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Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet
There are an estimated 60 million dogs and 70 million cats living as beloved companions in American homes, and feeding pets is a multi-billion dollar business. With pet disease and illness on the rise, a significant proportion of pet owners are turning to holistic health care to prevent disease and enhance their pet's well-being. The foundation of holistic care is optimal nutrition, Our own doctors extol the virtues of eating fewer processed foods and more fresh foods if we wish to enjoy good health. Certainly, our pets deserve the same consideration. This easy-to-read book will help pet-lovers enable their dogs and cats to enjoy an ideal quality of life through a species-appropriate diet of raw, natural foods. Readers learn how to easily prepare a healthy homemade meal so their pet can have a shiny coat, healthy skin and digestion, clean teeth, bright eyes, and no fleas or "doggy breath." Also included are the Holistic Animal Yellow Pages, an invaluable information resource.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
82 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 1, 2008
This is more of a testimonial than a review: My husband heard about this book nearly 7 years ago on the Tom Martino radio program. At the time, we had a brand new puppy, little more than 3 months old, and he was already showing signs of severe allergies. The vet, an older country doctor, suggested that unless we got a handle on the allergies, my puppy would need ear surgery and life-time medication.
I was very resistant to the idea of "natural" feeding, but agreed to read this book and give it a try. Within a few days, ALL of my puppy's symptoms started to clear up, and over a couple of months he became glowingly healthy and energetic.
At 7 years old, my dog (a cocker spaniel) is routinely mistaken for an older puppy, even by the vet techs (at first glance).
About 6 months after putting the pup on the natural diet, one of our cats developed a UTI, so we put the cats on Schultz's diet. At 11 years old, he has never had a reoccurence, and our second cat also is glossy, healthy and full of energy, even though he is at least 10 years old. All of the pets are at their ideal weight.
Schultz' diet is explained in detail, but simple enough so that it's not overwhelming. In seven years, my implementation of her program has changed a bit, but the basics remain the same.
This book is my starting recommendation for anyone who is interested in a more biologically appropriate diet for their fuzzy babies.
I was very resistant to the idea of "natural" feeding, but agreed to read this book and give it a try. Within a few days, ALL of my puppy's symptoms started to clear up, and over a couple of months he became glowingly healthy and energetic.
At 7 years old, my dog (a cocker spaniel) is routinely mistaken for an older puppy, even by the vet techs (at first glance).
About 6 months after putting the pup on the natural diet, one of our cats developed a UTI, so we put the cats on Schultz's diet. At 11 years old, he has never had a reoccurence, and our second cat also is glossy, healthy and full of energy, even though he is at least 10 years old. All of the pets are at their ideal weight.
Schultz' diet is explained in detail, but simple enough so that it's not overwhelming. In seven years, my implementation of her program has changed a bit, but the basics remain the same.
This book is my starting recommendation for anyone who is interested in a more biologically appropriate diet for their fuzzy babies.
November 7, 2019
A friend follows this diet for her three cats and three dogs - raw meat, bones and vegetables and they're the healthiest looking and most lively - in the case of the cats, annoyingly so - animals I know. The book - more a booklet - is a simple and easy read and presents the method clearly.
January 18, 2010
Schultze is a popular and well known author known for her "Ultimate Diet" that she teaches in lectures and presentations. Her diet is basically a raw diet that she promotes. Her book instructs pet owners on how to create such a diet. She includes information on food groups and the nutrients they provide.
Schultze recommends "building a prey animal" out of raw ingredients to ensure that your pet gets an optimum mix of nutrients. She argues that dogs (however erroneous) and cats are carnivores and that rather than trying to measure out exact nutrient requirements, it is easier to imagine what they may eat in the wild and emulate their diet to be similar to that. Unfortunately, her instructions are a bit difficult to follow as she describes different ingredients and how to use them - she varies between use them sparingly and use them often, contradicting herself and causing confusion - "Is this a good ingredient or not?"
Schultze relies heavily on the human emotional response to promote her theories. She states that humans should eat a larger variety of fresh foods and attributes that to feeding pets as well. She also argues about lack of vigor in commercial food fed pets and attributes health problems to feeding in such a manner - not taking into account the wide variety of foods that are available commercially and the related variations in quality. The author does not mention any ill effects of feeding raw and the dangers associated with it, only anecdotal potential improvements.
To add to her seeming expertise and experience, the book has forewords by three individuals (two of which are veterinarians) and several testimonials towards the end. These stories do not list the commercial diets the pets were on previous to switching foods and attribute many problems that appeared to improve to the feeding of "The Ultimate Diet" without examining alternate potential causes.
To her credit, the author appears to be a viable source of good information. She is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and an Animal Health Instructor. The former certification is an achievement in human nutrition which, while not specific to pets, and therefore vastly different, is more formal training than most authors on the topic have.
Schultze recommends "building a prey animal" out of raw ingredients to ensure that your pet gets an optimum mix of nutrients. She argues that dogs (however erroneous) and cats are carnivores and that rather than trying to measure out exact nutrient requirements, it is easier to imagine what they may eat in the wild and emulate their diet to be similar to that. Unfortunately, her instructions are a bit difficult to follow as she describes different ingredients and how to use them - she varies between use them sparingly and use them often, contradicting herself and causing confusion - "Is this a good ingredient or not?"
Schultze relies heavily on the human emotional response to promote her theories. She states that humans should eat a larger variety of fresh foods and attributes that to feeding pets as well. She also argues about lack of vigor in commercial food fed pets and attributes health problems to feeding in such a manner - not taking into account the wide variety of foods that are available commercially and the related variations in quality. The author does not mention any ill effects of feeding raw and the dangers associated with it, only anecdotal potential improvements.
To add to her seeming expertise and experience, the book has forewords by three individuals (two of which are veterinarians) and several testimonials towards the end. These stories do not list the commercial diets the pets were on previous to switching foods and attribute many problems that appeared to improve to the feeding of "The Ultimate Diet" without examining alternate potential causes.
To her credit, the author appears to be a viable source of good information. She is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and an Animal Health Instructor. The former certification is an achievement in human nutrition which, while not specific to pets, and therefore vastly different, is more formal training than most authors on the topic have.
December 11, 2021
Instinct knows best! This quick and helpful read teaches how important nutrition is for our furry friends!
Learn to make biologically appropriate homemade meals for pets (like our ancestors did) that resembles the animals natural prey! Meat, bones, veggies, omega oils, and extras, all served once a day, with love and confidence!
Domestication of cats and dogs happened more than 5000 years ago. Bagged and canned pet food has been available for no more than 80 years! Processed pet food was never tested for long term use, and is owned by less than ethical companies who are the number one employer of veterinarians. When my cat Chia was diagnosed with bladder stones, they vet wanted to prescribe glutenous kibble made by Mars and Colgate, (two rich companies that have multiple lawsuits against them) and surgery!
I have since removed all kibble from Chia's diet and am transitioning her to the ultimate raw food prey diet! She is 7 and is like a kitten again! Even my 20 year old cat Cleo loves her raw meat!
Published by Hay House, with a forward by Louise Hay! I recommend this book/diet to anyone who has a pet with health problems, emotional anxiety, or to anyone who wants what is most natural and healthy for their pets.
Learn to make biologically appropriate homemade meals for pets (like our ancestors did) that resembles the animals natural prey! Meat, bones, veggies, omega oils, and extras, all served once a day, with love and confidence!
Domestication of cats and dogs happened more than 5000 years ago. Bagged and canned pet food has been available for no more than 80 years! Processed pet food was never tested for long term use, and is owned by less than ethical companies who are the number one employer of veterinarians. When my cat Chia was diagnosed with bladder stones, they vet wanted to prescribe glutenous kibble made by Mars and Colgate, (two rich companies that have multiple lawsuits against them) and surgery!
I have since removed all kibble from Chia's diet and am transitioning her to the ultimate raw food prey diet! She is 7 and is like a kitten again! Even my 20 year old cat Cleo loves her raw meat!
Published by Hay House, with a forward by Louise Hay! I recommend this book/diet to anyone who has a pet with health problems, emotional anxiety, or to anyone who wants what is most natural and healthy for their pets.
July 22, 2018
For 1999 this would have been a fantastic little book, and I think for those new to the concept, it still remains so. Unfortunately for Kymythy the internet now graces us with all this information. That's not to say the book is irrelevant, many people still prefer to garner their information from books rather than online, and for those this is a brilliant beginners guide. Kymythy presents information concisely, but giving enough information that it's easy to understand with a dashing of humour along the way. But for those looking for something more in depth, who already have knowledge on natural nutrition for dogs, perhaps not the best suited book for you.
March 23, 2018
This was published 20 years ago, so I suspect a lot of the information may no longer be considered accurate. I don't believe feeding dogs chicken necks is sensible (splintering) nor can I buy into feeding my dog raw meat. E. coli infection, when combined with other infectious agents, also increases the severity of parvovirus infection in dogs. One more book to read on this.
There was a lot of introductions and testimonials in this book, and not much "meat" to the text.
There was a lot of introductions and testimonials in this book, and not much "meat" to the text.
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February 5, 2022I found this a helpful book for beginners. I am now feeding my German Shepherd a 100% raw diet. Her skin issues have drastically improved, she's thinned out, and she's much happier. Raw feeding isn't as hard as you may think. I shop for her when I shop for us and its no big deal.
September 28, 2020
We're going to try feeding the raw diet. Great book - tons of information and a sample diet plan for those just getting started.
August 27, 2023
Not for my 16 year old inherited kitty.
January 19, 2024
Fed my dog this diet; her coat was always smooth and healthy.
Doggie had lots of energy and was always eager to play.
It's worth the prep and extra cash if you can feed your doggie naturally.
Doggie had lots of energy and was always eager to play.
It's worth the prep and extra cash if you can feed your doggie naturally.
November 27, 2019
Fully transitioned 3 canines
This book was all we needed to transition our dogs completely. Our adopted GSD came to us with a complicated history and she has written a beautiful healing story with the assistance of a raw food diet. Her hemorrhagic colitis is gone, her teeth sparkling. Her breath so fresh and she barely sheds any more. She’s gone from 3 giant piles of poo daily to pooping once a day the equivalent of a small dog,virtually eliminating multiple plastic bags from entering the landfill. Even our 13 yr old chihuahua, whose teeth were rotting, smells wonderful and is able to eat chicken necks without a problem. She looks like she had her teeth professionally cleaned!
This book was all we needed to transition our dogs completely. Our adopted GSD came to us with a complicated history and she has written a beautiful healing story with the assistance of a raw food diet. Her hemorrhagic colitis is gone, her teeth sparkling. Her breath so fresh and she barely sheds any more. She’s gone from 3 giant piles of poo daily to pooping once a day the equivalent of a small dog,virtually eliminating multiple plastic bags from entering the landfill. Even our 13 yr old chihuahua, whose teeth were rotting, smells wonderful and is able to eat chicken necks without a problem. She looks like she had her teeth professionally cleaned!
May 29, 2009
I loved this book when I first purchased it, however I have learned lots about dogs since then and I disagree with the idea of feeding raw now. No matter how you slice the cake, you can't simulate the diet of a wild animal. Plus just recently I aided a veterinarian, I work at a vet hospital, scope a chicken bone out of a dog’s throat. It had been there 3-4 weeks. There is a reason domesticated dogs shouldn't have bones.
June 4, 2016
Easy to read, the first like it for me. Not entirely easy to understand; having your dog & cat eat raw chicken neck & turkey bones?!?!? And alfalfa?!?!? A good first exposure for me on this type of feeding, but will have to look at more books on the subject. This was published in 1998 & I imagine the choices of pet food have gained some ground since that time. I would like to get others' opinions of it, & from people who are doing this type of feeding for their pets.
May 5, 2010
This was a very educational, informative book. I'm feeding my dog a partially raw diet, he does get some high quality kibble. I feel this is a "happy medium" for us both.
I'd recommend Raw Dog Food by Carina Beth MacDonald for an easy-to-read and understand guide to raw feeding.
I'd recommend Raw Dog Food by Carina Beth MacDonald for an easy-to-read and understand guide to raw feeding.
August 14, 2010
After losing my cat Latte to cancer at age six, my husband Steve and I wanted to see if natural foods would be healthier for our current fur children than store-bought foods. According to this book, yes. We are going to try to feed our kitties more natural foods.
July 21, 2012
Really good information to get started researching for this diet. Need to look into where to get all the ingredients. Would of liked book more if it would of provided more of a list of good veggies, fruits, herbs that can be used.
August 1, 2015
Lots of good information, but it didn't leave me feeling confident enough in my abilities to feed a homemade diet. More research will be required, but it was a good starting point. It was also easy to read and understand as there wasn't too much technical jargon.
January 16, 2017
The best beginners guide to taking control of your pet's nutrition
No nonsense, easy to understand and relaxed guide to helping you and your pet live healthier and more nutritional lives.
No nonsense, easy to understand and relaxed guide to helping you and your pet live healthier and more nutritional lives.
August 22, 2009
excellent, in depth
April 24, 2011
I would recommend this book above any of the other books I've read on animal nutrition because it's clear and concise, easy to follow and I like her friendly manner.
February 10, 2013
Simple explanation of introducing the raw diet to your pet.... will be giving it a bash.
December 22, 2015
highly recommend :-)
December 19, 2009
Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze (1999)
July 28, 2011
Full of great information for anyone wanting to transition their pet to a raw diet.
August 23, 2012
Gave me a good start in knowing how to feed our German Shepherd a raw food diet.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews