Answer: Although your cat getting a nibble of Halo dog food from time to time isn’t bad (our dog foods are supplemented with taurine), I definitely don’t recommend routinely feeding them food formulated for dogs.

Cats (as strict carnivores) require higher levels of protein and fat than dogs and Halo foods are designed accordingly. Halo dog food just doesn’t have the right balance for cats to reach their optimal health level.

You can try adding our fatty acid supplement (Dream Coat) or some of the Halo Dinner Party protein sprinkle on top of his food to spark his interest. Also adding a small amount of warmed canned food on top of the dry can entice even the pickiest eater.

Good Luck.
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.

Answer: Pets that eat potted plants or grass may not be getting enough greens in their diet. In the wild, animals would consume fresh prey that could have eaten herbs, plants or berries.

Your dog is a good candidate for VitaGlo Daily Greens. This product provides him with healthy phytonutrients which should satisfy his green food nutritional needs.

Hope this 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.

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.

She use’s the recipe for spots stews with chicken and turkey and lamb meat she does change the meat and she does use organ meats. I just want to know if this is really good for our pets, or should we use kibble?

Answer: Thanks for writing. Glad to hear you are making the recipes at home. You can meet all of your dogs’ needs with these recipes and there is no need to feed dry kibble.

If you are using the Vitamin Mineral Mix daily you will be supplying an adequate amount of essential nutrients. Make sure you do not add the vitamin supplement during cooking, but to the individual portion for each pet–right before feeding.

Hope that helps.
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.

Choosing a natural high-quality food is recommended to avoid adverse reactions that may be associated with foods containing meat meals and other artificial poor quality ingredients.

Read this article to learn about other causes and excellent natural remedies for dry skin.

Many skin conditions will improve from the addition of fatty acids as they help eliminate inflammation within irritated skin and improve skin moisture and suppleness, regardless of the underlying problem.

There are many beneficial anti-inflammatory fatty acids and a fatty acid supplement like Dream Coat combines six cold-pressed virgin oils (including fish oil) to achieve an ideal ratio of anti-inflammatory fatty acids. Dream Coat is a perfect complement to a natural diet and can help your pet get on their way to looking and feeling their best!

Note: Always consult your veterinarian about skin problems as there may be other recommended therapies.

“We have used it on our animals here and it worked really good,” says Lisa Haynes, founder of Save Our Strays, which received 120 jars of Cloud Nine Healing Salve. Always caring about a dog or cat’s nutritional needs, we also sent them 24 jars of Daily Greens and 24 jars of X-tra C, our vitamin C supplement.

Recently, a homeless cat that ended up at Save Our Strays sorely needed Cloud Nine. He had frost bitten ears with raw edges. “We used the salve on him and it worked incredibly,” says Lisa.

For the dogs, Lisa and her husband, Roy — who run the rescue from their Huntington home — coat their paw pads before a walk to prevent penetration of road salt and ice. “It bothers them alot,” Lisa says. “To put this (salve) on, it makes it so it doesn’t penetrate their little paws.”

And big paws, too. Lisa, owner of two St. Bernards, puts Cloud Nine on their paws after a romp in the snow to prevent irritation caused by the snow clumps stuck between their toes. “This works better than anything I’ve used,” Lisa says. “And the dogs seem to tolerate this alot better. The other stuff they don’t like the smell and run away from me, but they tolerate the application of really well and it’s not like they mind it.”

Last year, Save Our Strays received over 300 cases of Spot’s Stew for its cats, and 570 for the dogs, a donation worth over $32,000. Click here to read more about the donation and Save Our Strays.

Lisa says that feeding her rescued animals such high quality food creates shiny coats that people marvel at. “We get alot of comments on our strays and ask, ‘How do their coats look so good?’” says Lisa, who is down to the last cases of Spot’s Stew. “I try to make sure the dogs have human grade ingredients in their food, it makes a huge difference.”

Dandruff can also be an adverse reaction to a poor quality diet or even indicate a dietary deficiency of essential fatty acids.

Choosing a high quality natural diet and an excellent fatty acid supplement can help moisturize your pet’s skin and minimize flakiness.

Check out this article on dry scaly skin and ask your veterinarian about other natural remedies to help your pet.

I’ve been wondering for some time how food could be a way to help prevent fleas on my cats.. what food, how much.. and why it works.. I’ve tried several things so far. with little success.. a few of the cats enjoy the spicy foods strangely.. what should I be looking for? how do I prepare it? I would love to not have to use chemicals.. it’s hard enough to get them a bath in just water and mild soaps.. but as soon as they smell the flea treatments.. its one heck of a fight…they don’t like it, and i don’t want to feel forced to put it on them..the fatigue and loss of appetite afterwards also concerns me…

Answer: You may find several references about the addition of Brewer’s Yeast or garlic into pet’s food to naturally repel fleas and insects….but these things do not consistently work for every pet.

The safest adult flea control for your cats is daily flea combing. Look into environmental treatment options that include borate powder as a more “natural” alternative to pesticides.

Also boosting your cat’s natural immunity with the use of a high-quality natural diet and daily vitamin-mineral supplement is recommended. Consider a product like Halo’s Herbal Dip as a natural alternative to chemical dips –you can apply it on their collars or use it as a spray on bedding or even in their shampoo.

Hope this 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.

We needed to help. Earlier this month, with the help of Freekibble.com, Halo donated almost 6,000 cans of Spot’s Stew to McKamey and two other shelters and rescues in Tennessee, which have been distributing the food to pet owners in need.

“We are absolutely thrilled to do it,” says Lisa Reeves of the Nashville Humane Association, which gives out their Halo Spot’s Stew every Sunday and Wednesday. “If we have (the food) and we can help someone, we will. We try not to turn anyone away.”

In addition to the food, all three organizations (the third is A New Leash on Life in Lebanon) received a variety of other Halo products, including Herbal Healing Salve and X-tra C, an instant vitamin C powder.

“It makes me feel great to know that this food is getting to people who really need help feeding their animals,” says Mimi Ausland, the 13-year-old founder of Freekibble.com. “I know that because of this, people will be able to keep their pets and feed them a really good food.”

The Nashville Humane Association first started distributing food in November, 2008, and since then have helped some 500 families keep their pets. “I think it’s hard for some of these people to come in,”
says Reeves. “You have families who never had to ask for help, and now they do.

“People have been in tears, they’ve said, ‘I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here,’” Reeves continues. “It’s sad, i think pride gets in the way of some people but they have to come in and do it.”

On November 5th, Freekibble.com had a Hi-5 promotion: for every trivia question someone answered about a dog or cat, 50 pieces of of kibble would be donated by Halo. That day, some 60,000 people played Freekibble.com, raising 5 million pieces of kibble, or the equivalent of 20,000 Meals of Halo. And the need to help these financially-strapped pet owners continues to grow.

At McKamey Animal Center, there has not been the usual post-holiday slowdown in animal surrenders, says Sebes, noting that the 26,000-square-foot shelter now has 288 dogs and puppies, 455 animals in all. McKamey has shared the donation with two local food banks to reach more pet parents in need. “They’re very grateful we have this a service to them,” says Sebes. “People come to us for help with their animals and it’s great we can provide for them.”