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.

I got a comment on one of my daily tips on DOGSTER.COM and wanted to share it with you here…

It’s certainly true that lower quality dog foods can cause adverse skin reactions in dogs, but it isn’t just about an allergy to wheat (which is actually pretty rare in dogs). It’s more likely a reaction to the artificial colors, flavors, chemical preservatives, and generally dubious quality even of the protein source in the food. So you want to switch to a truly natural food free of all that artificial stuff and with the word of the named protein source as the first ingredient (chicken, beef, salmon).

While there are many premium dog foods, I have chosen HALO Purely for Pets kibble for the dry portion of my own dogs’ meals. I have confidence in the integrity of the company and Halo’s commitment to using the highest quality protein sources for their kibble, while avoiding all the cheap fillers and nasty additives present in so many dog foods. .

Click over to my original blog on “Better Quality Dog Food but Flea Prevention, Too” 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.

For blog readers, newsletter subscribers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans only, we’re happy to offer this month’s store coupons for Halo products!

Remember, these coupons are only valid at stores where Halo is sold.

For Halo store locations, enter your zip/postal code here. Products sell out fast, so please call ahead to make sure your nearest retailer has what you need (if not, they can usually order it for you quickly).

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.

Question: I’ve been feeding my dog Lilly Halo Spots Stew dry chicken recipe for a few months now. She loves it! The only problem I have is that she seems to be gaining weight. I give her 1/3 cup twice a day. She is a Shih-Tzu. Her weight should be about 12 lbs. She now weighs 14.8. She gets a baby carrot cut up during the day for treats. I walk her ½ hour a day. Can you recommend anything else I should be doing? I had some blood work done and everything is negative. Help!

Answer: I am so glad you wrote in—for Lilly’s health, it is critical that we get her to shed those extra pounds! Even though 2.8 pounds doesn’t sound too serious, at 14.8 pounds she is actually 23% over her ideal body weight. That means she is obese which has many negative long term health implications. To compare, this would be like 34.5 extra pounds on a 150 pound woman—it is alarming when you think of it that way!

A normal dog of 12 pounds should eat somewhere between 230 to 300 calories each day (depending on activity, age, etc) and for that dog I would recommend 1/3 cup of the Halo Spots Stew Chicken twice daily. That amount of food supplies 264 calories each day.

Very similar to people, every dog has a different metabolism. Lilly has obviously gained weight on this amount of calories, so I would recommend a 20% reduction from this to achieve her ideal weight. This means you should try feeding her ¼ cup twice daily and this amount of food supplies 198 calories each day.

Also, remember that the biggest contributor to pet obesity is treats. You report feeding her only a baby carrot for treats. If it is just one carrot that is not a problem, however, if she is eating several carrots each day, they may be contributing enough calories that you need to count them. We are striving for around 200 calories a day for Lilly to lose the weight….so keep a close count of her calories to get her to that goal! Also keep up the good work on the exercise…make sure it is a brisk walk with no dawdling to stop and sniff the roses!

You can also check out my article Weight Loss Tips for more tips.

Hope that helps. Good Luck.
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.