Ice Pups from The Honest Kitchen

I have discovered the most delightful “off label” use of The Honest Kitchen’s ICE PUPS, which is a powder of finely ground chicken and herbs intended to be dissolved in warm water and then put into ice cube trays for a hot weather refreshing canine treat. But with an ever-hungry dog who finishes his dinner way before the other two — and looks longingly around for more food — instead I offer him a Canine Cappuccino by dissolving a scoop of Ice Pups in warm water and serving it just that way into Scooby Doo’s empty bowl. He laps it right up and since he’s also a dog who never seems to drink water (and has a history of urinary crystals requiring lots of fluids), he needs that extra liquid from the cappuccino as much as for feeling satiated.

As some of you may remember, my oldest Weimaraner Scooby Doo has a never-ending struggle with his weight (many of us can empathize!) Scooby has a relentless appetite and I have discovered over time that carbohydrates are his enemy in our attempts at managing his weight and keeping him slim. Getting his excess winter weight off and keeping him as thin as possible has been essential since his second ACL repair last year — which required a total of three surgical interventions — and gave me and his dedicated surgeon Faulkner Besancon at Upstate Veterinary Specialties in Latham New York many gray hairs worrying whether Scooby would ever fully recover.

I’m happy to say that the weight came off and has stayed off by sticking with the “zero kibble, Honest Kitchen foundation diet” he used last year to drop 20 pounds. However, he eats like a house on fire and despite using one of those slow-you-down dog bowls and lots of water in his Honest Kitchen plus the canned meat dinner, he often still seems desperately hungry after he wolfs it down. So I experimented with the ideas of how a warm beverage after dinner can be satisfying to humans, especially those trying to avoid the temptation of the dessert cart!

Scooby is now a very satisfied dinner customer when I give him a Canine Cappuccino after dinner, by swirling a scoop of Ice Pups in half a can of warm water and serving it right in his licked-clean pitifully empty dinner bowl!

–Tracie Hotchner

Hi Tracie,

I’m thrilled that the Weruva has resolved Leo’s struvite crystal situation.  However, for the last 3-4 months he has been biting the tip of his tail and chewing on his paws.  The vet thinks he possibly has a food allergy to chicken, and offered steroid shots.  To give Leo some immediate relief the vet gave him one shot.  I do not plan to continue a course of steroids.

I  also switched Leo to a limited ingredient diet on March 14th, feeding him Instinct’s rabbit, venison and lamb.  There is no chicken or chicken liver.  He did really well until last week when he started over-grooming and biting his tail and paws again.

I apply Advantage flea control every three to four weeks. I was hoping the change in diet would help, but he seems to have the same allergy symptoms. I would love your advise on what other things I can do to help him.

Thanks!
Laura K.

Laura -

Here’s what is going on:

Leo needs omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil — Nordic Naturals is my favorite because of its purity and freshness — it comes in pet capsules and you can puncture the capsule and squeeze a few drops on his paws every day for him to enjoy & lick off. These omega-3 oils are anti-inflammatory in general plus they nourish the skin at a cellular level.

You are so right to avoid the steroid shots — it creates a horrible cycle of dependence on them and it solves nothing — only deals with the symptoms and creates problems of its own

Food allergies are extremely rare and vets blame chicken all the time and then give shots — without any proof of why the animal is suffering – it’s ridiculous! I think you may still have fleas — one flea bite can create a terrible itchy reaction and the biting and scratching can cause more irritation.

The product you are using cannot compare to Vectra for cats — it is far superior because it is the newest technology and kills off all 3 life cycles of the flea — which can live in your environment for years unless the life cycle is ended. Plus, it works efficiently for a full 30 days so there is not reason to have a product that you have to reapply too soon because it isn’t working anymore! Please go on my website and see the page about Vectra so you can figure out how to ask your vet to carry it or you can go to your nearest Banfield Vet Clinic which has Vectra made for them under the name First Shield — this product is available only through vets — never online, to protect the quality and safety of the product.

About the crystals — to avoid them forming again you want him to drink as much water as possible — which cats are not inclined to do, especially if getting such good nourishment. So you have to make the water really tasty! In addition to giving my favorite canned cat food, Weruva, I urge you to buy a canister of Ice Pups (just ignore the name!)  from the Honest Kitchen — available online if you don’t have a premium pet store near you. It’s finely ground chicken & herbs which dissolves in water after you stir it around and makes it really delicious. So you can put half a teaspoon in a shallow bowl of half a cup of water and see if you can get him to slurp up some of that, too!

Let me know how everything goes!

–Tracie Hotchner

Hi Tracie,

I’m Betty from Waterford with the adopted poodle who is about 11 years old.  Coki has been having a bad time with lethargy and nausea.  I’ve spent the better part of the last two days at the VCA Animal Hospital in Waterford.  Lab work shows that she is positive not for Lyme disease but another parasite caused by tick exposure.  She’s a pretty sick puppy and may still end up in hospital but I’d rather take care of her at home.

My real question for you is what is better than Frontline.  This is obviously a failure of Frontline.  I live near Harkness Park and Waterford Beach so ticks are plentiful.  I, in fact, have just finished the treatment for Lyme disease after being bitten by a deer tick.  A friend just gave me a tag called Shoo which is supposed to be good for tick repellent.  Have you ever heard of it?  I’m a little leery of something that is supposed to be good for 4 months and it’s a tag you put on the dog’s collar.

Any advice you can give me I’d appreciate, and yes I do have The Dog Bible.
Betty

I am SO sorry that Coki has been knocked flat by a tick-borne disease — and so sorry that you, too, got nailed by a tick. As you know, I have been talking about VECTRA 3-D on the air for so long, trying to get people to realize how serious the illnesses are and how important it is to have safe and effective protection. I am surprised you didn’t recall my having spoken of it because had you gotten it on Coki she would very likely not have been bitten and gotten so ill. I have talked so often on Dog Talk® about how the older anti-tick products have become ineffective against the ticks that have adapted to older technology — as you have found yourself with Frontline, which is an older product. There are numerous horrible diseases caused by these parasites, which can be protected against by using Vectra 3-D, but the recommendation is to use it every single month year round.  As soon as Coki is better you need to start her on Vectra 3-D and use it religiously every month, now that she has been weakened by one tick-borne disease already she could become even more seriously ill if another tick were to infect her with a different disease.  I am baffled why the doctors at the VCA hospital didn’t tell you about First Shield, which is made for them by Vectra and is the exact same product, always requiring a veterinarian to dispense it. As for that tag, I have never heard of it but it cannot possibly work as effectively as the full body coverage that Vectra 3-D gives.

As for your copy of The Dog Bible, did I already send you an autographed bookplate for it? I seem to recall having done that.

All paws crossed for a speedy and successful recovery for Coki- and just as soon as the veterinarian says she is ready for it, please start that Vectra 3-D and make it a year round habit.

Tracie

Thank you Tracie.  I did remember you talking about Vectra but I couldn’t remember the name.  On Saturdays when I’m listening to your show I’m usually driving around so I couldn’t write down the name, then there were a couple of family emergencies which took me out of town and, frankly, I forgot about it.  Coki is now doing mush better and I’m hoping to get her back on the medicine soon but will go by the doctor’s order.  I have been impressed with them and their follow through.  The vet called me yesterday just to check and see how she was doing.  They really would have liked me to leave her with them over the weekend but I had to take her home and take care of her myself.  We had a couple of rough days but we made it.  The big concern to me was dehydration on a 17 pound animal.  People don’t seem to realize that animals are a lot like little kids, one minute they are really terribly sick and then suddenly greatly improved, but watch out because they can go back down again really quickly.  If I sound like a nurse it’s because I am.  I’ll ask about the First Shield this morning when we go back to VCA.

Thanks again,
Betty V

Betty replied:

The VCA Hosp here says they are unfamiliar with First Shield so I’ll have to get it elsewhere.  She is doing really well now but had to have a little more subcutaneous fluid again yesterday.  She is finally drinking water instead of the reduced sodium chicken broth so I thing we are close to normalcy if there is any such thing.

So I smacked my forehead and said:

I am such a DOPE — it is the Banfield clinics that carry Vectra as First Shield.

Sorry about that. Use the Internet to find a Banfield clinic near you. What great news about her recovery — rather than chicken broth, I suggest you buy a canister of Ice Pups right away — it is made by the Honest Kitchen and is ground up chicken & herbs that dissolves in water — really great for recovering dogs because they get protein & other nutrition from the fluid. I use it for one of my dogs who doesn’t drink enough water. Go on my website and see the listing of all the East Coast stores that carry The Honest Kitchen products — otherwise go to the link for the company on my website and they will ship directly to you. It’s such a  wonderful and unique product and although it was intended to be made into ice cubes you could give your dog in hot weather, I think it makes a great meal alternative or fluid booster.

Keep up the good work.
Tracie Hotchner

The Dog Bible

I received the bookplate packet of samples and brochures. What fun! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to read all the info. I feed one of my dogs The Honest Kitchen — Thrive and Force – but have wanted to try Preference and you sent me a sample of it! I give a small amount of Halo dry food with THK. I have been giving Nordic Naturals to both dogs; their coats are so shiny and soft. Pumpkin has hypothyroidism and he was scratching and biting himself pretty bad: he has practically stopped now. I am going to ask my vet about Vectra and will show him the pamphlet; I would like to try it. I also wanted to try Platinum Performance and I got that too! I had a question: is it ok to give Nordic Natural fish oil and Platinum Performance or should it be one or the other? Can’t wait to put the bookplate into the book. Thank you so much. It is really wonderful to have someone so informed and trustworthy to help me keep my furry friends healthy and happy.

With much appreciation, Christine.

You’re doing wonderfully! I myself feed The Honest Kitchen at every meal with a small serving of Halo kibble good choices! So glad the Nordic Naturals fish oil is a success — it makes me so happy when my advice really helps! Yes, you can give the Platinum Performance supplement along with the Nordic because one is a marine-based (Nordic is all fish body and liver oil) while Platinum Performance used plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, So all that remains is for you to get Pets Best insurance I sent you a brochure for (and believe me, if you think you cannot afford it, you certainly cannot afford the costly choices now available to diagnose and treat ailments. Oh! And the Vectra and Vectra 3-D for flea and tick control — if your vet does want to get the free samples, great. Give me the name and number and I’ll pass it along to Dr. Elizabeth. BUT if your vet decides not to carry Vectra, you only need to find a Banfield vet clinic (by going on the internet) and after just a question or two about your pets heath they will sell you First Shield, which is the name for Vectra at Banfield — it’s made especially for them.

Tracie

I interviewed Lucy Postins, the owner of THE HONEST KITCHEN, on DOG TALK®. We discussed the sustainable antibiotic-free, free-range chicken from Petaluma Farm that is now in her foods. I also told her about The Honest Kitchen diet I had put Scooby Doo on when he developed a double chin (that at first I thought was a goiter) and ballooned to 129.8 pounds. I had an Aha Moment and realized I had been giving him way too much kibble with his Honest Kitchen. I decided to make it only 1/4 cup per meal and depend on mostly The Honest Kitchen for his nutrition. Six months later Scooby Doo had dropped 29 pounds — which has now become a total of 31 pounds. I have slowly added the Halo kibble back into his diet at only 1 cup per meal — and he is holding strong under 100 lbs. I got the following brief email from a listener after she heard the show:

I’m ordering Honest Kitchen for me. I will eat it every day until the 29 lbs come off.

The Honest Kitchen gives Tracie’s people 10% discount. And it’s flat rate shipping anywhere in the U.S.  My dogs have had the Honest Kitchen’s super-healthy raw dehydrated entirely human-grade food as part of every meal for a decade — which means some days they eat better than I do!  If you want a minimally processed food of the highest quality ingredients, come try some Verve, Force or Embark and fill your dog’s tummy with something really good for him.  You can use this coupon code in a store or ordering directly from The Honest Kitchen.

New referral coupon code which is WFFDSC037.

Tracie

I got this from Laura, who joined Tracie’s Club so she could have ready access to my advice and support through her pussycat’s problems:

I have enjoyed reading your book, The Cat Bible, and other information on your website, but I still am very uncertain on how to resolve a recurring situation with my dear male cat Leo (about 6 years).

He has had 4 episodes of urinary crystals in the last 6 months, two of which caused blockages, resulting in lengthy vet stays.  He was on a catheter both times, which I’m sure was very uncomfortable. His last blockage with last Thursday, and he is still have difficulties passing urine.  His PH is 7.5 and the crystals are Struvite.

I feed him wet food only — alternating Science Diet’s CD with Primal raw beef cube.  He does not get kibble. With this high protein diet, I am baffled as to why he is getting sick so often.  A high protein diet has not seemed to acidify his urine and he is still developing crystals.

I know CD has by-products (which I’m not crazy about), that’s why I was trying to feed him some raw food.  Now I’m really confused.  I feel like I need to make a change quickly, but I don’t want to choose a food that will aggravate his situation. I’m not sure if he is reacting to  the CD or to the raw food, so I’ve eliminated the raw food.  However, I’d like a better plan moving forward since CD isn’t the best canned food, and I’m unsure of raw food.

I’d love your advice so that I can get my Leo back on track.

Here’s what I wrote to Laura:

Your instincts are right on the mark — the Science Diet CD not only has by products, but plenty of carbohydrates, too. The Cat Bible tells you how to read a label and this one should set your hair on fire by that yardstick.

Pork By-Products, Water, Pork Liver, Chicken, Rice, Corn Starch, Oat Fiber, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Fish Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, etc

What most bothers me about products like this is that they call themselves a “chicken” cat food and in this case the predominant ingredient is pork by-products, so that seems misleading, to put it politely. And then there is the question of where in God’s name does pork — actually the discarded portion of pork processed for humans to eat — fit into a healthy diet for a cat? This food’s name is “Chicken” but chicken appears only as the 4th ingredient down on their list (meaning there are 3 other ingredients in a much greater proportion) and then some corn products like starch and corn gluten meal. “Chicken liver flavor” is something synthetic, obviously — because they are using pork liver, which is listed, instead, surely because it is much cheaper. In any case, pork is an unnatural ingredient for cat, when you think that commercial pigs can reach 500 lbs., that animal clearly could never be a cat’s natural prey!

So right now your kitty is not actually on a cat food with quality high protein — or one made of ingredients that are natural and healthy for a cat.  You need to get Weruva or Halo Spot’s Stew or Newman’s Own that use only human grade meat — no by-products of any animal and no meal.  Until you get the cat off this highly processed inappropriate protein source you cannot know how much it is negatively influencing his health.

As for raw, it is the gold standard for cat foods and the best choice you can make for your kitty. You’ll be doing him a great favor if you can go to all raw (but not beef, again because we want to avoid feeding our kitty cats a meat source with no logical connection to a feline, who can naturally catch mice or birds, to which chicken and turkey are the closest thing). Beef and organ meats can also make some kind of stones worse, too.

Another thing about crystals is that drinking lots of fluids can reduce the problem. However, it’s rare for a wet-fed cat to be thirsty and drink a lot so there’s a way you can give him fluids he’ll be motivated to drink.  See if he’ll do well on a bit of milk (can upset the stomach) or try a nifty product from The Honest Kitchen called Ice Pups. It is a ground up chicken and greens powder that you dissolve in water and was developed to be frozen into cubes for dogs to enjoy in hot weather, but I find it is a great way to get pets to drink fluids they wouldn’t normally drink. It’s also high protein because of the finely ground chicken that is in there with some powdered herbs and greens. The more you can get him to drink, the better — the page for The Honest Kitchen is on my website and they give a discount to my listeners.

I’m hoping this will help, although it will take a few weeks to start to show results. I’m sorry for all you and he have been through.

Tracie

The Cat Bible

I got this from Melinda, one of the nice people who came to my talk (put on by Everything & the Dog in Leesburg Virginia) “YOU’RE FEEDING YOUR PET WHAT?!”   Nordic naturals sent me on this outing and also supplied really cool goody bags with a month’s supply of their Omega-3 pet oil. And there were tons of other goodies in there from Weruva, Halo Spot’s Stew, Dr. Harveys, The Honest Kitchen, Wagatha’s biscuits and Platinum Performance joint supplement. We also sold my Bibles to benefit the Dog park that just opened.

MANY thanks for the lovely, lovely goody bags from your fabulous April 24th event! They are fantastic and I’m sharing the wealth with my friend Oceane who has a kitty (I rescued from my farm in the remote part of KY) and can definitely use the kitty stuff in the bags. Briga, however, is greatly enjoying the Omega-3 supplements and the treats. I’ve noticed that since she’s been taking the Omega-3, she’s been scratching less, which is a common occurrence among cockers. Also, I’ve noticed her skin is less dry and flaky. I’m pretty certain the fish oil is lubricating her skin. If I’d only known before!

Also, many thanks for the great book . . . I love it and will be sure to consult it often!

I got this question from Nancy, a friend of a friend and there seem to be many misunderstandings here — both the vet’s and Nancy’s. Here’s the story as I received it:

Shamrock’s History:

I have always been very strict about using Frontline on Shamrock except giving her a break from it in the winter months of December, January and February. About 2 years ago the vet discovered she had lymes disease through a routine heartworm test. She was and has always been asymptomatic. They put her on 30 days of antibiotics and then asked me to have her tested in 6 months. She was positive again (the titers were still very high). They did another 30 days doxy and she was tested in 6 months again still asymptomatic but still a very high positive. I believe we did one more round of this and there was no change. They did a urine test discovered a little protein in the urine so they did 2 months of doxy no change so they continued (they wanted to do 4 months) but stopped it after 3 1/2 and did another urine sample. So ultimately now they believe she is a chronic lymes carrier, with no symptoms but with the beginning of kidney disease. She has recently started on prescription diet for kidney disease.

First of all, Nancy stated that she kept the dog on Frontline except for three winter months, which is already an error since on any warm day in winter ticks come out in force.

Secondly, when she stated that the dog “is and always has been asymptomatic” (not displaying symptoms of the illness) that is contradicted by Nancy’s later comment that urine testing showed protein was a kidney failure due to Lyme disease (which would certain by a symptom, if it were true!). Thirdly, it seems the vet does not understand how to utilize doxycycline with blood testing since the C6 snap test for tick-borne disease needs to be done right before and then immediately after the 30 days of doxy given to a dog with a high blood titer. By waiting 6 months, there is no way to know if that course of doxycylcine was effective, or more importantly whether the dog has been re-exposed to Lyme or another tick-borne disease in the interim. Certainly that is a possibility given that Shamrock had no protection for 3 months in the often mild winter months in the heavily tick-infested East end of Long Island.

Furthermore, Frontline has no repellent component, a huge drawback when repelling ticks and fleas is half the battle. With ticks, the transmission time for some diseases can be as little as 2 hours of attachment, so the sometimes quoted statement that a tick has to be on the dog (or person) for 24 hours of attachment has been proven false in numerous experiments. Therefore, she should be using K9 Advantix or, the newest topical that I am using, Vectra 3D (which uses the same tick repellent and killer as Advantix but has a much stronger and less toxic flea component. Old Towne Animal Hospital in Southampton carries Vectra 3D, which can only be prescribed by a vet so that a dog is under a vet’s care for the confusing aspects of tick-borne diseases.

This is a dog who is also a candidate for the Lyme vaccination, which is misunderstood by many vets and people but which is a first line of defense against the often debilitating disease.

Unless Nancy is simply confused about what tests were done and why, or what medication was used and why, it is especially odd that a vet didn’t know how to properly time the blood test, and then left off using it as a yardstick for infection and turned to urine testing instead. I wasn’t told the dog’s age, but if she is an older dog then declining kidney functioning would be a normal sign of aging and not of Lyme disease – since joint pain is the main symptom we look for in Lyme’s.

Then to add insult to injury, the dog is given a kidney diet in a bag. Both THE DOG BIBLE and numerous blogs and Q&A’s on my website make clear that the old-fashioned use of low protein vet kibble for kidney issues has been contradicted by more recent findings that we should not be giving a dry, dehydrating food with questionable ingredients to a dog whose body needs high quality protein and lots of moisture. The dog needs food that is minimally processed, preferably no kibble at all — with a high quality protein source in a can or from eggs, cottage cheese, sardines, or any fish or meat source from the human dinner table. Some raw freeze-dried vegetables from Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl mix or The Honest Kitchen’s raw dehydrated food both provide lots of moisture and are truly nutritious and vitamin-packed. She definitely needs all the things I recommend for optimal nutritional health, with Nordic Naturals omega-3 fish oil at the top of the list, and Platinum Performance joint supplement to boost the immune system and reduce any inflammation or pain she may have from whatever source.

At the very least, a second opinion from a vet who is up to date on Lyme prevention and treatment is definitely in order.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

Jane in Lakewood, New York wrote me this simple note that was like a thunder clap for me – I can no longer reject dry cat food for each and every situation. Jane listens to CAT CHAT® and understands everything I have said about the harm of kitty crack. Nonetheless, she and her husband travel and live where there are no neighbors, much less pet sitters. The tone of her letter really got to me. Respectfully, she asked when I was going to “break my silence” and help guide someone whose lifestyle cannot accommodate canned food. The way she asked made me realize that no matter how “correct” I know my conclusions to be, that theories are one thing and real life is often another — and if I care as I do for the health and welfare of ALL kitties, then I cannot simply ignore the needs of those who want to do the right thing for their cats within the realities of their own situation. So here’s the email that rocked my world:

Tracie – I know your mantra about kitty crack. I listen you on Martha on Sirius. I inherited two cats when I married my husband but we cannot accommodate feeding canned food. We both travel for work and live in a rural area with no one to care for the cats while we are gone. I switched from Friskies to Iams and noticed improvement. They certainly eat less and have lost some weight. But I believe I heard you give praises to Halo pet food and am wondering what you think about the claims for their dry cat food? I respect your opinion and am hoping that you will break the silence on which dry food might be better than another for those of us that cannot accommodate wet food but are trying to do better for our cats. They are happy, healthy cats with no objectionable behavior. Thank you.

Hello Jane – this is for you! And all of those whose pussycats I have not been acknowledging, for whom dry food is necessary because they genuinely cannot make canned food an option for their cats. I have always said that it is the highly processed carbohydrates in all dry cat food which causes the health issues — and that remains absolutely true — but if circumstances require dry food, it’s time I told you what you’ve been waiting for: which dry food is best?

Jane is right, I have recently been singing the praises of Halo’s Spot’s Stew. In fact, for the first time I have chosen it as the DOG food kibble that is head and shoulders above the others and which I am now feeding to my dogs as part of their daily meals. And the reason for the tap of the “Tracie Wand” is all about ingredients. For dogs we want a kibble made with the cleanest possible ingredients and with as high a protein content as possible – with cats this goes double, since their digestive systems are not designed for carbohydrates and they need real meat. Well that is what makes Halo’s Spot’s Stew in a class by itself. The protein content of the dry food is 33%, on par with Wellness CORE (and below EVO) however here is the kicker: Halo uses only meat that is “fit for human consumption” in their foods. Halo has made a moral decision that they will only use meat that people could eat — no by-products, meals or any of the suspicious ingredients (which is where wheat gluten and melamine came in pre-pet-food recall) that can raise the theoretical protein content of a food on the label, but which can have origins that make the food indigestible to the pets (or not “bio-available”). As you’ve read in THE DOG BIBLE, the line on a pet food bag which lists the “crude protein” level can be deriving that number from good quality meat or “hooves, beaks and feathers and the manure clinging to them.” If you were a manufacturer and profit margin was your driving concern, would you go to the astronomical additional cost of using real meat “fit for a human dinner table?” Guess what: Halo made a company decision they would do just that — knowing they could actually bag a food claiming twice their protein level, but it would have meant going to some of the non-nutritious ingredients which are legally permitted and being used in a great many pet foods — but not doing the pets any good at all.

So the clear winner of any kibble out there is Spot’s Stew. Every bag is sealed with a company’s code of ethics, to do the best they can to nourish the pets of America. Honestly I am kicking myself that I didn’t learn this earlier, because I have three huge dogs who have been eating kibble as a portion of their meals without my knowing the difference between Spot’s Stew and other high-end brands. Also, it is vital that you know that a great many pet foods, which at one time were owned by a private company (like Halo or Weruva or Dr. Harvey’s or The Honest Kitchen still are) where there was personal pride and commitment to excellence and transparency — are now owned by multi-national corporations selling everything from soap powder to chewing gum. Dry food is the highest profit item in a pet food line and the best way to make more profit is to spend less on what you put inside the bag. So Jane – now that you have gotten me down off my high horse about dry cat food (with the thanks of many other cat lovers, I am sure!) may I ask that you either get a copy of  THE CAT BIBLE (and write to me so I can send an autographed bookplate to stick in it, inscribed to your kitties., along with some nice surprises) and/or spend time on my website www.TracieHotchner.com and learn some more about how to evaluate a pet food by reading the label and learning what those words mean. Even though you raised the level of your cat’s nutrition a little bit, you knew in your heart that you needed to find something genuinely preferable, which is why you wrote to me. So let me add that when you are home you need to please feed canned cat food, any of the flavors and brands on my website. At least your obligate carnivore will be getting some real, minimally-processed meat some of the time! Thanks again for pushing me to offer this advice.

A LITTLE DRY FOOD SOMETIMES

I got this letter from Margo, a CAT CHAT® listener I thanked for listening to me – and for hearing me! So now she has a small window of opportunity to give a little Spot’s Stew dry food, but only when absolutely necessary! Once again, even though a brand may show a high protein content, we have to consider the origin of that protein (Where did it come from? Can the cat’s body really utilize it as protein?) in making the healthiest choice for our kitties.

Hi Tracie – I spoke with you on Martha Stewart radio. I know you are a big proponent of wet food, but due to cost and lifestyle (ie overnight travel)… dry would be nice, an occasional addition, provided that it is not harmful to my kitties.

The EVO brand of dry foods says it contains no carbs and the ingredient list shows no carbs… do you think you might look into this brand? I still feed primarily wet, but if you think I should not even occasionally give them this dry… I will not.

Thank you!

The Cat Bible