Feeding Through Cancer: What I Learned From My Dog Bailey
By Kelley Marian
Most of us in the pet industry have a story about the animal that got us here. Bailey is mine.
When she was diagnosed with a rare joint tumor at nine years old, we were given very few conventional treatment options. I couldn't imagine living without her, and I remember feeling this enormous need to do something.
That's when a lightbulb went on for me: what I put in my body matters, so does what I put in her bowl.
I couldn't control everything that was happening in Bailey's body, but I could be intentional about how I nourished and supported her. So I decided to add as much life to her bowl as I possibly could.
That move eventually became Green Juju.
Start With Real, Whole Food
At the time, I was learning everything I could about nutrition and cancer, and one of the principles I kept coming back to was limiting carbohydrates.
Based on what I was learning, my goal was to feed Bailey as few carbs as possible while adding lots of nutrient-dense organic plants. After a lifetime of eating commercial kibble, I transitioned Bailey to a commercial raw diet.
Then I started adding life to her bowl.
Raw goat's milk, Chinese herbs and supplements, fresh, organic vegetables. I wanted her meals packed with simple, nutrient-dense whole foods that her body could put to good use.
At the time, there weren't any low-glycemic, organic vegetable blends for pets on the market that gave me what I wanted for her, so I started making one myself. That blend eventually became Just Greens.
Keep It Clean & Simple
When Bailey was sick, I became adamant about the quality of everything I put into her body.
My thinking was pretty simple: I was feeding her body while it was fighting cancer, so I wanted the cleanest, purest ingredients I could find.
That's why organic sourcing mattered so much to me then, and still does today. I wanted plants grown without synthetic pesticides and ingredients that felt as close to their natural state as possible.
I felt the same way about vitamins and minerals. I wanted to rely on nutrients from whole foods rather than synthetic supplementation wherever I could.
My feeling was that Bailey's body already had an enormous job to do. I wanted to give it foods it could recognize and use without asking anything more of her.
Give the Body Time
One thing I wasn't prepared for was how much of an adjustment it would be for Bailey to go from a lifetime of kibble to the incredibly clean diet I was now feeding her.
She went through a pretty significant detox period. It wasn't an overnight transformation, and supporting her through that transition took patience and the support of both my conventional and holistic vet team.
But when she turned that corner, I saw a version of Bailey I hadn't seen in a long time. She was in better shape than she'd been before her diagnosis, and watching that change reinforced so much of what I was learning about food.
I also wasn't doing this alone.
Having a holistic veterinarian involved was crucial for me, and it's one of the biggest things I'd encourage anyone navigating serious illness with their pet to consider. There's a lot to think about, and having someone knowledgeable who understands your individual dog can make such a difference.
Be Thoughtful About Food Safety
You'll often hear that dogs and cats are better equipped than humans to tolerate pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella. But when you’re feeding a dog with cancer, you want to minimize anything that could add extra work to an already taxed system.
That’s one reason I’m so particular about how we make Green Juju foods today. We use High Pressure Processing (HPP) on our raw foods and test every batch before it leaves our facility. For me, it’s about making fresh feeding as safe and supportive as possible, especially for an animal whose body may already be under additional stress.
It’s the same line of thinking I had with Bailey when choosing whole, organic foods over synthetic supplements: her body already had enough to do. I wanted everything I put in her bowl to be supportive and help her thrive.
Add Some Life to the Bowl
If I could go back and talk to myself right after Bailey's diagnosis, I wouldn't hand myself a perfect feeding plan. I'd tell myself to start with what I could control.
Choose fresh, whole foods.
Keep ingredients simple.
Add nutrient-dense plants.
Make changes thoughtfully.
Pay attention to how your dog responds.
And build a team of knowledgeable people you trust to help you make decisions along the way.
Feeding Bailey couldn't change the fact that she had cancer, but it gave me a meaningful way to support her when so much was out of my control.
Witnessing the change that took place in her body and energy based on what I added to her bowl was an incredibly empowering moment for me. In a time that felt so helpless, I could make a difference.
That experience changed the way I thought about food forever. If what I learned with Bailey can help someone else add a little more life to their pets bowl when they need it most, then that really makes the journey of Green Juju worthwhile.
Kelley 💚
P.S. If you'd like to know more about Bailey and the story behind Green Juju, read our full story here.
