Following the movie Julie and Julia I decided to cook and report on pet food recipes. Inspired by the history of how Halo, Purely for Pets homemade food evolved, my goal was to duplicate the original “Spot’s Stew,” a wholesome all natural recipe created for pets in 1986. All ingredients easily found in my kitchen or local grocery store closely mirrored the “stew” I often prepared for my family. The pet version was boosted by chicken liver and giblets minus conventional seasoning like salt and pepper.

Although Spot’s Stew originated as a homemade diet it has evolved to a premium commercially prepared complete and balanced food. It is still made with high quality whole food ingredients but includes added essential fatty acids and the important vitamins and minerals pets require.

My cooking project, although fun and appreciated by my dogs, highlights the fact that how we feed our beloved pets must meet their specific dietary needs which are different from our own. Dogs and cats require specific amino acids from proteins, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and most important — water.

How do we achieve this balance? Pet parents need to understand what nutrients benefit their pets and how much are required for optimal health. Be diligent and read labels looking for real quality protein, nourishing whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Look for food with wholesome easy to understand ingredients. Animal protein should be in the top ingredients listed.

Pet food quality can differ and consumers should know what is good in pet food and what should be avoided like by-products, artificial preservatives, colors and flavors. Check with your veterinarian, fellow pet owners or seek out nutritional information from respected publications and websites.

Pet owners can find an array of commercial food choices ranging from raw diets, freeze-dried, canned, or dry formulas. Some pet parents select premium natural diets found in specialty and large pet stores or Whole-Foods market. If you choose to feed Fido or kitty home-made meals, be sure that missing nutrients are supplemented.

Bottom line, when selecting a diet for your pet, remember that diet influences health and our pets have specific nutritional needs. Look to provide complete and balanced food and when your pet empties the dish is satisfied, healthy and happy; you have made a great choice.

Bettie Hamilton heads-up Halo’s product development working closely with animal nutritionists and veterinarians to bring you wholesome food, treats, and supplements made with the highest quality natural whole food ingredients ( like those you can find in your own kitchen). She shares stories and tips with hundreds of pet owners about Halo through speaking engagements, lifestyle articles and casual meetings on planes or in a park. Bettie’s pets Gracie, a Brittany, and Molly, a beagle, are often the first to give a paws up approval for new items, while neighborhood cats weigh-in on feline cuisine.

I wanted to share my story with you. I believe a true miracle has happened. I have 3 cats that were stays and I rescued over 7 years ago. The 3 are my babies and they are very grateful to have a good home and lots to eat.

Sincerely,
Robin Rinaldi-Esta

We are so glad to hear the Rocky is doing so well on Halo! Thank you for sharing your story and the great picture.

The former Baywatch star — who for the new PBS show (and Halo-sponsored) Shelter Me narrates a depiction of Halo’s commitment to providing shelter pets nutritious, all-natural food — spent three days after Hurricane Katrina helping abandoned animals in Tylertown, Mississippi.

“After Hurricane Katrina, I was haunted by images of animals abandoned in New Orleans, trapped, scared and starving,” Paul writes on her blog.

Paul flew from Los Angeles with a friend to a Best Friends Animal Society rescue operation in Tylertown, Mississippi. The pair devoted their time to helping scores of homeless cats.

“Even though I am just cleaning, feeding and comforting, I have never felt so needed and so useful in all my life,” she writes. “I guess it is because these scared and disoriented animals are depending on us so totally.”

It with this same zeal for homeless pets that she worked on Shelter Me. “Shelter Me is addressing the plight of shelter pets in the right way,” Paul tells Halo, Purely for Pets. “This film is very upbeat and positive and explains the need for people to get involved with their local shelter. And it proves the reciprocal joy of having a pet in your life.”

Back when Paul finished her stint in Mississippi, she began dreaming of rescued cats. “I don’t awaken feeling terrible, though, like I did before I went to Mississippi,” she writes. “I awaken missing soothing them, holding them. This trip has helped me feel better about the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina, and I hope that I, in turn helped a cat or two.

“I am not a religious person, nor do I think of myself as particularly spiritual,” Paul continues on her blog, “but I felt as close to God as I shall ever get cleaning out cages and comforting these rescued cats. It is hard to explain…Is it because it was so basic, so simple, providing food, shelter and love for the sick, the scared, the lost? I don’t know. Perhaps you will have to experience it for yourself to see what I mean, and then you could explain it to me.”

Animal Based Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that supports Tampa Bay animal rescue groups. ABC’s mission is to support animal rescue groups with their fundraising efforts, media awareness and adoption event exposure. ABC provides the groups with these tools so they can concentrate on what they do best — rescue and adoption.

The Halo donation will be distributed to the 36 rescues that participated in the Pet-A-Palooza event.

Watch this video of the donation delivery:

Let’s cut to the chase in all the noise and fury about this current recall and yet another scare about contaminated dog kibble. We each have to take more responsibility for our choices and decisions. You know the saying about people who do not learn from the mistakes in history being destined to repeat them? That is what the recent, ongoing scare about contaminated pet food seems like to me. What many of us learned when pets were sickened and died a few years ago (from what was then a long list of dry foods) was that a vast array of pet foods – from the least expensive, lower quality ones all the way to some premium brands of food – were all being manufactured in the same facility.

There were questions about cross-contamination of recipes and ingredients, about how completely the manufacturing equipment was cleaned between batches of different brand foods, and of course the sourcing of the ingredients themselves. In the previous pet food recall case, the culprit appears to have been wheat gluten imported from China, which was used in various recipes to boost the protein count. It was debatable whether wheat gluten is even a valid source of protein for digestion in dogs – and as we all remember (if we learn our history) that the wheat gluten was either contaminated or was actually not wheat gluten at all, but an entirely different toxic substance called melamine that belongs in the manufacture of plastic bowls – not IN the bowls of our pets’ dinners.

I personally have picked HALO for reasons of quality and accountability. At a time like this I rest easy knowing that it is the only brand of dry food I’ll feed my own dogs and that I recommend to my listeners and readers, whose trust in me is one I take very seriously. Of course I realize that any pet food company is susceptible to some level of risk around food contamination, including Halo, and that one could argue that a voluntary recall can be an indicator of a company that errs on the side of caution. If Halo did ever find itself choosing to recall certain food batches someday I believe it would certainly be out of love for pets and the people who care for them. HALO has a 26-year track record of never having been recalled, which speaks volumes.

It is not only the pets who are at risk, but we humans who so much as touch this potentially contaminated kibble. Salmonella is no laughing matter – it can make pets and people extremely ill, to the point of hospitalization – and beyond. Dry food has been the culprit in all the previous pet food recalls and public panic – you need to know everything you can about the company whose name is on your bags.

I want to say one thing loud and clear: you get what you pay for where pet nutrition is concerned. I believe that the quality standards and control Halo has put in place make it much less susceptible to food contamination than other brands. I made a choice years ago to feed only HALO brand of dry food to my dogs because the company’s whole philosophy is grounded on never compromising about using the highest quality of ingredients – in knowing the sources of them, and because they are a smaller, private company, in having oversight on the manufacturing process.
I also gain confidence in the fact that HALO does not disclose the company that manufactures their kibble for them – they do not want a lot of other companies trying to utilize the same high quality facility and perhaps pushing them out. The recalled foods were all made by the giant pet food manufacturer Diamond. There a couple of very well known dry foods that have some of their foods in the recall – Taste of the Wild and Solid Gold – and pet owners are expressing dismay and shock on the internet that these foods could be made in the same plant on the same machines as the foods they have chosen. It is no surprise to me. It can be more convenient and cut costs tremendously to farm out your recipe to a big facility like Diamond – but there are different costs involved, as the chickens coming home to roost are demonstrating.

There’s already enough to worry about in life that I do not want to be fearful putting my hand into the kibble container – either for myself or my pooches – and I rest easier knowing their squeaky-clean track record. I am glad to feed it to my dogs, proud to be associated with the brand, and greatly relieved that I never have to lose sleep over the kibble I recommend to my followers. And hey – if you cannot easily find HALO at your local store, you can always go to www.Petflow.com and find it there (with no shipping fees if you put DOGTALK in the code box at check out) or $10 off an order if you are a first-time Petflow.com customer (put DOGTALK10 in the codebox).

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

You asked us for a smooth, ground texture cat food with only the best ingredients. Spot’s Pate’ is here! Grain-free. Chicken or Whitefish recipes.

Learn more about our new natural cat food here!

Halo’s testimonial page is different from most brands; we get so many wonderful comments from our family of Halo customers that we do not post a “best of series” from the last 26 years.

However we feature some of our favorite comments from the last two weeks in a live Twitter follower feed.

Tell us your Halo story @halopets on Twitter, and you might find yourself here as well!

karen friesecke ? @doggiestylish
Katherine Heigl and Halo Purely for Pets Support PBS Film “Shelter Me” http://goo.gl/IBAqZ via @vscook
2012-05-03

Soulpup – Morieka ? @soulpup
@halopets No problem. Very important topic this time of the year. I just bought some mulch for my yard. Thanks for all YOU do for pets.
2012-05-03

KRR ? @ItHad2BYou
@freekibble @halopets @aspca such an amazing trio of pet guardians and saviors!!! #adoptapet
2012-05-03

Venita Durrer ? @vid225
@halopets He like other Spot Stew flavors but he was sooo excited about the Turkey, Duck, & Pheasant that I had to write.
2012-04-30

Venita Durrer ? @vid225
@halopets My 5 yr old maltipoo just tried the new small breed Turkey, Duck food last night & LOVED IT! It is his new favorite.
2012-04-29

Click here to Halo’s testimonial page to read more.

With the increasingly frequent reports of Salmonella in pet food, pet owners should take a few precautions every day to keep all members of their family safe:

• Wash your pet’s bowls and food scoops every day to decrease bacterial numbers
• Wash your hands before and after touching your pet’s bowls, food or any treats or supplements.
• Store canned and dry food properly to minimize bacterial growth
• Avoid certain high-risk foods and treats to minimize bacterial exposure

For more detailed information on proper food handling, see Keep it clean for safety!

The trailer for “Shelter Me” is out!

Ellen DeGeneres’ pet food company, Halo, Purely for Pets® is the sponsor of “Shelter Me,” a new PBS film that illustrates how people’s lives are positively impacted by shelter dogs.

The project’s creator, acclaimed filmmaker Steven Latham, wants to engage the public in finding solutions to put a stop to the nearly four million dogs and cats euthanized every year in the United States.

Actress and animal advocate Katherine Heigl is hosting the PBS premiere of the one-hour, emotionally charged television special.

The goal of Pet-A-Palooza is to adopt animals and increase the awareness of the rescue causes in the Tampa Bay Area. This year, the Animal Based Charities’ Adopt-A-Thon Alley was filled with over 30 rescues and shelters. They also received a generous Freekibble.com donation of 36,000 meals of Halo Spot’s Stew for the rescue groups involved in the event.

Pet-A-Palooza 2012 is sponsored by Mastro Subaru and Halo, Purely for Pets. The New Barker is the official Dog Magazine of Pet-A-Palooza.

Check out this video of the event: