the extract called IP6 from health food stores,” says Dr. Wynn. Studies indicate IP6 may increase natural killer cell activity, genes that act naturally to suppress