Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

You may see some of my other reviews about human health and nutrition, but this is perhaps THE book that prompted me to learn more about MY diet.

Here's what I liked about the book:

Dr. Pitcairn has a long career in the vetinarian industry. I enjoyed reading about his holistic approach to pet health and diet--treating the root cause, not the symptoms. I like the fact that Dr. Pitcairn chose to think outside the box, so to speak, and look for alternatives early in his career when he found that his patients did not always respond to drugs. Also, the recipes are excellent for ensuring a truly healthy diet.

I can't think of anything that I did not like about the book.

My story:

I still remember the first time anyone had EVER mentioned to me that dog food is not good for dogs. My husband and I were adding a dog to our family and was going through an interview process with the breeder. She knew that we already have an older dog and she ask about his diet. This was two years ago, and by then, our older dog (11 years old at the time) had lost most of his teeth, and we had (reluctantly) taken him off his kibble diet. When we started feeding him more "table scraps" we noticed some incredible improvements. His coat looked better than it had in his 11 years, he was also very "peppy" and seemed to be overall in great health and spirits. All during his life he had ALWAYS suffered from weird ailments like skin disorders, hot spots, clogged anal glands, dry flaky skin, nasal allergies, etc. I can not count how many times this dog had been on drugs like cortisone and prednisone and bathed in "hypo-allergenic oatmeal-based shampoos". During my interview with this dog breeder, I did not share with her what my dog had been through, I just said, "...he has lost most of his teeth, and no longer eats kibble". This is when she told me that I shouldn't feed him kibble, and I should not feed the new little one kibble either!

This got me curious and I started doing my own research about dog food and was absolutely HORRIFIED to learn the ingredients used to make dog food. How can an entire industry (vetinarians) give such harmful advise?!?! I was and still am outraged at all the people along the way who always advised me to keep my dog on kibble. And I had heard it from so many sources for so many years that I figured they must be right! The day I learned what kibble has in it, my husband and I started cooking for our dogs. There's been some ups and downs during the last two years, learning what to feed and what not to feed, but overall I believe that both dogs are much healthier and my husband and I definately have peace of mind knowing exactly what they are eating! Oh, and all those skin ailments and allergies that the older dog suffered from for 11 years?...not a SINGLE episode in the past two years!

I found this book to be very helpful in understanding what dogs need to be healthy. I learned that generally speaking, we were doing most things right. We did make some changes in the supplements based on Dr. Pitcairn's recommendations and we replaced the white rice we had been feeding with oatmeal--which both dogs seem to like. But overall, a lot of his recommendations were very similar to the advise we received from the breeder.

The older dog is now 13 years old and was diagnosed with Inflammatory Brain Disease about 2 months ago. We are obviously very devastated and I believe whole-heartedly that this brain disease was brought on by the poor diet and also the "top-spot" flea poison he had been on all his life. I found out AFTER his diagnosis that top-spot has been linked to this disease...as this is the same way the poison kills the fleas--it attacks their nervous system!--we had treated him with Frontline just four days before he became ill and was carried to UC Davis Vetinary Teaching Hospital.

Whether you decide to buy this book or not, I strongly advise you to do your own research about your pet's diet and decide for yourself. Some would say that cooking/preparing meals for their pets is a hassle, but this is the least you can do for all the benefits you will get from your healthier pet--not to mention the money you'll save from not taking your dog to the vet all the time to treat symptoms of a poor diet!

I recently obtained Dr. Pitcairn's book and found it to be a wonderful, easy to implement and understand book on natural care for dogs and cats. Dr. Pitcairn provides concise information on dogs and cats from what to feed, to training, and even about how to choose a dog breed for your lifestyle. This book also has lots of natural prevention remedies included and how to PREVENT pesky problems like fleas and ticks from invading your home and your pets.

One of the things I educate pet owners on is prevention being the key and that is done through a strong immune system by feeding and supplementing properly. I always tell them that once your pet is diseased you'll need to see a veterinarian and then undo the illness and disease if you can, then build your pet back up. Dr. Pitcairn shares a lot about prevention and that thrilled me! That is the answer and key to keeping our pets healthy.

He shares about natural feeding which is another big issue I like to tackle with pet owners. He even includes grooming. This is a must have book for any dog or cat owner who wants to approach their pet care naturally and preventatively. Excellent book!

Kim Bloomer
[...]

I'd reviewed the 2nd edition version when I was looking into a more natural diet for my puppies on the advice of my holistic vet. In fact I was using the diet until my youngest started gaining weight and they were worried that the grains were causing the weight gain. I switched to raw meat and pureed veggies instead. Turns out that she was low thyroid.

The diets are still heavy on grains. Great for the majority of dogs I'm sure. The upside is that there are nutritional analysis of all the diets included so you know why you're including each of the components. There are also special diets included for allergies, weight loss and gain.

I also like the information on various health issues and vaccinosis that is included.

This book is the ultimate guide to pet health. After owning a dog who struggled with frequent seizures and, near the end of her life, osteosarcoma, I am so thankful for the advice contained in _Dr. Pitcairn's Guide_.

My dog began to have seizures when she was about seven or eight years old. I was told by a veterinarian that she would have to take phenobarbitol, a seizure drug, for the rest of her life. After tests showed the drug was beginning to destroy her liver, I found a new vet and started looking for another way to treat her seizures. Not knowing what I was looking for, I picked up a copy of this book.

After several months of gradually introducing her to the diet described in this book, I was able to wean her off the phenobarbitol, which she never took again. Never before had I realized what a difference diet could make. Coincidentally, my new vet was a practicioner of homeopathy who had studied Dr. Pitcairn's methods, so things came together quite nicely.

Sadly, at the age of fourteen, my dog developed osteosarcoma, a deadly bone cancer. Again, I always kept this book nearby as a reference until the end of her life, forgoing chemotherapy in favor of less harsh care.

I have never seen a more comprehensive book for pet health with so much effective, practical advice. In addition to recommendations for diet (including recipes), this book also contains a quick reference to different disorders, and the recommended treatments for each. Its main focus, however, is on prevention.

One important note: If you have an older edition of this book, please buy the new one as some important revisions have been made.

I bought this book to learn more info. on how to care for my aging cat. It has a lot of info about dogs that I don't need but it has enough about cats to warrent buying. I love the many recipes for cats. Since Dr. Pitcairn is a vet. doctor he gives a lot of sound herbal and homeopathic medical advice also. If your a catlover a great companion book is "the natural cat by Anita Frazier." I consult both when trying to cure a cat problem. In Frazier's book she gave a safe herbal treatment to cure earmites from Dr. Pitcairn and it worked! I once tried a commercial product that ate away at my cats ears and did not work! This book informs the reader so we are not at the mercy of the vet. We can make educated decisions along with the vet. or at home to help our furry friends. My cat's Dr. reccommended dry Science Diet RD to help her lose weight. She did not lose an ounce. Then a homeopathic vet. gave me free advice over the phone about how to feed my cat raw chicken and stop the dry food to lose weight. She lost weight at 15 years old. Now I feed her raw chicken, veggie's, pumpkin, and olive oil. This book is especially useful for the person who cannot afford a homeopathic vet. or their is not one in their area.

I own ten dogs and take their individual health very seriously. Once I decided to get my dogs off of commercial food I went to the internet for some education. I found a lot of useful information but many contradictions as well. One common thread was that Dr. Pitcairn`s name came up at every source. This book is easy to read, well planned, and extremely informative. Whether you have a tiny toy dog or a pack of huskies you NEED this book. My dogs have no more allergies, their coats look great, and we are improving on keeping their teeth and gums healthy. Another benefit, once you learn how to feed your dog you`ll start eating better yourself.

As a fellow veterinarian and author (8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats,) this book is one of my all-time favorites! This third edition includes updated information on herbs, homeopathics, and diet. Dr. Pitcairn has retired from his homeopathic practice, but generously shares his years of experience with his readers in this easy and fun to read book. Another winner from a wonderful writer and doctor!

I actually own the 1995 version of "Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide..." and will be buying this version for sure. My copy is a ruined mess from much use. If you love your cats and have the means, make their food. I've raised five kittens using his recipes and the healthy powder and they've grown to be the sweetest, fluffiest, happiest cats. They have no dandruff, their coats are shiny and not greasy, their breath actually smells good (I supplement by constantly growing wheatgrass for them to munch on as well - that helps with healthy gums and teeth), and they're energetic and affectionate. What I do is make the Cat Growth recipe but quadruple the recipe, dish it out into little pyrex containers and freeze it. I also double the healthy powder mix (I get the ingredients at the Vitamin Shoppe) and store it in a big pyrex in the fridge and that lasts for months. Did I also mention that my cats LOVE this food? It's also a relief not having to worry about pet food recalls -- my heart goes out to anyone and their pets who were affected. Seriously, though, a few hours a month and a bunch of pyrex containers is all it takes to make healthy food for your pet.
Addendum 4/24/07: I ran out of homemade food and switched them to high quality dry food a couple of days ago and all of a sudden their p**p smells really bad and there was..sorry, this is gross...vomit all over the floor this morning. Guess I better whip up another batch of Pitcairn food STAT!! Anyone have similar experiences? Addendum 6/20/2007: made a huge batch of cat growth diet with about 9 lbs meat. No more vomit, and the poop is back to being almost pleasant smelling. : )

I bought this book because I wanted to feed my dogs something other then commercial food. The nutritional information in the book is easy to understand and the recipes are simple to feed. When people express interest in feeding their dogs a natural diet I always suggest this book. I've read many books on this topic and this one is the best and most user friendly.

Don't be intimidated!! After you make your pet's food once, it's a snap after that. My dogs love the recipes in this book. My Pit Bull is 15 yrs old and still pretty spunky!!! I'm not sure homemade food is the reason, but it sure hasn't hurt her!!!! I've been making recipes from the earlier edition of this book for 10 years.
Pet food recalls?? You don't have to worry if you know exactly what YOU put in the food. Treat your pets like you treat yourself....with fresh, healthy food. This book will help ensure that your pets are getting all the nutrients they need. And really, it's easy!!!