Product Description
Better Food for Dogs

People want their dogs to have happy, healthy and long lives and providing the best nutrition is one of the most important steps you can take toward achieving this goal. The problem is most of us aren't nutritionists and there are so many conflicting opinions about dog's dietary needs that feeding your dog can become an overwhelming challenge. Better Food for Dogs is an invaluable reference that will guide you through this nutritional puzzle. It also provides you with all the information -- complete with tasty recipes, tested and approved by dogs -- you need to feed your dog a natural home-prepared diet, one of the best investments you can make in his/her health.

Here are just some of the easy to prepare recipes: Breakfast Burrito, Blueberry Banana Biscotti, Turkey and Rice, Divine Diner Burrito, Stir-Fried Ginger Beef with Greens, Chicken Fried Rice, Barbecued Hamburgers, Salmon and Dill Pasta, Basil Chicken and Vegetable Pasta.

- From basic everyday meals to gourmet dinners
- Special cookie treats
- Myths about dog and people food
- Nutrient sources for your dog
- User friendly charts provide important information at a glance
- How to identify good-quality processed foods
- Problems associated with low-quality diets ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Makes cooking for Fido fun and easy !
I've been cooking for my dogs off and on for almost 3 years now, trying different books, recipes, etc.
This book was by far the easiest to use.
I just wanted a book of weight-appropriate recipes, each making enough for a few days at a time, so I don't have to spend all my time in the kitchen.
This is it. Easy to follow, well indexed, with interesting stories placed in boxes in the margins so I can choose to read them or not.
The only confusing part was the vitamin/mineral section.The requirements they discussed were clear.What wasn't clear was where one could find an appropriate supplement that would fill the needs.I have visions of standing in the vitamin section, book in one hand, reading the labels on every multivitamin on the shelf, trying to find the closest match.
Definitely glad I've added this book to our kitchen.Now all the others can be stored on the reference shelf in the library.

Nutrition is the foundation for a vigorous dog
Our research staff at VitaHound is in the business of contracting veterinarians specializing in nutrition, our objective is to provide a robust platform of helpful pet nutrition info. We are constantly looking for unique sources on dog nutrition.Jennifer Ashton andDr. Grant Nixon have written a book that is a great resource for raising healthy hounds.Dog owners will appreciate the specific nature of the types of food they should choose being limited to dogs.While other books on the subject may contain better referenced sources for their conclusions on nutrition, these books usually are guides to a much broader range of animal nutrition.I have recommended this book to our staff as a insightful text on dog nutrition,although our expertise is dog supplements the info seems on par with what we believe is a healthy diet for our dogs.

Real food for dogs
The Ultimate Diet : Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Dr Kymythy Schultz is better.

A Animal Nutritionist should be better at telling a person what to feed not a Vet who learns nutrition from Purian. That is like Hersey or Nestle telling people Drs about nutrition.

Better Food For Dogs
Better Food For Dogs is a complete information package for anyone who wants to make their dog's food. It is intended for grown up dogs; with puppies it is best to follow puppy formulations that come from the reputable companies, endorsed by vets.

the book gives recipes for any weight group, from the smallest lap dogs to burly hounds. It is easy to understand, recipes are easy to make and your pet will thank you for it.

Even if you would not cook all your pet's meals, this book gives you a clear understanding of what your dog should eat, why it needs certain ingredients and why some are absolutely poisonous!

If you want your dog to live a long, healthy and happy life, the first source to look into is it's food intake; amounts and ingredients, minerals, vitamins + all the snacks!

Your dog will thank you for taking this book seriously!

You're better off feeding your dog kibble.
If you're remotely educated about canine health and nutrition you would know that the majority of the staple ingredients used in this book are not remotely healthy for your dog. Twenty percent of dogs in the US already have or will develop some kind of food allergy in their lifetime and the biggest culprits just happen to be CORN and WHEAT. Even if your dog is part of the 80% without food allergies, these ingredients are filler carbs used way too often in this book. The protein content in these recipes should be much higher. Of course your dog will like this food, try giving your dog any food that is packed with carbs, dogs are like humans, carbs taste good but will also make them fat. ... Read more

Product Description
Human nutrition expert and author of the critically acclaimed What to Eat, Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., has joined forces with Malden C. Nesheim, Ph.D., a Cornell animal nutrition expert, to write Feed Your Pet Right, the first complete, research-based guide to selecting the best, most healthful foods for your cat or dog. A comprehensive and objective look at the science behind pet food, it tells a fascinating story while evaluating the range of products available and examining the booming pet food industry and its marketing practices. Drs. Nestle and Nesheim also present the results of their unique research into this sometimes secretive industry. Through conversations with pet food manufacturers and firsthand observations, they reveal how some companies have refused to answer questions or permit visits. The authors also analyze food products, basic ingredients, sources of ingredients, and the optimal ways to feed companion animals. In this engaging narrative, they explain how ethical considerations affect pet food research and product development, how pet foods are regulated, and how companies influence veterinary training and advice. They conclude with specific recommendations for pet owners, the pet food industry, and regulators. A road map to the most nutritious diets for cats and dogs, Feed Your Pet Right is sure to be a reference classic to which all pet owners will turn for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Strongly suggest looking at a copy before spending money on the book
The subtitle 'The Authoritative Guide to Feeding Your Dog and Cat' makes me think how 'authoritative' can be interpreted in different ways. The most common way is to assume it means the speakers, writers or the result of their work is something worthy of being considered 'the last word' or at least a summary of what most experts in the area would accept as valid.Another meaning however, based on how 'authoritative' is used at times, is that the authors are people with credentials considered to be of some weight and/or who have based what they have written on what are felt to be generally accepted ideas in a field. This last can mean something rather different than might be supposed at first.

Some decades back I remember reading a book for the general public by, as I recall, a medical school professor, described as a top expert on breast cancer.It was described as 'authoritative' ...I remember that within a few years of its publication subsequent epidemiological studies and still later more precise work with genes seemed without question to discredit remarks rather glibly put forward in that book to the effect that there was no basis whatsoever for thinking that lifestyle had anything to do with cancer risk.The fact that the book and the author were considered 'authoritative' at least enough to justify that adjective in describing the book was no guarantee that the book was reliable.

I am afraid that the 'authoritative' in this sub title similarly reflects a kind of selective cutting and pasting of articles and observations to get a result that generally confirms to a widely supported but not necessarily correct or really scientifically based idea about pet nutrition.

I really urge anyone looking for an 'authoritative' book on pet nutrition not to purchase this book before borrowing a copy and looking it over as well as looking into other books and material in this area. To mention one book, I refer to an expert in feline diabetes, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM's excellent 'Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life' ...I would suggest looking at a number of vets who have written (as well as concerned and quite well informed non vets) books with what I have felt were quite compelling arguments about feline nutrition that were quite at variance with what was implied in this book.

My reaction to this book was that it was a rather sloppy job masqueraded behind a lot of details, most of which more confused the issue than presented useful insights. But everyone must make their own choice... just please do not do it without checking and thinking about other sources.I think that this book is already unacceptably outmoded and reflects an approach more accepted in the past than I think can be justified now. I think soon it will have gone the way of the ideas in that book on breast cancer described as authoritative so many decades ago. I personally would say please make sure you will not regret what I suspect you will find a waste of your money if you purchase a copy.

Commercial dog/petfood is good? Huh?
Not in favor of any book that gives commercial pet food a pass. There authors should know better. Save you money and spend it on "Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats" instead. And while you're at it, Martin's "Food Pets Die For." Perhaps these authors should read these books as well...

What's All the Fuss?
I found this to be a well researched, well written discussion of pet foods that added a lot to my understanding of what I feed my dogs and cats -- I understand why some readers may disagree with some of the authors' conclusions, but dear me, why all the hysteria?

I have had dogs and cats for more than 40 years and have routinely fed them traditional commercial brands (and lots of table scraps!). I have yet to observe a single incidence of diet-related illness, dental disease, lethargy, etc. -- not once. My vets will support me on this. All of my pets have lived healthy, active lives, and I have never wasted money on the high-cost brands that supposedly deliver extra benefits.I concluded intuitively what the authors discovered through research: it's all marketing.My current veterinarian agrees. After reading all the labels (and assuming no clinically diagnosed dietary needs), if it makes you feel good to spend $30 to $40 on a bag of dog food instead $10 to $15, go right ahead. You have the evidence ... it's your money.

(That said, I do understand the desire to feed your pets non-processed foods that foster good health and longevity, and I support the efforts of those of you who choose this route and can do so economically. I would like to hear more about these efforts from individual pet owners and researchers.)

JLF
Leverett MA

Very Disappointing
I have read "What to Eat" and loved it.I was excited to read this book as well.Unfortunately, it did not deliver.I have a degree in Animal Science and agree that by-products are not what a lot of people think.Unfortunately, they are not always handled properly before being turned into dog food.The other thing is they did say that studies have not been done on the bioavailability of some ingredients.So if the company is using feathers to up the crude protein level, it is false because the dogs and cats cannot make use of that protein.I have had dogs for over 20 years.I have fed Ol' Roy when I couldn't afford anything else and those dogs did not do as well as the dogs that have been fed recommended foods from the Whole Dog Journal.While they made some correct assumptions, they also fell very short of the mark on others.And, your dog and especially your cat do need more protein than you do.Poultry and hogs are more in line with our protein needs.Having said that, I do not agree with only feeding dogs meat.Dogs in the wild are scavangers and eat more than just meat.

An engaging, even-handed, comprehensive guide
Whether you've got two legs or four, nutrition professor Dr. Marion Nestle is a stickler for good science who sifts through studies, fads and theories and diligently analyzes labels to get to the truth about what constitutes an optimum diet, as New York Times' health columnist Jane Brody recently noted in her review entitled "The Truth About Cat And Dog Food." If you truly want to understand your dog or cat's nutritional needs, read this engaging, painstakingly researched book with the same open-minded, inquisitive spirit in which Dr. Nestle and co-author Malden Nesheim evaluated all the commercial pet foods on the market, along with the DIY, made-from-scratch alternatives.

Sure to please populists and ruffle some feathers on the fringe, Feed Your Pet Right refuses to prescribe a dogmatic, one-kibble-suits-all formula.

Nestle and Nesheim, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in animal nutrition and is professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, teamed up to delve into the origins of the commercial pet food industry (worth roughly $20 billion annually), how it's evolved, and where it stands today. Nestle and Nesheim assess studies, marketing hype, and anecdotal evidence; scrutinize pet food production firsthand; and explore the disturbingly cozy relationship between pet food manufacturers and veterinarians.

You may be surprised to learn that from a purely nutritional perspective there's not much difference between the premium pet food brands that command top dollar and the cheap stuff on the shelves at big box chains. My own smug expectations were thwarted; I was counting on this book to give me the ammunition I needed to prove to my friend who feeds her precious purebred a cheap brand of dog chow that she was doing her Cavalier King Charles a royal disservice.

Nestle, who never hesitates to take on the big food companies over practices and products that she finds dubious, was surprised herself. "We expected to be appalled by the contents of commercial foods," Nestle and Nesheim admit. And, as they note, some truly unappetizing ingredients once found their way into the four-legged food chain, including road kill, euthanized pets, and wild horses. More recently, we had the melamine scandal, as documented in Pet Food Politics, Nestle's previous book.

But though Nestle and Nesheim acknowledge that today's low-budget chow compares pretty favorably with the pricier boutique brands, they also observe that there are many other factors to consider that have less to do with nutrition than with the desire to purchase products that reflect our own preferences. As the authors note:

"We prefer our own foods to be natural and organic; free of pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones; and fairly, humanely, sustainably, and locally grown and raised. And we are willing to pay more for our food to support those values. You too may be willing to pay more for pet food to accommodate your own value system, personal dietary preferences, or lifestyle."

Nestle and Nesheim also note that commercial pet food provides a valuable ecological benefit, since the pet food industry relies primarily on the by-products of our own consumption of animal products that would otherwise go to waste.

But what if your own values compel you to choose a vegetarian diet for your pets as well as yourself? That's OK, according to the authors, as long as you ensure that your dog or cat's food includes all the necessary nutrients (which is somewhat trickier for cats than for dogs, but eminently do-able.)

Would you rather make your pet's food from scratch so you can control the ingredients and eliminate packaging waste? That's fine, too; there's an entire chapter on how to cook for your dog or cat that eliminates any mystery about how to meet their nutritional needs.

Like What To Eat, Nestle's indispensible guide to human nutrition, Feed Your Pet Right makes it easy to look up whatever aspect of dog or cat nutrition you care to research. It's a thoughtful, honestly written reference guide, complete with useful charts and some satirical cartoons thrown in for levity, that provides all the information you need to choose wisely from a wide range of options. ... Read more

Product Description
Not Fit for a Dog highlights the dangers of modern pet food how it is unbalanced, creates addiction, and often contains ingredients that can literally poison your pet. It destroys the myths propounded by pet food companies that human food is bad for pets, and that natural food diets are unsafe.
In this revolutionary book, three veterinarians share their expertise to provide an in-depth appraisal of the pet food industry and what people are feeding to their cats and dogs. The first insurance for an animal s health and happiness is good nutrition and pet owners, veterinarians, and other professional animal care-providers will find this book to be an invaluable and inspiring guide and resource.
In it the reader will learn:

-How to read pet food labels and what you need to avoid for pet s sake.

-How to save on vet bills by preventing your animal from developing one or more diet related diseases.

-Why your vet may not have much to say about pet foods.

-What diet-related diseases your animal may already have, and how a change in diet can help.

-How our health and our pets health are interconnected.

-Why we should all support organic farming practices and suppliers.

This book is a massive indictment of the pet food industry, but also of our entire approach to growing and processing food for us humans as well as for our pets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

You will never look at Pet Food labels the same way again!!!
This book provides an easy to read overview of pet food industry practices, problems, and the possibly devastating impact of packaged foods upon the health of your dog or cat. Dr. Fox (and Co.) provide background information for the toxic pet food recalls a couple years ago, and explain how lack of oversight and profit margins, along with common veterinary decisions could lead chronic or fatal health problems. How is pet food produced? What is in the food, and how does it affect your animal? Equally important, this book informs pet owners of humane and practical solutions to common health problems which are CAUSED BY PET FOODS: allergies, urinary tract infections, diabetes, obesity, etc.

Very important differences between canine and feline physiology and nutritional requirements are discussed, and a few alternative easy home-made recipes for dog/cat food and treats are also provided. Good information about pet vaccinations and nutritional tables are included in the appendices.

If your pet is sick, listless, fat, or allergic... You should read this book! The food you provide your animal could be making things worse, not better.THIS BOOK IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PET OWNERS.

All pet owners and veterinarians should read this book!
What an eye opener!I didn't realize until I read this book how truly out for profit the big pet food companies are.They brainwash us in veterinary school with free food and "education" about their products.What they don't tell us is that many of these same products may actually be what is making many of our patients sick!I commend Dr. Fox, et al for having the courage to write this book.I would really like to see him do an interview tour to get it more publicized.Anyway, I definitely recommend this book for all pet loving people and anyone involved in breeding or animal care.

Excellent book
Lets you know what really goes into our pets' food cans.Also, you don't want to miss Ann Martin's book Food Pets Die For.

It's a great book..very revealing....
but the movie would drive the dog food manufacturers nuts! I am very impressed with Dr.Fox's knowledge.

A team of vets offer an expose and examination of the industry as a whole - and how to safely feed a pet
NOT FIT FOR A DOG! THE TRUTH ABOUT MANUFACTURED DOG AND CAT FOOD covers the massive recall of over 1,000 different varieties of cat and dog food - and serious issues about quality control and safety in pet food manufacture overall. A team of vets offer an expose and examination of the industry as a whole - and how to safely feed a pet.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
... Read more

Product Description
Teaches how to recognize edible plants and where to find them, their medicinal and nutritional properties, and their growing cycles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Book Review
The Guide to Wild foods and Useful Plants provided me with the infomation I was hoping for.I am using the book to a reference for my Senior Project. It is a good book to have if you what to live off the land.

A more complete plant guide than many others
I have reviewed all the plant books while writing my survival guide (How to Survive Chaos, available on Kindle). This one was one of the most useful and well organized books on edibles that I have found.

helpful
This book has really good easy to read info about plants in it.A must for the survivalist

They're all in here!
This is a great wild plant guide for use in Boy Scout outings!All of the major species are covered as well as other more common edible and poisonous plants.I highly reccomend this book as well as other Christopher Nyerges books for Boy Scouts and Boy Scout Leaders

Collage style of book
This book has a comprehensive description of many plants as well as many black and white pictures. I'm sure it would satisfy the most curious researcher. ... Read more

Product Description
While most pregnancy books only address the stages of the baby's development, The Panic-Free Pregnancy comprehensively covers the lifestyle issues and questions that confront every mom-to-be. Dr. Broder separates fact from fiction, media hype from old wives tales, and drawing on the latest scientific research offers an accessible, comprehensive reference book that answers questions about...

€ Caffeine
€ Exercise
€ Flying
€ Prescription and over-the-counter medications
€ Sex
€ Cosmetics
€ Alcohol
€ Herbal remedies
€ and more

Organized in an easy-to-use question-and-answer format, this book will help women have the safest, healthiest, most anxiety-free pregnancy possible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Definitely Panic-Free
This book is all about comfort and reassurance -- a pleasant change of pace from a lot of the fear-mongering out there.This was one of the first books I read during my pregnancy, and it did wonders for calming my fears.Highly recommended.

The best pregnancy book
This book is a terrific resource.I didn't find the author's tone condescending at all.His advice is based on facts and science, and he reminds his readers that miscarriages do happen, but there is pretty much nothing you can do about them, and there is also very little you can do to harm a healthy pregnancy.So, take it easy, take care of yourself, and don't worry too much.

Calming Influence
It seems like when you are pregnant, everyone is telling you what you should and shouldn't do.A lot of the advice you get seems strange and irrational.This book is wonderful because it is written by an actual MD (a surprising number of pregnancy books are written by women who think they know everything), and he tells you where a lot of the concerns, advice, and old wives tales originated from, and whether or not you really need to be concerned about it or not.I honestly felt calmer about my pregnancy, knowing I wasn't "ruining" my baby already.This isn't a book about what is happening during each phase of your pregnancy, or what to expect while you are pregnant. This is a book strictly about can you eat fish, can you drink coffee, can you travel, should you stay away from your dog for 9 months, do you really have to drink 11 glasses of water a day, do you have to stay out of the sun, can you eat sushi, etc.I think this is a nice book for the beginning of your pregnancy, but I didn't really look at it much at the end.It is a nice "extra" book to have, but if I was only getting one pregnancy book, this wouldn't be it.This is a great second book to have on pregnancy.

Accurate, research-based book
I couldn't recommend this book more to any pregnant woman.It does a great job of presenting evidence-based advice without the wives tales that persist in so many other popular pregnancy books.

Very informative
This is a great book on pregnancy. It looks at the relevant research on things such as alcohol, tobacco use, cosmetics, diet etc. and synthesizes the scientific results for the lay reader. People find the results to be "unbelievable" mostly because questioning obstetrics dogma and popular public perceptions is hard!highly recommend this book. Also to address the charge that the author often comes across as patronizing I think that his tone may occasionally be misinterpreted. Yes, I can point to a couple of instances where he might be a bit patronizing but mostly, I think his tone is one of exasperation. I think this book is a reaction to books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and the widespread disregard of scientific, evidence-based medicine in the obstetrics community. If you would like more information about these topics, I recommend Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner and Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block. ... Read more

Product Description
The best dog food is not good food if it's not the best food for YOUR particular breed of dog. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Beware.... just general information
No way does he establish credibility.. while I think yes, there are probably small differences in feeding different breeds, feeding dogs of different breeds is not much different than feeding people of different nationalities!Dogs are still ALL dogs after all.
The lists of supplements are daunting: where would a person find all that stuff???
Just not worth the money and I would not take the chance on feeding my dog anything he says... I don't see what makes him an authority on this subject.

Canine Nutrition revised
Incredibly helpful book!
This book is an excellent guideline to feed by breed!
All breeds have different nutritional requirements based onbody type, occupation, and origin. This book shows what types of grains, meats and vegetation are best for each breed in addition to going over general nutritional information re: vitamins & minerals, protiens, carbohydrates, fatty acids, how & when to supplement, etc.
As an animal behaviorist and canine/feline clinical nutritionist I found this book to be an excellent tool and valuable part of my canine library.

Claims based on facts taken out of context
If you compare his claims against the actual sources of his "research", you will find that much of it is completely taken out of context in order to support the point he is trying to make.

Lots of hype and no real facts. Outdated research.

An excellent reference source; not a junk food review!
After reading this book I personally spoke with the author to get more detail. This purpose of this book is to make public the scientific results of the food trials and research in question. It is not a how-to book that spoon feeds you information and preconceived notions. Dr. Cusick is addressing the causes of allergies and incompatiblities in the different ingredients that are given to each dog. The whole point is that there is NO one commercial food for all dogs. The information in this book is the result of many years of research and testing on all breeds. The topic of nutrition is so big that one book can not cover it all. Good nutrition is not simple. I was largely ignorant about commercially prepared foods before reading this book. I didn't know that corn and dried beet pulp are two of the worst allergens that are routinely put into prepackaged foods. There is only one commercial food that I know of that doesn't contain corn and that one brand only comes in one flavor so it is not best for all dogs. The author is trying to get the point across that each dog needs a specific meat (such as beef or venison) and while some may be allergic to certain foods, others may not be. The whole point is that not only do English breeds eat differently that Asian breeds or Wolfdogs, but even within a breed, the diet must be specialized. While I am a proponent of feeding organic pure foods across the board, preferably home made diets, that is not the subject of this book. Once one understands that commercial foods are not only junk food but they are also not customized, then one will stop looking for someone to write a book reviewing dog food brands. That is like looking for some to write a book on fast food restaurants and to say which is the healthiest. None of them are!!! That is an uninformed expectation. One needs to use this book as a reference, go to your local free-range meat butcher (usually at a health food store) and buy the ingredients listed for your breed. This is a book for those who know how to cook and who know how to use forums to learn the basics of cooking for a dog, including safe food handling procedure. Dr. Cusick is not trying to bias his work by giving plugs to the dog food industry. He is trying to say you have to custom prepare food for each dog. It is up to the reader to have the intuition to proceed further in their research.

Interesting reading
Since the author's focus is on home prepared diets, I didn't expect to be guided through the processed food choices. While the book does not give recipes for home cooking, it is interesting to note the authorsdescriptions of variances in foods between breeds. The point of one genericdiet being optimal for any dog ( as processed food companies would have usbelieve ) is shattered here. I tried to come up with recipes for my dogthat included foods the author suggests and eliminated the items that wouldtheoretically offend. What I discovered is that my dog is an individual anddoes not follow the mold in this book. But after reading this material, Ifound a dog dietician on the net and this became my dog's saving grace. Idoubt I would ever have considered this without reading this book. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive collection of ideas and resources for how to economize without compromising, including what to skimp on and what not to, how to plan and budget, why costs are going up, the importance of preventive care, money-saving tips, things you can do yourself and where to turn for help.All types of pets are covered: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and small animals. ... Read more

Product Description
Part of a series promoting the principles of holistic animal care as support to traditional veterinary diagnosis and treatements, this text covers the subject of nutrition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Skip This One
While the author of this little book states that feeding a homeprepared diet is optimal, she doesn't include nearly enough information to enable people to formulate a balanced diet for their dogs or cats.Moreover, likethe authors of many dog food cook books, Newman takes what would be ahealthy diet for humans and applies it to dogs and cats as if we were allthe same species with the same dietary requirements.This is not the case. For instance, being carnivores, dogs and cats, with few exceptions, haveno nutritional requirement for carbohydrates.While dogs often do wellwith small amounts of whole grains in their diet (we feed two small grainmeals a week), the bulk of their diet should consist of raw meat and bones. This brings me to my next problem with this book: Newman states that dogsand cats "have been domesticated for so long that they have becomeprocessed food eaters," and consequently are no longer able to digestraw meat and bones.She seems to forget that processed pet foods didn'tbecome popular until earlier this century -- hardly long enough to stampout thousands of years of evolution.Can dogs digest raw meat and bones? While there are a few health problems that call for a cooked foods diet,the vast majority of dogs and cats benefit enormously from eating raw meatsand bones.Our family has been raising dogs naturally for nearly threedecades and their exceptional health is in large part the result of theirbiologically appropriate raw diet.Over the years I have assisted manypeople in switching their animals, young and old, to a raw foods diet, andthe results have always been extremely positive.

The book's section onvitamins and minerals isn't bad, but unfortunately some of the informationis incorrect (e.g., the calcium:phosphorous ratio), while other importantinformation is omitted (e.g., the fact that cats are unable to convertbeta-carotene to Vitamin A). The section on fasting and detoxification isquite good, but I have a problem with the rather cavalier manner in whichhomeopathic remedies are suggested throughout the book.Homeopathy is afascinating but highly complex system of medicine, and remedies need to beselected by taking into account the totality of the patient's symptoms. When we make a blanket recommendation such as Arsenicum for appetiteproblems (also known as the "this for that" approach), we areusing homeopathic remedies allopathically, and many would argue that wearen't really practicing homeopathy at all.Used in this manner,homeopathic remedies are rarely effective, since it would be sheer luck ifwe happened to select the correct remedy.

Newman does a good job ofdiscussing the problems with commercial pet foods, but other books do itjust as well or better, while also providing sound advice for thoseinterested in feeding their animals a fresh foods diet.

Simple to Use, Easy to Read...Finally
I get so frustrated trying to decipher pet food labels - I could just scream!! Newman is very clear and consise about just what the industry code words are that allow pet food producers to sell overpriced, slicklymarketed 'garbage' to those of us who care about what we feed our pets. Shemakes a great case for how very important nutrition is as the buildingblock to keep my 'kids' happy and healthy. This book is small enough totake shopping and covers cat and dog food. She has a very freindly writingstyle and is easy to follow. I have done homecooking, but was alwaysworried about what I was missing. It was a lot of work. This book reallyhelps cut to what is neededfor good health and how to find it. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An indispensable resource for professional cat people!
In the Spotlight is a terrific reference source for any cat person who shows or who is interested in showing.This book covers everything from the obvious - grooming and preparation - to a detailed description of the titles and awards offered by four major cat registries.It is also one of the only cat showing books that focusses on household pets. Containing tons of info, lots of hints and tips, and many pictures (although black and white), this book is one of, if not the BEST in it's class!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (53)

dog lovers will like it
Interesting book. The chapters on vets and the advances in doggy medical care are good. The chapters on being a doggy fashionista are bit boring if your not interested in 300$ sweaters. Good info on the new class of kennels.

Not What I'd Expected
After hearing the author interviewed on NPR, I was eager to read the book. As it turns out, his interview was far more interesting to me than is his book. He uses a lot of good statistical information to make his case, but after a few chapters, the book feels somewhat repetitive.

Dog ownership in the 21st century
If you love dogs, you will love this book.Michael Schaffer has written an extensively reported book that looks at the good (using dogs to help rehab young gang members), the bad (the heartbreak of puppy mills) and the extreme (Fifth Avenue puppy showers for the well healed dog).You will learn how in a generation the family dog has gone from the dog house out back to the foot of the bed as a member of the family and the societal forces behind that.One plus about this book is that all the chapters are self-contained, so if you chose to put it down, you may easily pick it back up in a week or so and not be lost.However, it is so interesting you will probably read it straight through, only braking to walk the dog.

For Dog Lovers everywhere!!
As a dog lover ~~ I have 5 ~~ I found this books to be very insightful, thought provoking, and just an all around great read.You don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy it ~~ It's actually taking a very insightful look at us as a society as a whole, and the author brings up some really great questions.Even I, with all my doggies, have to sit back sometimes and wonder about some of the things he brought up...such as dog's being lavished and living better than alot of people in our country.

Don't let the title fool you ~~ this read is for everyone, not just dog lovers!!

loved it!
I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK.AS A SENIOR AND FIRST TIME DOG OWNER, I RELATED TO MANY OF THE COMMENTARIES IN THE BOOK.MANY "AH HAH" MOMENTS! ... Read more

Product Description
Should you and your dog be eating the same food? For years pet owners have been told the answer is "No." But what if you ate better food? You and your dog are both mammals, both omnivores—what's good for you should be good for the dog, right? Absolutely! Carol Boyle explains how you can change the diet of everyone in your household, including your dog, so that you are all eating healthy, tasty, nutritious food. You'll find a basic maintenance diet for your dog, plus specific diets for the growing puppy, the active dog, the sick dog and the older dog.

Every dog and every owner will benefit from the years of research behind the recipes you'll find here. From potato pancakes to macaroni and cheese to beef stew to fried tortillas, these recipes are simple to follow and use easy-to-find ingredients. They take the mystery out of home-cooked diets for your dog, and give you both a natural and healthy way to eat.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Promotes Feeding Your Dog Foods That are Toxic!
This book is scary. It openly claims to have researched the diets of canines but recommends feeding them foods which have been proven toxic to them e.g. ONIONS! Anyone who knows anything about canine nutrition knows that onions can and will cause blood disorders in canines. This book is obviously dangerous quackery.

Natural Food Recipes for Healhy Dogs
I was extremely pleased with the promptness in which I received this book.The condition was excellent. I recommend this site.

The recipes in this book contain foods deemed harmful by the ASPCA
Raisins, onion and garlic are harmful to dogs. This book references raisins on one page; onions on 41 pages; and garlic on 49 pages.

According to the ASPCA:



" . . .Garlic does have toxic potential to pets, and is generally more potent than onion, . . ."

"grapes and raisins appear to cause renal failure in dogs who've ingested large amounts." "it is advisable not to give grapes or raisins to dogs in any amount."

Recent commercial dog food scare prompts a "re-read" of this book.
I purchased this book over a year ago and after digesting what the author had to say, I put the book into my library where it sat until the recent crisis involving poisoned "wet", commercial dog food.

I thought to pull the book from the shelf for a timely "re-read" and was surprised to see that much of what the author has to say makes as much sense as it did the first time I read it sense. And when you consider that the book was first published over 20 years ago, before the pet craze became what it is today, I couldn't help but acknowledge/commend the author as a ground breaker for what she has to say!

Of course, every dog owner knows their own animal best - but the principles Ms. Boyle discusses in her approach to a healthy dog make as much sense to me now as they did a year ago - and they are as applicable now as they were 20+ years ago when first published!

A must have for any dog owner who wants to rest comfortably at night -- knowing exactly what their dog is eating is not going to kill them.

A No-CAPS review of Natural Food Recipes for Healthy Dogs
Perhaps this quote will sum up whether this book is for you:

"I do not consider myself an expert on canine nutrition.All my evidence is anecdotal, from personal experience, over a period of time," (p. 7)

Yes, the author uses onions and garlic in some of her recipes.Onions can cause a Heinz body anemia in dogs.However, "The possibility of developing a Heinz body hemolytic anemia appears to be variable between pets, and it is not possible to predict which animals may or may not have such a reaction to onion or garlic" (source: PetDiets.com FAQ page). Apparently the author's dogs were not susceptible. If this is a concern, thenleave the offending ingredients out.

The author's statements should clear up any confusion on who or what one is cooking for:

"Very simply I share my meal with our dog," (p. 3).
"Feeding your adult dog is like feeding another adult family member..." (p. 7).
"Think in terms of cooking these meals for your dog, then having the dog share its dinner with you," (p. 18).

Seems to me, that this is a recipe book for you and your dog to share. The author has a personal theory about nutrition for dogs and people - basically eat a little bit of everything and moderation in all things - and does includes recipes that should be viewed as treat or splurge items, not regular meals:hummus or cheesecake for example.

If you are committed to feeding BARF, raw foods, supplemented or no grain diets than this isn't the book for you.Cooked meat and grain form a goodly part of her feeding guidelines.Also, if you are looking for precise amounts to feed, then look elsewhere.The author advocates a bit of trial and error to find the right amount for your dog as well as frequent going-overs to assess body condition, much like Purina's ideal body condition charts.

For those wanting precision and supplementation in homemade dog food, I would recommend "Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets, The Healthful Alternative" by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD.This book is of use for all lifestages and special needs diets (for example Chronic Renal Disease). Be forewarned, the book does require you to put effort out in figuring the amounts to feed based on calorie/weight charts.

Overall, I like "Natural Food Recipes for Healthy Dogs".The guidelines are simple, her philosophy is similar to mine and anyone that gets a Pyr to 14 years of age must be doing something right.No one book has all the answers and what works for one dog may not work for another. Keep reading and questioning and pay attention to how your dogs are doing no matter what you feed them. ... Read more

Product Description
This econometric study covers the world outlook for folding paperboard boxes for dry food, produce, and pet and animal food across more than 200 countries. For each year reported, estimates are given for the latent demand, or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.), for the country in question (in millions of U.S. dollars), the percent share the country is of the region and of the globe. These comparative benchmarks allow the reader to quickly gauge a country vis-à-vis others. Using econometric models which project fundamental economic dynamics within each country and across countries, latent demand estimates are created. This report does not discuss the specific players in the market serving the latent demand, nor specific details at the product level. The study also does not consider short-term cyclicalities that might affect realized sales. The study, therefore, is strategic in nature, taking an aggregate and long-run view, irrespective of the players or products involved. This study does not report actual sales data (which are simply unavailable, in a comparable or consistent manner in virtually all of the 230 countries of the world). This study gives, however, my estimates for the worldwide latent demand, or the P.I.E., for folding paperboard boxes for dry food, produce, and pet and animal food. It also shows how the P.I.E. is divided across the world's regional and national markets. For each country, I also show my estimates of how the P.I.E. grows over time (positive or negative growth). In order to make these estimates, a multi-stage methodology was employed that is often taught in courses on international strategic planning at graduate schools of business. ... Read more

Product Description
Ancestors and canine cousins of our dogs didnt eat krunchy kibble or meat n gravy in a can. They ate what they found or caught... and it wasnt cooked or enriched either! It was high in protein, with balanced fats, and usually included a few fruits, vegetables and grasses. Steve Brown, an expert on canine nutrition, shows how you can bring the benefits of the canine ancestral diet to your dog by feeding him differently as little as just one day a week. And no, you won t need to lead a pack of dogs on a hunting expedition! Just follow Steve s well-researched and easy to follow ABCs to make improvements to whatever your dog currently eats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The best dog nutrion book
Essential nutrients like fatty acids, vitamins, and phytonutrients don't have a shelf life!!!! This is why dry kibble can never be the wholesome food the dog food companies want you to believe it is. This is the important take home message from this fantastic book. Your dog cannot live well on kibble alone and Steve Brown gives you a practical way to dramatically improve your pooch's diet either by preparing your own fresh food or by enhancing the bowl of kibble with fresh additives. Brown has done extensive literature, practical, and scientific research and has formulated a program to make it easy for all dog owners. One of the very best aspects of this book is that the author deeply cares about improving the lives of pet dogs and recognizes that most owners in this country will never give up the convenience of kibble. Rather than scolding and lecturing about the short-comings of kibble and the owner, he offers a practical, middle of the road plan for busy families: use a very good brand of kibble for convenience and simply supplement with his program of human foods (added to the kibble) a few times a week. Surely if you love your pooch you can do this! Come on, we all love our dogs! Do you love your dog enough to give him better nutrition?

A fine read that should not be ignored for those who care about the health of their dog
Dogs weren't meant to eat dried animal byproducts. "Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet: Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way" is a guide for pet owners who want a more healthy and vitamin packed diet for their dog, drawing back on their instinctual diet of real meat, uncooked and raw, along with the scattered fruits and vegetables they may have ate. Stating that treating your dog to this special diet if only once a week will have numerous long term positive effects, "Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet" is a fine read that should not be ignored for those who care about the health of their dog. ... Read more

Product Description
For anyone who's wondered what the differences are in the huge variety of dog foods out there, and what's best for the dog, this book tells them. With new products hitting the shelves every day, the dog food industry is booming. This book demystifies canine nutrition and compares the ingredients in leading brands in clear, simple, objective language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Old information
The book was written in 1996, not current information for the feeding of a dog in 2009.
condition of book was fine.The Consumer's Guide to Dog Food: What's in Dog Food, Why It's There and How to Choose the Best Food for Your Dog

THE book to read
I like to buy good quality and know what I am buying for the most part. (Research) I avoid buying based on sales pitches and looks.
For example costly Science Diet dog food's #1 ingredient is CORN. CORN ends up in the yard. A waste of money and the dog was nutritionally robbed. Read the book concerning the ranking of ingredient quality etc. and you will understand my comments. How many dogs would choose Corn over Meat?
It is hard to find explanations about pet food ingredients. For very good reason. The inferior pet foods are not going to tell you that their ingredients are inferior. And most people buy on lowest price anyway,but I cringe when I see someone pay top dollar for CORN! Read this book if you are paying a lot for food so you don't waste your money. Read this book if you love Fido and maybe you can avoid the worst ingredients and still save a few bucks.
This is the only book I have found that lacks nothing on the subject between the 2 covers. And the only one that actually covers the subject extensively.
You need to have this book right alongside the home veterinary care book. I have reached for this food book for others to read far more often than I have referred to the home veterinary care book.

A concise summary of all good and bad things in dog foods.
Liz Palika succinctly summarizes the in's and out's of dog food.Everything you want or need to know about dog food. From de-cyphering the label, the ingredients, the different types of foods available ( and whatthe different major companies have to offer) to analysing the ingredients,both good and bad. She also explains why some of the major food companiesmake pet food, (to use their own 'by-products' profittably. A Good read,and what every concerned pet owner should know. ... Read more

Product Description
Kitty Karlyle is a young gourmet pet chef. She does not prepare meals for the rich and famous. She prepares meals for the pampered pets of the rich and famous. Kitty lives in L.A. A graduate of a top culinary arts school, Kitty's passion for food and pets has led her to create her own business catering to the elite and demanding clientele of the City of Angels and Angles. When one of her clients, fading rocker Rich Evan, is found face down in one of her creations, Kitty must fight to clear her name and save her business. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

this is how I try NOT to write
If this was written by a 12 year old it might deserve all the accolades, but I think it's an insult to young teens to suggest it's written at their level.All the young teen/young adult readers I know would get tired of this writing.It's banal.
Sure the set up is interesting, and it's why I finished the book.But truly, the use of words is sometimes incorrect, the attempt at puns is awful, the development of the characters is weak, and the main character is not emotionally attractive.Plot?Even though I like a nice surprise at the end, it should be a twist that seems logical to all the previous plot development!This ending was not.
And really, the word FANG is not a pleasant word, and should never be used so often without any meaning.Take a class on alliteration and how language sounds.

frustratingly poor writing
While the plot may be semi-interesting, the writing is AWEFUL.This book lacks creativity or any semblance of linguistic talent.I felt like I was reading something written for the pre-teen age bracket, not for adults.Add to that a lack of basic vocab skills (the misuse of words makes me think it wasn't even edited) and it's actually painful to read.I couldn't even finish it.

Kozy Fun!
I love cozy mysteries and am always thrilled to find a new series and this is one of the best new series I've come across in a long time. Kitty Karlyle is a great pet chef protagonist and I love her relationships with her clients, their pets and her erstwhile boyfriend, Jack, who is a detective on the LAPD. And I like the way the author has combined the mystery with cooking and pets. If you are a mystery lover and/or a pet and cooking lover, you should give this book a try!

Save your money!
I like the idea of this mystery and its protaganist, Kitty Carlyle. It sounded like it should be a fun and quirky story. Character development was weak.Kitty herself was fairly decently fleshed out, but the police officer Jack had no development at all, so the potential romance between them (really his attraction for her) seemed silly.As a mystery...the resolution and explanation was inconsistent with the rest of the story...names and plot points in the final chapters were not the same as what had been told to the reader up to that point, and since these were the pivotal points of motive, I was really let down,, and a little mad that I had wasted my time.Really these inconsistencies made me wonder if the editor had actual read the book.

Eccentricity makes this book a thoroughly delightful read
What could be more "Hollywood" than a gourmet pet chef? Marie Celine, who loves animals and food, has seen fit to include both in her first mystery. While we don't get the old Valley Girl language per se, Celine still manages to create the aura of Hollywood to perfection.

Kitty Karlyle has managed to begin a business post chef school by cooking delicious meals, complete with cute little recipe cards, for a few select animals in the Hollywood area. Naturally the pet owners all have their idiosyncracies, whether it's an aging rock star with a little too much sexual energy or an old woman with a mysterious past. But when one of Kitty's well intentioned meals kills the stoned rock star, the hunt is on. In the meantime, the major investigating detective has decided that even as Kitty is still a suspect, he's going to marry her. Kitty reacts by concluding that she'd better investigate the rash of odd suspects herself, even as the suspects have evil plans for her undoing:

"Angela went on. 'We keep Kitty Karlyle occupied. And if she is occupied, she will be too busy to ask questions. It's that simple. Ask your friends to hire her to cook for their pets, Fang. I've already begun doing the same. We'll make Kitty Karlyle the most successful pet chef in the business. She'll be too busy making money to make trouble.' Angela smiled at her own wit."

Kitty Karlyle is a darling detective, and her frantic efforts to avoid the amorous Detective Jack only serve to make her a more endearing character. She chases around Los Angeles serving her meals and trying to make sense of a diabolical plot that almost ensnares her at the end.

DISHING UP DEATH is a very cute, well plotted mystery with lots of flair. Marie Celine seems to know her subject well and dishes up characters with enough evil intentions and weird lifestyles to please even the most critical mystery reader. The Los Angeles "thing" permeates the novel, and eccentricity makes this book a thoroughly delightful read. Marie Celine has done a smash-up job on her first novel and has a great idea with the pet chef business. We'll expect to see more mysteries from this very promising new writer. A great job!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
... Read more

Product Description
Cookbook Content:A sample of Goodies from Grandma's Kitchen, The Family Gathers, It's New Day, To Warm yhe Wonders of Winter, To Beat the Heat Summer, Go West, Go East, Go South, The People's Choice, Say, Have You Got a Minute, Let's Have a Party, Microwave Cooking Chart, and Index. ... Read more

Product Description

Living Enzymes - The World's Pest Kept Pet Food Secret

Learn what kibble pet food manufacturers don't want you to know.