Congratulations to our winner of last week’s “My Halo Story” Twitter contest — @Suzanne! Fellow Halo followers were asked to tell us about their Halo experience for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to our web store. The winner was picked at random and announce Friday, 2/26/10.

@Suzanne’s winning tweet was, “We call Halo frz-dried chicken ‘cookies’. When my cat Montague escaped the way we got him back was to yell ‘cookies’ #MyHaloStory.”

Montague is a 3rd generation Savannah cat, bred from American Shorthair and African Servile. He has giant ears and a triangle shaped face long legs and skinny tail. Suzanne taught him how to shake hands so he sits and shake hands for his reward — Halo freeze dried chicken treats! She says,” when we whisper the word ‘cookie’ he howls and paces till we get the container from the fridge. One cannot go near the fridge without him following and howling.” Then Suzanne’s other three cats come to see if the Savannah cat gets his treat.

On top of that, she mentions a friend who’s cat, Walter, plays the piano for his Halo chicken treats. We’d sure like to see a video of that!

Please avoid fatty foods and treats – they only lead to digestive trouble. Even though you may feel tempted to have your dog share in the bounty from your kitchen, please don’t include anything too rich or fatty.

Some of the items that do not belong in your dog’s mouth are poultry skin, bacon, and baked goods full of butter and sugar and fried foods. None of these do a dog any good and in fact just the opposite – they may upset his digestive tract and can even lead to serious illness if there is an ongoing fat-rich diet.

Thanksgiving and other holidays are a great example of the dinner table offering temptation to share – but turkey gravy; skin and even sometimes the meat (if it’s been basted in butter or oil) can set off a big tummy upset. Even though you may want your dog to join in the festivities when you have company and lots of extra food, don’t think you’re doing him any favor by feeding him rich foods.

Foods that are high in fat can cause a dog to throw up or get diarrhea – no fun for him or for you! And there’s the more serious problem that in some dogs, over-indulging in fatty foods can lead to pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, which can require hospitalization and can even be fatal.

Tip of the day: you can make your dog just as happy – and much healthier – by offering a Halo Liv-a-Little in any of the delicious flavors of lean, pure protein. Not only are you eliminating any fat in that treat, but Liv-a-Littles are pure dehydrated chicken, salmon or beef so they have absolutely no carbohydrates, which we want to keep low in our dogs’ diets.

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

For the second year in a row, everyone’s favorite 100% protein treats took top prize in The Reviewers Choice Awards among dog treats. Halo Spot’s Stew dry dog food also won a Finalist award. As the Buzzillions award site explains, “think of these as the People’s Choice Awards of online shopping” – recognizing the highest-rated products from over 9 million online consumer reviews.

Even though we won for top dog treat – many of our reviews come from cat families, who know that felines can get ferociously addicted to Halo Liv-a-Littles!

As Bettina from Roy, Utah’s Buzzillions review states, “Five stars. Great for either cats or dogs. We purchased these treats for our two Pomeranian’s. It was very interesting to see our very aloof cat come running when we called “chicken” after he got a taste of the treat. It is always fun to see which one of our little ones will get to the kitchen first. ”

Susan D from Illinois explained, “We have three cats who absolutely love this product. It is the only treat our 13-year old diabetic boy can have since it doesn’t contain additives, preservatives or anything else that will raise his blood glucose. He doesn’t mind having his blood sugar tested, he knows his favorite treat will follow.”

That reflects my own experience at home, where our cat Sterling runs to the kitchen when our dog Bert gets his injections – so then they each enjoy a treat.

All Halo treats are made with the highest quality ingredients. Spot’s Stew Dry Dog Food is part of Halo’s Natural Dry Dog Food that is highly digestible, high in protein and quality ingredients, low in carbs and always created with your pet’s entire well-being in mind. Halo never uses chicken meal or other rendered meats.

“This recognition for our pet food is especially important to all of us at Halo because it comes straight from the consumer,” said Steve Marton, CEO of Halo. “Halo wins awards like this only because consumers are demanding great ingredients. Every Halo ingredient is a real, natural ingredient that consumers recognize and understand. Every meat we use can also be sent to make human food products. That’s what consumers are demanding, and that’s what Halo has delivered for over 20 years.”

Click over to our News page to see the Buzzillions reviews and our press release.

You can find Delicious Living magazine in about 1,300 natural products stores. We like that the magazine “meets new millennium needs with centuries-old health solutions, combined with contemporary natural health care methods and modalities.” That perspective no doubt led writer Lauren McNitt to tout Halo’s Healthsome Skin & Coat Treats in her article “Functional Pet Treats.”

Halo recipes also combine that centuries-old wisdom – in the form of real, natural ingredients – with contemporary health wisdom pointing us to the importance of essential fatty acids. She writes, “These biscuits are made with a blend of six botanical oils and essential fatty acids, which help prevent skin inflammation and hair loss.” It’s true!

At home, our boxer boy Bert gobbles these treats with his twice-daily medicine. We add a regular dose of Halo Dream Coat, and no more dry skin!

Click over to our News page for a link to the story.

Renowned consumer watchdog Michael Finney, head of ABC’s “7 On Your Side” posted a link to sign up for Halo’s free Holistic Pet Care Newsletter, and get a free bag of all-natural HealthsomeTM treats. Thanks, Michael!

Click over to our News page for the link, or if you haven’t yet, sign up for our newsletter here.