Rating: 
Summary: Save their lives!
Review: Feed your dog in a biologically appropriate manner and watch them get really well for the first time in their lives! This book sets you in the right direction to get you started without confusing you with a lot of recipes and potions. Understand the concept of "building a prey animal", then follow your instincts. This book is a great place to enter into the underground world of natural pet nutrition, leaving the pet food industry behind.
Rating:
Summary: A great starting point
Review: Having known relativley little on the subject of raw natural diets, I found this book to be an excellent starting point. It is easy to read, consise, to the point, and is very encouraging for the novice. It has a sample monthly menu which I found invaluable when changing my dogs over to the nautral diet. I have since read many books on the subject but I refer back to this book the most. I would have liked more specific information regarding feeding puppies and their specific growing needs.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good stuff!
Review: I found this book to be full of useful facts about animal nutrition and care. It gives useful suggestions for your pets dietary needs and also gives an excellent break down of what is essential and what is bad for your pets. However, I didn't care too much for Shultze's writing style. I feel that if she had just stuck to the facts, it would have been more compelling, But she tends to use "emotional" language that tries to frighten the reader into trying this diet, although I do agree that some of the fact are quite frightening. Overall...it is a definate must read for pet owners who really love their pet and want to provide the highest qualitiy of life!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for the curious pet owner
Review: I have read more literature on natural diets and "raw food" then I'd like to admit, and I like to think I know a little about the subject, so I approached this book with the "here we go again" mentality. I was pleasantly surprised! Kymythy Shultze is very straightforward in her presentation of the facts surrounding commercial pet food. She lays everything out on the table in a matter-of-fact way which I find refreshing. It isn't the biggest book, nor is it a "complete guide" but I believe it is an accurate and enlightening book. Best Features:
· Easy-to-read style
· Honest author who seems "friendly" and definitely credible
· Compiled facts for maximum information
· Short and to the point, yet not too superficial Other reviewers have mentioned that you can find all of the information contained within its pages in other ("better") books. No, Shultze doesn't have any astonishingly new or outrageous views that can't be found in other natural pet food books or articles... and it is definitely geared more towards dog owners.. But this little book is a great introduction for the curious. Like any book pertaining to dogs, you will want to read more than just one before you consider yourself "informed" and I think this is a good book to begin with. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is partially familiar with natural pet diets or any dog owner willing to learn. I also think it would make a great gift for someone you love who has pets!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for the curious pet owner
Review: I have read more literature on natural diets and "raw food" then I'd like to admit, and I like to think I know a little about the subject, so I approached this book with the "here we go again" mentality. I was pleasantly surprised! Kymythy Shultze is very straightforward in her presentation of the facts surrounding commercial pet food. She lays everything out on the table in a matter-of-fact way which I find refreshing. It isn't the biggest book, nor is it a "complete guide" but I believe it is an accurate and enlightening book. Best Features:
· Easy-to-read style
· Honest author who seems "friendly" and definitely credible
· Compiled facts for maximum information
· Short and to the point, yet not too superficial Other reviewers have mentioned that you can find all of the information contained within its pages in other ("better") books. No, Shultze doesn't have any astonishingly new or outrageous views that can't be found in other natural pet food books or articles... and it is definitely geared more towards dog owners.. But this little book is a great introduction for the curious. Like any book pertaining to dogs, you will want to read more than just one before you consider yourself "informed" and I think this is a good book to begin with. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is partially familiar with natural pet diets or any dog owner willing to learn. I also think it would make a great gift for someone you love who has pets!
Rating: 
Summary: this book has opened my eyes!
Review: I just finished reading this book. And I really urge every pet lover to read it as well. It has really opened my eyes on the way I have been feeding my pets over the years (commercial food) and I just can't wait to take the next step and apply all that I have learned in this book to my everyday pet's life.
It is so well explained, clear and logical. My oldest cat suffers from bad kidneys, as most cats fed on commercial food. I hope, also I do not doubt it, that changing his diet to a normal carnivore diet will help him get better and enjoy life longer. I am very happy I have read this book, and trust in it completely, and encourage every cat and dog lover to do the same (read the book) and give more time and better food to their companion. And thank you Kymythy R. Schultze for writing such a wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Thinking about making a switch?
Review: I read this book several years ago and have been feeding my dogs this diet for almost 2 years. They have never looked better! I found the book to be very well laid out, easy to read and gave me information I wanted and needed without being full of scientific jargon. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about feeding their pet a species appropriate diet- your pet will thank you for it!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful starting point for those new to BARF feeding.
Review: I was feeding BARF for about 3 years before I FINALLY got Kymythy's book.
By that time I was already so familiar with her ideas as those who introduced me to the change also use her plans as their guide.
I was so happy and thankful to finally get my own copy.
Now, her book is part of my Kitten info pack going out with each of my kittens to their new owners.
I do not follow her diet ''per letter'', and make changes as I learn and as my intuition guide me.... This all comes with researching and becoming informed. As we learn more what benefits our animals, we make changes.
None the less, an excellent starting point for those new to RAW/BARF feeding. My only caution is with those she refers at the back of her book.
At least one of those listed is performing nothing less than quackery in his ''Holistic'' animal practice. It was hard to tell a kitten buyer to use caution with one of those she refers..... takes away some of the enthusiasm I have for her.
Rating: 
Summary: Too basic, even for a beginner
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Thin book without much useful info
Review: 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!
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