My 14 year old lab has just been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. My vet did an ultrasound and she has tumors all over her spleen and liver. They are going to treat her with a medicine (I've forgotten the name) that shrinks the tumors. Is there any diet/home remedy that I could use to help her live longer along with the medicine? I just want to do everything I can to help her live the remainder of her life as healthy as possible.
I’m sorry to hear that your dog has this diagnosis :( Fingers crossed, the medication given to you by your vet will extend her quality of life.
I would stay away from home remedies that involve alternative or chinese medicinal properties until you know exactly what your vet is prescribing, and what is in the home remedy. You would be running a high risk of synergistic or antagonistic effects of the drugs, and could therefore result in over/underdosages.
Haemangiosarcomas, especially those arising from the spleen and liver, generally don’t provide a good prognosis, and if you haven’t seen clinical signs like weakness, inappetence, and weight loss yet, you are likely to in the near future. In these cases, I tell owners that it doesn’t matter *what* is being fed as long as your dog is willing to eat. Anything that she will eat is better than nothing. The body will feed the tumour before it will feed itself, so any sign of weight loss tells us that the body is losing out majorly.
If you are starting to see weight loss and muscle wastage, I would swap her food to a puppy diet, or even critical care prescription diets, as they are higher in fat and calories. If she is reluctant to eat, you can tempt her with cat food, as they tend to be more palatable. Your vet may prescribe mirtazipine or other appetite stimulants if necessary, and there is also an option of placing feeding tubes.
There is some speculation that high levels of omega 3,6,9s have anti-angiogenic and anti-neoplastic properties, which may help with the slowing of tumour growth. Another study has shown that dogs fed on a high fat diet vs a high carbohydrate diet had longer remission periods.
Best of luck with your little one, and I hope we can keep her pain-free for as long as possible!