Ketosis is a natural metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary energy source. The ketogenic diet has been found to lower blood glucose levels significantly. When a ketogenic diet is implemented, anti-inflammatory activities are triggered, which promote cellular function and general dog health.

A ketogenic diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. The goal of a ketogenic diet is to allow the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Increasing the production of ketones, tiny molecules created during fat metabolism, is essential to reaching a ketogenic state.

Both carbohydrates and fats can be used by healthy cells for energy. Most commercial diets, dry kibble and freeze-dried, primarily comprise carbohydrates. When fed kibble, your dog’s body cannot easily reach a ketonic state.

The ideal ketogenic diet for dogs consists of 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. However, the ratios can be altered for dogs with cancer to 82% fat, 17% protein, and 1% carbohydrates to kick-start the ketogenic process. 

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body starts using fat as a primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. This metabolic shift occurs when the intake of carbohydrates, which are typically broken down into glucose and used as the body's primary energy source, is significantly reduced. Ketosis boosts metabolism, increasing fat burning and muscle toning. 

When carbohydrates are limited in the diet, the body's glycogen stores (stored glucose) become depleted. Without sufficient glucose, the body switches to using fat for energy. Fatty acids from dietary fat and stored body fat are broken down into molecules called ketones in the liver through a process called ketogenesis.

Ketones become an alternative fuel source for the brain and tissues that rely on glucose. As ketone levels in the bloodstream increase, the body enters a state of ketosis. Ketosis is characterized by elevated levels of ketones and reduced levels of circulating glucose.

Ketosis can occur during periods of fasting or extended periods without food intake. The body's glycogen stores are depleted without dietary carbohydrates, leading to ketone production.

Ketosis should not be confused with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition in dogs with uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes. DKA results in ketone levels can become dangerously high, leading to a condition called ketoacidosis.

Why are Ketogenic Diets Ideal for Dogs with Cancer?

Studies have confirmed that cancer is a metabolic dysfunction of the energy centers of cells, the mitochondria. Because cancer cells have an altered use of oxygen and a preference for glucose, they cannot metabolize ketone bodies. 

Cells that have become cancerous have an altered metabolism that promotes their growth, reproduction, survival, and long-term maintenance by increasing glucose uptake and fermentation of glucose to lactate. This modified metabolism is dependent on a constant glucose supply. So, by reducing the carbohydrates and sugars in your dog’s diet, you are starving the cancer cells by decreasing the blood glucose and the drivers of cancer cell reproduction in the bloodstream.

Transitioning your dog to a ketogenic diet gives you total control over her food consumption. 

Cancer cells have several commonalities that differentiate them from normal cells. All these properties rely on a constantly preferred food source, glucose, from consuming sugars and carbohydrates.

Normal cells have cell cycle regulators that inhibit cell division and proliferation during adverse conditions. A simple example is when cells are grown outside the body in a petri dish; they will not continue to divide and reproduce when conditions are too crowded. This is referred to as contact inhibition.

Cancer cells, however, continue to reproduce on top of each other, producing lumpy layers within the dish. This reflects the inability of cancer cells to maintain tissue balance in the body.

Apoptosis is a normal process of cell death used to control an organism's growth or development. Research has shown that cancer cells may undergo metabolic changes evading apoptosis and supporting increased cell growth and division.

Normal cells have many checks and balances that prevent overgrowth and DNA-damaged cells from reproducing. A molecule known as p53, “the guardian of the genome,” contains cells with DNA damage from production, thus ensuring that cells do not pass damaged genetic materials onto new cells. This protein is thought to be mutated in dogs and humans with cancer. The canine p53 is found to be mutated in several types of dog tumors, including osteosarcoma, mammary tumors, and mastocytoma.

Normal cells have a limited life span and replication abilities. Unlimited replicative potential or the ability to divide many more times than normal cells is another hallmark of cancer cells. Usually, cells can go through only about 40-60 rounds of division before they lose the capacity to divide and eventually die.

Cancer cells can promote the growth of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. These new vessels provide the cancer cells with oxygen and nutrient sources.

Cancer cells can also migrate to other body parts, spreading cancer throughout the body.

Reviewing all these characteristics reveals how rapidly cancer cells multiply and why controlling their reproduction is critical. Providing your dog with a diet low in cancer’s preferred foods may decrease the cancer cells' potential for rapid growth.

Raw food diet plans, or a careful homemade diet, are options for home-based ketogenic diets. But, the math required to compute the food plan can be extremely overwhelming. 

Dogs often enter ketosis using an 82% fat, 17% protein, and 1% carbohydrate ratio. After 120 days, dogs can have ketosis on a lower formulation (69% fat/30% protein/1% carbs), allowing for higher protein consumption. However, each dog is different. 

See the Why Feed A Keto Diet To Your Dog article for your dog for more i nformation on creating a ketogenic diet for dogs.

Intermittent fasting (IF) has numerous health benefits, including improved immune function, faster recovery from injury, decreased diabetes and heart disease incidence, and increased longevity through delayed aging. During intermittent fasting, ketosis can occur.  

During a fasting period lasting more than twelve hours, a dog’s body enters into metabolic phases that require less glucose and more ketone body-like carbon sources taken from the existing stores in the body. The fasting period usually coincides with sleep.

Intermittent fasting activates autophagy, the process by which cells break down old, damaged, or abnormal proteins, making the components available to the body to recycle for essential cellular processes. Autophagy is critical during periods of stress or starvation. Autophagy impacts the immune system, affecting the body’s immune response against viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.

Transitioning a Dog with Cancer to a Ketogenic Diet

You usually want to slowly transition a kibble-fed dog to a raw diet to avoid gastrointestinal disruptions. However, for a dog diagnosed with cancer, you may feel compelled to begin a treatment diet immediately. However, a dog in diet transition may exhibit many clinical signs of detoxification. You must be observant of these signs as they indicate that you are transitioning your dog too quickly. 

During the transition process, you may notice changes in the following: 

Stools- Loose stools and diarrhea are common issues when transitioning to a new diet. Observing your dog’s poop will allow you to make necessary adjustments to her meal. Stools may be covered in mucus as your dog transitions to the new diet.

Skin- There may be some flaking of dead skin as new and healthier skin is created.

Coat- During the transition process, dogs will shed profusely. They are losing the old brittle fur and sloughing off dead skin cells that will be replaced with a much thicker and healthier coat.

Eyes and ears- As your dog's body detoxifies during the transition, toxins may escape through its ears and eyes as a waxy substance.

Drinking less water- A raw diet contains significantly more water than dry commercial kibble, so fresh food dogs are better hydrated. 

Energy- Your dog will begin to have more energy as the body has to utilize less energy to digest her food.

Behavior is directly linked to the state of the gut microbiome. Over 90% of your dog’s happy hormone, serotonin, is produced in the gut. Providing a specie-appropriate diet will be instrumental in balancing your dog’s gut microbiome; thus, behavioral changes may be observed.

As you can see, the transition to the new diet will bring about many positive changes in your dog, assisting in her battle with cancer. As the gut microbiome becomes more balanced, the increase in serotonin will significantly improve her overall well-being.

Although getting your dog to a consistent ketonic state can take several weeks, it has clear potential in fighting cancer. Tumors and cancer cells do not nearly thrive when the body is in ketosis. Cancer cells lack the metabolic flexibility to utilize ketones. Glucose is necessary for cancer cells to proliferate and multiply. The ketogenic diet helps fight cancer by starving the cancer cells of their preferred energy source, glucose.

Due to the ketogenic diet’s clear benefits, it can be used for both cancer treatment and prevention. During the transition period from a kibble-based diet to a ketogenic diet, there may be issues with your dog’s stools and other body systems. Patience and persistence of the dog parent are required to complete the transition. Working closely with our veterinarian to incorporate the ketogenic diet into the overall cancer treatment plan is crucial.

You can use a commercial device to monitor your dog's blood glucose and ketone levels to determine if changes in diet need to be implemented. The easiest method is to use a hand-held glucose and ketone monitor. However, you must be able to prick your dog’s skin with a needle to get the blood sample. 

For the best results, you must measure blood glucose and blood ketone levels together because both are important in determining if your dog is in a consistent nutritional ketosis state. A dog that has high levels of glucose and ketones could be in diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening state in diabetic dogs. The goal is for your dog to have low glucose and low ketone blood levels, 

The preferred energy source of cancer cells is glucose, created during the metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates.

Cancer cells cannot process ketones, the metabolite from fats.

The ketogenic diet aids in treating your dog’s cancer by depriving the cancer cells of their preferred energy source. It also has many other benefits, such as increased serotonin and overall energy levels for your dog.

Ketogenic diets: from cancer to mitochondrial diseases and beyond - Branco - 2016 - European Journal of Clinical Investigation 

The ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen therapy prolong survival in mice with systemic metastatic cancer. 

Cancer as a metabolic disease: implications for novel therapeutics - PMC 

Targeted Nutritional Therapy Can Kill Your Dog's Cancer Establishment of a dog model for the p53 family pathway and identification of a novel isoform of p21 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor.  

The Warburg Effect: How Does it Benefit Cancer Cells? - PMC  

Ketogenic diet and cancer: Fad or fabulous? - Mundi  

Revisiting the Warburg Effect: Diet-Based Strategies for Cancer Prevention  

<a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/ketosis">Ketosis</a> is a natural metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/adenosine-triphosphate">energy</a> source. The ketogenic diet has been found to lower blood <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/glucose">glucose</a> levels significantly. When a ketogenic diet is implemented, anti-inflammatory activities are triggered, which promote cellular function and general dog health.

Ketogenic Diet for Dogs with Cancer

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