This is a must for dog and cat owners who want to give their pets a healthy natural diet and who want to use alternative medicine -- a really super book with tons of information!

I was really looking for more recipes than are offered in this book. Also not quite ready to do raw feeding and didn't realize that most of the recipes are raw. There is quite a bit of info on nutrition so if that is what you are looking for this is the book.

I was really looking for more recipes than are offered in this book. Also not quite ready to do raw feeding and didn't realize that most of the recipes are raw. There is quite a bit of info on nutrition so if that is what you are looking for this is the book.

Once you've read this book, you'll never go back to commercial dog food again. This book was very informative and helped me understand everything I needed to get started cooking for my dog. And it's easy! It takes about 30 minutes to prepare food for your pet for the whole week. I've only been cooking for him for 2 weeks and he's like a puppy again. If you love your dog, buy this book - You're dog will thank you.

Once you've read this book, you'll never go back to commercial dog food again. This book was very informative and helped me understand everything I needed to get started cooking for my dog. And it's easy! It takes about 30 minutes to prepare food for your pet for the whole week. I've only been cooking for him for 2 weeks and he's like a puppy again. If you love your dog, buy this book - You're dog will thank you.

This book is extremely helpful with lots of good information in caring for your pet. It informs you on how to keep your pet as healthy as possible and avoid the vets office. Wonderful advise.

This book contains very valuable information. My Persian cat has food allergies since three years and she has been treated with prednisone and other medication since that time. Thanks to the simple suggestions of Dr Pitcairn, I have been able to reduce prednisone and go without it for long periods, clean her eyes using almond oil which seems to be gentler that the commercial eye cleaners, supplement her diet with cod liver oil, etc. The allergies are diminishing. I have yet to make her accept home prepared food but plan on doing it.
This book contains treasures for cat owners who have tried it all without success. Explanations are simple, ingredients easy to find in natural food stores.
I highly recommend it.

I have had the original Pitcairn guide for many years now, and consider it a classic in the field of natural healthcare for pets. As a canine behavior specialist, I am well aware of the link between nutrition and behavior issues, so I find this information especially valuable and have recommended it to many of my clients.

I like that this new edition contains information on environmental pollutants and toxins, which is a topic that is thankfully coming more to the forefront in the public's minds. This book will help owners to understand just how much of an impact those factors can have on our beloved pets.

To comment on a review by another reviewer, I am guessing that the information regarding raisins and grapes and the link to renal failure came to light after this guide was published, and I certainly hope that any recommendations to include raisins in the diet will be removed in future printings.

I know that this book is very popular, and that is troubling considering that the author suggests feeding raisins to your dog. Raisins are, along with chocolate, grapes, avocadoes, gum with xylitol, cooked chicken bones, etc., BAD to feed to your canine. Just because your dog might not die right away from raisins, does not mean that his kidneys are not being ruined.

This book is so popular, and now many people think that it is beneficial to feed their dogs raisins because this book says so. Cross referencing is always indispensible to any research. The raisin suggestion makes me question the validity of everything else in the book. I consider this a "soft" health and medical book...like a mainstream health magazine in comparison to a conservative medical journal.

People need a more no nonsense approach to natural dog health, along with exact information, especially considering the onslaught of vaccinations that are slowly killing our canine companions through the cancer and allergies that natural authors are trying to address with these natural practices. They should go straight to the reasons why most dogs are suffering and start suggestions from there, as in don't start off by destoying your canine's health potential in the first place, don't vaccinate your dogs...

Only rabies is required by law. And your dog should be at least one year old and in good health without any stress when he receives it..and boosters are not scientifically supported. Don't believe me though, go research with some REAL books and articles.:)

Given the number of positive reviews on this book, I was expecting alot. unfortunately, this book didn't fulfill my most basic expectations.

Compared to what most people know and the way most people raise their dogs, the method explained in this book is orders of magnitude better in terms of healthfulness. The author is clearly trying to create an optimal nutrition profile for animals, and he hits on alot of very important points, but unfortunately falls short in the most important dimension of all: credibility.

Even though I was ready to trust the author (vetenarian, PhD), I was expecting at least a nominal level of backup for his arguments, but it really seems almost everything in his book is based on his subjective feeling about it. Not only is here clearly hypothesizing theories out of thin air at times, he comes up with the most detailed nutrition, supplement, and feeding "recipes" based on the most vague and unsupported justifications. This is important to me, as a person pursuing a graduate degree in biology I came ready to critically analyze every word of this book, but there really is not much substance behind the verbal "fluff."

Some of Dr. Pitcairn's suggestions are not in line with nutritional advice i've heard from in my mind more respected sources (famous breeders of show quality dogs): to feed a diet of raw meaty bones (RMBs) while minimizing or eliminating grain. Pitcairn asserts that in his opinion, dogs need grain, but doesnt really back it up. Other sources also say dogs dont need that much in the way of supplementation, but Pitcairn would have me spend more on my dogs vitamins than my own. No real evidence, no biological mechanism proposed, rather simplistic.

For most, an excellent introduction to many aspects of dog training. For those looking for a quality, authoritative work on canine nutrition, look elsewhere.

I live in a small town where there is no homeopathic care, and I have three cats that have had the occasional health issue. I went the traditional veterinary route for many years, but the problems never really went away, and in some cases even got worse. I have always had better luck when I used natural remedies myself, so I bought all kinds of books and did a lot of research online to try to find ways to help my ten year old cats get over their skin allergies and bladder infections. I wanted to know more about the food they should be eating too after our big pet-food scare. Luckily there is a lot of good information out there from credible sources and I have totally changed my approach to what my kitties eat, what supplements they get, and I have noticed a big change. This is the best book I've found to date. Dr. Pitcairn shares very specific information about a wide variety of things, and this will remain my go-to guide for many years to come.

This is a great book, the best I've ever read on a holistic approach to health for cats. I have some questions about the supplements to accompany the recipes, (which I couldn't find in the book) and was wondering if anyone knew of any chat rooms for Dr. Pitcarin, or even knew the answers to my questions listed below. I began feeding both my cats recipes from the book and they loved it, but because I wasn't clear on the supplements, I began intermittant feeding with Wellness cat food as I didn't want them to suffer any loss of vitamins. I emailed Dr. Pitcarin my questions, but didn't receive a response. If anyone can advise me, I'd be very grateful. Thank you.

Questions:

# 1 - Page 52 - Egg Shell Powder

Can this be made in advance and stored for a few months? If yes, am I correct in that it won't need to be refrigerated?

#2 - Page 56 - Cod Liver Oil:

2-3 drops per day for arachidonic acid: OK - I bought Nordic Naturals brand for humans and put some of it in a dropper bottle. I will put one drop in each meal - two meals per day = 2 drops per cat.


#3 - Page 56 - ODO's Choice Flax Seed Oil:

I have searched the book but cannot find the dosage for this - can you please tell me how many drops to give daily?


#4 - Page 57 - Vitamin A - Cod Liver Oil:

They are already receiving 2-3 drops per day from the Cod Liver Oil, PLUS the Vitamin A supplement I added to the recipe. Correct? Or should I omit the Vitamin A supplement in the recipe and only give the Cod Liver drops in their food?


#5 - Page 57 - Vitamin B Complex :

Is this to be given daily? Mixed in with their food? It's not included in the recipes. I have two small cats, Segundo and Lily - about 12 lbs each. Should I proportion a B capsule?


#6 - Vitamin C:

I cannot find the dosage or how it should be given.


#7 - Page 58 - Vitamin E:

Can I double the dose for Vitamin E in the recipes?

My vet, who specializes in alternative veterinary medicine, recommended this book. I have a 13-year-old dachshund that has had ear infections and severe skin allergies since she was 9-months-old. Over the years, the vet bills have been staggering. I began home cooking for her using this book, and her skin is completely clear after a couple months and her ear infections are much improved. I also have a yorkie puppy (7 months) and I'm following this book to give her a good start and, hopefully, she'll avoid developing allergies. I've been especially interested in what this book says about vaccines. We've been over vaccinating our dogs and many suffer serious side effects. The book is well written and organized. It's the most helpful book I've read on the subject of caring for a dog. I recommend it to all dog owners.

This book is extremely helpful if you are looking for alternative foods for your cat or dog.

Our 13 year old dog had more allergies than any dog the vet had ever seen. After being on a diet from this book for just a few weeks she has stopped scratching, biting her paws and her arthritis is even better. She used to go to the vet every six weeks for shots, now she hasn't been in a year and is doing great. A little technical, but great information on high-quality food for your pet. We make it in bulk every weekend or two and freeze it for the week.

Maybe it's just me but, do you know dogs like to eat bananas? And that they love carrots? And apples? And nuts?

These are so healthy for them that I began, as the book advices, adding vegetables and fruits (make sure to check though, some plants--like a potato bush, potatoes are fine, it's the plant that's not--may be poisonous to animals)

In just couple of weeks our ten year old labs look so much healthier, their furs are shinier!

I was looking for a recipe book for my dog that has a number of food allergies. When I searched Amazon for that, this book came up first. I bought it and it's a great book for holistic care of dogs and cats, but has only a few recipes. If you're looking for a general health care book for your animal, this is great. If you're looking for a recipe book, this ain't it.

After receiving this book, I realized I bought the wrong book. I did continue to read it although. This book is somewhat difficult to understand. I expected more information.

This product is absolutely wonderful. It was recommended by an all natural dog food store after my dog tested positive for 8 food allergies. It's very informative and very easy to read. I would highly recommend it to anyone that is just branching out into All Natural health for your pet.

This is a great book. I have two cats, and one of them is sick, possibly with kidney disease. Even though the diagnosis is not 100% certain and the cause is still unknown, I can't help but feel responsible because I have chosen to feed them dry commercial food. I have not finished this book, but I have so far appreciated all of Dr. Pitcairn's information on what actually is in commercial pet food and why it's bad. The recipes make use of ingredients that most people have already (with the exception of the supplements) and are not as intimidating as the ones I found in Whole Health for Happy Cats by Sandy Arora.

I do have one issue though. I am only writing this because I don't know how to contact Dr. Pitcairn directly, so maybe someone else can clarify this issue with me. His Healthy Powder recipe calls for 4 tbsp. of Group I bone meal powder. According to his calcium supplementation chart, the average amount of calcium per tsp. in Group I is 1,435 mg. So if there are 3 tsp. in 1 tbsp., that would mean 4,305 mg. of calcium per tbsp. Well, in his Analysis of the Healthy Powder Ingredients, the calcium content in 4 tbsp. of bone meal (the amount the recipe calls for) is listed as 9,215.77 mg. Shouldn't it be 4,305 mg. x 4 tbsp, or 17,220 mg? I am confused. I bought tablets, not powder, so I had to do the math and it didn't seem to add up. Do I add 9,215.77 mg. of calcium or 17,220 mg. (4 tbsp.)?

Sorry for the lengthy post, just thought maybe someone else out there had been confounded by the same issue, but figured it out. Still a great book!

I found this book to be an excellent source of information for pets. This book selection will be extremely useful in the care of my pets and I will share the info and recommend this book to all who care about the health and wellness of their pets.

This is an excellent resource for all of the issues associated with feeding your pets. It has a wonderful bibliography and has many charts and comparisons of different types of foods. I am glad I have this book in my reference library.

This is a very thorough book explaining why the pet diet recipies are made the way they are and the nutritional needs of your pet. The food is easy to make and most ingredients easy to find. I recommend this change in diet or suppliment commerial food for your pet.

Back in April of 2007 my older rat terrier, aged 7 years, chased after a squirrel and was hit by a car which broke his front leg and left him somewhat bruised. We took him to our vet who x-rayed him, then patched him up. At the time my dog was still eating commercial canned dog food and kibble. About 3 weeks later the vet took another x-ray to check on healing progress. There was very little--the expected callus was almost non-existent, the leg really no better than when we had brought him in originally. The vet said that this seemed to be the case more often than not with smaller dogs, and it could mean surgery would be necessary. It was about this time that the big brouhaha over canned dog food hit. On the list of offenders was the premium brand my dog had been eating. I had had Dr. Pitcairn's book for a long while, but never really taken the time to dig into it too deeply... how I wish I had! I started my dog on this new diet immediately. The vet x-rayed the leg again 2 weeks later. The amount of healing that had taken place in those 2 weeks was phenomenal--the callus had completely formed, and the leg was mending nicely. The vet was taken aback at the incredible progress that had been made in just 2 weeks, and I told him about the change in diet. It was clear in the x-rays that this new diet had made a huge difference, since we had 3 weeks with no progress with which to compare. It should also be noted that my dog's temperament changed substantially with the change in food. Where before he had often been a little grouchy and "moody", he is noticeably happier and almost never moody. Whether this was due to the food or the shaking up he got with the accident I do not know, but there is no way I would ever feed my dog commercial dog food again. My only concern had been making sure he had a balanced diet, this book fulfilled that desire.

Those with quadrupedal companions can't do better for general advice about nutrition and health than to consult this book. Based on naturopathic and homeopathic medicine, the main thrust is good health through prevention - for instance dietary change instead of steroids for canine skin disease. I have used Pitcairn's advice to good effect for decades. Perhaps the highest commendation is anecdotal: The main cat in my life was diagnosed with feline leukemia - this was in the early days of recognition of that scourge - when she was about seven years old. Three veterinarians separately recommended euthanasia as the disease is almost invariably terminal, and painful. (For those unfamiliar, it closely resembles human HIV/AIDS.) I decided to try Pitcairn's approach instead. Snook lived another seven healthy years, only experiencing mild debility in the last two weeks of her life. Pitcairn obviously has something figured out.

This is a wonderful informative book. My schnauzers have vastly improved in their health since I changed their diet to follow the recommendations in this book. My 10 year old went from sleeping all day to chasing the other two dogs and joining the family again. I highly recommend this for your reading and your pet's health!

I already have Dr. Pitcairn's older edition and it has been one of my best sources for advice for the past few years.

I ordered this newest edition because I am always looking for better ways to maintain the health of my companion animals.

This new edition, with its added chapters about alternative medical treatments, (e.g., homeopathy and the use of flower essences) is a huge improvement.

My animals were always sicker after their annual shots (horrid skin breakouts, vomiting, lethargy, fevers). So I switched vets.

Now my animals are the fortunate patients of a fully accredited (USA, California) veterinary clinic that, in addition to the usual Western array of treatments (drugs, X-Rays, sonograms, surgery, etc.), is basically holistic in its approach and offers acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, herbs, and flower essences. (This holistic clinic maintains a large library that includes Dr. Pitcairn's books).

There was such an incredible improvement in my animals' health with the use of homeopathy and flower essences, that I decided to make the same switch...look for a new doctor for myself. I now have as my physician, a Western trained M.D. who is also a holistic practitioner and homeopathic physician. Just like the health of my animals, my own health has improved tremendously from homeopathy and flower essences.

I wanted to share my newfound "secret" to improved health with my friends and their animals but most (the humans, especially) were not open to "new age" ideas.

So...when I got Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide, I read it from front to back non-stop, and was very happy to know that here was a book I could give as a present and recommend to my more conservative friends.

My friends undeniably love their animals as much as anyone, but they needed someone with the long experience and wide respect of Dr. Pitcairn to assure them that, yes, they can consider alternatives to traditional Western style treatments, and also save a whole lot of money by having healthier, happier animal companions.

Your animal friend is your best friend, right? So give your animal friend a present of a new and improved life for the rest of his/her life. Read this book, then find a veterinarian who is open-minded enough to consider Dr. Pitcairn's advice and put it into practice. I think you'll discover for yourself that Dr. Pitcairn's advice is good for you (human), too.

I use this book for my cats, what I like about the book is that it is more that just a book full of recipes for dogs and cats, he really goes in-depth about many diferent aspects of caring for your animal companion. This book is a good guide but ultimately, you have to do what is best for your pet. He does use a lot of grains, but he does give reasons for why this is done, and you can always modify the recipe to suit your needs. There is some inital work involved in the beginning, but well worth the effort.

UPON READING THIS BOOK I MUST SAY THAT IT IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE AND LOGICAL BOOK ON OUR PETS NUTRITION. WITH MANY RECIPES FOR EVERY PETS PARTICULAR NEEDS. NOT TO MENTION THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS IN THE PET FOODS THAT WE ARE FEEDING OUR PETS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO WANTS THE BEST NUTRITION FOR THEIR ANIMALS. FIVE STARS IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY HOW GOOD THIS INFORMATIVE BOOK IS. LINDA JONES

If you are in to homeopathy and want to use such toxins as Poison ivy and belladonna on your beloved pet, then this book is for you. Mine is in the trash can.

NOTE: The only part of this book that I use is the dog food recipes. I haven't tried any of the home remedies, nor do I want to. That's why I'm only giving the book 4 stars.

I have been feeding my small dog the Doggie Oats recipe (substituting rice for the oats per Dr. Pitcairn's instructions) for the past 10 years. When I first started making her food, my vet and everyone else I knew were very skeptical. Now that my dog is 20 years old (no kidding), I no longer get raised eyebrows about the food. If I ever have another dog she will definitely get a home-made diet. Of course, if you have a large dog you might go broke, but Dr. Pitcairn even has recipes for top-dressing regular dog food if you can't afford to feed all homemade.

I've been doing this so long that it's just part of my routine. Every 2 weeks I make a large batch of dog food and store it in small reusable containers. I keep one in the fridge and freeze the rest. It's easy, my dog loves it, and it's good for her. It's not cheap, but neither is vet care and my dog has needed very little of that.

I have 2 dogs and I am not ready to make all of their meals from scratch ...I still need to do more research and read more Whole dog Journals ... but this book is wonderful because it tells me ways I can enhance their lives, what vegetables and grains I can and should not add, wonderful advice to add kelp and bone meal and other healthy things my dogs benefit from ... I also have taken advice from the herbal preparations when my dogs have had problems. This is an interesting and enjoyable book to read and a terrific safe basic written by a vet. I keep this book out all the time and use it often. If you have a cat or dog whom you love, and you want to help him or her live a healthier life, I would highly reccomend reading this book. You can follow the easy recipes or you can just give healthy additions and healthy snacks.

This is absolutely a must book. Giving dogs prescribed medications often involves side affects which shorten their lives. Being able to find out about natural products that can help them is great. It can not only lenghten their lives, but also cost less in the long run. I highly reccomend this book to all dog owners.

this is a great resource book. It has lots of background info on dog foods and so much info on great supplements. It could be made easier with breakdowns or charts to guide you for quicker reference, because I find myself having to flip back and forth a lot. There is definitely lots of info and it has to be read more than once. I think the recipes are sound and easy to make. Although I can't cook for my dogs all the time, at least I can do it whenever they are ill or recovering from some ailment or surgery to ensure that their bodies are strong when they need to heal. This book makes it manageable to do that.

This book is a great resource for pet owners. I find the health-care section of the book very useful. I have modified the recipes to accomodate the inherited allery issues my dog has. Modifying the recipes is a very involved process as the substituion of products recommended and appropriate amounts required for balanced nutrition can be a hassle to figure out, especially, if one's pet was allergic to multiple products.

This is a great book for pet owners who want to try homemade cooking and alternative medicine for their pets.

There is more than one way to feed a healthy, non-commercial diet. I recommend buying both Dr. Pitcairn's book and Andi Brown's book, The Whole Piet Diet, to see which diet your animal(s) prefer. I have three pets, two 13-yr. old cats and one 1 1/2-yr old terrier. The cats had been eating holistic Blue Buffalo dry food along with some canned Friskies. The terrier was eating holistic Blue Buffalo dry food along with some raw meat, veggies, yogurt, etc. I recently learned that dry food is difficult for pets to digest and is terribly drying and causes digestive problems like vomiting, dandruff, etc. The Friskies is just plain junk food so I decided that I was going to feed healthier fare and bought both books (Dr. Pitcairn wrote the foreword in Andi's book). While Dr. Pitcairn promotes primarily raw meats with cooked whole grains, Andi Brown promotes cooked stews (grains included for dogs only, not cats). After experimentation, I found that my dog and one cat prefer Dr. Pitcairn's recipes and my second cat prefers Spot's Stew (from Andi's book). When I made the switch, I only started feeding the recipes without supplements to the cats. It took 15 days for them to eat consistently, then I started adding the supplements in small amounts and gradually built up to the daily recommended amounts. Tip: my cats preferred Andi's supplements over Dr. Pitcairn's (especially the essential fatty acids in the form of oils). All of my pets are doing very well on the diets but only because I was persistent in finding what worked best for each pet. I will never feed dry food again!

...that an obviously experienced and well researched vetrinarian would recommend a diet that includes grain as one of the staples of the diet. Anyone who does even a minor amount of research about the special diet needs of a dog would easily find that dogs do not possess the proper enzymes to break down grain properly and can lead to either minor or serious allergic reactions. Dogs should not eat any type of grain at any time. Anyone who reads this book, do not take it as gospel. Please do more in-depth research before you make any solid decisions on your dogs diet.

Besides that fault, there are only a few recipies included in this rather long book. I heard very good things about this book before I bought it and was thoroughly disappointed after I read it. Its hard to give this book anything else but a negative review.

This is the most incredible book that I have ever read on this subject. I could not put it down and have already tried giving our dogs his suggested diet and was shocked when they gulped down multi-grain bread, plain yogurt, and grated raw carrots. The dogs even at a banana and they now turn their noses up at commercial dog food. Have not gotten the cats to comply as of yet, so we are working on them next.

This book was recommended to me by a friend due to my love of animals and interest in natural health. It is a fantastic resource to keep around the house if you have a dog or cat, and have any interest in natural medicine and pet nutrition.

I had high hopes for this diet. One of my cats is 15lbs. At first the cat's seemed to like the food. I think because it was very fresh. The night I first made it they were eating it off the fork. I was excited. But after a few days they started eating the portions I had to freeze and both cats (the healthy one and the fat one) were throwing up constantly. I know it said in the book that the animal might kind of "purge" for a couple days on the new diet but this was out of control. And after more than two weeks on the diet they wouldn't eat it at all. I had to toss it all out and go back to Wellness Brand food. Also, the recipes are for HUGE amounts of food. I spent about $100 on the first two batches with all the vitamins and supplements. I might try again but this time making a small batch so that they're only eating it when it's fresh, not frozen.

Absolutely love this book! My mini-doxie has been on an organic diet for 2-1/2 years now and is very healthy and happy. The natural tips for bathing rinses, tips for making healthy powder and even first aid & CPR for your furry loved one are above reproach.
Even prior to the pet food scare, we have decided that a Natural and Organic approach to his quality of life is the only way. Your dog or cat will fair so much better on this health plan that to see it is to believe it. Thank you, Dr. Pitcairn.

I purchased this book after researching "raw feeding" for a new French Bulldog with severe bloat and distension... I have great patience to such an extent with my 10 pets that many of my friends and family consider me to be the pet whisperer. I only wish I would have had this book with one of my english bulldogs, who may have had more quality of life in her 11 years had I had better recipes.

I cannot say enough about the range of topics or yummy recipes that my 5 cats and 3 bulldogs (the rabbits already eat raw) have given their empty bowls of approval to. Not to mention, the baby Frenchie, Cracker Jacque, is responding well with much less bloat and distention since going back to cooking raw. Thank you Dr. Pitcairn!

not just a cook book but has many easy home remedies for your dog or cat

This book is packed with good information for your pet's health and well-being. Definitely worth every penny if your "pup" is a member of the family. I have lots of pet-health books, but find myself always going back to this book for the information I need. This book is a MUST HAVE for every pet-lover.

A great resource for animal lovers looking to prepare healthy and complete food for their pets! Lots of useful information about the nutritional content of the recipe's ingredients - really instills confidence that the diets will provide all the goodness our pet need.

Before I switched to a raw diet, I had some troubling questions that I couldn't find answers to that I would trust.

1.) How do I know my dog is getting the correct nutrition? I can`t afford a nutritionist for myself, I certainly can't hire one for my canine best friend. I don't want to hurt her.

2.) How much will it cost?

3.) How hard will it be to do, and can I find the supplies?

4.) Why is my dog throwing up all the time, and the vet isn't sure why? I have her on meat based kibble, but will this help?

The answers to all of this are covered in Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. I learned it's very easy to provide balanced nutrition for your pet, with easy to follow recipes which take ingredients you can find most anywhere. It wasn't the advice of tossing a bowl of raw chicken necks and let them munch, which I read on another book's review had made someone's dog extremely sick. The base recipe calls for ground turkey, vegetables, cooking oil, and oatmeal. It couldn't be easier. I mix it with other bits and cuts of meat, offer fruit for the occasional treat, and the problems my dog previously had have vanished. She used to have gas all the time, and even though I used a meat based, high end kibble, she threw up on average of about once every two weeks.

She been on this diet for months and hasn't thrown up since. She also has more energy (being a Boston Terrier cross, that's a bit scary, really...)

Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats is scientific in layman's terms and supports the claims they make with experience and intelligence. It lacks the sensational claims I'd found on the internet, replacing it with common sense and thoughtful advice, taking you step by step through how your pet's digestive system works, why you might want to consider a raw diet, what nutrition means (I learned a few things about handling my own food), and beyond. There's information about choosing a dog breed for you, vaccinations, puppy/kitten/pregnancy care, how to prevent many illnesses or problems, and how to deal with them if they happen. I was impressed that there was even information about the grieving process when you lose them, and how to help a terminally ill pet cope.

I highly recommend this book because it took the swamp of information out there and brings it together to make sense. I checked it out from the library (as mentioned, I'm a skeptic) and it made a believer out of me before I was 25% done. I now own my own copy, and wouldn't be without it.

I'd purchased this book before, then loaned it to someone only to never see it again.

In the aftermath of the Pet Food Poisonings, this is one book that I feel every pet owner should have on their shelf. The recipies are easy and my animals love it!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about cooking for their pets. It has several basic recipes for both dogs & cats with lists of ingredients you can substitute to change it up.

At first I was completely overwhelmed by the information in this book. I bought it after the pet food recall so that I could begin cooking for my 2 cats. I read the first chapters about the pet food industry and general pet nutrition, and was excited to get to the recipes.

The recipes, I must've read through 4 times before deciding I just couldn't do it. I went to a holistic pet food store and they sold me a bunch of supplements and told me to just cook up a chicken & add a little of this & a little of that. The chicken recipe lasted 1 week, and as I added these supplements each day I began to realize that this was all completely unscientific, and I felt like I may be over supplementing my cats.

So I went back to the book. I wrote up a list of all the ingredients I would need to make the supplement recipe in the book and headed out to the health food store. I found everything there for about $80 (in Manhattan) -- but it will last months.

I whipped up 2 recipes last weekend and split it up into daily portions & froze. One cat was completely enthused while the other is taking time to adjust. But the book also tells you how to ween your cat off canned food & onto a homemade diet. It's working great.

If you think cooking for your pet will be easy, it's not. But with patience & practice you can get a routine down and feel confident that you are making the best possible choice for your cats & dogs.

I bought this book on the recommendation of many people on various cat-related lists. Because of the recent pet food problems, I decided that we really needed to be more "pro-active" in our pets' care. This is a good place to start. Easy to read, but not simplistic, starts with the basics. I recommend this book to responsible pet owners.

The author is obviously very competent and sincere; however, as I must work to support my family and pets, the receipes for pet food take way too much preparation to be practical for most working folks. I have instead now turned to better products, such as Merricks, to feed my dog and so far, so good.