In this solo presentation, Dr. Kevin Toman, a veterinarian with nearly four decades of experience and a pet longevity specialist, outlines practical, evidence‑based steps pet owners can take to lower their animals’ long‑term cancer risk. He begins by distinguishing genetic (≈50%) from environmental (≈50%) cancer causes and emphasizes that large‑breed dogs (e.g., Golden Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shepherds) are especially vulnerable. The core of his strategy revolves around reducing chronic inflammation and blood‑sugar spikes, which he argues fuel cancer development. Diet: He advises eliminating traditional kibble because of added sugars, high‑heat processing, and artificial flavors/colorants that promote inflammation. He recommends increasing vegetable content, considering ketogenic diets, avoiding high‑glycemic white rice (favoring wild or basmati rice), and, when appropriate, using the prescription drug acarbose to blunt post‑prandial glucose and aid weight loss. Weight & Lifestyle: Obesity is highlighted as a source of systemic inflammation; keeping pets lean reduces joint stress and cytokine production. Environmental toxins such as glyphosate‑based herbicides (Roundup) and lawn‑care products (Weed & Feed) are flagged as cancer contributors, with a personal anecdote about his own Golden Retriever. Veterinary Care: Dr. Toman stresses three veterinary avenues to curb inflammation: (1) annual anesthetic dental cleanings with full‑mouth radiographs for small dogs and cats, noting that untreated periodontal disease can cut lifespan by >15%; (2) proactive orthopedic evaluation for large‑breed dogs to address spine and joint issues; (3) allergy testing followed by oral serum therapy to eliminate chronic itch, which otherwise sustains inflammation. He also cautions against over‑vaccination, urging individualized vaccine protocols based on each pet’s exposure risk. Supplements & Longevity Drugs: He recommends advanced curcumin formulations (Longevity Plus) and undenatured type II collagen (UC‑II, sold as Transcend) as proven anti‑inflammatory agents, dismissing glucosamine/chondroitin as ineffective. Finally, he highlights rapamycin as the premier longevity drug—shown to extend lifespan up to 14% across mammals—and notes a synergistic benefit when combined with acarbose (additional 5‑8% longevity in male dogs), potentially yielding ~20% total lifespan gain. Dr. Toman concludes by offering personal consultation via his website for owners seeking guidance on supplements, lifestyle tweaks, or prescription drugs, reinforcing a collaborative, proactive approach to pet cancer prevention.
Chapters
Well, hey you guys, and welcome to The Longevity Vet. I'm Dr. Kevin Toman Toman, and I'm glad you're here. Today we're going to take a close look at Cancer Prevention 101, or things that you and I can do right now to help minimize our pet's cancer risk down the road. I'm Dr. Kevin Toman Toman. I've been a veterinarian for almost 40 years, and I'm a pet longevity specialist, so let's get to work. But before I do, a couple things you should understand. First off, in both humans and pets, we think that about 50% of cancers are genetic, and those are cancers we can't do anything about. But the other half of cancers are considered to be environmental, something we've done to piss our bodies off or our pets' bodies off, and those are the topic for today's video. The other thing you should know is that if you have large breed dogs in your world, whether they be Golden Retrievers or Bernese Mountain Dogs or German Shepherds, you better pay awful close attention to today's video. Why? Because those breeds are at much higher risk than smaller dogs in developing cancer. So, let's get to work. The first thing we'll talk about when it comes to reducing cancer risk in our pets longer term is their diet, and there are two different ways that we can use diet to reduce that risk. First off, by reducing inflammation. And how do we reduce inflammation in our pet's diet? Well, as funny as it sounds, We got to get rid of the kibbles, kids. Now listen, I speak as somebody, I fed my dogs kibbles for probably 30 or 40 years and thought I was doing right by them, but there is now a stack of evidence that tells us that day in and day out, the average kibble is bad for our pets. Why? Because most kibbles contain just a little bit of extra sugar that allows those kibbles to be glommed together, and most kibbles are processed at a high heat and both the extra sugar and that high heat create inflammation that will come back to increase cancer risk for our pets. Now, it also goes without saying that you and I need to reduce artificial flavorings and, and artificial colorants in our pets' diets. So, no different than you and me, I mean, do what you can to, to avoid anything artificial in your pets' diets, and they will live longer as a result. The other goal with our diet is to reduce our pets' blood sugar. Why? Because Cancer cells feed preferentially on sugar, so whatever you and I can do to drop blood sugar will decrease the risk of cancer longer term. Now, there's several different ways to do that. First off, you can just feed your pets a higher percentage of vegetables in their diets. Secondly, you can use keto diets, and there's a bunch of different resources online for that. Third, please try to avoid white rice where you can. Wild rice and basmati rice are okay, but white rice in particular has a very high glycemic index, and so it will spike your pet's blood sugar. And if, for that matter, if you're a human diabetic, you want to pay attention to the white rice that you eat as well. The last thing you should understand is that there is a prescription longevity drug called Acarbose that you and I can chat about. It's spelled A-C-A-R-B-O-S-E, and its goal, its use, excuse me, is to reduce blood sugar in our pets and many times reduce body weight along with it. Now speaking of body weight, the next step in our goal to reduce your pet's cancer risk longer term is to talk about their lifestyle, and certainly obesity, or your pet's body weight, plays a large role in that. Why? Because every extra pound that your pet carries obviously increases their joint inflammation, but more subtly, we now know that Fat is in and of itself inflammatory in nature. Every little fat cell that is present in my body, in yours, or that of your pets is producing inflammatory cytokines that pisses the rest of the body off. And so, if you're really in it to reduce your pet's cancer risk longer term, please make them as thin as possible. The other thing you should understand is that where your pet spends its time counts. Why? Because Roundup and Weed and Feed products have both been implicated in creating cancer in both humans and pets longer term. And I can speak with some authority to the use of Weed and Feed and what it— the problems that it caused for my golden retriever, Brooke. So whatever you can do to eliminate the use of Roundup or Weed and Feed products from your pet's area, please do, and it will decrease their cancer risk longer term. Okay, moving right along, the third stop on this anti-cancer journey of ours is how your veterinarian can help you to reduce your pet's cancer risk. And spoiler alert, it all centers around that old buzzword of inflammation. Your veterinarian can help you reduce inflammation in your pet in 3 different ways. First off, if you have a small dog or a cat, the single most important way to reduce your pet's inflammation and reduce their cancer risk simultaneously is to clean their teeth. And by cleaning their teeth, I mean with an annual anesthetic dental. To be clear, non-anesthetic dentals just simply don't work, guys. Just please don't waste your money and, and scare your pet with a non-anesthetic dental. Do it right, and an anesthetic dental will allow x-rays of every individual tooth in your pet's body and the appropriate treatment or extraction if needed to eliminate pain and minimize cancer risk longer term. Untreated periodontal disease will shorten your pet's lifespan by up to 15%, and that is over a year, so pay attention. Now listen, if you're the owner of a large breed dog, then a different set of risks apply, and for large breed dogs, those over 50 pounds, orthopedics, their spine and their joint health, is really the primary driver of inflammation. So pay attention to their weight, pay attention to what they do, and if they start to limp, please get them to your veterinarian. Get an accurate diagnosis and a way to help minimize their pain, minimize their inflammation longer term, and you will add miles to their, to their life. Moving right along, every dog is prone to allergies, and if you have a pet with chronic itch or chronic skin disease, please Again, take them to your vet, take them to a dermatologic specialist, because here's the deal: if allergies are at the root, there are now oral sera that you and I can use after allergy testing that will eliminate that allergic itch in about two-thirds of pets. And let me repeat for the 20th time, whatever you and I can do to reduce inflammation will reduce your pet's cancer risk. The final thing you want to pay attention to when you take your pet to a vet and here, here I am a veterinarian, so I'm allowed to say that, is your veterinarian may be over-vaccinating your pet. Listen, make sure that your veterinarian sits down with you to assess your pet's individual risk and develop a vaccine protocol based on, on those risks alone, not something that they've read in the book, not something that they heard about in a classroom someplace, but your pet's vaccine program should be tailored to the risk that they are exposed to on a daily basis and no more. The final things you should understand is— are— let me try that again. The final things you should understand about reducing pet inflammation is— are— that there's a couple different ways we can approach this through the use of proven supplements and also prescription longevity drugs. I have other videos up on the use of advanced curcumin products like our Longevity Plus and the way that they reduce not just inflammation but also cancer risk very directly. I have other videos up on the use of undenatured type 2 collagen or UC2 to reduce joint inflammation. One thing you should understand, glucosamine and chondroitin just simply doesn't work, kids, but undenatured type 2 collagen does. In fact, in one study, the UC-II was proven to be as effective as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications in reducing dog pain. We sell it as Transcend. You can find a lot of different places, but your dog will benefit from it. And then finally, and we talked earlier about the benefits of prescription longevity drugs like Acarbose, which was designed to reduce blood sugar, but the king of the hill undoubtedly when it comes to longevity drugs is Rapamycin. Which has been the most widely used, most widely prescribed drug for longevity purposes in the world. Why? Because it reduces— let me try that again— rapamycin increases lifespan by up to 14% in every mammal species studied to date. And here's one thing that even makes it more interesting: combine it with a CARBOS in a male dog and you get an extra boost of 5 to 8% in longevity, and so the combination of those two drugs can add up to almost 20% in, in longevity for your pet. If you have any questions about supplements or your pet's lifestyle or the prescription longevity drugs, Acarbose, Rapamycin, etc., please reach out to me. I'm much, I'm a much better veterinarian than I am a YouTube speaker, and I will help you if I can. You can reach me at my website, www.HelpingPetsLiveLonger.com, and I will help you if I can. We are all in this together, so have a good day.
