Keep Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way (Paperback)

by Pat Lazarus (Author) "The first edition of this book (which was called Keep Your Pet Healthy the Natural Way because it covered both dogs and cats) was inspired..." (more)
Key Phrases: orthodox veterinarians, other holistic veterinarians, nutritional veterinarians, Marty Goldstein, Robert Goldstein, Little Boy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The best treat you can give your dog is a long and happy life.
Keep Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way tells you how to do it.

Millions of people who use holistic healing techniques on themselves are now discovering they can apply these same powerful practices to their canine companions for a longer, healthier life. Drawing on the clinical experiences of dozens of holistic veterinarians around the country, medical writer Pat Lazarus gives you all the information you need to protect your pet's health and insure his survival to a lively old age. Inside you'll find

- The inexpensive natural diet that every dog needs to maintain a strong immune system
- The startling facts about conventional vaccinations--and the safer alternatives
- Tailor-made diets for pregnant dogs, nursing mothers, and active puppies
- The healing benefits of acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, and food supplements for old and "terminally" ill dogs
- New hope for infectious diseases, cancer, heart trouble and hypertension, arthritis, and problems of the eye, skin, and hair
- The revealing truth about the ingredients in most commercial dog food
And much more!

With the easy, natural care detailed in this book--including an essential directory of holistic veterinarians nationwide--your dog can enjoy the good health he deserves, from puppyhood to ripe old age.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (July 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449005143
• ISBN-13: 978-0449005149
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #322,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Natural Dog Care but Skip Chapter on Nutrition, September 13, 1999

By	Sasha (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This is a new, completely revised edition of Lazarus' "Keep Your Pet Healthy the Natural Way" except that she has chosen to write a separate book on natural cat care this time around. As with her first book which was published 15+ years ago, Lazarus did the research for this book by sending questionnaires to a number of holistic vets. As a result, we get the views and treatment approaches of a number of different vets (including Dr. Martin Goldstein, Dr. John Fudens, Dr. Carvel Tiekert, etc.). Unfortunately not all of the advice has been updated (some of it appeared in her first book), and she does not point out which recommendations were given by the vets 15 years ago and which ones are current.

The first part of the book deals with preventing disease. It starts with a chapter on the problems with commercial foods which should be interesting to those not already familiar with Ann Martin's, Dr. Goldstein's, or Dr. Pitcairn's books. Then Lazarus goes into feeding a natural diet, and this is definitely the worst part of the book, since the diet she recommends is dangerously unbalanced. It does not contain nearly enough calcium to balance out the high phosphorous levels in the meats and grains she recommends feeding. Also, a diet consisting of just 33% - 50% raw meat is not really optimal for a healthy canine. Dogs, after all, are carnivores, and our long experience with natural rearing and feeding indicates that they tend to do best on a diet that consists of 75% raw meat and bones. Unfortunately Lazarus does not really approve of feeding bones. She says that of the 10 holistic vets she questioned on this subject, 7 said not to give any bones, 2 said that only a specific type of bone was okay (e.g., ox tails), and only one vet was completely in favor of feeding bones. Feeding bones remains a controversial subject and many vets are only now coming around to the idea that bones are an important part of the canine diet (see Dr. Goldstein's recent book). Not only do they supply the calcium that is necessary to balance out the high phosphorous content of the meat, but they also supply numerous other valuable minerals and trace minerals. Most importantly perhaps, feeding soft, raw bones (stay away from those big beef femur bones as they can wear down and even break teeth and never feed cooked bones which are dangerous since they are dry and brittle and splinter easily in addition to being difficult to digest) will prevent your dogs from developing tooth or gum problems which present an enormous health hazard. Your dogs will never have to be put under to have their teeth cleaned. Our dogs have been eating raw bones (along with other foods) for almost thirty years and their health could not be any better. It's really best to skip the chapter on nutrition and go straight to the chapter on vaccinations. Lazarus covers the potential dangers of vaccinating, nosodes, making vaccination decisions, and minimizing the harmful effects of vaccines. IMO, she is a little too enthusiastic about using homeopathic nosodes instead of vaccines. Not only does it violate the principles of classical homeopathy to use nosodes as routine preventatives the same way one would use a vaccine, but it's my experience that nosodes simply aren't very effective when used in this manner in hopes of preventing the most dangerous viral diseases (i.e., parvo and distemper). This is not to say that vaccinations are always effective or that one should definitely vaccinate, but I've often seen nosodes give people a false sense of security which is not a good thing.

The second part of Lazarus' book deals with natural therapies for skeletal disease, eye problems, skin and coat problems, infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, cystitis, parasites, kidney disorders, heart problems, etc. This is definitely the best part of the book, since it's interesting to read how holistic vets across the country treat these problems. The book also contains a nationwide directory of holistic vets which will be helpful to those looking for a holistic vet in their area.

All in all, this would have made a pretty good introduction to holistic health care for dogs if it wasn't for the terrible chapter on nutrition. That makes it suitable as an introductory book only if it's purchased along with a good book on feeding a natural diet (check out books by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, Wendy Volhard, Dr. Pitcairn, and Dr. Billinghurst on this topic).

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Overview for the Novice, March 29, 2000

By A Customer

I found the previous review interesting and educational; the reviewer sounds experienced and practiced in the field of canine nutrition. I, however, was not and found Pat's overview informative. She is suggestive about topics controversial in natural dog care, but responsibly cites that it is controversial. Note that many well-written vets such as Schoen and Pitcairn recommend her book in theirs. Because little has been done in the way of vetrinary nutritional research (I am a former medical researcher), much of any of this information is largely assumptive. I thank the previous reviewer for his/her insight and congratulate Pat Lazarus in her attempt to give (as a good journalist and researcher would) a comprehensive picture with varying opinions and, as an author is licensed to do, give her opinion and deliver her experience to benefit others.