Review: Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats

I feel like I might be the last dog lover to read this book because I’ve seen it mentioned all over the interwebs, but I finally got around to combing through Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

Over the past six months or so, ever since Emmett’s cancer diagnosis, I’ve been sort of obsessed with researching dog food, nutrition, health care, alternatives, everything. I spent a lot of time perusing the dog shelf at my local library, and ultimately ended up checking out Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

Well, after accruing a $0.75 late fee (I’m hanging my head in shame), I ended up purchasing it for myself!

This isn’t the type of book that you would want to sit down and read cover to cover. Although I read several of the chapters all the way through, I think the real value in this book is to be familiar with what it contains and have it on your shelf as a reference when you have a specific question. For instance, even though I was primarily focused on the food and cancer sections, I recently pulled it off the shelf to see what he said about dry, itchy skin when I noticed Emmett had some dandruff.

I firmly believe that being a pet parent means choosing what is going to work best for you and for your pet. This book presents a number of alternative or natural options. Whether you choose to follow, to ignore, or to customize the suggestions, there’s great value in having extra information at your fingertips. We’re not going to start feeding his suggested diet to the boys for a number of reasons, but we are incorporating some of his supplement suggestions.

The condition-specific sections are useful for the same reason: When you’re facing a disease, it’s best to have all the information and options you can gather to make sure you make the best decision for you.

Overall, Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats is a really great resource that any dog lover should have on the shelf. While it’s not something you probably want to curl up with at night, it’s a great resource, chock full of condition-specific information and tips for your pet to live a happier, healthier life.

Have you read this book? I’d love to hear what other dog lovers have incorporated from this book. How’s it working?

Note: The links above go to my Amazon Associates page. Check out my brand new tab (Disclaimer & Guest Posts) for more details.