Four Books on Pet Health You Must Read

Loving pet owners will do anything in their power to protect their pets, ensuring their fur-babies live long and healthy lives.

It all starts with educating oneself.

Here are four excellent books worth reading that will help you along the way.

Food Pets Die For by Ann Martin

Food Pets Die for: Shocking Facts About Pet Food by Ann N. Martin was the first expos‚ of the shocking practices within the pet food manufacturing industry. Since the book’s publication in 1997, she has been calling attention to the dubious ingredients and methods employed by many firms. And in this updated guide, Martin continues to put pressure on the big companies to find alternatives. She suggests that if acceptable commercially prepared food is not available, food can be made at home using safe and human-quality ingredients, and she provides recipes and suggestions for supplements.

Protect Your Pet by Ann Martin

More Shocking Facts, an expos of inadequate regulation and unsavory industry practices. With perseverance, she eventually ferreted out the truth confirmed by the head of one meat-processing company that the U.S. permits the sale of condemned meat as pet food. Though it may provoke disgust and outrage, pet owners who want the best for their cats and dogs should read this book.

Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine by Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle, acclaimed author of Food Politics, now tells the gripping story of how, in early 2007, a few telephone calls about sick cats set off the largest recall of consumer products in U.S. history and an international crisis over the safety of imported goods ranging from food to toothpaste, tires, and toys. Nestle follows the trail of tainted pet food ingredients back to their source in China and along the supply chain to their introduction into feed for pigs, chickens, and fish in the United States, Canada, and other countries throughout the world. What begins as a problem “merely” for cats and dogs soon becomes an issue of tremendous concern to everyone. Nestle uncovers unexpected connections among the food supplies for pets, farm animals, and people and identifies glaring gaps in the global oversight of food safety.

Stop the Shots!: Are Vaccinations Killing Our Pets? by John Clifton

Most pet owners aren’t aware of the dangers in animal vaccinations that have been discovered in recent years. In this compact, easy-to-understand volume, John Clifton explains the very real risks involved every time a dog or cat gets a shot. The major veterinary associations now agree that vaccinations can trigger all sorts of maladies, from allergies to cancer – but most pet caretakers (and many veterinarians, it seems) haven’t gotten the word.

This is an important book for every pet owner to read. In a conversational, direct, non-technical voice it guides the reader in formulating an intelligent approach to animal vaccinations. Clifton lays out all the major issues: whether to vaccinate or not, which shots to give and which to avoid, how to know if and when a shot should be repeated. And, importantly, the risks in over-vaccinating. Holistic as well as orthodox medical opinions are presented. Despite the title, readers are not advised flat out to abandon vaccinations. Rather, they are encouraged to learn about the risks and benefits – and “stop the shots” until they are fully informed.

If you have any books you’d like to recommend, please feel free to share.

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