Customer Reviews

Real Food for Dogs: 50 Vet-Approved Recipes to Please the Canine Gastronome

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is an adorable book with cute recipes, but it states at the outset that they are intended to be fed once a week as a change from kibble (later it says 2 or 3 times a week). There is no nutritional information and there is no attempt made to show you how to feed your dog a solely home-cooked diet, which is what I was looking for. I got a lot better guidance from "Barker's Grub" and Dr. Pitcairn's book in switching my dogs over from commercial food.

When my dog was diagnosed with Kidney disease, my vet said I needed to look for natural options for giving him treats. Milkbones and all of his favorites would only help the disease get worse. So after watching him getting sick of eating applesauce, I found this book, which the vet says is an awesome alternative to the over-the-counter biscuits. At first I was hesitant, because the big guy is picky, but he loved almost all of the recipes in there (turns out he hates liver too,) and it helps that they are pretty fun to make. If your dog has allergies or Kidney disease, I would highly recommend this book.

I bought about four dog food cookbooks at once, after the big dog food scandal, and this was the simplest and the most clearly understood. It made cooking for the dog fun, which is important, since you will be doing this a LOT! I've learned about all the various things they can and cannot eat from the internet, and I've labored through the charts and graphs in other books, but when the food bowl is empty and I'm getting the *big stare*, this book is where I run to for inspiration. Check in the freezer section of your meat department for ground turkey. Also, throwing a pound or two of hamburger in the slow cooker with a bag of frozen vegetables and some brown rice is a definite time saver, plus much safer than some nasty ground who-know's-what from an unregulated factory. I've been getting complaints that the dog food smells better than the people food. Cooking for your pets will be one of those life-time long learning experiences, but this is a great place to start.

P.S. My dog is healthier now, and knows I love him, as well...

A LATER REPRISE!...


After the late canned and dry dog food poisoning scandal, I tried to put my dog on a home cooking diet, but afer a year or so, got this massive lecture from the vet about how my German Sheperd was too fat. So I had to give up the whole daily cooking thing. He said feed her a mere half cup or two of dry food daily. We have lost some weight now, but I fear this diet is too strict, and I don't trust the safety of factory food. So I still use this book, as a weekly additive. My dog is now relatively slim and trim. But the whole 'feed your dog safely' thing is difficult.

I think buying the occasional liver or kidney will still be a better for your pet than some mystery chew from an unknown country. ;)

I home cook for my dogs and I LOVE this book. Unlike a lot of books with unusual ingredients, lots of these receipes are simple and use everyday ingredients you have in your cupboard.

Particularly pleasing for my dogs is the mutt meatballs, made with ground beef and cheese and they love them! They love the pasta dish made with ground turkey also.

I cooked for my dogs before the recent recall of canned dogs food, but if I hadn't, I would now be doing it. This book has a variety of recipes so that your dog does not get tired of the same old food and all the ones I have tried so far have been appealing. Some of the recipes, like the meatloaf, is appropriate for human and dogs.

I received my copy of Real Food for Dogs a few days ago and I'm very disappointed in it. I'm slowly changing my kitchen to one that is organic and healthy and I must say, this book is neither of those. I was surprised that they recommend white flour, white rice, salt , baby food and even canned cream of mushroom soup! Veterinarian approved? Who are these guys kidding? These recipes have very little nutritional value and I would be concerned about feeding my dog this way on a regular basis. I don't feed my family this stuff and I certainly wouldn't feed my dog this way. I'm waiting for another book to arrive and until then I'm modifying these recipes with healthy ingredients that I've found through research on the web - things like brown rice, flax seed, barley and the like. I use the recipes as guides to give me an idea of the percentage of meat/vegie/whole grains I should combine for my dog's food. Other than that, this book is a joke. I would not recommend it.

Months ago, my three dogs all went into kidney failure: although I cannot prove it, I suspect it was something they ate. At the same time they were hospitalized, at least four other young and healthy dogs from our area suddenly died. My research told me the common denominator was their commercialized diet. When I finally brought my dogs home, I knew I had to do something to get them to eat and to insure the quality of their food. I also had to worry about the kidney damage they had suffered.
Since then, I've done some reading. As a a result, I've discovered most commercial dog food is a toxic blend of euthanized cats and dogs, diseased livestock, roadkill, artificial flavorings and preservatives. No wonder our dogs suffer from allergies, seizures, cancers...we're poisoning them! Have you ever noticed the strange fact that dog waste can sit in a yard for weeks or even months without breaking down? Now that my dogs eat homemade food, this is no longer the case, as they are no longer being plied with preservatives.
This book is great. My dogs have never been happier or healthier. They no longer beg for table scraps. Their coats are shinier and their teeth cleaner. One of my dogs, a Pomeranian, had his coat trimmed short several years ago, and it never really came back in. Now, as a result of his homemade diet, it is once again lush and beautiful. Another dog, a bichon/poodle mix, had problems with skin allergies. All symptoms have disappeared. My Yorkie used to suffer from a nervous stomach; I no longer worry about coming home to an unpleasant mess.
I highly recommend this book: for the price of a squeaky toy, you'll have a guide to feeding your dog that's loaded with great and easy recipes.

Some good treats in here, but if you want to feed your dog from this recipe book, you'll need to prepare a meal, then burn it in a calorimeter so you can find out how many calories that meal has - then you'll need to find out how many calories a day your dog needs. The best way to find that information would be to look on the side of a bag of dog food I guess.

Seriously, how can you make a cookbook for dogs and not include suggested serving sizes for the recipes based on the dog's weight and age?

Ultimately, that makes this book useless for anything other than novelty treats and an occasional cooked meal. You can't put together a realistic diet for your dog from this book.

I picked this up on a whim just after I adopted my dog. I've been feeding my cats a homemade diet using Feline Future for years now. This is a very cute book. A very fun book. But it is NOT a very healthy book. It advocates a lot of highly processed ingredients. Refined white rice and refined white bread. Corn meal. These are not good for your dog.

It says nothing about whole, fresh, organic ingredients. Vitamins. Nutrients.

If you're looking to get started, this book is a good one for beginners. Although some of the recipes are far too ingredient heavy.

I like this book. However, I was looking for a cookbook so I could soley cook for my dog. It promotes dry kibble to mix in with the food, which defeats the purpose of it. It's a nice book though and I will use it as a reference.

I love my dog. With this commercial pet food scare, I knew I had to take this matter into my own hands. In doing so, I discovered Arden Moore's Real Food for Dogs book. Because her recipes were approved by a veterinary nutrtionist, I felt confident in serving these meals and treats to my dog. Plus, I like the fact that some of the recipes are fit for people, too! Now that I am using this book, my dog and I are eating healthy and the bond between us is closer than ever. I definitely recommend this book and all others written by Arden Moore. It is clear that she is an expert and truly cares about pets.