Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs, Revised Edition: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals

This is an extremely informative book on nutrition and I have learned SO MUCH from it! I work for a pet store and I frequently am running back to this book to fact check stuff before I help my customers, so I know this book is not only helping me be better at my job, but it's helping so many animals too because their parents are learning how to make better choices in their food! I'd recommend this to anyone that wants to learn about REAL animal nutrition, because your not going to find it in a textbook that says "compliments of *insert giant kibble company's name here* of course they are going to say that food is the best" This book could be considered a textbook for legitimate animal nutrition careers and covers what they biologically need in plain language that everyone can understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to become extremely knowledgeable in animal nutrition.

When I was getting conflicting advice on feeding my Golden Retriever puppy, who had eye infections and ear infections and itched all over, someone told me about a yahoo group for feeding dogs raw. I bought the original book, and between that book and Whole dog journal we were able to help that dog to live to 15. I noticed that people are skeptical about b-Naturals, the store that Lee owns. There are so many items that I can't find any anywhere else or cab, and they are really expensive. Even my super picky collie mix licked her bowl clean. I enjoyed the descriptions of fresh food diets in this update and all of the ideas on feeding an animal with kidney disease or pancreatitis are really helpful. My puppy chewed first edition is on the shelf. Excellent advice, wonderful resources. To those that worry about feeding raw, what do you think dogs ate before kibble?. And for the dire warnings of not being able to feed a dog a balanced diet I've been feeding myself, my husband and small kids for decades. Once I understood what growing dogs need, and started feeding what they needed. If you can feed yourself, you can feed your pet.

I have been raw feeding for 20 years but never purchased this book over that time. Finally remembered to buy it and I LOVE how simple but informative it is. I have multiple other books from other vets and authors that are so full of fluff and chapters dedicated to bashing kibble, but I dont feed kibble and have no need to be convinced why it is bad so its a waste of print and time for me. This book is straight to the point with facts, which is wonderful to have when this modern world makes you doubt yourself

SO THANKFUL for this book. Finally - a RAW book clearly defining details and the true 'how to's' rather than vague suggestions as I've found in other books. I appreciate the author including information about the history of processed dog food, and how dog shows came about because of dog food producers wanting to advertise their processed products. It was nice to read the history from the beginning -all the way up to day. It helps me to better understand the state we are in now in the U.S. with processed foods, and how we got here. GREAT SECTION! Puts it all in perspective once I read the evolution of processed foods. I love the back section of the book that focuses on issue specific conditions, and how to feed dogs with special medical considerations. I feel the author is knowledgeable, insightful, and thorough. I have read most of it a second time. One thing I found to be a pleasant surprise is that the author is not hell bent on RAW being the only healthy option to feed dogs. All the other RAW books I've read thus far preach fire and brimstone in a cult like fashion if a person doesn't immediately surrender to a RAW lifestyle. Instead, with this book- the author gives meal plans and information on BOTH home prepared cooked diets AND RAW. I appreciate being diverse, and not have tunnel vision. This allows the reader to learn more about both methods and make a more confident decision. I give 4 stars instead of 5 only because the author shamelessly plugs her dog supplement company called B-Natural/Berte's Blends. She does not tell you she owns the company, (which then makes sense why its referenced every few pages....) the reader is made aware of this fact only if one reads the back of the book "about the author" section. I did feel it was a bit deceptive to constantly reference it without FIRST advising it is the product/company of the author. But I had to put that aggravation aside and read the book. I would definitely recommend this book to others to help them have more info, and a better idea of what is the best feeding option once they decide to abandon the processed food nightmare. Thank you.

There are a LOT of books on home feeding dogs and honestly most I've read are not worth the paper they are printed on. Lots of misinformation on the internet as well. This book is refreshing because it is authored by an educated, qualified expert. The information is easy to understand but thorough and I especially appreciate that it is free of much of the 'dogma' that persists elsewhere. Many different approaches are presented, with common sense advice for feeding raw, cooked, or combination diets. Different life stages and health concerns are addressed as well. If you are considering this book be aware that there is an older edition (pictures an Adult Rottweiler on the cover) and then this Brand new Revised Edition - (Pictures a puppy Rottweiler on the cover). Although the older edition is a great book - still better than most, this revised edition is excellent, much broader in topic and well worth the few dollars more. Belongs in the library of every home feeder for sure!!!

I read/skimmed this in one day and was amazed about how much I was able to learn from this! I completely understand feeding raw now. Within one week my dogs feel more energy and less itching, and less poo! (Not smelly either!) My dogs love raw

Although I have no doubt that this book is scientifically based and very thorough, it made my head spin in actual application... I had no idea where to find many of the different supplements that were suggested, and I also didn't know whether my particular dog needed all of the supplements, etc... It WAS helpful, in that it had a section of recipes specifically for dogs with special health needs (like pancreatitis), as mine does. I used that small, three-page section of the book almost exclusively, so the book wasn't a complete waste.

Our 12 yr old golden retriever was diagnosed with cancer Nov 3. A fast-growing tumor the size of a cereal bowl was found on his liver. The operation to remove it would cost $6000 to $10,000, and additional life expectancy would be only 6 months. Without surgery, he was given just days to live. We decided not to put him through suffering and brought him home since he wasn't in terrible pain yet. He could hardly walk, we had to lift him into the car to go to the vet. I researched books and chose Lew Olson's because of her qualifications, experience, and high ratings on Amazon & elsewhere. I "looked inside" here and downloaded the book to my Kindle. In a short time, I read enough to be convinced to change his diet to one rich in protein and fat, and low in carbs. Cancer feeds on sugar and carbs, so this cancer-starving diet should help him for his last days. At first, he couldn't even get up by himself, we had to help him up due to weakness in hindquarters. He used to be very active, but now couldn't even get up or down one step to outside without falling. Immediately, our formerly finicky dry food eater became eager for meals. He grew stronger, added weight, resumed daily walks little by little. It's now Dec 17 and he's almost back to normal. He's barking at deer in the yard again, straining at the leash on walks, getting up and down the patio steps, no more falls. The difference is amazing, and the only thing we changed was his diet. I don't know if the tumor has shrunk or the cancer will disappear, but I believe that his liver function has greatly improved. We're using Dr Olson's recipes along with her immune blend and salmon oil supplements. We feel so guilty now for feeding our dogs kibble all those years. I'll update this review as time goes by