Natural Cancer Cure: Dog with Cancer Heals with Special Diet

Does your dog have cancer? Don't despair yet. There may be a natural cancer cure for your sick dog. This is a simple natural cancer cure, according to Kraig Smith of Chicago, whose black Lab dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer; the veterinarian gave the dog six months to live. That was three years ago, when two cancer specialists confirmed that the black Lab had cancer.

If your dog has cancer, here is a simple natural diet that may very well work far better for dogs than expensive radiation or organ-damaging chemotherapy, which might not even work at all anyways. I interviewed Kraig about the dog, Raven, and how this dog became cancer free from the natural diet. The black Lab was diagnosed with skin cancer after Kraig noticed blister-like lesions on her lower lip. As simple as this sounds, the dog was actually doomed.

AC: What treatment did the vet suggest?

Kraig Smith: Chemotherapy. This regimen was pills that required us to take her to the oncologist biweekly. This chemo worked; the sores started to disappear almost immediately. Unfortunately, after a month, some tests indicated it was damaging her liver. The vet recommended a different chemo, which we tried, but the lesions flared up again. It never got better.

After six months, we discontinued treatment. The vet/oncologist told us there were two other options. X-ray her to make sure the cancer was localized. If it was, we could then treat with radiation, but this would not likely be pleasant since the cancer was around and in her mouth. The other option was IV-based chemo which required weekly visits and Raven being hooked up to an IV for six hours.

It was at this point we decided to skip all the medical treatments and try to enjoy Raven for the rest of her time. She had already passed the six months they originally gave her, but the sores were at their worst. It was difficult for her to eat.

What happened next?

I was in the local pet store. I mentioned her diagnosis to Liz (store owner), who told me of a similar dog that she had taken on years ago. This collie was also given six months to live, and this was four years later. I'm She told me about this dog's recovery based only on this raw food diet with the addition of yucca and some other herbs. That's when we switched her food. Initially, one patty of raw (not necessarily organic) meat/day and a half day's serving of no-grain kibble. But after maybe a month we moved it completely over to the raw meat and also changed all biscuits to carb free.

Did you tell your vet you were doing this?

We have not been back to the oncologist. We have, however, taken Raven to her regular vet. She's been to her regular vet for unrelated issues. Her local vet calls Raven the wonder dog and also hints that she was misdiagnosed.

How soon did the raw food diet begin taking effect?

Almost instantly. Within a couple weeks, the sores were noticeably smaller and actively shrinking. Today, there's no evidence of these spots/sores, but her oncologist suggested that some white hair spots on the top of her snout could be evidence of the cancer being there at one point. Every time she's checked thus far, we have not had any sores.

How did the vet react when she saw no cancer?

Again, she seemed to not trust the original diagnosis, but both the lab test she ran, and the oncologist, confirmed it. So I am unclear about how that's possible.

What led you to eliminate carbs?

Her meat patties are 5 percent fruits/vegetables. Liz at the Liz's Pet Shop. The holistic vet did confirm that this type of cancer feeds on carbs.

Describe the raw food diet in detail.

It became almost 100 percent raw foods. The only portion of her diet that was not raw food was treats, and with those, we made sure she got nothing with carbs. Her two meals each day consist of a patty of raw meat (made for dogs - also contains fruit and vegetables). We basically smash it up a bit in her bowl and then we add the yucca and another mix of herbs (I believe it's called seameal). I was told the yucca is cancer fighting and the seameal boosts the immune system.

Are you still perplexed about the vet's claim of a possible misdiagnosis?

When you're told to spend thousands on radiation or prepare for your beloved dog to be dead in six months, you get pretty amazed when something as simple as committing to a food change can keep them alive. What really gets me is that the oncologist and other vet just say now that she must've been misdiagnosed.They were certain enough to put her on chemo and ask us to spend big bucks to fix it, but now they say they must've been wrong.They're that opposed to the idea that maybe, just maybe, something else might actually work.

Personally, I think that healthcare (whether for humans or pets) loses its edge due to the drive for profits. There are probably hosts of natural approaches to treating some of these illnesses that will never see the light of day. After all, what's going to make them more money - a $20 bottle of yucca every six months, or $2,000 for a 4-6-treatment radiation regimen that may have to be repeated if it doesn't work?

How old is Raven today and what's her energy level like?

She turns 11 in April of 2008. She will still chase the Frisbee like a crazy dog, run up our three flights of stairs and play with her friends. She tires out a bit faster, but her energy level is still very impressive.

Web site for the raw meat/fruit/vegetable patties:

Naturesvariety.com