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Eliminate Dietary Fiber From A Dog with Sarcoma?

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Last Modified: December 18, 2005

Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"

In researching info about my dog's sarcoma and his care, most experts recommend eliminating grains from his diet. Most quality dog foods do not have much fiber. How can I add additional fiber to his diet without also using cheaper foods containing peanut hulls?

Lili Duda, VMD, Section Editor of the OncoLink Veterinary Oncology Menu, responds:

Dogs undergoing cancer treatment experience a large amount of both physical and psychological stress. Both of these factors can affect a dog's appetite. In addition, decreased appetite and inadequate nutrition can contribute to these stresses. Any high quality (or "premium") commercial dog food is well-balanced in terms of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and should be an adequate diet for a dog undergoing cancer therapy. These diets usually rely on meat as the protein source (rather than grains which have lower biological quality and availability in dogs and cats). Dogs have a relatively low fiber requirement and do not need to be supplemented with fiber if they are being fed a good-quality, meat-based commercial dog food. Please also refer to the article " Nutritional Requirements of Dogs and Cats with Cancer " for a much more detailed explanation.