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Further Reading

Here are some books that I have found to be particularly helpful, and which you might like to consider for further reading. I have written a review of each, and the pictures link to the book on Amazon UK's website, where you can see reviews from other readers and purchase on-line.

If you've read these books and wish to comment on them, or if you've found my reviews helpful, please let me know.

Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog

Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown DVM

Amazon's synopsis: A guide to dog-care, and alternatives to standard veterinary treatments. The book provides an overview of traditional Eastern methods such as acupuncture and acupressure, as well as homoeopathy, and chiropractic and other alternatives, explaining what they mean and when and why they are effective.

My thoughts: This is the book that got me started on a natural diet for my dogs. There are many books out there that cover this topic, but I liked the simple way this one was set out. There are diet sheets for dogs of differing weights, which explain exactly how much to feed your dog each day. All of the ingredients are discussed one at a time, so if you need to eliminate one for some reason (e.g. allergies or unavailability) you are aware of what it does for your dog and able to replace it with an appropriate alternative.

MacPherson's K-9 Cookbook: Easy-to-make Dog Biscuit Recipes

Mary MacPherson

Amazon's synopsis: A collection of easy-to-follow, tested recipes for baking in the oven and the microwave, for hand mixing, for food processors and bread machines. Three sizes of dishwasher-safe cutters are included in the package.

My thoughts: This book offers a variety of recipes for those who want to try making biscuits/treats for their dog. There are some really basic recipes in here so even if you are not particularly gifted in the kitchen you will be able to find something you can do. All the recipes produce dough which can either be cut into bone shapes (using cutters provided) or into smaller cubes and used as training treats. Baking you own dog treats is cheap and also makes an impressive gift for other doggy people.

Bone Appétit: The World's Finest Dog Biscuit Recipe Cookbook

Branko E. Romano

My thoughts: A book with 42 recipes to make your own dog biscuits. Many of the recipes are excellent and easy to make, but I did find that some of the ingredients were difficult to get in the UK (the book was written in America). It is full of interesting dog trivia and if you are into making treats for your pooch then this book contains a lot of good ideas.

Three Dog Bakery Cookbook: Over 50 Recipes for All-Natural Paw-Lickin Treats for Your Dog

Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff

My thoughts: This is the ultimate present for those who are devoted to their dogs. It is a beautiful book that offers a variety of recipes including biscuits, pizza, savoury snacks, and birthday cake all for your canine companion. Some are so quick and easy they don't even require cooking, so there is something here to suit everyone, but if you think preparing salmon and cream cheese loaf is a little excessive, then you may be better off investing in one of the more basic cookbooks! On the upside many of the recipe suggestions are so good that they can be shared by dogs and humans alike, so it can keep everyone in your house happy.

An Owners Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet – The Greyhound

Daniel Braun Stern

Amazon's synopsis: This is our seventh set of Happy, Healthy Pet titles. Like the others, they are books pet owners can turn to for the essential information they need to raise a healthy, happy pet. All books contain information on: feeding, grooming, housing, health care, what to expect from the pet, and basic training. As our series expands and focuses on different kinds of pets, the emphasis remains on making the pet a companion. Owners of more unusual pets will particularly appreciate the expert advice in these books because professional care for exotic animals can be hard to come by. As always, the instruction on the books is from experts -- people who know their pets intimately but always remember what it was like to have one the first time. Happy, Healthy Pet guides are rich with professional quality colour photos and are designed to be enjoyable and easy to learn from. Most new Greyhound owners will be acquiring an ex-racer as a pet, so we've chosen Daniel Stern, an activist for the cause of Greyhound adoptions to write this straightforward guide covering all aspects of their care.

My thoughts: Another book about greyhound ownership that starts well, and then about halfway through it becomes totally non-specific, and offers general advice on dog ownership. If you were going to get a book specifically about greyhounds, then I would not recommend this one.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets

Mary L Wulff-Tilford & Gary L Tilford

Amazon's synopsis: Discusses ways to take care of a pet's health the natural way with holistic herbalism, natural nutrition, and homeopathy.

My thoughts: This book is the ultimate guide to using herbs as a part of your pet's diet. It is very in-depth, and possibly a little too heavy going for the average owner. It is full of all sorts of useful hints and tips on how to prepare your own herb mixtures to benefit your pet. It also has sections covering other aspects of natural healthcare such as diet.

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats

Kymythy Schultze

My thoughts: A nice short book on starting to feed your pet raw, home prepared food. This diet is very straightforward, with a minimum amount of preparation and ingredients, and has a huge following in the greyhound community. It does not believe that dogs need grains or cereals of any sort, which can make feeding more than one or two large dogs rather expensive. Also if you have a dog who is prone to being underweight, grains and cereals are often a useful way to help with this problem. However this book does provide a good basis on which to start feeding your dog yourself.

Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets

Donald Strombeck

Amazon's synopsis: Strombeck, a professor at U. of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, and long-time small animal medicine practitioner, presents concerned animal lovers with the ability to provide a worthwhile alternative to commercial dietary products for their pets.

My thoughts: A very thorough book that offers a variety of recipes for home prepared meals. It focuses on cooked meats, which is good news for those who are looking for an alternative to kibble, but are reluctant to feed raw. The book goes into a great amount of detail about a wide variety of medical conditions (including gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, kidney disease, endocrine disease, pancreatic disease and skin problems) and how to cater for them.

A very useful book for anyone interested in feeding a home prepared diet, and in particular for anyone whose dog has medical problems that need to be taken into consideration.

Give Your Dog a Bone. The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs

Ian Billinghurst

My thoughts: This was the first book I ever read on natural feeding and I have to confess that I found it a little overwhelming. It contained al the information I was ever likely to need about raw feeding, but it was too much to take in for someone new to this way of feeding. However now I have been raw feeding for some time I constantly refer to this book. It contains extensive lists of what you should and should not feed to your dog and has a fairly relaxed approach to raw feeding. The diet itself is based largely on regular feeding of raw bones and this would work well if you have a good local butcher and live in a climate where it is reasonable for your dog to eat outside year round. I personally feel that this is more difficult to achieve in a modern house with carpeted floors in a cold climate.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats

Richard & Susan Pitcairn

Amazon's synopsis: Discusses the nutritional value of commercial pet foods and recommends drug-free treatments for common diseases.

My thoughts: This book looks at all aspects of your pet's lifestyle with suggestions on how to change and improve them. There are lots of helpful suggestions on diet, allergies, alternative therapies and a comprehensive section on medical problems and how to support and ill pet. Basically there is something in here for everyone and even if you choose not to embrace all of the principle discussed you are likely to learn something just by reading this book.

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