5 comments about Shiba Inus (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. Really lovely book, easy to read, looks of interesting points, made up my husbands mind to buy a Shiba



2. Good, book but short/small. If you really want to learn about Shiba's I would get something a little more extensive. But, it did the job.



3. This book was great for learning about specific care needs of the Shiba, personality traits of the Shiba, and breeding and showing your Shiba.



4. Concise but packed with breed-specific information. Very very helpful as I start educating myself more on this wonderful breed!



5. A basic book. Gives you a bottom line what the Dog is. A good help if you decide to get one and have no idea what they are like. This dog has alot of pluses. They are a great breed but not for everyone. What dog is?

5 comments about Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians.

1. I am very glad to have purchased this book. It's clear, easy to get into and it's good to have a book like this around, especially if your cat is a good, good friend and you want to do the best by your cat.



2. Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians
   This is an excellent book...very informative...easily read...easily understood by the layman...would be an excellent book for veterinarians, who are not knowledgable about natural remedies, to have on hand when they are treating animals with infections that will not respond to antibiotics



3. This book is a valuable resource filled with alternatives to conventional treatment for your cat(s). I found this book to be very well written, informative and honestly presented. If you are looking for natural alternatives and real answers to your cat's care and longevity...you have come to the right place.



4. I own many natural/alternative healing books for cats, and this is the ONLY one that has post-its sticking out everywhere that I've saved reference points to return to. Also, after cross-referencing with other books, it is almost always this book whose advice I follow with 99% success. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone's pet library.



5. My vet recommended this book to me to help aid the diet of my adopted old diabetic/kidney diseased cat. It's an eye opener... some of the information about pet food is shocking! This book has been so helpful laying out your basic health care, lists healthy food recommendations, food recipies. and great holitistic help with ailments. My youngsters are getting a much healthier start with me just being better informed. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Cockatiels for Dummies.

1. Terrific info for a new Cockatiel owner-I knew nothing, so of course the title is appropriate, and it's been quite helpful. Thanks for another one, Dummies!



2. REALLY enjoyed this book. Good for beginners and vets. Learned things even after owning birds for 10 years.



3. When I received two cockatiels from a rescue organization, my vet suggested I read this book. In a couple months, I was able to train my foster birds so that both were adopted. Very helpful.



4. This book has pretty much all the information you'll ever need to know about owning a cockatiel. It has some great tips, and essentials that any owner would need to know. I would recommend it to anyone thinking about getting a new cockatiel, or to anyone that just acquired a new cockatiel and needs to know the basics.



5. There couldn't be a better person to simplify cockatiel ownership into a "For Dummies" book than Diane Grindol. She is the author of "The Complete Book of Cockatiels," which you will want to get to complete your education if this one whets your appetite. The book is organized in an especially helpful way, listing first the joys of cockatiel ownership, then the hazards and diseases, then finishing up with a summary of do's and don'ts. In the process, you'll learn the not-so-obvious differences between males and females, the importance of diet, the gauntlet of avian diseases, setting up the cage, travel, grooming...in short, everything you'll need to know. When you reach the end of this informative and readable book, you will never view a cockatiel the same again. You will see complexity, fragility, intellect, and camaraderie, where before you saw only ornate plumage. If you read this book in preparation for cockatiel ownership, your new friend will find hundreds of ways to thank you.

4 comments about Everything Pug Book: A Complete Guide To Raising, Training, And Caring For Your Pug (Everything: Pets).

1. I've read just about everything written about pugs and this is one of the better books. The tips are helpful and if you aren't aware of it, pugs have many health issues. The result of years of breeding makes for some common ailments. A good choice for pug lovers.



2. Wonderful book replete with information about pug care, i.e. grooming, cleaning their facial folds and finger curling their doubly curled tails when they are still puppies.
   
   You also get to read about training and breeding your pug and overall good dog care specific to this breed. You learn what words and short commands tend to work best for pugs and you and your pug can share in the rewards - limitless pug cuddles. You even get some humorous "pug tales" as well. What is not to love about a pug? Pugs are so lovable!



3. Great book! Very practical information about what pugs need as far as bathing, skin fold wiping (beware of swamp face), and other general pug hygiene. Very practical training tips, such as belly rubbing to assure your pug that you are dominant (as well as providing a delightful belly rub) and choosing useful words for training, such as "off" instead of "no jumping," so that that your pug can be praised with the same word, for example, "Good Off," which then serves as a built-in reward (and doesn't exhaust the word "No"). Interesting and funny information on pug personalities. What's not to love about a pug?



4. We thought that this book was great. It has really helped us since we became new pug owners. It explained about health concerns and potty training, to what kind of toys pugs like the best. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone thinking about getting a pug!

5 comments about Work Wonders: Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones.

1. Don't read this book and it's text-like companion,"RAW MEATY BONES", unless you are ready to copletely revamp your feeding philosophy with your dog or cat. The guilt feelings sure to be part of your psyche after learning the facts, will, however, be tempered by your new found knowledge. and will lead to the wisdom to help others. Oh, those years of doing it wrong at the expense of those four footed friends who were powerless to voice their discomfort. Thank you, Tom Lonsde. Your parents did not waste your tuition money. It was my parents whow wasted my tuition, having produced an idiot who went along believing thqt pet foodcompanies gave a damn about our little guys.



2. If you want to show your pets how much you love them,then buy this book and put it into practise,otherwise just open another can and ignore their health.



3. The loss of two of my 'shadows' - a fox terrier and a border collie - from suspected kibble issues prompted buying this book. Having lost four dogs in a month, with nothing in common but the food, I find it amazing that mine are the only ones with problems. My remaining dogs were immediately taken off kibble. They vary from a small BC cross to a German Shepherd. All have taken to real food well. With due respect to the ones rating it low after having had problems...I'd take a $2500 vet bill over the loss of a beloved show prospect and the loss of the last daughter of my old girl (lost to cancer in '06). They cannot be replaced - there is no future with them.
   
   This book is a good overview of the basics, the good things and the not good things (where it's pointed out DO NOT give wings to large breeds due to possible choking when they gulp without chewing). My sheltie shadow has had the biggest adjustment as it takes him a little bit to navigate the food.
   
   However there's benefits that go beyond health. Meals are a bit of a feeding frenzy with multiple dogs anyway (even when separated). However, when all have had a chicken quarter they lay down content, sleep far more soundly than when they'd get kibble. I don't envision feeding kangaroo tails as that's not a reliable source; and it's a little more difficult to find reasonable priced rabbit etc. But the immediate difference in the attitudes of the dogs after eating is marked. There's a contentment that is hard to describe but easy to see. They also no longer eat then look pregnant (but there's nothing wrong with the kibble?) and/or vomit or simply go to sleep and not wake up.
   
   Good reading, some good ideas. I *much* prefer feeding liver every couple of weeks as recommended here rather than daily...although I might go in between and do once per week with mine. The stressing of different kinds of meat was interesting as well. Am not quite done with it - have read quite a bit on the subject online as well.
   I wish I could go back and start this a month ago - Hatter and Fly would still be here. But for other dogs...highly recommend this method of feeding and this book as a primer.



4. This book should be essential reading to anyone buying a new pup or kitten. I think many vets should read it too...
   
   A simple and easy to read guide for feeding your pets based around sound scientific principles rather than faulty reasonings. Lonsdale clearly puts forward his case for feeding a raw diet. I found the observation charts from zoos especially interesting as they clearly prove the claims of 'stomach content' eating are false.
   
   No special supplements, no pushing commercial products just common sense backed by years of research and observations.



5. This book is specifically targeted to beginners. People who have been feeding raw for a while aren't going to find it that great but there's a wealth of information for the newbie. Easy to follow and engaging, covers all the practicalities involved with raw feeding from what to feed, sources for meat as well as information about WHY to feed raw.

5 comments about Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog (Howell Reference Books).

1. I bought this book at Barnes & Nobles after sitting down and thoroughly reading the chapter on how to make dog food. Initially, I felt it was going to be very time consuming and was a little put off by the intricacy of the recipe, but after reading some of the stories about sick dogs who had recovered...I thought, "why not?"
   
   I bought the book soley for the purpose of making dog food. I didn't read many of the other chapters (just skimmed). I'm not looking to change my philosophical outlook on dogs and life, or teach my dog yoga or anything like that...I just wanted the homemade dog food recipe.
   
   Anyways, my number one complaint about this book is the lack of explanatory details when it comes to implementing this diet. The recipes are gauged by weight class and my dog happens to fall in between the 10-25 lb range (20 lbs). I thought, "oh well I'll just double the 10 lb recipe" but the numbers don't increase evenly with every 5 lbs, for example. So I just stuck to the 25 lb recipe (uncomfortable feeling #1).
   
   The next issue I had was during the "transition diet". OK, I was willing to "fast" my dog for a solid 1.5 days, but when it came time to feed him yogurt and honey as his first meal on the tranistion diet, he wouldn't eat it. I stuck to my guns and followed the directions for tranisitioning, but I began to lose my steadfastness after 2.5 days and my 13 year old, healthy dog was losing energy (uncomfortable feeling #2).
   
   One last gruesome detail, then I'll stop. He has been eating the 25 lb diet of raw meat and cereal meal for a few days now and it's 4 a.m. CT as I'm writing this review because he's had diarrhea ever since he started the diet. He woke me up at 3:30 this morning whining to go out, which is extremely unusual, and I knew it was because he had diarrhea...my limit has been declared. Now, I'm not expecting a dog to go from 13 years of commercial food diet straight to raw meat and not have some gastrointestinal problems...even for a week. But he's a small dog and can get dehydrated easily. There was little to no explanation in the book of what to expect in this area. I believe the author briefly describes what the stool should look like on the cereal meal (breakfast) portion of the recipe (book mentions nothing about diarrhea), but my dog's stool looked even worse the next morning after eating raw meat (completely covered in mucus).
   
   My point is, there was little help in the way of alternatives in this book. Granted, I did not follow the "transition diet" exactly as scheduled in the book, and I'm willing to admit that these results could be my fault. But I can't be sure of that and I'm not willing to risk my dog's health any more. When I told my vet I wanted to make homemade dog/cat food, the only thing she really stressed was that I cook the meat. I have successfully transitioned my cats onto homemade cat food (much easier) and I do cook the chicken. I figured there is less of a possibility of salmonella in raw red meat, so I decided to give it to my dog raw.
   
   Anyways, some of the other reviews are right. This book has a lot of cool information on the health benefits of each ingredient. For example, I didn't know how nutritious honey really was. But, for me, there weren't enough details. I got a more thorough account of how to make cat food from a website online. The vet was EXTREMELY detailed and everything she said has been true. I'm a detail-oriented person and this book didn't cut it for me.
   
   I would highly recommend consulting with your vet WITH THIS BOOK if you choose to get it. I was lazy and should have reviewed it with my vet. Good luck!



2. An excellent book. Writer has 30 years experience in dog handling. She explains the raw food diet and other health ingredients to help your dog stay healthy or to heal your dog of many health problems. Ingredients and nutritional supplements are explained and why they are necessary. I recommend this book to everyone who loves their dogs.



3. This book is worth its price purely for the information on interpreting blood and urine testing. She also offers some great ideas on supplements for specific health concerns. Thirdly, her recommendations for vaccinations or lack thereof are excellent. That's the good part.
   
   However, by far and large, I couldn't disagree more with Wendy Volhard's dietary recommendations. If she can show me a canine running around the forest looking for oatmeal or any of the other grains she recommends, I might give her recommendations a second look.
   
   Until then, from my experience, BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods a la Ian Billinghurst's recommendations) is the only way to feed dogs. Three dogs, 9 years, no vet bills, says it all. My Keeshond, who died at the age of 16, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatitis at the age of 7 and given 6 months to live. The vet wanted to put her on PID canned food, largely barley based. At that time, we brought our Giant Schnauzer home from Skansen Kennels. The breeder strongly recommended the BARF diet, so I immediately switched the old Keeshond and our 6 month old Rottie to a raw meaty bones/fresh raw veggies and fruits diet, along with the Giant Schnauzer baby. The vet said I'd kill my dog. I told him that she's dead meat in 6 months anyway, so I might as well kill her my way.
   
   Within 3 months, she was a puppy again, and lived to 16. All if this without the silly grain meal Wendy Volhard recommends! The big dogs are closing in on 10. The rottie has already outlived his predicted life span of 7 to 9 years. I love it! Their coats are gorgeous, and their teeth are perfect. No bad breath either. I wouldn't feed any other way.
   
   Please don't get me wrong. I would still buy this book for its reference value, but don't buy into her dietary recommendations!



4. I found the Holistic Guide for Healthy Dog just super and full of useful information and other references. It's also very easy to read and divided quite nicely.



5. This book is the best source for a Raw Diet available. It is very comprehensive. There are lots of sources available with this diet to help you along the way, such as the website (www.volhard.com) and the Volhard Yahoo Group discussions, which provide all the answers to your questions. If you want to provide the best life for your dog, this is definately the way to do it. The research carried out on this diet is extremely comprehensive and a proven success for over 30 years.

5 comments about Culturing Live Foods: A Step-By-Step Guide to Producing Food for Your Home Aquarium.

1. If you've ever seen your aquarium fish look hungry for more, then Michael R. Hellweg's Culturing Live Foods: A Step-by-Step Guide for Culturing One's Own Food for the Home Aquarium is for you. It tells how to make happier fish by cultivating live foods they like - plants, multi-celled organisms, crustaceans, mollusks and worms - over 80 such foods in all. Culture methods, materials needed, color sidebars of reference information and more make for discussions of species, care, and what kinds of aquarium fish they can feed. Libraries specializing in aquarium owner's guides will find this offers something different for the avid aquarium owner.



2. The information contained in this book will prove invaluable to anyone interested in maintaining or breeding just about any species of tropical fish,and it is written in a down to earth style that is very easy to understand.
   You can't go wrong with this book.



3. This is a terrific, up-to-date resource by Mike Hellweg, a master fish breeder whose success with fish is built on his success in feeding his fish appropriate live foods.
   
   I've been discussing the culture of various live foods with Mike for several years now, and studying a lot of what has been easily available on the internet, and even put together my own web page reviewing the techniques I've used with my own cultures. But this book has already given me new tips and tricks on creatures I thought I knew all about, and given me confidence to try some that I've failed with in the past. The details are just right to enable success with each organism, and there are good sources for more information if you want or need it.
   
   This book is also an excellent primer on spawning fish, because several species are discussed as easily bred feeders for larger fish. Those are tips you can use to propagate those and related species for your own enjoyment even if you don't keep predatory fish.
   
   I can't recommend this highly enough for the aquarist who wants to keep and spawn happy, healthy fish.



4. I'm really happy to see this book. It's been a long time since we have had updated comprehensive information. This is presented beautifully and very well written. Any serious Aquarist should plan on this book for their collection. You won't be disappointed.



5. Culturing Live Foods
   By
   Michael R. Hellweg
   
   Since Mike Hellweg is an old and valued friend/colleague in the tropical fish hobby, my opinions about his new book "Culturing Live Foods" may be a little biased - although they really need not be. "Culturing Live Foods" is a much-needed, and excellently written book, and it is an important contribution to the aquarium hobby. Mike is well known throughout the hobby as not only an accomplished writer, but also a master breeder, and he shares with us the fact that much of his success in breeding fishes comes from giving live foods to both the breeders, and the offspring.
   "Culturing Live Foods" starts with a very interesting discussion of the history of fish foods, and the reasons for feeding live foods today, even though we have a wide variety of excellent frozen and dry foods available to us. The book then discusses the tools and containers needed, and getting starter cultures, for live foods. The foods themselves start with the smallest ones that are used - phytoplankton, or "Green water". Protozoans, or "infusoria" are then discussed, and then somewhat larger foods such as copepods, rotifers and vinegar eels. Much space is devoted to brine shrimp, which is fitting as they are probably the most common live food in the hobby. Mike discusses hatching, enriching and growing live brine shrimps to adults, as well as decapsulating the cysts (eggs).
   As the book progresses we move up in size for the live foods, from worms (whiteworms, tubifex, blackworms and earthworms) to snails and crustaceans such as daphnia, moina and mysis shrimps. Other shrimps such as glass or grass shrimps and various species of Neocaridina are covered. Insects are the next category, and they include flour beetles, fruit flies, mealworms and mosquito larvae - including the constant battle between hobbyists and spouses about whether the standing water that has been left out was left there on purpose or by mistake, the net effect being a nice population of mosquito larvae that the hobbyist finds terrific for feeding fish, and the spouse sees only as a source of biting insects. The final group of live foods are fish, and here Mike mentions the problems with buying feeder fish from the local fish store (or bait store), and he strongly suggests that hobbyists raise their own feeder fish if at all possible.
   Mike's book is packed with a wealth of detailed information, and yet it is much more than a simple "How To" book. It is an interesting, well written and very informative book, and covers all aspects of live foods, from starting cultures to collecting foods from the wild. There is an excellent group of resources at the end of the book in terms of related books, magazines, Internet sites and suppliers of live foods and cultures. "Culturing Live Foods" should be in the library of any fish hobbyist who wants to keep, and breed, fish successfully.

5 comments about The Horse Conformation Handbook.

1. This book provides a wealth of information that I have not seen elsewhere. It enables a very detailed assessment of every aspect of a horse's conformation.



2. Thomas has written a fabulous book that digs deep into the mechanics of the equine. I enjoy understanding why/how things function. This book has helped me to understand why some activities came very easily to my Pony Club mount and why we had to work so hard on others.
   
   By reading this you will understand how conformation impacts performance, soundness and longevity. It is well written and the diagrams make it easy to follow. This isn't a light read, be prepared to study.
   
   If you are a casual rider that doesn't request a lot of your horse, then you may not need to know this depth of knowledge for conformation. I find something new to learn each time I pick it up.
   
   Backyard breeders... PLEASE read this book. Bred-to-the-Nines doesn't do much for a horse that isn't built correctly to perform.



3. This book is wonderful. It really goes into detail and there is more information here than I will ever need.



4. The Handbook is an exhaustive overview of equine conformation relative to athletic ability and stamina. It also appears to be a 'halter class' juding guide. There is an exhaustive amount of information which can make it difficult for the reader to maintain focus on what is an acceptable vs. unacceptable deviation from perfect conformation.
   
   The text is well written and the examples well illustrated, however, in order to be absolutely useful, the reader needs the ability to summarize, overview, review, and focus.
   
   It would be helpful if the author would re-state throughout that her text is written for the 'perfect' specimen and establish that a stated percentage of horses aren't perfect. Having done that, insert a summary on conformation points which are not acceptable under any circumstance; which confirmation points are relatively acceptable; and whether any combination of confirmation points will never be found all in one horse.



5. This book is one of the most excellent to have if you want to understand conformation, and there are only a handful on the subject even worth having. I am usually disappointed with the quality and quanity of information in books on this subject and only rarely do I find one that is actually worth buying and this is one of them. It rivals the quality of Dr. Deb Bennett's "Principles of Conformation", usually regarded as the industry's standard on this subject, and it touches on some things that Bennett's books do not. I recommend both equally as they compliment each other very well.
   
   This author is a very experienced horse woman and author who has written several books on equines and many, many articles for various magazines. I've been familiar with her work for years and she is a thorough author.
   
   This book hits on equine anatomy and it does a good job of it. You have to have a handle on anatomy before you can understand conformation and this books takes the pains to explain the skeleton, the muscles, and even equine teeth before it really delves into explaining faults, and it does really delve into faults and it explains and illustrates them well.
   
   The Book is divided into 3 parts:
   
   Part 1. Anatomy and Principles of Conformation
   2. Basic Anatomy
   3. Head and Neck Conformation
   4. The Teeth
   5. Chest Conformation
   6. Back Conformation
   7. Foreleg Conformation
   8. Hindquarter Conformation
   9. Foot Conformation
   
   Part II. Evaluating a Horse
   10. Body Proportions
   11. Body Angles
   12. Height
   13. How a Horse Moves
   14. Athletic Ability
   15 Type
   16. Soundness
   17. The Senior Horse
   
   Part III. Appendixes
   A. Applying What You've Learned
   B. Training Your Eye: Six Case Studies
   
   This book takes you over anatomy, into faults and their pathology and then it has a section devoted to illustrated critiques of 6 different horses. This is a book to have if you want to know what Equine Conformation is all about. It is concise, VERY well-illustrated, and very thorough.

5 comments about Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior.

1. This book is well written and extremely informative. A must have for any parrot owner. It is one of those books you can read and then re-read and learn something new each time. It's great as a reference book.
   
   The techniques it suggests are simple and logical and can be applied to any species. It also would be a great book to read to help you choose which type of parrot would be best for your personal circumstances, especially if you are thinking about getting one of the larger parrots.



2. I agree with all of the other raving reviews on this book. The book is well organized, the parrots are organized by continent (Africa, Austrailia, Asia, and S. America) and the author draws similarities between the types of birds from each area. As the title would suggest this book focuses on behavior and gives well defined characteristics of each type of bird, while emphasizing that they are generalizations and that each bird might be different. The author reiterates that the owner should not buy a bird with preconcieved ideas of what they will be like, but love each bird for thier individual personality. All over excellent information and the author is clearly an expert in the area.



3. Together with the other parrot-thematic books from the same author it is the hardware of information I have used. I have an african grey for three years now and at the beginning I made a search for every available information about the topic.
   
   So it happens that this books I liked most as they are easy to understand, easy to read and enjoyable illustrated.
   
   African Grey is a parrot which needs time and you have to keep in mind that he may outlive you by years. So what you teach him now will be remembered in 60years when your children will keep him a company.
   It is a responsibility but a nice one:)
   
   Yes, I can recommend to you.



4. For the person interested in different species of pet birds,their care and personalities, this book offers a generic overview. As an experienced bird "person" I was looking for a more in-depth description of a specfic species. I almost put it down without finishing until I paged to the individual stories of the different parrots. I enjoyed reading the stories of the different birds, their experiences, histories and especially how the newer owners understood and created a more fulfilling environment (love,care and concern)for them. I learned new methods of dealing with birds and appreciate any new method for understanding bird behavior. I would recommend this book for the beginner/intermediate bird lover but for the very experienced bird lover, they would do better to find a publication that discribes just one species. However, they would miss the wonderful stories in this book!



5. This book really gives you a good introduction to the various kinds of parrots that are available. It describes their habits and tendencies so that it makes it easier to choose a new parrot or understand your current friend.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for their first parrot or for an addition to their family.

5 comments about Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations.

1. This is a heartwarming little book for anyone who has ever had a cat in their life. Jeffrey Brown manages to capture the universal things that cats do in brief illustrated glimpses. You will probably be able to recognize your own cat in most or all of the comics in this book. Always brings a smile to my face whenever I read it, but this is not a book for someone looking for a humorous comic.



2. If you have ever lived with a cat, you will recognize these scenes. If there is another cat person in the room while you read it, you will find yourself sharing just about every page until you're reading it together. If there's a non-cat person in the room, that person may be confused by what the fuss is about. But that person just doesn't understand.



3. This 'book' is totally inane and isn't worth the paper it's printed on ... a total disappointment!



4. A fun and wonderful book for anyone who has or had a cat. Illustrated observations of the artists cats, snoozing, running, playing, and more. A quick flip through the book will almost always elicit an "awwwww" or a "my cat does that, too!" Beautifully designed little hardcover as well - a perfect gift.



5. I'm actually a dog person and not a cat person, but picked up this little book for my son's fiancee. We have been adopted by a cat, as has she, and ALL of this little book rang true. I was surprised, being a dog person, that it made me laugh out loud loads of times. I've since purchased three more copies for other cat people. Garfield it isn't; quirky, funny and observant it is.