Average Customer Review: ( 52 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
401 of 422 found the following review helpful:
 Biologically Appropriate But Unnecessarily Restrictive Jun 27, 2000
By Sasha
This is an only slightly revised/updated version of Schultze's original spiralbound book "The Ultimate Diet." There are several books on feeding natural/raw/whole foods to dogs, and Schultze's book is the most restrictive, as it does not allow any grains, dairy products, blackstrap molasses, or raw honey (which many experienced breeders using holistic methods consider a "must" in dog rearing). Unfortunately many people new to raw feeding read Schultze's book and become convinced that giving their dogs even small amounts of whole grains or a little yogurt with raw honey is tantamount to poisoning them! Those of us who have been feeding a fresh foods diet for decades know that nothing is farther from the truth, but Kymythy believes that *all* dogs do better without grains, dairy, honey, etc., and of course her book includes testimonials only from people who agree with her. While it's true that some dogs do indeed fare better on a no grains/no dairy diet, others do much better on a more varied diet that includes small amounts of whole grains, yogurt or kefir, blackstrap molasses, and other foods Schultze feels should be avoided.
My biggest problem with this book, however, is that Schultze repeatedly passes of some rather controversial opinions as scientific fact. Not surprisingly, no footnotes are provided to back up any of her claims. She also uses the cancer research from Colorado State's veterinary school to imply that feeding grains and dairy products causes cancer. While it's correct that a diet high in certain fats and low in simple carbs is recommended for dogs with cancer (as well as those in remission), there is absolutely no evidence that a diet without grains and dairy products helps to *prevent* cancer. In fact, even the cancer diet recommended by Colorado State includes small amounts of whole grains. Cancer causes metabolic changes in the body which makes what is optimal for dogs with cancer not necessarily optimal for healthy dogs.
Of course I'm not recommending a grain-based diet (I agree that raw muscle and organ meats and meaty bones should make up the bulk of the canine diet), but small amounts of whole grain and cultured dairy products (e.g., yogurt, kefir) can add variety and valuable nutrients to the diet. Dogs, like humans, are individuals and it's important to remember that there is no one diet that is perfect for every dog.
Depending on the exact composition of Schultze's diet, deficiencies in certain nutrients are quite possible, and I would definitely not recommend a diet so low in carbohydrates for in-whelp bitches. On the other hand, if you have a dog with cancer or allergies to grains/dairy, this diet may be just what you've been looking for. It's easy to follow, but I do suggest reading a little more on canine nutrition.
92 of 97 found the following review helpful:
 Thinking about a natural food diet for your pet? Nov 30, 1999
By Debbie Brubaker
If you are, I highly recommend this book. It's written in a easy to read style and is a great introduction on what is needed to successfully implement a raw food diet. This book covers a variety of material, including nutrition aspects, how to make up a meal, how to switch your animal over, and a basic guideline with amounts of various ingredients listed.The book itself is spiral bound, making it easy to set on the counter the first couple of times you try the menu. There are 118 pages, which includes a natural care yellow pages at the end. Included in these pages are a list of books and newsletters to further your understanding. The last chapter of testimonials from various people who have switched their pets over to a raw foods diet are touching and inspirational. This book made it easy for me to understand the benefits and the mechanics of a natural diet, that I've been left wondering why I didn't switch my dog over sooner.
78 of 82 found the following review helpful:
Too basic, even for a beginner Jul 28, 2004
By C. Vu
I was new to RAW feeding prior to buying this book. I had done some research and reading on the Internet and already understood the concept of RAW feeding - the core food groups and the recommended proportions of each. However, I needed a book that would help me make the transition from just reading to actually preparing the meals for my pets. This book did not do it for me. It is more of a very basic "theory" book than a "practical" one. I bought the book online - if I had had a chance to flip through it first, I would have gone with another book. This book pretty much just explains what the food groups are, how they contribute to the health of your pets and the respective pros and cons. But, like I said, you can get this information for FREE on the Internet! Schultze only gives ONE easy recipe for BOTH dogs and cats, with varying amounts of ingredients depending on the weight of your pet. After joining a few RAW feeding discussion lists, I was told that most of the things I read in the book are NOT recommended by fellow raw feeders (eg: feeding GROUND meat, veggies, kelp & alfalfa supplements and BOTH cod-liver oil and fish oil, etc.) Even I knew going in that you can't use the same recipe for both dogs and cats and yet Schultze only provides one recipe. Cats, I am told, especially don't need veggies, kelp or alfalfa and they don't need cod liver oil. This book would have been more useful had I not done any of my own research first so overall I found the content to be quite disappointing. Somewhat informative but NOT very practical.
61 of 64 found the following review helpful:
 Thin book without much useful info Apr 23, 2003
By K. Roche
I've heard this book mentioned so many times, I decided to pick up a copy. The first thing I noticed was the absence of an index. That should have been enough of a red flag for me to give up on the book, but I read on. It took me about twenty minutes to finish the whole thing. I skipped the thirty or so pages of pointless one-sentence testimonials from random pet owners who feed their pets raw. Who is the target audience for this book? It isn't people who are already feeding raw. All of the useful information can be found in other, older, far better books than this one. In fact, you can easily obtain all of the books Schultze copied her info from. It can't be for people who are new to feeding raw, because there is very little practical advice on how to go about feeding *your* dog. And it sure isn't cat owners, because the book is really geared toward dog people. There's nothing really wrong with "Natural Diets," but there really isn't any reason to read it, either. Next book, please!
36 of 38 found the following review helpful:
This book helped save my dog Sep 27, 2000
By Pauli Reading
My Golden Retriever has suffered from allergies most of her life.She has been on the diet in this book for six months. After a detox period(explained in this book) which lasted 6-8 weeks,her overall health has improved tremendously.My dog is off all of her previous medication(antibiotics and prednisone), and her skin is clear,her coat is soft and thick, and her attitude is great. I would definetly recommend this book.I would also recommend seeking help from a homeopathic vet when switching to the diet.
See all 52 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
