Dog Food Logic - Making Smart Decisions For Your Dog In An Age Of Too Many Choices

by Linda P. Case

Choosing the right dog food in a world with too many choices
Walking down the dog food aisle in a pet supply superstore can present you with an overwhelming number of choices. Reading about dog food on the internet can make your head spin with so many opinions and stories. And judging the content that you find on dog food packaging can be confusing and misleading. How can the average dog owner make an informed choice in accordance with her dog’s age, size and condition? In her latest book, author Linda Case describes how to make logical, evidence-based decisions for what to feed your dog amid all the options available.

You will learn
• How pet food marketers appeal to your emotions to persuade you to buy a particular type of dog food.
• To distinguish between scientific, evidence-based information and the anecdotal evidence which is so pervasive—and often misleading—in the dog food arena.
• Is there a scientific basis for dog foods designed specifically for puppies, senior dogs, canine athletes—even various breeds of dogs?
• How to read and evaluate all of the material included on a typical package of dog food from the ingredients and label claims (“Natural,” “Anti-Oxidant,” “Low Fat”),to the Nutrient Analysis and Nutritional Adequacy statements.
• How to avoid choice paralysis and the cognitive traps that can interfere with clear decision making.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Science

363 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2014

About the author

Linda Case is a well-known author and dog trainer who speaks world-wide about evidence-based dog training, behavior and nutrition. She taught at the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine for 20 years and owns AutumnGold Dog Training Center in Illinois. She writes the popular blog, The Science Dog (https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/).

Reviews

[Eileen Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a dog person through and through, and felt like I had moderate skill at making choices about my dog's food. But reading this book caused me to change what I feed my dogs. Not because she recommends any specific foods, but because she teaches you how to assess them yourself.

I wrote a review of this book on my blog:

http://eileenanddogs.com/2014/03/28/d...

I recommend it highly! All paws up!

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly, until now I usually dreaded reading dog nutrition books but as a veterinarian I dutifully kept reading them hoping that someday I might just find one that I could recommend and that could help my clients make good decisions about their pet's nutrition. I think I've finally found that book.

Without giving a specific recommendation Ms. Case does an excellent job of walking readers through the common pitfalls and psychological tricks used by nutrition companies to mislead pet owners and how you can acknowledge how much we love our pet and then think critically about nutrition to pick the best food possible for them.

As promised the book is a compelling read and brings in a lot of the popular science and psychology concepts you'd see from the bestseller's lists.

My major qualm is with a flow chart that discusses how to find reliable recipes for homemade pet food diets that does not make specific reference to diets specifically formulated by veterinary nutritionists given studies suggesting that several recipes that may appear reputable from books and online sources may in fact not be complete and balanced. Additionally, as a veterinarian who has seen pet owners with individuals on chemotherapy feed their pets raw food diets and then have those pets lick the faces of those cancer patients, I generally feel most books should issue stronger warnings about the potential risks of raw diets to people, but this book still does a good job and a better job than most.

Still, the best dog nutrition book I have had a chance to read so far.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s going in the top 5 of my list of favorite dog care books. Wish I’d read it when it first came out a couple of years ago. The first part is a wee bit chewy as it explains how humans think and how our emotions influence how we care for our dogs, to show how we are susceptible to marketing tricks and unsubstantiated memes & anecdotes. I saw how it tied in once I got to the nutrition part of it. I can see how I’ve fallen for some non-researched BS because of it, but no more.

[Steve1988 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is basically tells you to buy only scientific based dog dry kibble . It tell you to avoid raw , herbs and supplements but say these are only a fad .
It compares different dry food ingredients and how to pick the right food . She does compare everything to her real life and what she does . She goes on about how people are influenced by marketing pretty pictures and advertising on tv .

[Sharon Jean M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I loved this book! So informative and I learned so much! I was so happy to see someone take the perspective of "this isn't good or bad, but here's how to make an informed decision". What a fantastic piece of nonfiction.

[Dale M. Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening book on the pet food industry. It's jam packed with useful information. Anyone who is serious about what they feed their pets must read this book.

[Bulbul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend this book to all pet parents.

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be better as a pamphlet. Basically, "meat is the first ingredient" means little in extruded dog food as so much moisture is lost. Second and third ingredients matter. Vegetables are ok as domestic dogs are omnivores. For all of this money, I really wanted some good brand/food recommendations and none were offered.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It taught me so much about the current science behind dog nutrition, the psychology of choosing a food, and the numerous ways companies affect our choices through marketing.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

200 pages on dog food is a lot. parts of this book were very ibterestful and useful, but other parts could have been much more concise.