Mimi Kirk - The Plant-Based Dog Food Diet: Easy Recipes for Healthy Dogs

The information in this book is not in place of seeing your veterinarian or diagnosing any disease or condition your dog might have. Before starting your pet on any changes to their diet or giving them supplements, please check with your veterinarian. The recipes in this book are to benefit a dogs diet along with your regular veterinarian care. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information and the recipes in this book are nutritionally sound and balanced. The authors and publisher are not liable for any adverse effects your dog may experience while eating plant-based foods and/or our recipes.

Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. Thats the problem.

A. A. MILNE, WINNIE-THE-POOH

To Bianca, best friend, foodie, sous-chef, and taste tester.

IN AN AGE WHERE RECALLS OF PET FOOD HAVE BECOME ALL TOO COMMON AND dog guardians are increasingly conscientious about what their four-legged friends are consuming, this timely book serves as a practical guide for promoting true wellness in our canine companions, thus warding off diseases such as cancer, which are affecting an alarmingly high percentage of dogs nowadays. As a practicing veterinarian for thirteen years, I have seen many dogs suffering from allergies, including to chicken and beef, which are greatly alleviated by switching to a plant-based diet. I have also seen far too many dogs afflicted with cancer who were euthanized because of it. The oath to protect animals from suffering that I took upon graduating veterinary school resonates deeply with me and I feel it is my duty to prevent suffering, not only for companion animals but farmed animals as well. Choosing a vegan diet for myself to prevent the suffering of farmed animals, along with the environmental and health benefits, made sense.

For some time during the earlier part of my academic career, I felt an internal conflict feeding meat to omnivorous dogs, since I did not want to cause the death of one animal to feed another. However, when I looked into the issue more thoroughly and became familiar with the science behind nutrition, I was amazed to learn about some significant health concerns around feeding dogs a conventional meat-based diet and I came to realize that well-balanced, plant-based diets not only satisfy dogs nutritional requirements but also provide a much cleaner diet in terms of exposure to toxins. These toxins include carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals such as arsenic, dioxins, DDT, PCBS, and mercury, to name a few, which concentrate in animal tissue and bioaccumulate up the food chain.

Its certainly understandable that the popular view amongst many dog guardians and veterinarians is that dogs require meat in their diet. However, the reality is that dogs are omnivores and they may not need meat in their diets. In fact, there are numerous commercially available, AAFCO-approved, plant-based diets that can meet the dietary requirements of shelter dogs, while improving the health of the dogs, while also addressing some of the most urgent issues of our time. We are sleepwalking off a cliff with regards to climate change, the availability of fresh drinking water, and a build-up of dangerous, carcinogenic toxins in our bodies, the bodies of our animal companions, and the environment. A United Nations study entitled Livestocks Long Shadow points to animal agriculture as the leading cause of climate change. Today both humans and dogs face life-threatening environmental problems andgiven that scientific evidence supports the viability and benefits of nutritionally complete and balanced plant-based diets for dogsit is important to find viable options for nourishing our canine companions without causing unnecessary harm to other creatures or the planet that we all call home. This book provides a wealth of vitally important information for dog guardians and features delicious, nourishing, homemade plant-based recipes which are certain to delight the palateof both dogs and their human caretakers alike.

AT THE SIMPLE WAG OF A TAIL, THE BOND BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PUP IS immediate and lasting. It acts as a silent agreement that they will be your caf companion, morning stroll sidekick, and if lucky, bedmate. Its a built-in friendship destined to last.

According to the American Pet Products Association, there are more than 80 million household dogs in the United States, and in 2016 Americans spent more than $60 billion on their pets, buying luxury beds, blingy dog collars, dog carriers, toys, clothes, and pet bowls, proving there is no end to how much people love their pets.

Furthering mans unyielding love for his pooch, a New York Times article, When the Dog Decides Where You Live, revealed that some pet parents will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to live close to their dog walkers, sacrificing location to find the right apartment for their dogs happiness. This may sound strange to a non-dog lover but to those who consider dogs to be part of the family, caring for your dogs comfort and health is perfectly normal. Parents want to keep their dogs healthy and happy from puppy to senior years.

We love our dogs so much that we walk them daily, give them a nice comfy bed (or let them sleep in ours), put their sweaters or jackets on when the weather turns cold, give them shelter, and scratch their bellies. Despite all this love and care, the National Cancer Institutes Comparative Oncology Program reports that more than half of US dogs get cancer and other diseases. They may become overweight, be prescribed medications, and seem to need constant medical care. Indeed, canine pharmaceutical companies are becoming as large as human pharmaceutical companies. Nonetheless, dogs continue to get sick and its painful to watch. Something is just not right!

Most commercial dog food brands will tell you that they are fortified with vitamins and antioxidants to keep your dog living healthier and longer. These foods, however, are full of chemically processed mystery ingredients. The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (a cooperation between the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) worries that exposure to acrylamide and other compounds that have been found in commercial dog food may cause cancer. We know dogs are not picky eaters. They will eat out of garbage cans when left to their own devices. But, as our dogs guardian, its our responsibility to choose whats best for our domesticated companions when it comes to their food. Fresh, organic homemade meals are a great improvement from that chemically processed mystery dog chow. And while there is more research being done on the ingredients that go into commercial dog food, we feel it is always better to be safe than sorry and feed your dogs organic homemade food.