Who would have thought that a former fighting pit bull owned by disgraced NFL football player Michael Vick would end up as a docile darling visiting young schoolchildren?

Thanks to the efforts of our friends at Best Friends Animal Society, former fighters such as Hector have transformed into loving pets. The trainers at the Utah-based Best Friends took this fighter with battle scars scattered about his compact maple-brown body and trained him to love: he is now a gentle therapy dog who visits nursing home and hospital patients. And thanks to you, our loyal customers, Halo was able to donate 43,000 cans of Spot’s Stew to Best Friends to provide the animals at the Best Friends sanctuary with top-quality nutrition.

Hector now lives with a Minnesota family, and he’s appeared at a local elementary school as part of a lesson on compassion and empathy. Says teacher Amber Anderson: “I hope that these children never forget Hector’s story, and that they learn to treat animals and people with compassion; there is a connection between how we treat animals and how we treat people.”

“You know, you could do wonders for yourself by eating well,” began Gordi’s massage therapist. “You may not see the signs yet from eating the average commercial diet, but you will. Do you even know what’s in dog food?…

“It’s full of fillers and meal — seriously, dis-gus-ting. The fillers are bad and the meal is worse. What is meal, you may ask. Well, it’s discarded animal waste that’s been re-engineered to look like ‘good’ food. Humans won’t eat that, so why should we?” Her massage got deeper as she became more hysterical.

“Darling,” she barked, “reading labels should not be for Dolce & Gabana. Always read the can labels and avoid ‛chicken meal,’ by-products, and nasty fillers.”

She paused to breathe.

“I do,” I said with dignity. “In fact, I eat only organic snacks and Halo food.”

This 8-part series shares PetMD blogger Rick Tamargo’s fanciful account of his yellow Lab Gordi’s transition to Halo. While told from the dog’s perspective, the series is based on real-life Gordi’s actual transition to Halo Spot’s Stew (wet and dry mixed), treats, supplements and grooming products – all supervised by Dr. Donna Spector.

Click here to read this week’s full story.

Q: How do I transition my dog or cat to a new food?

A: Most pets require 7-10 days to adjust to a new food because their intestinal tracts contain unique bacteria and enzymes that need to adapt to the proper digestion of a new food. It is recommended that dogs and cats eat a combination of dry and canned food every day. Their bodies are made of 75% water and they rarely drink enough water to support excellent hydration and organ function. I recommend that 25 to 50% of their daily calories come from canned food. You can feed it all at one time during the day or break it up into 2 meals…whatever is easiest for you.

Follow these guidelines for either dry, canned or preferably a combination of Halo food*:

Click here to read complete article.

Short-dated products are on the Halo web site at half price. Of course, these usually sell out extremely quickly, so grab what you can use. Currently available: Daily Greens – 100 tabs, serveral Liv-a-Littles treats, grooming and supplements items, and even some cans of Halo Spot’s Stew. Take a look, and check back often!

Please remember, while these products are wonderful, they are not the same as what you can buy at the store. You’ll find earlier formulas, old labels, or short-dating. Short-dating means that the product will reach its “Best if Used By” date within 1-2 months of purchase.

Short-dated products are on the Halo web site at half price. Of course, these usually sell out extremely quickly, so grab what you can use. Currently available: Liv-a-Littles protein treats, grooming and supplements items, and even some cans of Halo Spot’s Stew. Take a look, and check back often!

Please remember, while these products are wonderful, they are not the same as what you can buy at the store. You’ll find earlier formulas, old labels, or short-dating. Short-dating means that the product will reach its “Best if Used By” date within 1-2 months of purchase.