January Book Club
Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
By Dr. Richard Pitcairn
–reviewed by Jane London
I’ve often mentioned on the show that I make my dogs’ food and over the years, I’ve received a lot of emails and Facebook messages asking how I make their food. I always tell them “get this book”.
I’m a huge proponent of the idea of food as medicine for humans. So many of the chronic illnesses that are such a huge drain on quality of life, could be avoided with a better diet based on whole, fresh food. The same goes for our animals. In nature, dogs and cats would not subsist on the same dry kibble, day after day, year after year.
So, here is the book that I’ve been using and recommending for years that it’s full of really good information if you want to take a more holistic approach to your pet’s wellness.
When we lived in Ohio, years ago, I had two Jack Russell Terriers, named Feta and Samson. Starting in the spring, Feta would get such bad allergies that she would chew the hair off her feet. Medication didn’t work and I didn’t want to load her up with benedryl everyday, so I started doing research into how diet affects dogs and that’s when I discovered Dr. Pitcairn’s book.
Once I started making their food, with his recipes, Feta’s allergies disappeared, as did Samson’s ever-present stomach issues. They both lived to be 16. I’m still using his recipes with my current dogs, Chili and Junior. Chili is almost 11 and in perfect health and Junior is a very hardy and robust 2 year-old. They rarely visit the vet, other than for routine maintenance:)
The book also has homemade diets for cats, since I know a lot of you are devoted cat owners.
I always advise folks to read the entire book. It lays out a whole plan as to how to keep your pet healthy, happy and well-adjusted, including a very important section on vaccinations. There is a body of research suggesting that too many vaccinations can be responsible for a whole host of chronic (and expensive) health issues. READ THIS CHAPTER and make your own choices for your pets.
The recipes all contain readily available ingredients; you can make large batches and freeze it. Honestly, I’ve done it for so long that I can whip up about a week’s worth of food in about 45 minutes and that includes vacuum sealing it and tossing it into the freezer.
I’ll be honest. There are other books about raw diets for your pets and I would encourage you to explore all of them to find the one that best fits your philosophy and lifestyle, but if you’re new to the holistic approach to pet health and wellness, this is the book you should start with. Mine is dog-eared from looking things up and it’s served me very well through 4 dogs and a couple of cats (so far).