“Crude protein” is one of those measurements that can be especially slippery for us to figure out when choosing a dog food. I feel as though “crude protein” should have a yellow caution flag next to it because this pair of words on dog food labels is so misleading. Protein is the most expensive ingredient in any pet food. It’s also true of human nutrition — that protein, especially good quality protein, is the most costly part of a meal. Therefore, savvy pet owners have learned to seek out high protein pet foods, in the belief that those foods are best. But there is a huge difference in where that protein comes from!

Pet owners believe that the words “crude protein” and the number with a “%” sign next to it (as required by the regulatory body AAFCO) refers to how much animal protein there is in the food. Instead, “crude protein” is actually a chemical analysis of the food whereby the amount of nitrogen present is used to estimate the amount of protein in the food. While nitrogen does come from animal protein, it also comes from non-animal proteins like grains, as well as other non-protein nitrogen (NPN) sources. This obviously creates a gap between what you think you are buying and feeding your dog (especially thinking you are getting a food with a high percentage of animal protein) — and what has actually been used to determine that number.

In addition to this problem, for many dry food manufacturers, “crude protein” includes carcasses and other waste from slaughtered animals and the word “meal” on a pet food bag may indicate the inclusion of such ingredients, along with meat not fit for people. This certainly helps clean up the slaughterhouse floor without having to call the garbage company! Unfortunately, inferior meals can also make a mediocre dog food high in protein — but not high in quality protein.

Since pet food can include a variety of questionable ingredients, and crude protein measurements will always include non-animal protein, I have included some tips on finding a high quality protein dog food:

1. Choose a food that lists real whole meat on the bag as a primary ingredient – chicken, lamb, salmon, etc. — because then you are getting true quality protein, not ingredients used to manipulate the nitrogen levels. The same applies to whole vegetables, whole grains and real fruits — all hallmarks of a higher quality nutrition source.
2. Read the entire label and make sure you understand all of the ingredients. Keep in mind that melamine was added to pet food as a non-protein nitrogen source to increase the protein content of pet foods.
3. Call the pet food company and ask about their protein or any of the ingredients you have questions about. A company should have a well-trained customer service staff as well as a veterinarian or nutritionist that can answer your questions.

Personally, I choose HALO! They oversee their ingredient sources and other environmental variables and promptly answer phone calls from interested customers. I believe Halo kibble is a great foundation for the quality dry portion of your dog’s nutrition.

I think you know by now how strongly feel about feeding cats only wet food, never dry, because they are obligate carnivores with digestive systems that struggle to deal with the highly processed carbohydrates of bagged food. Between my radio shows DOG TALK® (and Kitties, too!) and CAT CHAT® I thought I had heard every possible problem people have encountered in trying to get their cats off the dry kibble and onto wet, meat based food. And then I had someone call into CAT CHAT® (on Sirius/XM channel #110 live every Wednesday at 8 PM EST) with an entirely unique dilemma. She said her cat would only eat dog food — but a very good brand, Halo. I told her I agreed that Halo was a terrific kibble — and explained the coincidence that, in fact, Halo is the only bagged food I will feed my dogs as part of their meals. But then I began to explain that dry dog food is just as bad for her kitty as dry cat food when she interrupted me by saying, “No! My cat will only eat Halo canned dog food!” I asked whether she had tried the Halo canned cat food and of course she had — but the cat would only eat the dog’s dinner, which was Spot’s Stew in a can (the dog in question was a Chihuahua smaller than the cat!) After she explained that she had tried many premium canned cat foods — including the one Halo makes! — she gave up and divides the dog food between her Chi-chi and the kitty but was worried she was doing him some harm. I explained that while cats have a higher need for protein than dogs that she could sprinkle some Halo Dinner Party on the wet food to increase the protein content (it’s dehydrated pure chicken meat) or crumble some Halo Liv-a-Littles on top of the cat’s dog food, which is also pure dried meat. After that, I told her that the only missing element would be the taurine that pussycats need added to their foods — which Halo does in the cat version of their canned foods. Since the cat would not touch the cat food (which seems pretty nutty given that the products are made the same way) I recommended making certain that the cat gets her taurine by using a daily supplement like Platinum Performance, which supplies taurine (as well as some ingredients which can prevent joint issues and arthritis).

This nice lady was so happy to “get permission” from the Food Police (me!) to continue sharing the Halo canned stew between her kitty and the Chihuahua. I’d love to have a picture of that dinner scene!

–Tracie Hotchner

There are many by-products of meat and poultry in the human food chain which are delicious and nutritious — but these are NOT the ones used by pet food companies that admit to having “by products” in their food!  In fact, the quick way to determine whether you are dealing with a low quality food is to check if the word “by-products” (meat or poultry) appears on their label. This word has come to be associated with lower-quality dog and cat foods, many of which frequently use “by-products” as the basis of the protein content of their food — but when by-products appears on a label, especially near the top of the ingredient list, it means there is little to none of what we think of as protein (meat) and a whole lot of nasty ingredients you’d probably rather not hear about!

Where people are concerned, there are excellent “auxiliary” parts of animals in the food chain to nourish the body and delight the palate (if you are so inclined!).  Rustic French and Italian country cooking often features the organ meats or the parts of slaughtered cattle, pigs or chickens that were historically cooked inventively by poor folk: lungs, spleen, kidneys, thymus gland, brains, liver, and more. This country cuisine evolved from peasants who could not afford the finer cuts of actual meat and had to make do with all the leftover parts of the slaughtered animals after the wealthier people consumed the actual meat. A good example is the cow’s stomach, which is known as “tripe” and when eaten by people is called trippa alla Livornese when cooked by the Italians, or tripes a la mode de Caen when made by the French.

In theory, meat by-products in pet food could include many of these nutritious organs of the slaughtered animals, which people in Asia and Europe continue to eat, even when they can afford meat. In human cuisine, we think of by-products as typically anything except the actual flesh or muscle-meat of the animal.  However, the by-products that go into pet food are not these fresh, intact body parts of animals used for human consumption. By-products in pet food are whatever is left behind on the slaughterhouse floor after the muscle meat, organs and anything usable for human food has been processed.

In the case of “poultry by-product” in pet food, it is actually defined as “heads, feet and viscera, with an allowable amount of feces and ‘foreign matter.’” While chicken feet might possibly have nutritional value (another poultry body part sometimes found in “poor man’s” rustic cuisine, I doubt that you understood that the ingredients called “by-products” in your pet’s food included chicken heads and a “reasonable” amount of chicken manure and “foreign matter,” which is frankly too frightening to even contemplate and could be anything off the floor, including industrial waste.  Additionally, once by-products are destined for pet food, they can legally be handled with little care in terms of food safety and can be subjected to hot weather, kept in uncovered containers where flies can lay eggs, etc.

When the by-products (or expired meat, which comes from the supermarket to go into pet food still in its Styrofoam and plastic wrappings — which can also legally be included in the final recipe) reach the pet food factory, everything is thrown into a big vat for high temperature boiling to theoretically purify out all the contamination (and much of the nutrition).

In addition, many other sources of “meat” are often included in this “by product” concoction for pets – including dead animals removed from roadsides (“road kill”), farm animals that die before slaughter (usually from illness or disease), and euthanized shelter animals or privately owned pets that have been put to sleep. There is the problem with pet foods that once “by products” are introduced, all the ingredients in that recipe are then designated as “not fit for humans” then there is no attention to the cleanliness or “food safety” handling techniques and temperatures of these ingredients.

A big note of caution: by-products can also include the brain – which is one of the locations for Mad Cow Disease, which can be transmitted through consumption. This means that when you see “by-product meal” on a pet food label you basically want to take a detour. If you want to feed your dog nutritious organ meats, you’ll be best off getting it from the human butcher counter.

Myself, the only kibble I will feed is HALO because they have a strict rule that by-products will never find their way into the recipe.

I want to salute Gil Lutz in Ohio, one of my treasured listeners to DOG TALK® – and his fellow traveler Evie, a beautiful and brilliant guide dog. Evie was only five years old when she died this week from complications of chemotherapy.

Evie with Gil

A loss of any dog in her prime is terribly sad, but it is devastating when it happens to a dog who has taken the place of a man’s eyes, given him the freedom to continue being part of the world — and was always at his side, in harness and out, giving friendship and delight along with her service.

Gil took extraordinary care of Evie — making sure she had time to swim and fetch when she was out of the harness, and giving her the very best in nutrition. He had followed my advice and made HALO an essential element of a varied diet. In fact, after Gil discovered two small but enlarged lymph nodes and took her right to the vet, they exclaimed at the excellence of her physical fitness and health, saying that she was an excellent candidate for treatment. I doubt that many of us would have even found a cancer so early, but Gil was super-attentive to his girl who gave the world back to him. There is surely a genetic component to cancer, which is inescapable, because no dog could have been given a healthier life, from nutrition to exercise. Of course Evie’s work gave her all the mental stimulation and challenge that is also important for overall wellness.

Gil lost his sight in adulthood but never let that slow him down, disability or age notwithstanding (you wouldn’t know from the photo that Gil is no spring chicken, even if he acts like one — he is in his Seventies!). Together, he and Evie were ambassadors for mobility for the blind and logged over 100,000 air miles together, traveling the world as a team to inspire independence for others who are blind. They introduced a handheld GPS device that a blind person could use anywhere in the world to navigate with their dog. Gil called Evie, who was his third guide dog, his “Furry Ferrari,” at least in part because Gil used to race cars earlier in life.

Gil is handling the sudden and shocking loss of Evie before she had even reached her sixth birthday with equanimity and grace. But as with any sorrow, it is lightened by knowing others care and send their positive energy.

Gil received Evie from Pilot Dogs, which raises, trains and matches companion dogs to people who need them This is part of Gil’s letter to Pilot Dogs, which he shared with me, about what he is hoping to find in a replacement for Evie — although of course she is actually irreplaceable.

I know that every dog is an individual and Evie will never be replaced. I have had three outstanding partners from Pilot Dogs but Evie was very, very special. She was an unbelievable worker and ambassador. She also always drew comments on how beautiful she was. Everyone adored her and her goofiness. Out of harness she was the ultimate companion and friend.

Evie that was described to me as a Field Bred with a shiny coat and the trimmer body type. Since Evie was a little smaller she fit more comfortably under the seats on a plane. She also didn’t have any pressure issues while flying. I’m doing a lot of traveling so the dog must be well equipped to travel on all means of transportation including planes, trains, busses, subways etc.

Since I’m working with a number of other dog guide schools and in front of the public a lot it must be a top of the class dog who excels in work ethic and ability and shows off the training skills of Pilot Dog. As you can imagine when I’m working with other schools in my GPS efforts they are evaluating the dog’s performance and I’d like our team to be great representatives of Pilot Dogs. I’m looking for a very confident, fast working dog that can make all of us very, very proud as Evie did, exceptionally well.

Evie was very well known and people are asking who they can donate to in her memory. I’m telling them all to donate to Pilot Dogs.

I’m asking my listeners to join me in making a small contribution in honor of Evie and her devoted commitment to her important job, which was cut tragically short: NetworkForGood.org

To send a check directly:

PILOT DOGS INC
625 W Town St
Columbus, OH 43215

I had a wonderful guest this past week on CAT CHAT® — a California-based veterinarian Dr Greg Martinez — who is dedicated to improving pet nutrition and educating his fellow vets and his clients on the topic. It was so uplifting to be able to find another (rare!) professional who shares my views on the need for real “people food” ingredients in the dog’s dish, along with my concern about the poor quality ingredients found in many dog foods. Dr. Greg is so committed to empowering dog lovers to utilize common sense and excellent ingredients in their dog’s dinner bowl that he actually wrote a fine book called DR. GREG’S DOG DISH DIET: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health.

Imagine my excitement in reading the book to discover that Dr. Greg singles out HALO, Purely for Pets Spot’s Stew in a can as a prime example of good dinner fare for your pooch — along with a recipe that one can copy at home.  What is amazing about this is that Halo Spot’s Stew in a can is actually based on the home cooked recipe of the founder of the company (years before Ellen DeGeneres bought half of Halo, Purely for Pets).  Furthermore, when I was the PETCO spokesperson for natural pet foods in 2010, the company flew me to San Diego where I did several television appearances demonstrating how people can make a holiday meal for their dogs — and I used the recipe Halo shared for one used in the Halo Spot’s Stew canned food (which I also had right next to me on those media appearances!)  So imagine my surprise and pleasure to see that on the cover of Dr.Greg’s Dog Dish Diet — in the funny photo of him serving a bunch of dogs at a picnic table — are cans of Halo, Purely for Pets Spot’s Stew, front and center!

Dr. Greg will be joining me on DOG TALK® (and kitties, too!) on the April 14th show, so be sure to catch the podcast on iTunes or off the library of shows on my website TracieHotchner.com.

-Tracie Hotchner

I wish I could be there in San Diego on April 30th when the PETCO Foundation honors Ellen Degeneres with their HOPE Award. The reason I’d like to be there is to thank Ellen myself for having become one of the owners of HALO Purely for Pets, which has ensured that the company gets the recognition it so richly deserves for being true to itself. I am proud to be associated with HALO and have the privilege of adding to their always-interesting blog every week. I am proud because of the company’s commitment to maintaining genuine quality in their pet food. I am proud because of Halo’s decision to use what would be advertising dollars as charitable donations (through Halo Pet Foundation and Freekibble) instead. Proud because Halo has earned the trust of people who choose to feed their pets Halo (as I do my dogs) and our confidence in Halo’s quality has been won fair and square.

As co-owner of pet food maker Halo, Purely for Pets, Ellen is going to be awarded the PETCO Foundation’s inaugural HOPE Award–given in recognition of a life dedicated to promoting the human-animal bond — at the third annual PETCO Foundation Gala, the proceeds from which will benefit the Halo Pet Foundation, which provides for pets in need and promotes responsible pet ownership. (The PETCO Foundation is pretty terrific too! They do not brag half enough (in my opinion!) about their consistent efforts to support more than 7,000 local animal welfare groups across the nation and giving rescues and shelters space in their stores every week to help find adoptive homes for abandoned animals.)

The reason I’d like to be there to applaud for Ellen and her company Halo is because she herself is genuine, straightforward and good-hearted — as rare in the entertainment business as it is in the pet food industry!

You gotta love a woman who humbly said — as she learned of winning the Hope award — “I wish we lived in a world where caring for animals wasn’t so rare that it deserved an award,” said Ellen. “All I do is treat animals with the respect and dignity they deserve. I hope someday soon, everyone does the same. PETCO and the PETCO Foundation have made great efforts to protect animals and I commend them for going above and beyond the call of duty.”

I’d make the same comment about Ellen herself. In her dealings as a star (and “star maker”) she treats people with the respect and dignity they deserve, which is as special and commendable in the human world we live in as it is in the pet world!

Bravo Ellen, bravo HALO, and let’s all take a minute to feel good about something positive going on in this world we live in.

–Tracie Hotchner

I am really excited to discover that now HALO is making a Spot’s Stew from lamb! This is truly earth-shattering news for the “dog foodies” amongst us. Halo is the only kibble I will feed my dogs as part of their meals because it is the only dry food on the market with the protein portion of the food made from real meat only — no rendered meat meal or by-products. The dogs also adore it. I’ll even use a few pieces of Halo kibble as a treat instead of a bigger biscuit with more calories, and even a few pieces of kibble are super-appreciated in my house. Discovering that their favorite kibble comes in a lamb variety makes my choice of Halo a doubly-excellent one because lamb is such an unadulterated meat source since it is not a factory-farmed meat. As I often say on the air on my radio shows, sheep graze on pasture and lead an unpolluted life. Unlike beef, chicken and even fish — which even for the human food supply chain are industrially produced, often with the use of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals — sheep live almost entirely in free-ranging flocks. So I am going to stock up and Scoooy Doo, Teddy and Jazzy are going to dig in with gusto to their new Halo lamb Spot’s Stew.

–Tracie Hotchner

The Bird Catcher

What do you bring the cat who has everything? My new friend Laura Jacobs is an author (whose delicate novel The Bird Catcher I highlighted in an interview with Laura on my NPR radio show, Authors on Animals) and she and her husband Jim Wolcott are devoted to their three charming Ocicats. I was going to pay Laura a visit and wanted to endear myself to her kitties, so I grabbed a container of chicken Liv-a-Littles and showed up brandishing it.  “I have to confess my cats are really picky,” Laura said apologetically, “So please don’t be offended if they show no interest in these dried chicken treats.”  One of her kitties is a tripod — having lost a front leg to cancer as a young cat — and he sniffed tentatively at the crunchy piece of chicken that emerged from the Liv-a-Littles container. Faster than a jack-in-the-box he snarfed down that piece of chicken and looked around for more. Laura was astounded, especially when another of her previously picky kitties jumped up on the table out of curiosity and wolfed down another piece of the freeze-dried chicken just as greedily. By the time the third kitty discovered there was a Liv-a-Little party going on, there was some genuine competition over which of them would get the next piece.

When I screwed the lid back on and set the Liv-a-Littles down on the table, one of the cats started batting it around with his paw, looking for a way to tip it over or get it open.  Suddenly the plastic canister became a hockey puck, propelled around the table by previously picky kitties who were now spoiled for anything but a Liv-a-Little!  So spoil your own kitties with any of the flavors of Liv-a-Littles and if you’d like a winter treat for yourself, snatch a copy of The Bird Catcher and curl up with a kitty in your lap and a really great book.

Ocicats: Jasper & Veronica

–Tracie Hotchner

I got this appeal from Dee in North Carolina — the length shows how attentive she is to her pets’ symptoms and how aware she is of dangers and nutritional issues too — a really great owner!

One of our cats, a 2 year old neutered male named Pumpkin (picture attached), has not been eating well the past few days. He’s one of three cats (two boys and one girl, all siblings) who each eat a normal 5.5 oz can of wet cat food (Friskies) twice a day — totaling 6 cans/day– and the only one not eating the food. We have a variety of flavors so I thought it was a specific one and changed which one he was eating. Still not interested… Would try to take some bites but then walk away. His urine and fecal movements are okay and we do have water down for them, too. Out of frustration and desperation to get him to eat, I cooked up some ground beef and he’s had about 1 C worth over the past 24 hours. Also ate a vienna sausage (I use those to give my12 year old dog a daily pill — gave him one without a pill obviously), and some baked ham so I know he’s hungry. Turned up his nose to some turkey gravy (also opened up a can of this out of desperation), but I’ll try him on some chicken tomorrow — still frozen.

Fur feels kind of oily like it gets when they are sick but not overly oily — he’s normally a very soft (almost angora like his sister) and fluffy kitty. I had been adding in the oil of one fish oil capsule to the boys’ food as they were having a bad time with flea dermatitis (their sister doesn’t like the fish oil at all) so I’ve stopped that for the meantime. He’s really not changed behaviors, just a little sluggish at times. Just gave him some more hamburger and he’s happy — I’m just glad he’s eating! What else should I give him besides chicken? He’s the known butter thief in the family too — but I’ve had it locked up and he can’t get to it (room temperature butter for spreading on toast — locked it in the cabinet above the toaster).

I’ve also attached two pictures of plants I’ve recently brought into the house when these freezing temperatures descended upon us last week. Nearly killed my huge Aloe plant and HUGE Macho fern (forgot them on the front porch — we use the carport for going in and out), two bridal veil plants (dark green pots), and my jasmine plant which I had in the back yard in full sun. Not sure if he’s chewed any of those — though the aloe is suspect as it was weeping for a bit when it thawed out (and STUNK! I need to trim the bad leaves off now), and he did play a bit with the macho fern (likes to play hide and seek under it). I do know someone or all three of them have been munching on my artificial Christmas tree as I’ve seen urps with that stuff in it on the floor. Nothing like more cleaning of carpets…

We have recently changed (in Nov) all of their flea meds from Frontline to Advantage and I’ve seen such a DIFFERENCE in their skin. They’re not breaking out anymore! We’ve been vacuuming (which the vet’s tech — their daughter — said activates the hatching of the eggs with the vibrations) every other day and cleaning the carpets with HOT water every two weeks to keep on top of it. The cats are indoors only but we have the large dog (1/2 Boxer- 1/4 German Shepard 1/4 Labrador Retriever) and our daughter’s year old Australian Terrier who do go in and out. We do try to remember to spray the yard during the spring and summer but it’s been a very tough season here in the south for fleas.

I do wish we could afford the Weruva and Vectra for the cats and dogs but we also have a horse (5 year old American Quarter Horse, sorrel/chestnut, named Buster) so our pennies are stretched out very thin for animal upkeep, and my husband will be retiring from the Army this next year. I don’t work, do homeschool our youngest daughter, and we have a wedding for our eldest daughter next year to pay for in October. Her dog and horse will go with her too–so then I could possibly afford the Vectra. which I’d like to invest in as we live in a very sandy soil area (“sand hills” of North Carolina). I’ve also looked into the cost of making our own cat food and have found the supplements I’ll need online — just need to buy a meat grinder and find who has the best prices for the meat. That will be a gradual transition, too. Until then, bonuses of homemade meat balls once in a while are given to all of them (they like them raw and I don’t add anything to them).

There were a couple of things I told Dee when she called into CAT CHAT® that night (she doesn’t have SiriusXM satellite radio but I told her anyone can call the toll free number 866-675-6675 between 8-9 PM EST any Wednesday night!) First, I think something is definitely up with Pumpkin — his greasy fur and change in appetite is a big tip off so I think a vet visit is need for a physical exam and blood work. Secondly, while I understand financial constraints, the science behind Frontline is 17 years old so it is markedly less effective than Vectra, which has been formulated and newly developed with the newest technology and research. Also, Frontline is now sold over the counter and on websites and there is no quality control and no way of knowing you are getting a genuine product (there are a lot of websites selling fake product), even if it is less effective than Vectra! (many people find it stops working after about 2 weeks so they put on another application which is really unsafe and unhealthy since it is a 30-day product, even if it does not work effectively for that long). The really awesome Christmas Stocking Stuffer news is that Dee is going to get some complimentary Vectra for her kitties from Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins (the Official vet of CAT CHAT® who is now the head of Vectra’s Veterinary Services — congratulations Elizabeth!) One reason why is that Dee knows about Vectra from me, would want to choose it over any other brand, and has budgetary concerns right now — we know she’ll one day be able to be a loyal and satisfied Vectra customer for her dog and kitty cats!

Lastly, if she wants to make food at home it needs to be chicken-based and the grinder she gets must be capable of grinding whole chickens, bones and all, with added organ meat. Beyond that, she is going to need to supplement with Platinum Performance for a fully balanced meal (taurine, etc.) and overall health benefits (Dr. Elizabeth and many vets I know suggest all their dogs and cats are on Platinum daily, as are my dogs and mini-donkey and my husband and I!) so there are monetary considerations in all this, too!

Here were Dr. Elizabeth’s comments on Pumpkin:

The Friskies is not a bad alternative to dry food if the owner can’t upgrade to whole chicken or similar. The Platinum only costs 5 cents/day/cat so that really shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, I doubt that cold weather is affecting this cat’s appetite. Hot weather can, but generally cats will eat more during cold weather. She doesn’t say how old this kitty is but I suspect there is something medical going on and if it persists, she will have to take him to be examined as it may be serious and it will be cheaper and easier to deal with the earlier she acts. The change in the fur is also troublesome so I think unless he snaps out of this soon, a vet visit is in order.

Here is a comment about Pumpkin from Dr Donna Spector, DOG TALK® and CAT CHAT® Official Second Opinion Vet (www.SPECTORDVM.com):

While the decreased appetite does happen to some cats… I wouldn’t necessarily want to just chalk it up to that. I took a look at the picture and he is looking a little greasy/unkempt. Being a young cat… they can get into a lot of things… sometimes GI foreign bodies look like this, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, etc. These are the questions I would ask of a client: with the holidays… do they have tinsel up or other decorations that he might have nibbled on? Does he have access to the tree / tree water? I once had a 3 year old cat who ate so many pine needles from the Christmas tree he was impacted from the stomach up to his mid-espophagus. No vomiting… just didn’t want to eat. So this isn’t necessarily something like that… but this can be a digestively stressful time of year… any parties? People who fed fatty treats? New treats recently?

I don’t think trying a different brand of food is a bad idea and in the short term (one or two weeks) she can home cook for him… especially if he is sick (like with a pancreatitis, etc) the very best thing would be lean meats she cooks at home. Sounds like he liked the burger she gave him and he actually ate a decent amount. But I think she needs to get the vet sooner rather than later.

Thank you to my wonderful veterinary colleagues who are so swift and generous with their time and knowledge! And wishing good health to Pumpkin, of course.

UPDATE: Pumpkin Pulled Out of It!

I was so happy to get this message back from Dee in North Carolina — who was ready to take Pumpkin to the vet, but was very glad not to have to!

Last night Pumpkin came and slept with us, something he’s not done in a very long time. This morning he ate an entire can of food (gave half with the others at breakfast and then the other half about an hour later), and again this evening he just ate a full dinner without any problem. His fur is feeling and looking almost normal again. Whatever it was it has passed (of course I was praying for him, too . I’ll still continue to monitor him and will call in tonight as promised.

I am so thankful for this gift of Vectra! Honestly it is a true surprise as I was not expecting anything but a suggestion of what to feed Pumpkin, etc. I am truly thankful to both you and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins for this unexpected but very welcome gift.

We have two vets we use. One is the vet clinic on the Army base (Fort Bragg) where my husband is stationed and retiring from and they only carry Frontline for the cats. I take the cats there for their annual shots, but we can’t do much beyond regular check ups and minor things there. I can pretty much say it will be a no go for the military to add Vectra to their clinics — they’re extremely tough to get things changed there.

I will look into the Platinum Performance supplement Dr. Elizabeth mentioned, and the fish oil was normal human fish oil by Sundown Naturals (1000 mg). Obviously I have listened to you about fish oil but thought this would be as good as Nordic Naturals and even more obviously now I have a LOT MORE to learn! My cats have been off “kitty crack” since March and I will look more into what would be best for them at the level that I can afford. If it’s staying with Friskies then so be it unless there is something better out there which is better and pretty comparable in price. I can say our cost for cat, dog, and horse food/litter/meds is pretty expensive each month, but I love them all as I do my children. They are my furry children! I’ll be calling in tonight, I promise. Thank you, again, for all of your generosity and helping me get them on the right track.

I replied:

Dear Dee — It was terrific that you called into CAT CHAT® tonight – wonderful to get to know you in person! I have three things to straighten out for you which I didn’t have time for on the air.

1)   The vet on the base is WAY “OFF BASE”! No cats should be getting annual shots of any kind — holistic vets and health-conscious vets of any kind have known for years that yearly vaccinations are unnecessary and possibly harmful. The AVMA (which is the organization all vets belong to) has a stated policy that vaccines should only be given every 3 years (although many of the more educated vets would say that is often overkill for many pets). So you can save some money and definitely some potential harm to your kitties right there!

2)   WERUVA, my favorite cat food, is definitely costly because of the very high quality ingredients it contains, but they also make BFF (Best Feline Friend), a less costly yet high quality cat food. Both these foods and even the Friskies your other kitties eat and many brands both value-priced and premium can be found at my newest sponsor www.PETLFOW.com! With a minimum $60 order you will pay NO SHIPPING even for litter (all the Dr Elsey Precious Cat litters are there and imagine how nice to not have to lug them home but let the UPS man bring them without charge!) Simply put dogtalk (one word) in the code box at checkout and you will not be lugging stuff home from the market anymore! Also, Petflow.com carries the kibble I feed my own dogs — HALO — which I’d love you to try because you can feed less of it because of the high quality of the real meat they use to achieve the protein level. The brand you have been using was recently part of a pet food recall and instead, I’d love to see your dogs getting the highest quality nutrition from a company that does no advertising and instead uses that money for charitable contributions through www.Freekibble.com (you should sign up for their daily quick quizzes — it’s seriously fun and HALO food is donated even if you get the answer wrong!).

3) Other fish oils are definitely NOT like Nordic Naturals — for you, or your pets. There is no comparison between the seriousness with which the Norwegians treat their oceans and responsibly choose the fish they will use for their omega-3 oil — it is a country with a centuries old tradition of making fish oil in a safe, sustainable and healthy way. The oil is filtered with the highest level of care and is third-party tested for purity — one of the worst things you can put in your body or your pet’s body is oil that is tainted with pollutants or has become rancid, both of which would do more harm than good. So please get Nordic Naturals — you can puncture one capsule and squeeze a few drops on the cat’s paw each day to lick off — for the dogs, each pet capsule is dosed for 20 lbs of dog, so feed accordingly. If you are going to make the really good decision to include the anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits of omega-3 fish oil in your diet and that of your pets, an important use of your resources is to make sure you have a really fresh, pure product or it’s better not to do it at all (but I do definitely recommend doing it!)

–Tracie Hotchner

I got this wonderful email from Thomas and Judith, whose beautiful German Shepherd Oscar had surgery on his hind leg, which went terribly wrong. I tried to give them support and suggestions through the medical management of the problem, and was so happy when I learned he had made a friend of a lonely donkey in a field who Oscar ran along aside at the fence to visit. Recently I got this follow up, telling me that they had followed another of the treatments I use with two of my dogs — monthly injections of Adequan which begin with shots twice a week for a month, going down to once a week for a month, and finally once a month. Here’s their latest news:

Hi Tracie — we have thought of you almost every day since the beginning of our journey trying to help our dog Oscar with his medical challenges. You have helped us so much all the way, and I wanted to tell you that we followed your advice and asked the vet to give Oscar Adequan injections for his arthritis. Well, it took the whole series of 8 injections, but IT WORKED! After limping for what seemed like forever, he is finally walking right. It’s a miracle to us after watching him suffer for such a long time. He still has a knot of arthritis at the operation site, but it doesn’t seem to bother him walking or not. He’s starting to drag the other foot, which has supported him all this time, so I think I’ll get a booster shot to help him out. It really is amazing stuff.

He has a good life. We still feed him Halo kibble, and supplement with turkey and beef. What’s with Mackey’s for discontinuing Halo? They had too many other organics, or so they say. Are you still sticking with Halo?

I answered them:

Dear Oscar’s People — what terrific news! I am not surprised but entirely thrilled that the Adequan worked so well for him — but I am worried that you did 8 injections and stopped? Because the correct protocol requires 8 shots in the first month, 4 shots the following month, and then once a month — but it all has to be consecutive and you don’t stop at all or you have to go back a step. So I really hope your vet understood this and didn’t have you do a month of 8 injections and then quit? Please make sure you get into the protocol described above and stick with it!

Also, you can augment the Platinum Performance supplement you’re giving by either switching the Platinum CJ (which is even more effective for joint problems) or get a canister of Platinum bits, which are treats of compressed Platinum Performance powder — and either give them as goodies or add them to his meals as a booster of glucosamine.

As for Halo, phooey on that store! You can get Halo from Halo.com (where there are OFTEN 50% sales on kibble and treats and otherwise I get it from PetFoodDirect.com which gives my listeners a discount (the code is on my website, CATCHAT20). In answer to your question about my loyalty to Halo kibble — I have stuck like a sticky burr to Halo kibble because it’s the only one I know is made with the same quality of meat and other ingredients that most companies use for their canned foods — it’s a commitment to quality that is the cornerstone of their integrity. It’s also an incredible company because instead of using their money to buy ads, they use it to give away their quality food to shelter pets across the country in partnership with young Mimi Ausland’s inspiring charity, Freekibble.com (Mimi is coming on DOG TALK® soon to explain how she’s become a major force for good in the pet world at a very tender age). Stick with Halo because Oscar has come this far — in fact at one point you were sure Oscar’s remarkable improvement was due in part to the quality of the Halo recipes.

–Tracie Hotchner