This book is a quick read that explains how to make or pick a nutritious food for your dog. It would have been a welcome addition when I was doing my research on what to get the Resident Corgi and now it just confirms I was on the right track. We have an organic dog bakery in town that carries dog food but it isn’t convenient to get to with regularity. Our neighborhood store (it has three locations in the city) offers raw food and none of the mass market food brands like Pedigree or Science Diet.

The Resident Corgi is allowed to have “junk food” as snacks once in a while but his food and a majority of his treats are all organic. To be honest, his diet is better than ours!

Poveromo is not a dietitian and doesn’t claim to be an expert in animal nutrition. He writes from his own experiences and some of it is common sense. For example, when switching from one food to another, do it gradually; it’s less likely to upset your canine’s tummy. No food is 100% perfect and it’s okay to provide supplements to boost the immune system. Isn’t that why we take multi-vitamins ourselves?

I probably won’t use any of the recipes in the book – I don’t even cook for two people every day of the week. And they’d probably be more helpful if they were scaled down to what to feed 10lb dogs. Then each ingredient could be multiplied to the weight of the dog. I’m not good at math but I’d likely make the recipe for a 70lb dog and divide it up for 2 weeks (the Resident Corgi is about 30lbs). I have been known to make dog treats from time to time and this book will allow me to give the ingredients a more critical eye.

What’s nice is Poveromo doesn’t recommend or push any one specific brand in his book. It truly gives the reader informaiton to think about and consider when choosing to make their dog’s food or buying a processed food. ( )

I have one dog with food issues/allergies and another who is getting older and has to watch his weight. I found the book to be very helpful in knowing what to look for in dog food and to make an educated decision on what to feed my dogs. Mark takes a more holistic approach to feeding and we have found that is what works for our guys here too. There is information on what to look for in a dog food, feeding a raw diet, feeding a dog with cancer or kidney disease and some information on vaccines and supplements. Each chapter in the book also has a cute paw print with a tip inside it. It is a very interesting book to read especially after all the pet food recalls in recent years. The book was easy to read and understand. ( )