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August 2021
Rainey 9 yr old Golden Retriever : Osteosarcoma Dx May 2021
Location: USA

From Rainey’s owner Malori:

In 2012, I got Rainey as a puppy my senior year of college. There wasn’t a place in the world I would go without her. She has been my best friend, sister, daughter, soul mate, and ultimate companion wrapped into one from the first embrace.

In early 2021, she developed a slight lameness in her right leg, leading me to think she tore her other ACL ( In 2020, she had a TPLO ACL procedure on her left rear leg). A few months later she let out a big yelp and was holding her leg up to her abdomen without even an attempt to lower it. We scheduled her examination and surgery date for another TPLO ACL procedure. During the examination, the doctor asked to get x-rays because it didn’t feel like a tear. And just as he suspected, the bone looked as if it had been eaten away by moths–more than likely Osteosarcoma (OSA) in her knee. He gave us all of our options and we left so confused about which path to take for our girl.

After overcoming a lot of pain and sadness, my head started to clear and I began my research. I was first led to a series called ‘The Cancer Series’ where I learned a ton about raw keto diets making a huge impact on slowing/stopping/shrinking cancer growth. The series discussed ‘The Keto Pet Sanctuary’ outside of Austin, and the techniques they used to increase the odds of remission in 50% of their dogs with cancer. I went to their Facebook page and was directed multiple times to Mike and his facebook group, Ketogenic Dog Group.

After much debate and seeing dogs thrive with three legs on bone cancer Facebook groups, we decided to move forward with the amputation (2 weeks after the x-ray). The biopsy confirmed it was Osteosarcoma, and two weeks after surgery her lungs were still clear of metastasis. At that point, she was still a textbook case, statistics-wise.

We started her on what we thought was an easy and accurate home prepared keto diet about a week after her diagnosis. We watched the ‘how-to’ videos on The Cancer Series and considered using the Keto Pet Sanctuary Keto Calculator to formulate her meals at home. During our decision period, we bought her frozen keto marketed raw food from a local pet store and tried to tamper with her macronutrient ratios ourselves by reducing portions and adding fat. In my gut, I knew this didn’t feel right, and worried that we weren’t getting her into ketosis or she was missing important nutrients.

In mid-June, I decided to move forward with a custom meal plan for Rainey from Mike with his Custom Meal Plan Program.  Rainey is my child and I needed to feed her like I fed my human child–with fresh, prepared meals. It was my responsibility as a loving pet owner. I needed peace of mind knowing that a professional had taken the time to do the proper research, had the experience and passion in developing these meals. I really challenged Mike with my screening questions and concerns, and he understood how it felt in my shoes since he had been there before. He has dedicated his life to give his dog, Emie, the best life; and I had to trust his story and that the keto diet is what led me down this path in the first place. 

I’ve never looked back. His website taught me how to make the food, and he even provided links to specific supplements to give even more peace of mind on brand quality, dosage, etc. Rainey’s coat is so soft, she feels so good and playful, and is so excited to eat her delicious home-prepared meals. Around the same time, we decided to move forward with chemo to give the diet more time to provide additional benefits. She has handed both rounds of chemo so far without any issues and minimal side effects (slight drop in WBCC). Mike frequently checks in with Rainey, her diet, ketone/glucose levels, and gives advice along the way. It is so nice and comforting knowing someone is in this journey with me–it makes this scary disease feel less lonely to talk it out with someone and get some direction. We plan on moving her brother, Wilson, to a ketogenic diet formulated by Mike once we get Rainey through her chemo treatments.

We are now almost three months past diagnosis, and she is still metastasis free and handling her chemo well. I will keep you guys posted on Rainey’s journey along the way!

MY THOUGHTS:  

Once again we see the improvements of a dog fed a properly formulated raw Ketogenic Diet. And, it’s important to point out , as her story explains, a raw ketogenic diet was used in conjunction with standard of care chemotherapy treatments. Despite the unsubstantiated claims from many, that dogs with cancer “can’t” eat a raw diet, and dogs undergoing chemo “can’t” eat raw food, this couldn’t be any further from the truth. If there’s any one time a dog needs the absolute best nutrition possible, its when they are undergoing these circumstances. And as countless others have learned, getting a dog in ketosis WHILE undergoing chemo can help mitigate chemos side effects. And research is showing that ketosis can help enhance chemos efficacy. The two work in tandem . Join the ketogenic dog group on facebook and you can read countless stories from other pet parents who did in fact, feed a raw diet while undergoing chemo.

In the over 4 years of our groups existence, with countless pets feeding a raw keto diet while undergoing chemo, not once have we ever had a member report any complications of feeding raw while on chemo.

And as Malori also pointed out, trying to do your own “make shift” keto diets by yourself at home can be a very daunting task to say the least. These diets take a lot of attention to detail to ensure that every single “box” is checked to ensure that the dog is getting all the proper nutrients they need.  A high fat keto diet by default, makes this a very challenging feat to achieve. The Meal plan program I’ve put together takes the guess work out of all of this for the pet owner. In order for these diets to have a chance to be effective, they have to be done right with nothing left to second guess.

Keep up the great work Malori!

To read even more stories like Raineys, head on over to the entire collection of featured KetoPoweredK9’s on this page HERE