Question: Hello, not sure if anyone reads these, but I thought I would give it a try. My 16 year old cat, Max, is developing early kidney disease. I was wondering if you could tell me what would be your most appropriate formula of canned food for his condition. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: Thanks for writing in. I want to be clear that Halo does not make medical or prescription diets and you should ask your veterinarian about our diets as every cat with kidney disease is slightly different in their dietary requirements or restrictions. Cats with kidney disease often benefit from additional water for hydration and lower protein levels to decrease the work-load of the kidneys.

Our canned formulations are very high in moisture and can be quite good at maintaining adequate hydration. Our lowest protein cat foods are the canned lamb formula followed by the canned turkey formula and can be used successfully in some cats with kidney problems.

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.

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.

Last pop quiz on this topic — which of the following are legally acceptable for pet food companies to put in chicken meal? This should be easy if you’ve paid attention to the last three.

A) Unfit-for-human-consumption ingredients

B) Waste product meats (from supermarkets, restaurants, packinghouses, etc.)

C) “4D” chickens (diseased, dying, dead, disabled)

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.

OK, third pop quiz on this topic — which of the following are true about chicken meal (but NOT true about chicken)?

A) Legally unfit for human consumption.

B) Subject to less-stringent animal food safety standards (not human safety standards).

C) Is a rendered meat.

D) Not subject to testing for quality standards or nutrient levels (which may vary widely from batch to batch).

E) 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. We only use REAL proteins such as chicken, wild salmon, lamb or beef.

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

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

A) Diseased chickens

B) Dying chickens (dying prior to butchering)

C) Dead chickens (dead prior to butchering)

D) Disabled chickens (may carry more infections)

E) All of the abvoe

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. We’d never use a product containing “4D” (diseased, dying, dead, and disabled) animals.

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