Feeding Dogs: The Science Behind The Dry Versus Raw Debate

"Modern canine nutrition demands we trust the science more so than actually understand it because to pull back the curtain just a little reveals the magic show for what it is – a very clever illusion."

From the vet health professional to canine professional to the avid canine enthusiast, Feeding Dogs is a fascinating, at times shocking and utterly essential portrayal of canine nutrition today. With a clear and tangible passion for the subject but with an entertaining, highly readable style, Dr Conor Brady forensically translates the available research on a great variety of topics, detailing for us not only what dogs should eat but what they are currently being fed. Crucially, modern diet strategies are linked to many of the diseases that plague our pets today, including obesity, cancer, pancreatitis and bloat. As the scientific and corporate tricks reveal themselves, the fantasy of a 'complete' diet falls away, replaced with the knowledge that formulating a balanced dog diet by ourselves is not only uncomplicated but utterly essential to their health and longevity.
With more than 500 pages and 1200 references, Feeding Dogs is the most thorough examination of the canine nutrition debate to date. Over four large sections, it provides:

• Section 1: An examination of what the dog consumes when left to his own devices and the biological and physiological machinery that facilitates that process.
• Section 2: A thorough presentation of the major issues with ultra-processed kibble including the effects of excessive carbohydrates, insufficient protein, erratic nutrient contents and hazardous microbiology on the health of the dog. All these chapters will be a first for most vets. Also, for the first time, the scientific evidence in support of raw feeding is collated including head-to-head studies that examine both dry and raw-fed dog populations and the effects of poor nutrition on behaviour.
• Section 3: A staggering reveal of the problems in the veterinary sector, from the gross lack of adequate nutritional training and regulation of the pet food sector to the pseudoscience that is currently being fed to us by the industry.
• Section 4: An expansive description of what might constitute the ideal canine diet might look like. From a fascinating dissection of what balance means to a thorough exploration of what ingredient and why, Dr Conor Brady presents new insights that will keep both amateur and raw-pro gripped to the end (and what an end!).

Each chapter comes with a complete bibliography and handy take-home points.

Finally! A well-written, well-referenced, thorough examination of the raw dog food debate. Dr. Brady provides a detailed summary of all the issues, leaving the reader well-educated and ready to engage in a knowledgable conversation with raw-ignorant or naive pet professionals looking for more information. A fantastic gift for your favourite veterinarian.
Dr. Karen Becker, DVM

“In this masterfully researched and written exposé, Conor Brady details the raw truth about canine nutrition; why dry dog food is so damaging, how modern research is designed to sell product, never to find truth, and the enormous benefits that only a fresh raw and whole food diet can provide. A valuable addition to the serious raw feeder’s library.”
Dr. Ian Billinghurst, best-selling author of Give Your Dog a Bone

“This remarkable book is the first of its kind. Researched comprehensively and meticulously detailed, it remains pleasantly readable and credible to the academic and home raw food enthusiast alike. It is a must for everyone with even a passing interest in species-appropriate nutrition for dogs. Dr. Nick Thompson, Founder of the Raw Feeding Vet Society

After college, I spent five years in guide dogs as a pup supervisor and guide dog trainer. It was while I was working in Guide Dogs in Australia that the true powers of raw feeding came to light. That was 14 years ago. The time since, bar a couple of years as a producer myself, I have spent as a full-time writer, speaker and dedicated advocate for natural canine food and health, much of which you can find at my website www.dogsfirst.ie. As a dog lover and keen researcher, the subject fascinated and consumes me, providing me with near bottomless rabbit holes that demand exploration. I live with my wife and daughter in Wicklow, Ireland and am proud father to a to a slightly odd blue roan cocker called Dudley. What he lacks in brains and finesse he makes up with single-minded determination, though that statement is equally true for the both of us. Dr Conor Brady, BSc. PhD. Anim. Behav.