Skip to content

Understanding canine nutrition books-suggestions?

Basenji Feeding
  • just got a kindle for christmas and I have been really interested in understanding nutrition for dogs, particularly a breakdown of protein ratios, necessary carbs etc…I swear some members have recommended books before but searching the archives I cant seem to find any! please chime in with good reads on canine nutrition, thanks!!

  • Some of the most enduring are by Richard Pitcairn, Donald Strombeck, Ian Billinghurst, Tom Lonsdale and the Volhards.

  • Thanks Debra, understanding what a dog needs and how it supports function has always been so intersting to me. I always love when topics come up here about feeding raw or home cooked or the reason behind dry dog food choices. Reading up on it is something I'm excited to learn about!

  • I've read and like the Pitcairn. I also liked Monica Segal's K9 Kitchen. The Canine Ancestral Diet and Lew Olson's Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs were also helpful. Also picked up a copy of Small Animal Clinical Nutrition as personal reference, though they're not too keen on raw or even home-cooked. It's good to have a variety of sources to draw from, to be read with a critical eye towards the author's sources, their agenda, whether or not they have something to sell.

  • Thanks curlytails, I'm going to get a few, I certainly like the idea of reading three separate books, each with an angle..one with a raw stance, a home cooked stance and one against those and for dry…although as a whole I just want to learn more about the physiological effects of nutrients and proper amounts...all angles fascinate me.

  • I'll probably read them all…the books by the Pitcairn's as well as Monica Segal, and Ian Billinghurst are first on my list...starting on one book tonight!

Suggested Topics

  • Suggestions for food allergies?

    Basenji Feeding
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    22k Views
    Buddys PalB
    @LewieFitz: no- antibiotics (for a bacterial infection) would not clear up a yeast infection as it is a fungal infection. You may see some improvement but not a complete cure. You would need an antifungal for a yeast infection. a substance that is know for qualities of anti-fungal,yeast,bacterial is coconut oil. google and read about it, most dogs love it, I use it for cooking and cleaning/treating my cast iron skillet. Also to treat my cutting board as veggie oil goes rancid.
  • Basenji and food problem suggestions

    Basenji Feeding
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    19k Views
    R
    We tried Purina Pro Plan food on our 3 rescues. Even though we gave this to them a little at a time to blend in over several weeks, they ALL had very runny stools and it would not stop. In fact, the more Pro Plan they got the more trips to the yard. Gave it up, and no more problems. This was Pro Plan dry and wet. Same results either way.
  • Royal Canin Early Cardiac prescription food

    Basenji Feeding
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    J
    Thanks to you both, Ivoss and Wizard. This isn't my first basenji, but it's my first time with health issues like this. Ivy just came to me the weekend before Thanksgiving and she's a treasure - the sweetest little lady ever. I want to do the best I can by her and I want her to be with me for many years to come, despite the cardiologist's bleak prognosis.
  • Picky eater, need food suggestions

    Basenji Feeding
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    8k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    Just a bit on the raw diet-raw digests at a different rate than kibble. Feeding raw with kibble does interrupt the digestion process. They will have diarrhea any time you switch over. No matter how careful you are. I would try something that is raw based, but baked. I know Origen up here is like that-it also has no grains. But there is also Wilderness that is based on the same lines. I find, though, that it has grains in it. Depends on how you feel about grains. It really will be trial and error. I would try treating with the dry kibble first and then building up rather than using the kibble as a meal. Just MO.
  • Need suggestions- eating issues

    Basenji Feeding
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    S
    Re the thowing up, try a couple of dry dog biskets. My boy used to throw up in the am, until we gave him one before bed.
  • Food Suggestions

    Basenji Feeding
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    E
    For "everything you ever wanted to know about corn", read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. Corn products are in almost everything anymore, and they affect the way everything is metabolized.