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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!

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    I had a somewhat similar experience. Joey had a seizure which I correlate to taking Simparica. He looked terrible so took him to the vet when the first seizure happened and he was late Stage 2. Put him on Royal Canin kidney kibble and Hills kidney wet food and 4 years later he has only had 1 more seizure and his kidney values have remained constant. I will believe your homemade version is most likely better if you have the correct proportions. All the best to your Bs! Joey will be 15 in November.
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    @tanza I agree entirely ! I never minded plump puppies - but they need to achieve correct weight and maintain it through maturity and into old age ! I don't make any distinction between 'show weight' and anything else. A Basenji carrying too much weight is putting unnecessary strain on the organs and it is as harmful to them as to humans, for the same reasons. I clouded up and rained all over my puppy people who allowed their Basenjis to put on too much weight. I am still laughing about an incident after I judged in the Czech Republic - after the show I heard one exhibitor tell another 'my dog is not fat ! He is carrying too much weight !' Which is an expression I often use when judging - it conveys the message without offending the handler ! Condition is key - mine run free for miles most days and even my two current oldies are of correct weight and fit as fiddles - they are probably fitter than I am.
  • Suggestions for food allergies?

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    @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.
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    I go by the old rule "the eye of the master maketh the horse". It applies to dogs as well. You may start with a rule of thumb, but pay attention to what your eyes tell you and you won't go far wrong. If your dog is gaining weight past the ideal, time to cut back, and vice versa.
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    Hi, just reading through some posts, and this one caught my eye. Most kennels know that a slight loss of appetite is inevitable and tell the customers as such(I do….) I try to wait till the next day to see if the new dog will eat as this being a natural survival instinct for a dog to eat when hungry. Always rare exceptions of course...another story... Anyway, may I suggest to help with the diarreah with the supplement of adding a teaspoon or so of pumpkin to the 'normal' food the dog is used to. A watered down version of a good canned food over the kibble also has done the trick with boarded dogs as well. Start off with half the kibble and then increase with dog's desire to continue so that the kibble will not go to waste as it is wet and bloated and will one will have a dish of bacteria if left out....Just talk it over with the attendant or Doctor as such.
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    Basenji Feeding
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    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.