K9 Kitchen Your Dog's Diet: The Truth Behind the Hype

[diego's heart]

Noticed this on Sitstay.com and not amazon. I'm looking for good book on nutrition, holistic care for my library and this one seems to fit the bill. Any comments or suggestions?

K9 Kitchen Your Dog's Diet: The Truth Behind the Hype by Monica Segal

In this easy to read and information packed book, Monica Segal navigates the diet maze: commercial dog food, cooked food and/or raw. What diet will you choose for your dog? It's a wonderful book reminding us that our dogs are not that much different than wolves but that they are still individuals, each with special needs. We're pleased to add this very important book to the SitStay Library. Some Chapter Titles: The Diet Maze, Feed a Raw Diet, Nutrients in Raw Meaty Bones, Cooked Foods, The Middle Ground, Amino Acids, Vitamins and Minerals, Supplements, Poop Patrol. (Paperback, 216 pages, Copyright 2002)

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

Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown, DVM

Canine Nutrition by Lowell Ackerman, DVM

Thanks... and will let you know what I think, because I'll probably cave and buy it ! ~ Lisa

[JulieM]

I have them all. I like Monica's book, it is very much about individual diets for individual dogs. She believes a raw diet is best but understands that not all dogs (or owners) will do well with raw, so she discusses cooking, combining raw and cooked and, briefly, kibble. She gives suggestions on diets, foods, or supplements specific for common problems. The book also has nutrient profiles for some raw meaty bones. Monica's website is www.doggiediets.com and she runs the K9Kitchen yahoogroup.

Dr. Pitcairn's book is pretty standard for most holistic/natural rearers. He also has sample diets, and goes a lot more into treatment options for specific ailments. (Monica's book is strictly about nutrition - Dr. Pitcairn's includes homeopathy, herbs, and other holistic modalities.) Dr. Pitrcairn's website is www.drpitcairn.com

Wendy Volhard's book goes more into the theory and practice of some alternative therapies, like kinesiology and TCM. She does discuss diet quite a bit, although some of the section reads like a long ad for her commercial products, and she's a little more paranoid about raw meat and bones (and more lenient about vaccination) than I am. I pretty much just use the second half of the book. It's also handy because she has normal physiological information - not only temperature, heart rate, and respiration rate, but also blood values (and what some of them mean), urine pH, etc. Wendy's site is www.volhard.com, her commercial food site is www.phdproducts.com There is a Volhard list at yahoogroups, too.

I have to admit, I read Dr. Ackerman's book 4-5 years ago and haven't really looked at it since! Skimming through it now, I'd ignore completely the chapter on commercial diets. He goes into a lot of detail on different vitamins, minerals, and supplements, though, so the book would be a good adjunct to a well-rounded library. (Actually, I'm glad you asked the question because I'd forgotten he had all that information!)

[diego's heart]

I knew if any one would know, it would be you Julie !

Thanks for expanding on each, it's just the kind of info I'm seeking. I'll definitely purchase K9 Nutrition today and have placed a hold at the library on Dr. Pitcairn's book, but will have to wait in a short line to get it - figures! For me, those two seem to compliment each other. I'll also peruse Volhard's book, as I'm interested in physio info too and certain it'll be next!

Again, many thanks ! ~ Lisa

[JulieM]

You're quite welcome. I think our mod Aimee is/was on the Volhard list, and may have attended a seminar, if you want some more information on the Volhard stuff.

[diego's heart]

Love this book by the way!

I'm curious about this one now:
The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat by Martin Goldstein DVM

Anyone? Julie ?

[JulieM]

Yup, got that one, too. I like that book a lot, and refer to it often. Dr. Goldstein talks about the general nature of disease and health, discusses the importance of diet and talks about supplements, has a lot of information about vaccines, gives overviews of homeopathic remedies, herbals, flower essences, chiropractic, and other modalities like ozone therapy. He does take some amount of flak for his positon on the "healing crisis," and his BNA bloodwork.

The second half of the book consists of his "alphabet of ailments," with common problems listed and various remedies/modalities, a chapter on cancer, a chapter on "the spirtual realm" - qi, chi, vital force, a chapter on the death of a pet, and a comprehensive (although possibly outdated, in my edition) resource guide. He is not a classical homeopath - he frequently uses BHI's combination remedies (Cough, Allergy, etc.).

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in following, or just exploring, a holistic path for pet care.

Dr. Goldstein's site is http://www.smithridge.com/, although there's nothing really there other than the splash page.

[JulieM]

Yes, probably Dr. Pitcairn or Dr. Goldstein's would be better picks, as they go into more detail on specific issues. I'm not a home right now so can't check if any have information on fear/anxiety but I'd guess they do.

Flower essences may work well, Rescue Remedy is the standard for trauma/shock and good to have on hand, and some of the essences in RR are for fear and panic. Off the top of my head, Mimulus for known fears might also be something to consider. Here's a link for more information on the different essences - click on the name for more detail:
http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/remedies.htm

You might want to open a discussion on the health or behavior forums, Susan Fulcher on the boards is well-versed in flower essences and other members have used them as well. A search may pull up other discussions on fear of the vet, I'm vaguely sure we've had one before. Conditioning may also help, giving lots of super-yummy treats as soon as the vet clinic is in view (or whenever he starts exhibiting fear), taking small steps and jackpotting for even the slightest bit of progress.

[neilsmom2000]

I went to one of Monica Segal's seminars this past summer. I thought she was awesome. Its mind boggling how much knowledge she has on animal nutrition! I also read the book you mentioned, and its a keeper, for sure.

Barb

[diego's heart]

That is so cool Barb ! I just got it back from someone I loaned it out to last month and in the process of re-reading it! I need to keep an eye out on her seminar schedule. I would love that!

~ Lisa

[neilsmom2000]

Originally posted by diego's heart
That is so cool Barb ! I just got it back from someone I loaned it out to last month and in the process of re-reading it! I need to keep an eye out on her seminar schedule. I would love that!

~ Lisa

It was very cool indeed! If you get the chance to go to one of Monica's seminars, do go. You absolutely won't regret it.
In a nutshell, she advocates real food over kibble, cooked food over raw (although she feeds her own dogs cooked and raw, and leaves it up to the individual whether to feed raw or not), and most of all she asks that you listen to your dog and feed what's best for him/her. She makes a great point: your dog won't lie to you; if he or she is not tolerating a particular food well, don't go to heroic efforts to make your dog adjust to the food (ie. apple cider vinegar, pumpkin for diahrrea). She strongly suggests doing an elimination diet when feeding your dog real food, which makes good sense. She also offers consultations on her website, which imo would be a worthwhile investment if you're taking the plunge into home-prepared meals (especially if you have a dog w/ allergies). I walked away from the seminar with a stack of handouts I still refer to. I only wish I had bought the book from her then instead of borrowing my friends copy! Unfortunately I was a bit too broke that day to buy the book; I guess I'll have to put it on my holiday wish list!


Barb