Give Your Dog a Bone: The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs for a Long Healthy Life [Paperback]

Ian Billinghurst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1993

Dr. Billinghurst's most important piece of writing is the book Give Your Dog a Bone. Because cats and dogs have different food requirements, (cats are obligate carnivores while dogs are omnivores with a carnivorous background), he decided they each needed their own book, and that he would write the dog book first. Thus was born Give Your Dog a Bone. This book was launched at a 3 day Bichon Frise conference in western Sydney on the 17th November 1993. The book was advertised in all the canine breeder magazines throughout Australia. Give Your Dog a Bone? proved an instant hit, with many breeders adopting its ideas. Since that time it has been making steady inroads into the minds of breeders and dog owners throughout Australia and overseas. To date nearly fifty thousand copies of this book have been sold. Give Your Dog a Bone is the book that began the worldwide BARF dietary revolution for pets and remains 'the book' to read on the subject of BARF. It remains the practical common sense way to feed any dog for a long healthy life. It is the only book available that deals exclusively with feeding dogs their natural or evolutionary diet. This book contains vital information for all dog owners. It is a must for the owners of new puppies. Its 320 pages are packed with practical authoritative dog feeding advice that will drastically reduce vet bills. It shows that a dog's diet, which is based on raw meaty bones, is simple to produce, promotes health and is inexpensive. Give Your Dog a Bone explains why processed foods are the major cause of growth, reproductive, dental and most of the degenerative diseases including problems such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, cardiac disease, the auto-immune diseases etc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ian Billinghurst (December 31, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0646160281
• ISBN-13: 978-0646160283
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Needs presentation improvements, but great reading October 23, 2003

By Nolf Nicolas

Format:Paperback

Dr Billinghurst's book indeed suffers from a pretty bad presentation and the Dr's tendency to be a little redundant, but let's face it : the information inside the book will hit like a freight train, anyone who has been feeding kibble for years thinking it was the right thing to do.

I was one of those, I am a University Professor and like to think of myself as rather smart, besides I have been competing and breeding rottweilers at the highest levels since 1995 and feel I know lots of things about dogs... and yet this book really pointed at how stupid and naive I had been, feeding my dogs industrial kibble and not seeing for what they were, the warning signs that my dogs needed something else.

I didn't hesitate for long after reading that book, I made the switch to Dr Billinghurst's BARF Diet and my dogs have never been so great !

There are probably better books in order to have details on feeding ammounts, precise meal suggestions, etc. But Dr Billinghurst's book is a great starting point because it will really change your outlook on dog feeding.

73 of 79 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The groundbreaking B.A.R.F. book... October 25, 2003

By Keith McNab

Format:Paperback

Yes, it is terribly written. It is also confusing - often contradicting information is presented. BUT this is the book that got tens of thousands of people taking a very hard look at how they have been feeding their dogs, and coming to the conclusion that a commercial diet is by far from the best choice, and in fact raw, natural foods are the best choice for dog nutrition.

For those curious about getting started in changing their dogs' diets, I would recommend Kymythy Schultze's "Ultimate Nutrition" and Carina MacDonald's "Raw Dog Food" before recommending Billinghurst's "GYDAB".

But I would buy this little book too, as it's surely the "Grand Daddy of them all."

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good and Bad December 7, 2007

By Lisa Marie

Format:Paperback

I found a boon with Dr. Billinghurst's book "Give Your Dog a Bone." I've been an advocate of home made meals for some years now. I knew dogs needed the calcium from bones. I thought it was enough to provide ground bone in their meals. I never anticipated that pets might derive satisfaction from doing what God intended them to. Rip, tear and crunch. My dog, up to that point, had been happily living on pooch meat patties I bought from the market. In this book, Dr. Billinghurst condemned these. He said they robbed a dog of satisfaction.

Made sense to me. My dog is a rescue. She has issues. She needed some satisfaction.

It was so funny giving her her first chicken wing. She had NO idea what to do with it. This really surprised me! She knew she wanted it. She whined and danced around the bone. She licked it and whined some more. My Persian, on the other hand, took to it like Jabba the Hutt.

In the past, she'd had taken only two or three minutes to wolf down her food. Sometimes she'd barf it right back up. Too much, too fast. But with the wings, she takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to eat. She really enjoys her food. Often she makes little noises like a nursing puppy.

To top it off, she had an emotional break through as a result. As an abused dog, Honey had a lot of issues. Some manifested as her over eating. Some manifested as destructive behavior. After putting her on raw meaty bones (complimented with Orbee Tough toys during the day), these behaviors ended. Also, while she remains a very high energy pooch, she is no longer manic.

The sad ending to this story is that, I just discovered Dr. Billinghurst has sold out. I liked his book so much I went looking for more. Sadly, his third book advocates exactly what he condemns in his first book. Prefab doggie meat patties. I guess he smelled the profit factor.

While it's true that a dog can live a happy life on these patties, don't deny your dog the satisfaction of a raw meaty bone.

Also, I have an issue with Brewer's Yeast. If you won't give your pet by-products of a meat plant, why give them by-products of a brewery? Brewer's yeast is bitter and can cause gas. The alternative is often cheaper as well. Because the focus is health. Not making profit off of trash. "Nutritional yeast" is grown specifically for its nutrient qualities. It has a mild cheddar taste that both my dog and my cats love. You can sprinkle it on food or mix it with a little water and flax seed oil to make a yummy and nutritious sauce. As a side note, it goes great on popcorn.