Review: Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs

Lew Olson, PhD, author of the new book "Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs - The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals" was super kind to send us one of her books for our review not too long ago.

Being a green dog, I'm really concerned about the food I eat. Mum has always held the belief that whole foods, those that are unprocessed and in their natural form, have the highest nutritional value and are the most good for her. So it was only natural that she apply that philosophy to my diet as well, when she adopted me!

Since we travel a lot with agility and such, and find it very difficult when we are away to find raw foods without antibiotics and hormones, I eat a variety of foods, raw, cooked, and a little super-duper high quality kibble, with supplements to keep me in the best health and shape possible. So when Lew sent us her book, we were super excited, because it really supports our

philosophy too!

We've been reading the book on and off over the past weeks, and found that we're picking it up often as a resource. It's organized very well to help you understand the importance of nutrition, what foods are best, how to find the best foods, and even how to feed. We loved the section on 'recipes' for feeding raw, since when we first got into raw it was a bit daunting to know what to buy and what to feed. But Lew explains it very thoroughly in an easy to understand manner!

BTW - that's me chomping down on a raw organic chicken back that we get from a local farm that raises organic chicken, pork and beef and cut's it all up for us! Nom!

In the book Lew discusses canine nutritional needs and explains the research on how home-prepared foods, particularly raw foods, can meet pets' needs better than commercial, processed dog food. Very important stuff...especially with all the nasty new and recalls on processed foods over the past years!

But the best part is that Lew talks about how you can start with small steps to improve your dog's diet, and grow from there! And for those that think feeding raw is difficult, well, this book will make you think it's easy and you can do it too, because it is!

We highly recommend the book, so here are some resources on where to find it:

Dogwise Barnes and Noble

Today is Blog Action Day! A Day to Change the World!

I may be a dog, but even I know that dogs, just like humans, can have a positive and negative impact on our amazing Planet Earth.

Today is Blog Action Day, a day when bloggers from 125 different countries, in every corner of the Planet, come together to talk about water issues in our communities and around the World to bring awareness to the growing concerns about one of our most precious resources.

Water is a very important part of any dog's and human's life, it's our lifeblood. As we talked about in our blog post "Water, the basis of a dog's life" not all water is safe, and for some in the World it's scarce!

We wanted to share today our top 10 tips for helping to keep your water healthier, safer and available for you, your dog and for all of us!

So let's get started!

• Go organic! Those chemicals many put on their lawns can be very dangerous for your dog and for you. So intead use organic fertilizers to healthy up your lawn, use all-natural means to battle pests and create an organic, healthy and safe lawn for your dog and for you and your family.
• Purchase fruits, vegetables and meats from your local organic farmer and help to minimize the use of dangerous farm chemicals that are big polluters of our lakes, rivers and streams.
• Pick up your dog's doo when out and about and dispose of it the most environmentally friendly way possible! This cuts down on the spread of unhealthy diseases that can be spread through puddles, creeks and streams, and saves on landfill use and leaching of the bad stuff into our water supply.
• Purchase safe reusable water/beverage bottles when toting water for your dog and for yourself. It's not only healthier, but it saves on the contribution of disposed water bottles in our landfills. Best bests for reusable water bottles are made with stainless steel.
• Utilize a water filter for your dog's water that filters out both dangerous chlorines and fluorides to help your dog be healthier.
• Replace any plastic dog bowls that may leash dangerous chemicals into your dog's water with stainless steel bowls. And use vinegar/water to clean them regularly.
• Keep your pup from drinking out of the garden hose, the combination of leaching plastic, chlorine and fluoride, and lead from brass fittings can be dangerous and unhealthy.
• Get a filtered low flow bath/shower head for your dog's bathing area to save on water usage and filter out those dangerous water chemicals.
• Utilize environmentally friendly shampoos, conditioners, cleaning products, laundry detergents, non-chlorine stain removers and other items to keep your water cleaner in your community, and healthier and safer for your dog and for you.
• Keep your pup from drinking out of, or swimming in, potentially harmful ponds, streams, rivers or puddles, it will keep them healthier and happier...just as a green dog should be.

This is just a start! We challenge you to take one step, one paw forward, in helping to positively effect the Planet, our Planet...our wonderful, wonderful Planet Earth!

Together, we really can change the World!!!