Customer Reviews

Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love my dog and have always been concerned about the chemicals, dyes and other additives found in most commercial dog foods. I have talked to many veterinarians who are unconcerned about the rancid meat scraps, etc. that are put into kibble. Although I have found a product containing no chemical additives, I still felt guilty about feeding my dog something that I wouldn't expect a person to be able to live on. I have read many books on dog health, and was not impressed by any of them. Then I read Dr. Pitcairn's book. It was intelligent, well written and made perfect sense. The only inhibition I had about starting a natural diet for my dog was the cost. I'm a graduate student and money is tight. However, I started supplementing my dog's kibble with Pitcairn's suggested recepies. She is bouncing and playing like a puppy, her teeth are cleaner and her coat has gone from dull to shiny. I am so impressed by the changes I've seen, I have decided to eliminate the kibble entirely. Feeding my dog a natural food diet is much easier and less expensive than I thought. I have already extolled the virtues of this book to all of my dog owning friends and would highly recommend it to anyone who cares about the health of their animal. A wonderful book!

For the dedicated pet owner who needs information about nutrition and the real facts about commercial pet food. Along with The Holistic Guide For A Healthy Dog, this is one of the best sources of information on nutrition and how it affects your pets health.I have a 6 year old Rott/Shepard mix who has hip dysplasia and is very overweight. The traditional vet I saw recommended Science Diet low calorie food to take the weight off, but when I read the ingredients(the FIRST ingredient is peanut shell hulls AND it contains BHT and ethoxyquin both known to cause serious health problems in dogs including cancer!!) I just couldn't subject my dog to the risk of new health problems just to get him to lose weight. I found a weight loss recipe in Dr. Pitcairns book which I make from scratch and the weight is coming off and my dog has never been healthier. Make sure you question methods your vet suggests, especially if it may compromise your dogs health and arm yourself with this book which will prove to be an invaluable source you will look to again and again.

Dr. Pitcairn's book is a tremendous eye opener. Its full of information that you may otherwise not be aware of. I now know what is in commercial pet food and was horrified. I guarantee that I would NEVER eat it, so why would I give it to my cats? Dr. Pitcairn tells you how you can care for and feed your cat or dog, in a relatively easy manner. I have 4 cats and they have never been healthier. Prior to the dietary change, in a one month period, I had 2 cats that were diagnosed with FUS (urinary tract problems) which were due to diet. Pet food makers suggest low ash diets, but not Dr. Pitcairn. I followed his direction, and now feed my cats a natural, raw, healthy diet. I did this with the blessing of my DVM. My cats love their food, which includes veggies, oats and supplements. All 4 cats have full blown yearly exams and all have had stellar results. They are frisky, happy animals. Their only visits are their annual exams, which are informative more than anything else. I believe that we owe it all to Dr. Pitcairn and his sound, natural advice. Don't hesitate to read this book, its one that every animal loving, pet owner should have. Its fabulous!

This is often the first book I recommend to someone interested in learning about the holistic approach to dog and cat care. Dr. Pitcairn includes info on the pet food industry and what's wrong with most commercial foods. He then provides balanced recipes and ideas for feeding a homemade, natural diet. Unfortunately the diet he recommends is too high in grains (dogs and cats are carnivores and if grains are fed at all, they should make up only a small percentage of the foods fed -- raw muscle and organ meats, bones, fish, pulped veggies, eggs, even fruit and nuts, are all more appropriate foods for the canine or feline). On a positive note, Pitcairn's perfectly balanced "fresh food kibble booster recipes" are an excellent way for those who are not ready to feed a diet that's entirely homemade to add fresh foods to their animals' kibble several times a week. Apart from nutrition, Dr. Pitcairn addresses grooming and exercise, creating a healthier living environment, natural and effective flea control, alternative therapies, caring for a sick animal, handling emergencies, plus a large A-Z section of pet ailments and their holistic treatments. Since Dr. Pitcairn is a homeopathic vet, it is not surprising that the focus is often on homeopathic remedies.

I highly recommend this book. The information is invaluable and the subject is presented in easy-to-understand English (not filled with technical and medical jargon). Dr. Pitcairn covers just about every major aspect of your dog's/cat's general and nutritional health. I did not receive the impression that Pitcairn was advocating a complete switch to home-cooked foods versus manufactured kibble or you would put your dog at risk. Most of the animals he presents as case studies were elderly or chronically sick to begin with and had nothing to lose. He merely points out that nutrion is the foundation for good health and our dogs and cats are often being compromised in this due to the nutrional choices we make for them. I purchased this book mainly so I could enhance my own Cairn Terrier's super-premium kibble with tasty and nutritious additions that would further optimize her food. Let's face it, most premium foods opt for good nutrition over gourmet taste. I asked my vet but he had no recommendations. Dog and Cat owners should be careful. Very few vets today have any great understanding about the pet food industry because it is not covered during their studies. I was shocked to learn that the pet foods offered for sale in my vet's office were there because the manufacturer rents the space from him and places the products on the shelves. That is the reason this book is so important. The chapters on flea control, weight problems, and general topics like spay and neutering, and even the death of your animal were a truly pleasant surprise. Every dog or cat owner should have this book.

I have a 9.5 year old beagle/aussie mix - Misty - who was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor three months ago. After her tumor was removed I discovered Dr. Pitcairn's book. Since then I have been feeding my two dogs his recipes with the addition of liver, eggs, and tuna fish occassionally for variety and some added vitamin A and oils. The change in Misty has been dramatic. There has been no return of her tumor (which I can't attribute solely to the new diet), but her energy has sky rocketed, her attitude is now much more pleasant, and other skin abnormalities she had developed (that the vets said were just due to old age) have completely disappeared. We bought a puppy a year and a half ago and for the first year, Misty would never play with him. Now they play constantly. Misty used to go back to bed right after eating breakfast, and now she is up before I am playing with the our younger dog. I can't believe the change. She will be ten years old in a few months and now acts more like a puppy than she did when she was two years old. I highly recommend Dr. Pitcairn's book. Even if you are not ready to start using a homemade diet full-time, he has a great recipe for a supplement to dry dog food to help you get started plus numerous other disease prevention techniques and tips. This book was well researched from his own experience as a vet and explains everything in amazing clarity.

I rescued a horribly abused dog from a terrible home about 8 years ago. He had multiple problems, including a chronic ear infection (or so the vets told me). He was lethargic, had no "twinkle" in his eyes, chewed his feet constantly until he'd whimper from his self-inflicted pain. I literally spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars (and, I might add, valuable years) to help him get well! I tried all the diets and foods the vets recommended, including the expensive foods you can purchase only at their facilities, again spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Nothing worked. Groomers even tried to help. I switched vets and groomers several times. One day when my groomer (who breeds small dogs) was cleaning my dog's ears, she noticed signs of ear mites deep in the ear canal. She applied her own remedy, and talked to me about Dr. Pitcairn's book, and told me the name of an excellent over-the-counter (and inexpensive) treatment for the ear mites. I purchased the book and began reading it; I couldn't lay it down! I had felt for years that commercial dog food was the root of most animals' problems, but continued to purchase the highly-recommended foods the vets suggested (and sold). After just six weeks of following the advice and recipes in Dr. Pitcairn's book, and treating the ear mites as suggested therein, my loveable "little guy" was (and still is) a completely changed dog! Ear mites are history; lethargic is no longer in our vocabulary; his coat is shiny and healthy, he has sparkling eyes, clean teeth, has quit chewing on his feet, romps and plays like a 1-year-old (he's 11 years old!) and even tolerates his active "sister" who's a year old! He's no longer fussy about his food--food that I personally wouldn't hesitate to eat. We grow our own veggies and herbs, organically, and he eats them right out of the garden--including garlic! Dr. Pitcairn should be given a medal for writing such a long-needed book! It's one of the best investments I've ever made on behalf of my dogs, and I'm looking forward to their longevity and "growing old together." Thanks for the opportunity to review this book; it's a must-read for cat and dog lovers everywhere!

for those whose pets have special dietary requirements.

Having fed a super-premium, human grade kibble I was very happy with the status quo. My dogs were extremely healthy and happy - until a food allergy damaged my older dog's pancreas causing chronic pancreatitis.

No longer could he digest even the best of dog food. The only alternative was prescription food filled with by-products and chemicals or a homemade diet.

Together with my vet, we are beginning to put together a healthy homemade diet to ensure that my dog will live a long and happy life. I bought this book in hopes that there would be recipes to provide variety.

Instead of a list of recipes, however, I got an an education in nutrition and how "alternative" remedies can go hand-in-hand with traditional veterinary care.

The book also provided an eye-opening glimpse into food production. Not only am I changing my dogs' diets, I'm change my own as well.

This was a great book although the main focus is on dogs. The receipes are quick and easy, but don't offer alot of variety for cats. All in all it was well worth the money and my pets (all 6 of them) have been eating the receipes in the book for 2 months and love it!

This book's diet portion uses LOTS of grains, so if you feed raw diets with little or no grains, you will probably NOT find the recipes useful.

The health portion of this book is incredibly useful. My copy is dog-eared, highlighted, and a little bit puppy-chewed. It contains both herbal and homeopathic treatments for many common (and some not so common) pet ailments, and also tells you prevention measures.

The successes I've had with some of the treatments in this book have even amazed my vet.

I have dogs, but I've heard many people complain that too many books are "dog-centered." This one seems to have JUST as much info on cats, including separate recipes and treatments. Most health problems have bold headings for the separate treatments, so cat-only people don't have to read through all the dog solutions, etc.

There's a pretty good index, some illustrations, lots of charts, and I've found the directions to be fairly easy to follow. I do not SOLELY rely on this book, but it will always have a place on my bookshelf.