I use his Skin and Haircoat Problems in Dogs frequently. It has clear, lucid instructions, good photographs, and top-notch advice. (Dr. Ackerman is a board-certified veterinary dermatologist.)

When I received a copy of Canine Nutrition: What Every Owner, Breeder and Trainer Should Know, I thought, "Oh, no, not another nutrition rehash." When I started reading the book, though, I was truly impressed.

Dr. Ackerman covers a huge amount of nutrition territory, including the basic elements of nutrition, special needs, and supplementation. He gives detailed, yet clear, explanations of things like fat and carbohydrates, and your dog's needs.

Ackerman doesn't shirk from hot topics such as homemade diets. Not opposed to them, he supplies a few recipes with a nutritional analysis for each. These include diets for growth, maintenance (active and inactive dog versions), senior, reproduction/lactation, performance, easy-to-digest, a 12-week weight-reduction plan, a low-energy maintenance diet for obesity-prone dogs, low-protein diet (for kidney disease, liver disease and behavioral problems), hypoallergenic diet, low sodium, and diabetic diets. There's also a low-purine Dalmatian diet, a struvite urolithiasis (urinary stone) diet, a cancer diet, a vegetarian diet, and even a Passover holiday diet. This chapter is worth the entire cost of the book.

But there's so much more in the book. Ackerman looks at each type of supplement, and gives the pros and cons of each. He devotes a chapter to special diets for different medical conditions. And even gives a list of 10 things you can do for a picky eater.

Even though I've spent 12 years learning about dog food and nutrition, I was amazed at how much I learned from this book.

-- Ross Becker

Canine Nutrition: What Every Owner ...

By Lowell Ackerman, DVM

254 pages, illustrated, paperback

ISBN 1-57779-015-4

$17.95 + $3 s&h

Alpine Books (800) 777-7257