Question: We have been feeding him the chicken flavor, but they store was out of it! So we had to buy the Salmon flavor. My dog has been getting sick every day since. Could it be because of the flavor switch? Thanks for your help!

Answer: Some dogs are very sensitive to changes even amongst flavors as there are different primary protein sources and digestive upset can result.

Although this can happen with either dry or canned formulations it is particularly true when switching between the canned formuations as the salmon has quite a bit more fat and protein than the canned chicken formula.

I would obviously recommend getting him back on the chicken and call your store ahead of time to make sure they keep the chicken stocked for you.

Hope that 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.

I got this letter recently from a pet sitter who works for Lydia Best in Leesburg Virginia and attended the seminar on pet nutrition that I gave last year…

HALO is completely different from other commercial dry foods. The biggest difference is the fact that it is made with only real chicken, real beef, real salmon, or real lamb. They don’t use any rendered products like chicken meal (which is unfit for human consumption) to achieve their protein content.

… I hope you’ll also take to heart the fundamentals of my “nutrition seminar,” which is that an all-kibble diet is not balanced or healthy because even the finest kibble (which I believe HALO to be, based on the source of their ingredients) is still highly processed carbohydrates and Holly needs quality protein and fresh vegetables and even some fruits. So if you can balance out her kibble with an equal amount of protein from your own table like meat, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and of course fish (which has to be easy when you’re sailing!) you’ll be giving her the optimal diet.

Click over to my original blog on “Halo Is Way Different Than Other Kibble! (Update)” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I received a letter recently from a pet sitter and here is my reply:

Dear Toni: I am trying to recover from my dismay at this veterinarian spouting his own misinformed version of true garbage …

There is no dispute in nutrition for either people or pets that we “are what we eat” and REAL meat or other wholesome protein ingredients and other healthy components of a pet food are key to the wellness of our beloved pets. HALO is completely different from other commercial dry foods. …

Click over to my original blog on “Halo is WAY Different than Other Kibble! (Update)” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

OK, pop quiz — which of the following are legally acceptable ingredients for pet food companies to put in chicken meal?

A) Supermarket waste

B) Meat processing facility waste

C) Packinghouse waste

D) All of the above

You probably already guessed the answer. And of course, Halo NEVER uses chicken meal, beef meal, fish meal, or any other ingredients that are unfit-for-human-consumption.

Visit www.halopets.com/chickenmeal for more information.

I admit that before I came to Halo, I always assumed that “chicken meal” in my dog’s food was a great ingredient, and one that I wouldn’t hesitate to feed to my family. Hey, we have chicken meals once or twice a week at home!

So why won’t Halo use chicken meal, beef meal, fish meal, or any other rendered meat, rendered fish or rendered poultry products?

I was pretty shocked to learn what “chicken meal” in pet food really is. First, it’s absolutely not fit for human consumption (by law). Second, the safety and quality control standards for chicken meal are far inferior to human-grade ingredients.

But what really surprised me is what chicken meal may contain (and usually does).

Click over to www.halopets.com/chickenmeal to get the whole scoop!