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The Facts About Grain-Free Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Part One – The Evidence (and How It Has Been Misinterpreted by Leading Veterinarians)

In a way, this piece is a reaction to a press release issued by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month informing pet owners that the organization had begun investigating a potential link between diet and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), an historically rare disease characterized by enlargement (dilation) of the heart muscles. But, more […]

Diabetes, Dog Food, and Carbohydrates: What You Need to Know to Make the Best Decision For Your Best Friend

Canine diabetes mellitus is one of the most common and serious endocrine disorders diagnosed in pet dogs. It’s often debilitating, sometimes deadly, and almost always expensive to treat.  Studies suggest that it’s getting more common too. In lay terms, the disease is characterized by having too much sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream and not enough […]

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Benefits of Raw Dog Foods

What follows is my skeptical analysis of the arguments commonly made for why raw-ingredient diets are “better” for dogs than those based primarily upon cooked products. It’s a lengthy (3,000+ words) and in-depth piece. Perfect for passing the time while waiting for a delayed flight or taking a break from an awkward Thanksgiving table debate about the recent election. I have been […]

Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma Is Out Today — Why You Need It and How to Get It (For Cheap)

Today is a big day for me. I’ve spent the better part of the past decade researching and writing a book. It’s called Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma. It’s about America’s pet obesity epidemic. And it’s being released today. I had originally planned for this “release day” post to be about why I wrote the book. My personal motivations, the cast […]

Something You Actually WILL Read About Carbs in Veterinary Nutrition Textbooks

As I discuss in considerable detail in Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma, there is near-universal acceptance among the mainstream veterinary nutritional “authorities” (the handful of board-certified veterinary nutritionists and countless self-appointed experts) that “a calorie is a calorie” and that carbohydrates are not uniquely fattening for dogs and cats. This despite the inconvenient truths that (1) there […]