References & More Information

While there are many resources available, I have found the following provide consistently credible and helpful information. My assumption is that the more you know, the better caregiver you will be. Right?

Food & Feeding

  • Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, by Lew Olson, PhD. My go-to & favorite reference book; includes diets for specific medical conditions. Also, check out Lew's monthly newsletter.

  • Dogaware.com Mary Straus has a wealth of diet & health information on her easily searchable web site.

  • The Whole Dog Journal. An advertising-free monthly print publication with articles that always seem to be relevant for me or someone I know. Check out the Blog. Annual commercial food reviews. Subscribers have access to past issues on-line. I strongly recommend a subscription.

  • Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, by Steve Brown. Another good raw feeding reference book.

  • Google "dog food making process", for both historical and current information about dog food & feeding.

Dog Care, General

  • The Whole Dog Journal See above.

  • The Dog Anatomy Workbook, by Gardiner, ed. A great & easy way to learn about canine anatomy. I use to help identify possible anatomical and physiological causes of observed symptoms (e.g., chewing, licking, limping, etc.).

  • The Healing Touch for Dogs, by Dr. Michael W. Fox. Helped me learn how to massage the senior dogs - one with arthritis and one with arthritis and spondylosis. Massage works as good or better than acupuncture, acupressure, and chiropractic (I've wasted money on all of them; they are non-science-based and do not pass clinical trials). Besides, its a great bonding opportunity.

Other Good Stuff

Veterinary Care

  • The SkeptVet A science-based veterinary medicine supporter who is critical of therapies that have not proven to be safe or effective, that may be harmful to your dog, or are useless. Supporting rationale is provided.

    • You would be wise to research pseudo-scientific 'treatments' here (homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc.,) before spending your money on a treatment with little-to-no scientific basis. During trials, most perform no better than a placebo.

    • Note that the SkeptVet is a traditional clinical veterinarian and has neither experience nor critical thinking knowledge regarding feeding dogs (and cats) an evolutionary and biologically-appropriate real food diet. Food articles reflect his strong confirmation bias toward feeding manufactured / processed dog food.

  • Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog A great source for vaccination protocol articles, thyroid articles, and general health articles.

  • Science-Based Veterinary Medicine Helpful for learning about veterinary medicine that is based in science versus non-scientific practices such as acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, etc.

  • Pet insurance may help reduce veterinary costs - or not. Do your homework; do the math.

Scientific Classification

  • The above image is from Google Images (search: dog phylogeny).