Written by Dr Conor Brady. 

“Modern canine nutrition demands we trust the science more so than actually understand it because to pull back the curtain just a little reveals the magic show for what it is – a very clever illusion.“

From the vet health professional to canine professional to the avid canine enthusiast, Feeding Dogs is a fascinating, at times shocking and utterly essential portrayal of canine nutrition today. With a clear and tangible passion for the subject but with an entertaining, highly readable style, Dr Conor Brady forensically translates the available research on a great variety of topics, detailing for us not only what dogs should eat but what they are currently being fed. Crucially, modern diet strategies are linked to many of the diseases that plague our pets today, including obesity, cancer, pancreatitis and bloat. As the scientific and corporate tricks reveal themselves, the fantasy of a ‘complete’ diet falls away, replaced with the knowledge that formulating a balanced dog diet by ourselves is not only uncomplicated but utterly essential to their health and longevity.

With more than 500 pages and 1200 references, Feeding Dogs is the most thorough examination of the canine nutrition debate to date.

Over four large sections, it provides:

• Section 1: An examination of what the dog consumes when left to his own devices and the biological and physiological machinery that facilitates that process.
• Section 2: A thorough presentation of the major issues with ultra-processed kibble including the effects of excessive carbohydrates, insufficient protein, erratic nutrient contents and hazardous microbiology on the health of the dog. All these chapters will be a first for most vets. Also, for the first time, the scientific evidence in support of raw feeding is collated including head-to-head studies that examine both dry and raw-fed dog populations and the effects of poor nutrition on behaviour.
• Section 3: A staggering reveal of the problems in the veterinary sector, from the gross lack of adequate nutritional training and regulation of the pet food sector to the pseudoscience that is currently being fed to us by the industry.
• Section 4: An expansive description of what might constitute the ideal canine diet might look like. From a fascinating dissection of what balance means to a thorough exploration of what ingredient and why, Dr Conor Brady presents new insights that will keep both amateur and raw-pro gripped to the end (and what an end!).
• Each chapter comes with a complete bibliography and handy take-home points.

“In this masterfully researched and written exposé, Conor Brady details the raw truth about canine nutrition; why dry dog food is so damaging, how modern research is designed to sell product, never to find truth, and the enormous benefits that only a fresh raw and whole food diet can provide. A valuable addition to the serious raw feeder’s library.”

Dr. Ian Billinghurst, best-selling author of Give Your Dog a Bone

“This remarkable book is the first of its kind. Researched comprehensively and meticulously detailed, it remains pleasantly readable and credible to the academic and home raw food enthusiast alike. It is a must for everyone with even a passing interest in species-appropriate nutrition for dogs.”

Dr. Nick Thompson, Founder of the Raw Feeding Vet Society

Feeding Dogs Contents:

About the Author

Introduction

SECTION ONE: Carnivore or Omnivore?

Chapter 1: What Is an Omnivore?

Chapter 2: Canine Ancestry

Chapter 3: Diet Selection by Feral and Free-Ranging Domestic Dogs

Chapter 4: The Digestive Anatomy and Physiology of the Domestic Dog

SECTION TWO: Issues with Kibble

Chapter 5: Introduction to Dry Pet Food

Chapter 6: Carbohydrates

Chapter 7: Wheat Gluten

Chapter 8: Protein

Chapter 9: Vitamins & Minerals

Chapter 10: Fats

Chapter 11: Teeth

Chapter 12: Chemicals

Chapter 13: Hazardous Microbiologic Contamination

Chapter 14: The Argument for Raw Feeding

SECTION THREE: Why all the confusion?

Chapter 15: Veterinary Nutritional Training

Chapter 16: The Science of the Human Food and Drug Industries

Chapter 17: Corporate Influence in the Veterinary Sector

Chapter 18: What Does Scientifically Proven Pet Food Mean?

Chapter 19: Who are the Pet Food Police?

SECTION FOUR: Feeding Species-Appropriately

Chapter 20: The Raw Market

Chapter 21: Will A Meat Diet Provide Everything They Need?

Chapter 22: What Might the Ideal Raw Dog Food Diet Look Like?

Chapter 23: DIY Raw Dog Food

Chapter 24: Raw FAQs

• How much raw dog food do they need?
• How to introduce raw to a dry-fed dog, a picky dog and a gut-sick dog.
• Do I need to supplement a raw dog food diet?
• Choosing a good pre-made raw dog food.
• Freezing meat to control meat-borne parasites.
• Feeding cooked home-prepared food.
• Ingredients to avoid.
• Raw-fed dogs will have different blood readings…
• Fasting dogs.
• Can my child get infected from a raw-fed dog’s lick?
• Raw-feeding puppies.
• Raw-feeding pregnant bitches.
• Can I feed my dog a vegetarian diet?
• The future for dogs, pet food and our planet.

Abbreviations

Index

Acknowledgements