Health and Nutrition for Dogs and Cats
A Guide for Pet Parents
By (author) David G. Wellock Foreword by Jim Walker
Publication date:
11 April 2013Length of book:
216 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442220867
While the internet provides pet parents with a great deal of information, finding and understanding that information can be like wading through a bog at midnight without a flashlight. In spite of the internet, pet parents remain desperate for valid resources. Health and Nutrition for Dogs and Cats is timely, informative, and delivers sensible information on topics of importance to all pet owners. From reading pet food labels to storing food, from understanding appropriate calorie intake to food allergies, David Wellock helps readers better understand the dietary needs of their dogs and cats.
In recent years, Americans have come to pay more attention to the foods they eat. This trend toward a healthier lifestyle quickly found its way into the world of pet foods, allowing better diets to find success in the marketplace. However, the change has been somewhat perplexing for pet parents as they struggle to sort out the various, and sometimes misleading, messages surrounding the new foods available to their pets. Here, a seasoned expert in the care and feeding of dogs and cats, provides fact-filled, no nonsense, understandable information on the topics pet parents need to know in order to purchase and prepare food and develop an appropriate diet for their furry charges.
In recent years, Americans have come to pay more attention to the foods they eat. This trend toward a healthier lifestyle quickly found its way into the world of pet foods, allowing better diets to find success in the marketplace. However, the change has been somewhat perplexing for pet parents as they struggle to sort out the various, and sometimes misleading, messages surrounding the new foods available to their pets. Here, a seasoned expert in the care and feeding of dogs and cats, provides fact-filled, no nonsense, understandable information on the topics pet parents need to know in order to purchase and prepare food and develop an appropriate diet for their furry charges.
[F]ed up with being underpaid and underappreciated' at his long-time job, Wellock decided to purchase a 'down-but-not-totally-out' franchise of pet supply stores, and the wealth of knowledge he’s amassed since then selling dog and cat food is compiled in this thorough, pleasant manual. Wellock is a conscientious purveyor of pet foods with a knack for customer service. He occasionally lays out three or four varieties of kibble for his four-footed customers to taste-test. 'Pet parents' will appreciate Wellock’s good-natured tone, penchant for dad humor, and detail-oriented approach: in a chapter entitled 'How to Read a Pet Food Package' he gives thoughtful exegesis on ingredient lists from a 'poor-quality traditional dog food', a 'good-quality contemporary dog food', a 'grain-free diet' for a cat, a 'raw diet', a 'baked diet', and a 'dehydrated' meal. He decodes terms for mysterious, potentially troublesome ingredients like 'chicken by-product meal' and also covers hot topics like 'portion control' (citing a study which finds that most people with obese pets think their pet is not obese), 'mooching', and arthritis. It may be prudent to note that Wellock is not a veterinarian; however, he is thoughtful, well-informed, and cares deeply about your pets, despite having never met them.