Ancestors and canine cousins of our dogs didn’t eat “krunchy kibble” or “meat ‘n gravy in a can.” They ate what they found or caught... and it wasn’t cooked or “enriched” either! It was high in protein, with balanced fats, and usually included a few fruits, vegetables and grasses. Steve Brown, an expert on canine nutrition, shows how you can bring the benefits of the canine ancestral diet to your dog by feeding him differently as little as just one day a week. And no, you won’t need to lead a pack of dogs on a hunting expedition! Just follow Steve’s well-researched and easy to follow ABCs to make improvements to whatever your dog currently eats.

BONUS! Raw food or home prepared feeders will learn how to balance nutrients more precisely, especially fats, for optimum health.

A dog diet to get wild about!
• Learn about the latest research on the importance of protein and healthy fats in your dog’s diet.
• Find out why commercial foods can’t include these fragile-but-crucial nutrients, and how you can make sure your dog gets them.
• Just one day a week, or more frequently if you choose, follow the simple recipes that balance the nutrition in the commercial food you are feeding—wet or dry!

What experts are saying about Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet
Brown has done his homework and is able to present his case for feeding a nutrient mix that more closely matches what has been health food for hundreds of generations of canines. Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet is chock full of information that supports his premise that the ancestral diet is good stuff for today’s dogs. It’s a good read, packed with scientifically-backed information, and it presents a practical approach for achieving the goal of helping us to make a healthy diet for our dogs. As easy as ABC.
Randy Kidd, author Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dog Care

This book is enlightening and invaluable. I especially like the fact that his guidelines can help balance canine diets no matter what the caregiver’s level of commitment is to the ancestral diet. Dry food feeders can greatly enhance their pet’s nutrition with just one homemade meal a week. Raw fed dogs can benefit from a balancing meal as well.
Doug Knueven, DVM, CVA, CAC, author The Holistic Health Guide: Natural Care for the Whole Dog

To prevent chronic disease in dogs you must get a critical balance of species appropriate foods and fats in your companion’s diet. Steve Brown understands this and you can too by reading his book.
Karen Becker, DVM

Steve Brown turned his passion for canine health into developing leading-edge products and educational programs to improve canine nutrition. He developed Charlee Bear Dog Treats®, one of the best selling dog treats in the US and, in 1998, he developed Steve’s Real Food® for Pets, the first AAFCO-compliant, frozen, raw meat-based diet. Brown is the co-author of See Spot Live Longer and has written numerous articles on canine nutrition published in leading pet health and veterinary journals. Steve lives outside of Eugene, Oregon.

Click here to view an excerpt.

What reviewers are saying...

THE VITAL CIRCLE
“We just discovered a great new book about the role of omega-3s in canine health.

Canine nutrition expert Steve Brown presents what must be the most exhaustively researched resource on the diets dogs have eaten over many millennia. And in Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet: Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way, he’s used that research to show how people can enhance their pets’ health by approximating the ancient canine diet as closely as possible.

He finds evidence that most dogs ate diets that were high in protein, with balanced fats – including omega-3s, sometimes in large amounts (as with salmon-loving wolves) and usually included a few fruits, vegetables and grasses.

Brown presents a compelling analysis of dogs’ nutritional needs, and provides practical ways to meet them in his “ABC” diet plan, which owners only need to provide one day per week.

Here’s what Brown means by an “ABC” diet:

• Add high-quality protein with hearts, eggs, and sardines
• Balance the fats with sardines
• Complete the nutrition with hearts, eggs, sardines, and vegetables.

He also custom-tailors the plan to each animal’s weight and to an owner’s preferences for various kinds of commercial dog food (dry, wet, etc.).

Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet represents a landmark in canine nutrition research … and in practical feeding advice for owners.” Craig Weatherby

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"Dogs weren't meant to eat dried animal byproducts. "Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet: Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way" is a guide for pet owners who want a more healthy and vitamin packed diet for their dog, drawing back on their instinctual diet of real meat, uncooked and raw, along with the scattered fruits and vegetables they may have ate. Stating that treating your dog to this special diet if only once a week will have numerous long term positive effects, "Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet" is a fine read that should not be ignored for those who care about the health of their dog." James A. Cox, Editor

DOG WORLD
“Steve Brown is not a veterinarian or a nutritionist, but he has extensively researched canine nutrition since 1998. Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet presents his recommendations on enhancing the average canine diet.

Brown admits that we don’t yet fully understand canine nutritional requirements and that much information is extrapolated from human nutritional studies. He writes, for instance, “Cooking tomatoes increases the amount of lycopene that humans can absorb. This is probably true with dogs, as well.”

…Essentially, Brown’s program advocates feeding his ABC diet once a week, which entails adding high-quality protein to commercial food, balancing fats, and completing nutrition with fresh foods. He includes recipes for homemade diets, and provides nutritional analysis which are often missing from most dog food recipes. However, these recipes might not be practical for anyone lacking time to prepare complicated meals containing costly ingredients.” Amy Fernandez

DOGS IN CANADA
“ABC stands for amount, balance and complete, and the ABC philosophy recommends feeding fats, proteins and carbohydrates in amounts approximating what your dog’s ancestors ate. Brown points out what he believes to be weaknesses in modern dog food, explains the chemistry of fats, and describes how to complete your dog’s diet with fresh foods, including recipes for replacing, altering or augmenting whatever you’re currently feeding. For those reluctant to invest the time to cook for their dog on a daily basis, Brown provides a plan for practicing ABC just one day a week .” Natalie Ann Comeau