Halo has always been a leader in supporting intestinal health for pets. Halo natural dry dog and cat food formulas promote digestive health in the following ways:

• Whole grains and vegetables supply fiber to promote excellent digestion
• Whole meats, dried eggs and peas are all highly digestible proteins when compared to meat meals used by many competitors
• Probiotics—give your pet a live source of “good” bacteria
• Prebiotics—provide a source of food for the growth of “good” bacteria

Click here to learn more about prebiotics and probiotics and why Dr. Spector recommends them for your pet.

We’re glad our discount shelter buying program was helpful to the GWP Rescue. Here’s a guest blog post from Mary Murray, a volunteer leader at the shelter, about her experience on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio Show. Even though we donate 5 times more than the average company, we’re still saddened by how many donation requests we have to turn away. So a discount is the least we can do. Shelters can learn more about the Halo program (offering 30-40% discounts for shelters) by calling Halo at 800-426-4256, or emailing customers@halopets.com.

By Mary Murray, GWPRescue.com

What an amazing evening GWP Rescue, Inc had September 9th! Through Tracie Hotchner-radio personality and author of “The Dog Bible”, teamed us up with David Yaskulka from HALO, Purely for Pets, to discuss our rescue and the need for quality nutrition.

As our German Wirehaired Pointers come in from across the country from shelters and from facilities with horrendous conditions, we see some extreme cases of emaciation, anemia, heart worm disease, and digestive disorders. As of late, we have been faced with some very difficult cases. One being a wonderful Wirehair named Murray. He came to us as an extreme case of neglect at 38 lbs. and near death. Murray should have weighed at least 60-70 lbs.

As seven of ten of our GWP’s coming to our licensed facility and to our foster home network are in such bad shape, we were always searching for an affordable, nutritionally based diet. Most instances we had to cook for the dogs, and with the neglected pups we had just this past May, with various litters this was a tremendous undertaking. Time spent preparing meals could have been spent in more productive ways as most of the babies were too young to be without their mother.

As Tracie and I corresponded…..she so graciously offered to help our licensed facility meet with the Halo company on her show. What I did not expect was the incredible gift from the Halo company. David had quite a surprise for us! Not only are we able to get a tremendous discount for our shelter for our puppies and adult dogs as a public charity, but he offered us a $1000.00 gift of products to further enhance the health and well being of our animals..

What a magical night it was…connecting with a company that is passionate about animal health, a wonderful author that has the “Dog Bible’, a comprehensive guide for owners leaving no question unanswered. Thank you both so very much!

We will always remember the special moment and support of our animals by no fault of their own are abused and neglected. Their journey will be much easier now thanks to caring folks such as yourselves. Kudos to you both!

Mary Murray
GWPRescue.com

Q: I am looking for a food recommendation for a 2 year old highly active Gordon Setter who needs to put on some weight. He has a lot of energy and his preference is to be outside. He is 27 inches at the shoulder and skin and coat is in great condition. We have had him on a variety of foods trying to find something he will like and eat. Most recently he has been on Kent Native #4 food, which has a high protein and fat content. Of all the foods we have tried, he will eat this one most of the time. However, we find that we still supplement in some way. His preference is cooked chicken livers but there are times when this doesn’t do the trick either. He doesn’t like canned food and he is not overly fond of fish. We joke that because he has European bloodlines that he thinks he is a gourmet, but I am really concerned that we cannot get any weight on him. He does not seem to be in any distress health-wise that would indicate a thyroid problem. For his size and weight, he should be about 80-85 pounds, but barely touches 70. This breed does take a long time to mature. I have in the past had dogs on Burns, Pinnacle and Solid Gold, but I am reluctant to put Stewart on any of these if he cannot maintain his weight at the lower protein and fat ratios. Is it better to have a food where these ratios are closer together such as 20/15 or one where the ratio is farther apart such as 42/18? Thank you for your assistance.

A: Thanks for your nutrition questions Kathy. A few thoughts on Stewart…even though he seems overtly very healthy, I would have your veterinarian check him for the possibility of malabsorption. There is a medical condition called EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) in which the pancreas does not make enough enzymes to properly digest the food and can lead to poor weight gain/lack of weight maintenance in an otherwise healthy dog. Also, it sounds like Stewart is outdoors most of the time. Chronic parasitism with the protozoal organism called Giardia is a common cause of malabsorption in outdoor pets that otherwise feels normal. I would ask your vet to check him for both of these things…just to be sure.

As far as options for a diet for Stewart, it is important to remember that fat has more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates. Fat has 9 calories per gram, whereas carbs and protein have only 4 calories per gram. With Stewart’s heavy activity schedule, he is likely better suited to a higher fat diet. When comparing diets, it is critical to do so on a dry matter basis (ask your vet to help you with this calculation if you are unsure). The Kent Native 4 you have had him on has 38.9% protein and 27.8% fat. There are many other diets that offer higher fat percentages.

It is also important that you look at the source of ingredients from a digestibility standpoint. The Kent Native 4 diet has “chicken meal” as the first ingredient. “Chicken meal” is a product made through a process called rendering. This always means it is considered “unfit for human consumption” because of the variability and quality of the end product. Rendered meals have lower digestibility than whole meats so even though the food is relatively high protein, it may not be highly digestible protein. Obviously Stewart needs a highly digestible, high quality food to gain and maintain weight with his active lifestyle.

For more information on reading and understanding pet food labels to choose the best food for Stewart, please see my article Pet Food – What You Need to Know – For Your Pet’s Sake.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

Halo doesn’t advertise much – between the power of Ellen, our ground-breaking ingredients story, and our corporate philanthropy, we seem to be in the news every week. But we’re still glad that our rare upcoming full-page ad is being mentioned so often in the media, including the Wall Street Journal and dozens of blogs.

Click here to read more (and to find a sneak-preview of the ad).

In July when she did it the first time, Wynn Ton drove eight hours from her home in Indiana to Nashville, Tennessee to pick up 2,400 pounds of Halo, Spot’s Stew dry puppy food. The second time, at the end of August, Ton again drove eight hours, this time to pick up 1,700 pounds of Spot’s Stew adult dry food.

Along the way home each return trip, Ton dropped off hundreds of pounds at foster homes involved with Aussie Rescue as well as several shelters. “It was too nice of an opportunity to pass up,” says Ton. “When I was told it was Halo dog food, I was more than happy to use it, I just like good quality dog food.”

Ton’s dogged determination to help homeless dogs — even before her two long-distance food pick-ups — impressed Mimi Ausland, the 13-year-old who started the website freekibble.com that donates food to strays for every time someone answers a trivia question on the site. Mimi and her father, Kelly Ausland, chose Ton and her Aussie rescue as recipients of the food donated by Halo. Says Kelly: “I think it’s amazing she drove so far, I think it shows the length that people will go to do what they need to do for their dogs.”

And Ton’s admiration for Mimi and her freekibble.com idea is mutual. “That is just awesome, the heart of a kid,” says Ton. “An adult maybe wouldn’t have come up with that, but to care for the animals and follow through, she is an awesome kid, but she must have a family who helps her. And for people like Halo to step forward and help her like that is awesome.”

Ton, 46, has three dogs of her own and also fosters Australian shepherds, at least four at a time and oftentimes more, as does one of her daughters. “I got my first one four years ago, and I fell in love with the breed,” says Ton “They connect to people on a whole different level, it’s hard to explain, they expect big things of you and give big things back. We always laugh because it’s almost impossible to go to the bathroom without one following you.”

Back when she got her first Aussie, Ton and her husband decided one was not enough. They applied to Aussie rescue for another dog, and ended up becoming foster parents. “My main love is fostering the dogs,” says Ton. “I love watching them come out of their shell, that they realize they can play and run.” This ever-growing devotion to Aussies led to Ton quitting her full-time job to devote even more time to Aussie rescue, which includes taking any Aussie she can find out of a shelter and into a foster home until a permanent family is found.

Ton and her dogs live on three-and-a-half acres. Ton’s husband, Scott, who works for an industrial valve company, lended her one of the company’s big trucks for the drive. The first pick-up was so heavy “the truck was getting low to the ground,” Ton says. En route home on both trips, drop offs were made in Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Ton alone has saved hundreds of dollars thanks to the donation.

And Ton’s foster dogs, including a mother with puppies, appreciate their Halo. “They gobble it right down, so I think they like it really well,” she says. “I’ve been very pleased with it, they have all accepted it well, they have not had any digestive issue. I’ve always bought good brand dog foods, especially for dogs coming out of shelters, they are underweight or ill, and they need good quality food.”