Feed Your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogs [Paperback]

Rick Woodford (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 10, 2012

If you wouldn’t eat processed food, why feed it to your dog? The Dog Food Dude’s essential nutrition book for dogs is the only one you’ll need, with guidelines, charts, tips, and more than 85 easy recipes for healthy dishes to help your best friend live a long and happy life.

From Rick Woodford, the "Dog Food Dude" himself, comes Feed Your Best Friend Better, with easy recipes that will make even humans drool a little bit. Natural food can enable dogs to live longer, healthier lives, just as it can for humans, and with these meals, treats, and cookies, dogs will never miss commercial kibble.

Rick has researched nutrition for dogs and has used the same manuals veterinarians use to develop his recipes. Feed Your Best Friend Better makes the transition to homemade dog food simple, so you can make natural food for your dog every day. From nutritional value to portion sizes, these recipes will help owners know what their dog is eating. The meals are healthy, and dogs love them.

Rick Woodford wants dogs in every family to be healthy and happy. His recipes use a variety of herbs and spices for their antioxidant properties but they smell so good everybody in the house will be drooling. Recipes include:

* Puppy Pesto

* Bacon Yappetizers

* Barkscotti

* Mutt Loaf

* Gingerbread Mailman

In addition to 85 recipes other helpful chapters include:

* How to Pick out a Commercial Food; making the ingredient label easy to understand with a breakdown of ingredients that are good for the bowl and those that are best left on the shelf.

* Determining Portion Size; information on body type and size help readers understand how much food their dogs need to be in the best shape

* Problem Mealtime Behaviors; how to deal with the early morning wake up call, reluctant eaters, counter surfing and more

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Who knew feeding your best friend could be so easy?

Feed Your Best Friend Better is the most complete, accessible everyday nutrition guide for your dog, including information on foods you can feed your dog straight from the cutting board, as well as 85 recipes for meals, treats, snacks, and supplements that you can prep in just minutes for the stovetop or oven. It's not gourmet, it's gourmutt--and your dog will love it!

When Rick Woodford's best friend, Jackson, was diagnosed with cancer, Rick was devastated.  Determined to make Jackson's last meals count, Rick studied dog nutrition and began preparing Jackson's food, and an amazing thing happened--Jackson got better! From there, Rick started a dog food business and went on a mission to help everyone feed their best friends better without breaking the bank or spending a lot of time at the stove. After all, less time in the kitchen gives you more time to play with your dog.

If you don't like to eat processed foods full of ingredients you can't pronounce, why feed them to your best friend? Feed Your Best Friend Better makes it so easy to skip the chemicals, corn fillers, and meat byproducts, and give your dog the same antioxidants, natural vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals that keep you healthy. Think of it as farm-to-dog dish food for your four-legged companion.

Feed Your Best Friend better is full of practical ideas anyone can use: fast fixes, making and storing meals to share with your mutt, and even some tips for curbing problem mealtime behaviors. It also includes suggestions for buying better commercial foods and supplementing them with homemade goodies when you can, as well as warm-nose recipes for ailing dogs. Unlike many cookbooks for dogs, it features easy portion sizing and nutritional information for all sizes of dogs. It has everything you need to feed your best friend better through a long and happy lifetime.

About the Author

Rick Woodford operated Dog Stew, a company that produced nutritional, homemade dog food for dogs in the Pacific Northwest. He began cooking food for his dogs after his dog Jackson was diagnosed with cancer and given a year to live. Rick resolved to send Jackson out with style by cooking him food usually reserved for humans, only to find out the transition to human food made Jackson feel better and live for four years, cancer free.

Online:

dogfooddude.blogspot.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (April 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449409938
• ISBN-13: 978-1449409937
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Culinary Arts & Techniques
  • #21 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Dogs

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best dog food cookbook I have ever seen! April 13, 2012

By Alicia

Format:Paperback

As a dog lover I have received many novelty dog food cookbooks over the years as gifts. This one though is on par with my favorite "people food" cookbooks. It is so well organized and the recipes are easy to follow. The recipes use ingredients that I often already have in my kitchen. And who knew dogs like blueberries?! My dog enjoys the food and seems healthier already. The best thing is that I can cook for my family and my dog at the same time. And the book is full of photos illustrating how amazing the bond is between people and their dogs. The photos further inspire me to demonstrate my love for my dog with wholesome and yummy food. Love, love, love it!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Friend book August 5, 2012

By carla

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a great book! Lots of great information, recipes and other helpful hints. I never knew that grapes and raisins were toxic to dogs, but now I do! The recipes for ailing dogs was great and although my beloved Yellow Lab succumbed to her disease, she didn't starve for lack of eating. She especially loved the Cancer-Fighting Turkey recipe. She would still snarf the bowl! Definitely worth getting the book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible book! July 2, 2012

By Kitchen Fairy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Our little 5 month old lhasapoo just joined our family recently. We are so in love and I knew that I wanted to cook for her in order to insure the best, healthiest ingredients in her meals. Honestly, I was not looking forward to all the recipe research since I knew it would be involved since it is important to include the essential vitamins, minerals, etc. to ensure a well-balanced, nutritional meal for your loved one. I came across this book early in my research and I feel in love immediately! This book is outstanding! It not only gives many recipes for meals and treats, but also includes what exact foods are healthy or dangerous to dogs and why. It makes cooking for your puppy/dog foolproof by including appropriate calorie and fat daily allowances for the size and age of your dog. Simply amazing. I can't say enough good things about this book! Don't miss it!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Its about time..... October 24, 2012

By Sally from New York

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Hi,
My name is Sally & Dogs are my thing. About 14yrs ago I was working with a small dog that had lost most of his teeth, so I tried to blend his dog food in a blender & as the blender stopped I was horrified at what I saw. The top half of the blended "food" was HAIR/FUR (not sure what kind)...GROSS!!! So I started to home cook my own dog food for my pack. The problem that I kept running in to was, what foods were best for them & what are dogs nutritional requirements? Every vet I asked I got back a different response. That's why I love this book, I probably have 35 books on dogs & this is the one I go to first. I personally thank Rick Woodford for his time & dedication he put into this easy to read, everything you need to know about dog nutrition & the truth about what bagged dog food really is. Rick even puts together specific recipes for dogs with special needs like allergies, arthritis, cancer, diabetes & many more. That's why I say...it's about time that someone has finally brought the truth & common sense about dog nutrition to all of us who think that our furry friends deserve only the best. If you love your dog even a little, learning the truth about what you feed him is the least you can do. Buy this book please, read it, & pass it to someone else you know that needs to know the truth too. Thank you for your time.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent recipes. My dogs love them. September 15, 2012

By Phyllis J. Boyer

Format:Paperback

Since switching to a half kibble half homemade food diet, both of my dogs are doing well. Of especially mention is my Flat Coated Retriever, who was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease several years ago. I was told he would be on a one protein/one carb diet for life. He now eats a variety of foods and his IBD flare ups have dramatically decreased. My Boston, Biff, adds that he loves them too.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very user friendly. August 6, 2012

By Lyndy McKay

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book and so does my dog Joy. It is so easy to understand and I don't worry that Joy isn't getting the nutrition she needs. I have cooked up a storm and I really like that it has the portions for weights for each recipe. I have many doggie cookbooks....this one is a keeper.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book April 19, 2012

By Cal

Format:Paperback

I am sitting here watching my dog Gypsy scarf down the Mutt Loaf as she wags her tail.

I love this book! It is well written and well thought out. I particularly like the way that the recipes are structured with the ingredients listed in order of appearance at their exact point of usage.

The photo essay "Your Best Friend" throughout the book kept me turning the pages looking for more. What perfect images to go with the book! I connected with them all, particularily the image on page 157 at the beach.

I know what all of my friends and relatives are getting this year for Christmas. Thanks to the author for simplifying my shopping.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the best book ever September 12, 2012

By nancyt3

Format:Paperback

I love cooking from this book. I try every thing I make for my dogs and these are yummy. My dogs love it all too. My boxer mix is very picky, I make these receipts and mix it in with her kibble and she loves it. The only thing I wish it had were some gluten free receipts, or alternatives. My boxer mix is gluten intolerant so I am learning how to cook gluten free for her and it is tough. This is my most favorite book, I am so glad I got it.