KetoPet began with a question about cancer and food. This is the story of the research, what it found, and how it shapes what we suggest today.
A question about food
Paul Raybould, who founded KetoPet, grew up with dogs who lived into their late teens. Later, working in animal welfare, he watched many dogs become ill and die young, and the explanation was nearly always genetics. Food was rarely part of the conversation. He helped launch the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study at Morris Animal Foundation, which set out to look at genetics, lifestyle and diet. When diet was dropped as a main focus, he left, convinced that someone needed to study what dogs eat.
Cancer and glucose
In the 1920s, the biochemist Otto Warburg observed that many cancer cells rely heavily on glucose for energy, even when oxygen is available. Much more recently, laboratory research by Poff and colleagues explored whether a ketogenic diet, which lowers blood glucose, combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, could work against this. Very little of that work had been tried in dogs.
KetoPet Sanctuary, 2014 to 2017
In September 2014, KetoPet Sanctuary opened on a ranch in Georgetown, Texas, supported by the Epigenix Foundation. It took in dogs with advanced cancer and cared for them around the clock, with a team of veterinarians, veterinary oncologists, technicians and researchers. Each dog received:
- standard veterinary cancer care, such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, as their veterinarians advised
- a ketogenic diet, adjusted for each dog and checked with twice-daily blood glucose and ketone readings
- hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- metabolic conditioning: exercise once or twice a day, tailored to what each dog could do
Dogs were scanned with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) when they arrived and again during the program. PET scans show where the body is using glucose, so they gave the team a picture of how each dog's tumors were responding.
What the research found
The work was published in 2019 as a three-part series in IVC Journal, "KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines". Part 2 reports a pilot study of 40 dogs with advanced cancer, covering 14 types of cancer, followed over 300 days.
- On the ketogenic diet, the dogs' blood glucose averaged about 63 mg/dL, compared with about 93 mg/dL in dogs on typical commercial diets.
- 22 of the 40 dogs completed the 120-day program. Of those 22, 11 went on to live beyond their original prognosis.
- Some dogs did not respond, and some passed away during or after the program.
The authors were clear that a ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are not a cure-all. They concluded that success with cancer depends on early detection, more than one kind of treatment, and the care of a veterinary oncologist. This was a small, open pilot study without a comparison group, so it points to possibilities rather than proving them.
You can read some of the dogs' stories on our Case Studies page.
What we learned beyond cancer
Caring for dogs every day at the ranch, the team noticed that dogs eating far less carbohydrate generally kept a healthy weight and steady energy. That experience, together with research from elsewhere, changed how KetoPet thinks about food for every dog, not only dogs who are ill.
Today we suggest a low-carbohydrate diet for most dogs: high in protein, moderate in fat. A stricter ketogenic diet is best kept for dogs with cancer or seizures, with their veterinarian's guidance. The evidence differs by condition:
- Seizures and cognitive decline: there are studies in dogs, mostly of diets with added medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.
- Weight and mobility: well supported, and most of the benefit to mobility comes from weight loss.
- Diabetes: cutting carbohydrate in a dog on insulin can drop blood sugar dangerously, so change the diet only with your veterinarian.
- Allergies: the link to carbohydrate itself is weak; improvement usually comes from a different protein and simpler ingredients.
The KetoPet approach today
The ranch closed in 2017, but the work continues through KetoPet's free guides and tools. Three simple ideas came out of it:
- Less carbohydrate: feed more meat and far less carbohydrate.
- Blood glucose checks: ask your veterinarian for a reading before you change your dog's diet, then again at about two and four weeks.
- Metabolic conditioning: get your dog's heart rate up with running, fetch and chase games, at a level that's safe for them.
Everything KetoPet offers is free, and always will be.
Read the research
- KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 1
- KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 2
- KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 3
Our Resources page lists the wider research behind our work.
Our free guide, What's Really in the Bowl, explains what goes into dog food and how to choose well, and our meal calculator can help you plan your dog's meals. If you have questions, the KetoPet community on Facebook is a good place to ask.
This article is general information, not veterinary advice.
<p><em>KetoPet began with a question about cancer and food. This is the story of the research, what it found, and how it shapes what we suggest today.</em></p>
<h2>A question about food</h2>
<p>Paul Raybould, who founded KetoPet, grew up with dogs who lived into their late teens. Later, working in animal welfare, he watched many dogs become ill and die young, and the explanation was nearly always genetics. Food was rarely part of the conversation. He helped launch the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study at Morris Animal Foundation, which set out to look at genetics, lifestyle and diet. When diet was dropped as a main focus, he left, convinced that someone needed to study what dogs eat.</p>
<h2>Cancer and glucose</h2>
<p>In the 1920s, the biochemist Otto Warburg observed that many cancer cells rely heavily on glucose for energy, even when oxygen is available. Much more recently, laboratory research by Poff and colleagues explored whether a ketogenic diet, which lowers blood glucose, combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, could work against this. Very little of that work had been tried in dogs.</p>
<h2>KetoPet Sanctuary, 2014 to 2017</h2>
<p>In September 2014, KetoPet Sanctuary opened on a ranch in Georgetown, Texas, supported by the Epigenix Foundation. It took in dogs with advanced cancer and cared for them around the clock, with a team of veterinarians, veterinary oncologists, technicians and researchers. Each dog received:</p>
<ul>
<li>standard veterinary cancer care, such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, as their veterinarians advised</li>
<li>a ketogenic diet, adjusted for each dog and checked with twice-daily blood glucose and ketone readings</li>
<li>hyperbaric oxygen therapy</li>
<li>metabolic conditioning: exercise once or twice a day, tailored to what each dog could do</li>
</ul>
<p>Dogs were scanned with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) when they arrived and again during the program. PET scans show where the body is using glucose, so they gave the team a picture of how each dog's tumors were responding.</p>
<h2>What the research found</h2>
<p>The work was published in 2019 as a three-part series in IVC Journal, "KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines". Part 2 reports a pilot study of 40 dogs with advanced cancer, covering 14 types of cancer, followed over 300 days.</p>
<ul>
<li>On the ketogenic diet, the dogs' blood glucose averaged about 63 mg/dL, compared with about 93 mg/dL in dogs on typical commercial diets.</li>
<li>22 of the 40 dogs completed the 120-day program. Of those 22, 11 went on to live beyond their original prognosis.</li>
<li>Some dogs did not respond, and some passed away during or after the program.</li>
</ul>
<p>The authors were clear that a ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are not a cure-all. They concluded that success with cancer depends on early detection, more than one kind of treatment, and the care of a veterinary oncologist. This was a small, open pilot study without a comparison group, so it points to possibilities rather than proving them.</p>
<p>You can read some of the dogs' stories on our <a href="https://ketopet.org/pages/case-studies">Case Studies</a> page.</p>
<h2>What we learned beyond cancer</h2>
<p>Caring for dogs every day at the ranch, the team noticed that dogs eating far less carbohydrate generally kept a healthy weight and steady energy. That experience, together with research from elsewhere, changed how KetoPet thinks about food for every dog, not only dogs who are ill.</p>
<p>Today we suggest a low-carbohydrate diet for most dogs: high in protein, moderate in fat. A stricter ketogenic diet is best kept for dogs with cancer or seizures, with their veterinarian's guidance. The evidence differs by condition:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Seizures and cognitive decline:</strong> there are studies in dogs, mostly of diets with added medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.</li>
<li><strong>Weight and mobility:</strong> well supported, and most of the benefit to mobility comes from weight loss.</li>
<li><strong>Diabetes:</strong> cutting carbohydrate in a dog on insulin can drop blood sugar dangerously, so change the diet only with your veterinarian.</li>
<li><strong>Allergies:</strong> the link to carbohydrate itself is weak; improvement usually comes from a different protein and simpler ingredients.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The KetoPet approach today</h2>
<p>The ranch closed in 2017, but the work continues through KetoPet's free guides and tools. Three simple ideas came out of it:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Less carbohydrate:</strong> feed more meat and far less carbohydrate.</li>
<li><strong>Blood glucose checks:</strong> ask your veterinarian for a reading before you change your dog's diet, then again at about two and four weeks.</li>
<li><strong>Metabolic conditioning:</strong> get your dog's heart rate up with running, fetch and chase games, at a level that's safe for them.</li>
</ul>
<p>Everything KetoPet offers is free, and always will be.</p>
<h2>Read the research</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ivcjournal.com/ketopet-sanctuary-ketosis-cancer-canines-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ivcjournal.com/ketopet-sanctuary-ketosis-cancer-part-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ivcjournal.com/ketopet-sanctuary-ketosis-cancer-part-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KetoPet Sanctuary: Ketosis, Cancer and Canines, Part 3</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Our <a href="https://ketopet.org/pages/resources">Resources</a> page lists the wider research behind our work.</p>
<p>Our free guide, <a href="https://ketopet.org/pages/ebook">What's Really in the Bowl</a>, explains what goes into dog food and how to choose well, and our <a href="https://ketopet.org/pages/keto-diet-calculator">meal calculator</a> can help you plan your dog's meals. If you have questions, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/KetoPetSupport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KetoPet community on Facebook</a> is a good place to ask.</p>
<p><em>This article is general information, not veterinary advice.</em></p>