Question: My dog likes to eat grass. Is this okay for him to do?

Answer: Pets that eat potted plants or grass may not be getting enough greens in their diet. In the wild, animals would consume fresh prey that could have eaten herbs, plants or berries.

Your dog is a good candidate for VitaGlo Daily Greens. This product provides him with healthy phytonutrients which should satisfy his green food nutritional needs.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: I have a finicky cat that doesn’t want to eat any nutritional canned food, other than the meat byproduct stuff. Can you recommend one you think she might eat?

Answer: I am assuming you have tried the Halo Spot’s Stew for cats….some cats find it a bit too brothy and chunky. I have had success with those picky kitties by putting it briefly in a blender to reduce the chunk size. You can also try heating up the food a bit…some cats really love the aroma that the fresh wholesome ingredients give off.

You can also sprinkle Halo’s protein powder (called Dinner Party) on top to make it more appetizing! Another diet you might try is the Evo 95% canned cat food line. Many of my pickier cat friends like that one.

Hope that helps. Take care.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: I need help my dog only eats your dry dog food but now all of a sudden she has diarrhea what can I do?

Answer: Thanks for writing in. There are many causes of diarrhea in dogs. If a dog gets changed to a new food (even a high quality food like Halo) abruptly, they can develop diarrhea. Read my article “How do I transition my dog or cat to a new food?”.

This is also a time of year when we see a lot of parasites (whipworms, roundworms, tapeworms and Giardia) or bacterial overgrowth—even in healthy dogs—and I would recommend that you take a fresh fecal sample into your vet to have it analyzed.

Some dogs develop diarrhea because they actually require more fiber in their diet or sometimes it is a sign of a more serious intestinal disorder. Talk to your vet about what might be happening in your dog.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna J. Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: Can cats have heartworm disease? Is there a pill cats can take? My girlfriend just told me her cat died after 5 years of heartworm?

Answer: Thanks for writing in. Yes, cats can and DO get heartworm disease. Heartworm is present in every US state and kills dogs and cats every year. Most owners have only heard about heartworm in dogs but the incidence in cats—even INDOOR cats—is increasing dramatically.

Many cats that were previously thought to be asthmatic because of coughing and wheezing may actually have lung inflammation from heartworms. If your cat has any respiratory signs, ask your veterinarian about heartworm disease. Cats must be tested with both a heartworm antibody and antigen test (dogs only need the antigen test).

Your dog and cat (even if only indoors) should be tested every year and kept on preventative year-round to stop heartworm disease dead in its tracks! Many of the same preventatives used in dogs are effective for cats but you must get the ones properly sized/dosed for cats.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna J. Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Question: I have 3 dogs and they are itching a lot and showing signs of allergies. Is their dog food causing this? They have been on it for years. I noticed it getting worse recently and we just hit the hot summer months in FLorida. Not sure if it is something they are eating or something external. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.

Answer: Thanks for writing in. It would be extremely unusual for all 3 of your dogs to simultaneously develop allergies to a food they have been eating for years. While it is possible that a single bag of food could be spoiled, the most common sign a pet would exhibit in that situation would be digestive upset. A true allergy to a food developing in 3 dogs simultaneously would be almost unheard of!

It is much more likely that their itching is a result of an external issue and seasonal allergies are a HUGE problem right now! The big ones at this time of year are flea allergy, mange, other insect allergy (fly bite, mosquito, etc), and inhaled allergies (molds, pollens, etc). Other things to consider…have you changed the type of detergent you use to launder their beds? Other environmental changes?

You should see your veterinarian to check for things like mange. Make sure to be vigilant about flea control during these hot summer months. Check out my article Nix the Itch of Summer.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna J. Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.