1985 photo while working Bill"today" (after retirement)

William D. Cusick / The Animal Advocate

When I combined my love for animals with the knowledge I'd gained through research it became apparent that I needed to become
"The Animal Advocate."

Mr. Cusick, earned a living in the food & pharmaceutical fields from the late 1950's to 2005. He gained acclaim in both of these fields: A ten year research project to develop a synthetic thyroid product for humans and a twenty year study to identify breed specific nutritional requirements for dogs. His research on breed specific dog nutrition started in 1968 when he formulated a "good" dog food supplement for Saint Bernards that caused nutritional distress in Dalmatians. Wondering why, he performed a number of tests and found that the digestive and glandular systems of the different breeds are so vastly different that a mineral source that can be assimilated by one breed can cause kidney stones in another breed, and a pet food protein source that some breeds will thrive on can cause other breeds to experience some nasty food allergies. In fact he found that there are as many nutritional differences amongst the breeds as there are appearance differences. In the 1970's and 1980's the U.S. Government published many studies that confirmed his findings. These can be found in the 1985 National Research Council book, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs.

In 1990 Mr. Cusick's first book on the subject, Canine Nutrition & Choosing The Best Food For Your Breed Of Dog, was published. This book was an immediate success and was ordered by dog fanciers world wide. This book is now out of print but you can read the FREE copy that is posted on-line JUST CLICK HERE.


In 1997 Mr. Cusick's second book on this subject was published.

If you would like to read the FREE copy that is posted on-line JUST CLICK HERE.


Mr. Cusick is now writing a series of breed specific books which will have recipes and supplement charts based on the nutritional requirements of each specific breed of dog. In each breed specific book there will be recipes for:

  • A Puppy
  • An Adolescent Female
  • An Adolescent Male
  • An Adult Female
  • An Adult Male
  • A Pregnant and Lactating Bitch (from the start of her third trimester of pregnancy through the end of lactation)
  • A Geriatric member of the breed

    Each breed-specific book also has chapters covering:

  • HOW THE BREED DEVELOPED THEIR UNIQUE SET OF NUTRITIONAL NEEDS
  • RELEVANT HISTORY OF THE BREED
  • INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONS OF THE VITAMINS & MINERALS IN THE DIET OF THE BREED
  • NUTRITIONAL TEAMWORK
  • WHY THE BREED NEEDS A SPECIAL BALANCE OF AMINO ACIDS IN ITS PROTEIN
  • FAT CARBOHYDRATES AND FATTY ACIDS IN THE BREED'S DIET
  • CONTROLLING A BREED MEMBER'S WEIGHT WITH DIET AND EXERCISE
  • NUTRIENTS "GOOD FOR A HUMAN" THAT CAN HARM A MEMBER OF THE BREED
  • LIFE CYCLE CHANGES THAT CHANGE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF A MEMBER OF THE BREED
  • A HOME HEALTH CHECK FOR SYMPTOMS OF NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS

    Each of the breed specific books sell for $30.00. Some breed specific books are finished and he is working on the rest. To see if a breed specific book for the breed you are feeding has been finished you can find out on the specific breed information page at this web site Use this link






    The articles found at this website are covered by all existing Copyright laws.

    While William D. Cusick provides the information at his web site to anyone, he retains copyright on all text and graphic images found in the articles at this web site unless otherwise indicated. This means that you may not: distribute the text or graphics found in the articles at this web site to others without the express written permission of William D. Cusick; "mirror" this information on your own web site without permission; modify or reuse the text or graphics found at this web site. You May: print copies of the information for your own personal use; store the files on your own computer for your personal use.

    FYI: What is Plagiarism
    Webster's Dictionary defines it as: "to steal and pass off [the ideas or words of another] as one's own, use [a created production] without crediting the source, to commit literary theft, present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. "Wake Forest University defines it as: 'To put your name on a piece of work is to say that it is yours, that the praise or criticism due to it is due to you. To put your name on a piece of work any part of which is not yours is plagiarism, unless that piece is clearly marked and the work from which you have borrowed is fully identified. Plagiarism is a form of theft. Taking words, phrasing, sentence structure, or any other element of the expression of another person's ideas, and using them as if they were yours, is like taking from that person a material possession, something he or she has worked for and earned. Even worse is the appropriation of someone else's ideas. By 'ideas' is meant everything from the definition or interpretation of a single word, to the overall approach or argument. If you paraphrase, you merely translate from his or her language to yours; another person's ideas in your language are still not your ideas. Paraphrase, therefore, without proper documentation, is theft, perhaps of the worst kind. Here, a person loses not a material possession, but something of what characterized him or her as an individual. Plagiarism is a serious violation of another person's rights, whether the material stolen is great or small; it is not a matter of degree or intent. You know how much you would have had to say without someone else's help; and you know how much you have added on your own. Your responsibility, when you put your name on a piece of work, is simply to distinguish between what is yours and what is not, and to credit those who have in any way contributed.'"