The Ultimate Diet

By Kymythy R. Schultze C.C.N., A.H.I.

Paperback ~ 135 Pages

Product # 935

This should be a must read book for every pet owner.

If you love your dog, you need to read this book! It will change the way you view the health of your pet. I can tell you this from experience. Feeding commercial dog food since 1950's, I became more and more concerned about exactly what I was forcing my dogs to live on. When I did a little research, I became very critical of commercial dog food companies.

This book changed the way I feed my own dogs and has become the book I recommend to everyone who asks me about what dog food I recommend. This book has changed the way I look at nutrician for my dogs.

Ed Frawley
Leerburg Kennels

1. Species-Appropriate Nutrition

• Raw Food
  
• Evolutionary Timeline

2. The Ultimate Diet

• Basic Food Groups
  
• The Ultimate Diet Raw Food Pyramid
  
• Diet Comparison

3. Making the Meal

• Food and Water Dishes
  
• Why Buy Organic
  
• Resources for Diet Ingredients

4. How Often Should Your Pets Eat

• Fasting

5. Snacks, Treats and Travel

6. Herbs and Green Foods

7. Foods to Avoid

8. Making the Switch

• Detoxification

9. Pregnancy, Puppies and Kittens

10. Senior Citizens

11. General Guidelines

12. Species-Appropriate Sources of Nutrients

13. Your Tribe

There are an estimated 60 million dogs and 70 million cats living as beloved companions in this country alone, and feeding pets is a multimillion-dollar business. A significant proportion of pet owners are now turning to holistic health care to prevent disease and enhance their pets' well-being.

The foundation of holistic care is optimal nutrition. Our own doctors extol the virtues of eating fewer processed foods and adding more fresh foods to our diet if we wish to enjoy good health. Certainly, our dogs and cats deserve the same consideration! In this reader-friendly book, author Kymthy R. Schultze shows you how a species-appropriate diet of raw, natural foods can lead to an enhanced quality of life for your pet. You'll learn how to easily [prepare a nutritious homemade meal, which can help your pet develop a shiny coat, healthy skin and digestion, clean teeth, bright eyes, and also reduce flea problems and bad breath.

If you love your pet, Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats is an invaluable book that you'll want to keep handy at all times!

About the Author

Kymythy R. Schultze, C.C.N., A.H.I. has been a trailblazer in the field of animal nutrition for over a decade. Her professional experience with animals includes being a trainer, a breeder, a groomer, a veterinary assistant for multiple doctors, and a wildlife rehabilitator licensed with the federal government. She has studied many holistic and allopathic modalities, including tutorage with Dr. Richard Dahout, and canine nutrition at Cornell University. She has also hosted a popular radio talk show featuring health and community service issues.

Kymythy is certified Clinical Nutritionist and a certified Animal Health Instructor, and teaches classes in holistic care for dogs and cats at a California college and worldwide. Her nutritional recommendations are endorsed by holistic and allopathic veterinarians. She has fed her own dogs and cats a species-appropriate diet of raw foods for many years with proven results. Her breeding program has produced American and International champions; titled draft, obedience, and water rescue dogs; and, most important, nurtured beloved family companions. She has helped hundreds of people all over the world improve the health of their dogs and cats, naturally. Kymythy is also the editor of the Holistic Dog and Cat newsletter, with circulation worldwide.

Here are the books that I think every dog owner that is interested in the health and a natural diet for their dogs should own. These 5 books will forever change the way that you look at the health and care of your dogs.

Give Your Dog A Bone by Ian Billinghurst

Grow Your Pups With Bones by Ian Billinghurst

The Nature of Animal Healing by Martin Goldstein, D.V.M.

The BARF Diet by Ian Billinghurst

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy R. Schultze

Book Review:

A Review by John Eilertsen, Ph.D.

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet argues for the feeding of a balanced raw diet to domesticated dogs and cats instead of commercially prepared kibble. Forwards by two holistic veterinarians offer brief comments on the connections between diet and wellness, and encourage the reader to use this book as an introduction, or stepping stone, to learn more about the nutritional needs of pet animals and how proper nutrition can prevent or remedy pet ailments.

The author’s views on health and nutrition are quite in keeping with concepts of folk and alternative medical systems in this country. Over twenty-five years ago I had the opportunity to investigate folk veterinary medicine applied to hunting dogs in West Virginia, and eventually presented a doctoral dissertation on a folk healer and his folk healing system to the Department of Folklore and Folk life at the University of Pennsylvania. Like that West Virginian healer, Schultze presents an argument that reflects a carefully thought out system of nutrition and wellness for pet dogs and cats based on personal experience, formal and informal training, anecdotal evidence, and alternative (non-mainstream) health beliefs and practices.

The author’s basic points supporting feeding a raw diet for pet dogs and cats are:

1. Dogs and cats are carnivores, the products of an evolutionary process that has shaped their nutritional needs and digestive systems. They need meat in their diets, as well as various supplements.

2. Bacteria found in raw meats and elsewhere are not a problem for healthy dogs and cats.

3. Commercial pet food products, although convenient, lack vital enzymes and provide no variety for dogs and cats.

4. Heating or cooking commercial food during processing makes them even less viable and in some cases dangerous to health.

5. For thousands of years humans fed their dogs and cats the same unprocessed foods they were preparing for themselves and for their families, so processed foods therefore are demonstrated to not be necessary.

Included in the book is information on what ingredients to buy, how to prepare balanced meals for dogs and cats, how often to feed young, old, and pregnant animals, how to balance the meals with vegetables and supplements, and much more.

In any case, this book is a good read, and it contains an informative, thoughtful presentation of the author’s views on a holistic health system that she believes to be a sound and humane way to feed and care for pet dogs and cats. I rate this book at four stars.