As the new guest blogger here, I want to make sure I get on the record about Halo’s food superiority (even though I know Halo touched on this before in an earlier blog).

Halo Spot’s Stew is a dog food that deserves all-around praise and one I am using exclusively for my own dogs. I waited over five years to choose a pet food company whose outlook on the world of pets and whose dog food was so much better than any other. I held off on making that decision because I never wanted to have to say “I’m sorry” or be on the defensive about any business practices that came to light later about how a company conducts itself or what they slide into their dog food.

The first thing that attracted me to HALO was the excellence of their ingredients and a solid commitment to not skimping on the high quality while also having transparency about their origin. I learned that the protein content in HALO’s dry food is just about the same as WELLNESS CORE – but there is a gigantic difference. ALL the meat used in HALO foods is “fit for human consumption” (that is, no chicken meal, or other rendered meats). I do not know of any other company using such extraordinarily high quality and really costly basic protein ingredients.

Click over to my original blog on “Why I Chose Halo” 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.

Do you REALLY know what you’re feeding your beloved dog or cat? Probably not, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive.

The majority of pet owners don’t even read the label and have no idea what they are giving their pets, according to the study, brought to our attention by Generation Natural Pet, a social media community launched by PETCO (Halo is a founding Council Member).

Frighteningly, most pet foods — unlike Halo, which uses only real meat, fish and eggs — have chicken meal. Sounds tasty, right?

Well, dear reader, chicken meal is legally unfit for human consumption and may contain waste products from restaurants, supermarkets, meat processing facilities and packinghouses. It is not the lean muscle that WE eat, but the stuff humans are forbidden by law to consume: the remaining bones, organs, beaks and other products that are rendered (obtained by melting down the animal’s remains) in a processing plant when made into meal.

“Chicken meal sounds like something wholesome that could be served in any household,” says Halo’s veterinarian, Dr. Donna Spector. “But don’t be fooled. Meat meals — such as chicken meal — are unfit for human consumption. In my mind, that means unfit for our beloved pets.”

Yet ignorance is bliss: despite confessing no knowledge of the ingredients on a bag or can of food, the majority of the 1,305 pet owners surveyed say they treat their animals as a member of the family, and wouldn’t want to feed their pets food containing allergens and prefer to feed their pets only natural pet food.

Halo never uses chicken meal or other rendered meats. Halo uses real chicken that can be sold to humans and meets FDA human safety standards. And while we don’t advocate opening up a can of Spot’s Stewto share with your pooch, many of us have.

Q: How do I transition my dog or cat to a new food?

A: Most pets require 7-10 days to adjust to a new food because their intestinal tracts contain unique bacteria and enzymes that need to adapt to the proper digestion of a new food. It is recommended that dogs and cats eat a combination of dry and canned food every day. Their bodies are made of 75% water and they rarely drink enough water to support excellent hydration and organ function. I recommend that 25 to 50% of their daily calories come from canned food. You can feed it all at one time during the day or break it up into 2 meals…whatever is easiest for you.

Follow these guidelines for either dry, canned or preferably a combination of Halo food*:

Click here to read complete article.

Q: I have two Shih Tzu’s already on Halo but have a few questions for you. Buddy is a muscular intact male (the vet says in great shape!) who weighs 16 pounds and turns 3 in October. Pookie is a 1 year old female who weighs 8 pounds (a little thin for her) and just had 3 puppies 3 weeks ago who are nursing (which I am not keeping but would love to know how I can pass on a food plan to the owners of each puppy once they get them). I didn’t know Pookie was pregnant until almost the last couple of weeks in her pregnancy and the doctor had me switch her food to Royal Canine from her Halo food. I want her back on Halo food. Is Halo food high enough in nutrients for Pregnant dogs? She also has a lot of red marks on her belly and around some of the nipples. I believe it’s the puppies nails. Should I be putting something on her? I would like to breed her one more time but not too soon. When is it ideal for her to have puppies again? I want her healthier before she gets pregnant again. Buddy has also been eating the Halo puppy food…is this ok? When should the puppies start the Halo puppy food?

A: Halo natural dog foods are complete and balanced for dogs in all healthy life stages (which includes pregnancy and lactation)! Halo also recognizes the special needs of puppies and has created a dry food that is complete and balanced for their unique higher requirements. Halo is an excellent choice for all of your dogs!

Buddy: At 3 years old, he should not be eating the Halo puppy food. He does not need the additional fat, calories and minerals that young puppies do. An intact male dog does require more than a neutered dog and his daily calories should range from 400-490 calories per day based on a 15-16 pound body weight. This is just a calculated estimate. You describe him as slightly inactive, so you may have to decrease this amount by up to 30% (which would be around 280 calories). This 280 calories is what we call his resting energy requirement and dogs that are very inactive often need to eat only this amount. Likely Buddie will be somewhere between the 280 and 400 calorie range. This would equate to 3/4 to 1 cup of the Halo adult dry chicken or salmon per day if that is his only source of calories. Remember you have to cut back the amount he eats in food if you are giving treats or other calories.

Pookie: Her resting energy requirement at 8 pounds is 180 calories. While nursing 3 puppies, we need to multiply that by at least 4, therefore she should be eating close to 700 calories. That seems like a lot, but her little body is busy making fat, proteins and calories for those babies! Again, this is an estimate…she may need more or less. Try the Halo Healing Salve on her belly around the nipples. It can help with the scratching and chafing associated with nursing. You should ask your veterinarian when the best time to breed Pookie again is. He or she has the advantage of examining Pookie and assessing her body weight/condition and determining the best breeding date.

Puppies: The process of weaning is usually started by 4 weeks because most often puppies are placed in new homes by 8 weeks of age. It is good to start them on a “mush” which typically is a blenderized mixture of dry puppy food soaked with liquid puppy milk replace and water. It is blended until it has a gruel or mush texture similar to human infant cereal. Typically 3-4 very small meals a day are given and the amount of food gradually increased (and water/milk decreased) every week so that by 8 weeks of age they are eating the dry food. Your veterinarian can advise you on the best products to use during this transition.

A couple of other thoughts/comments….

I recommend that dogs and cats eat a combination of dry and canned food everyday. Their bodies are made of 75% water and they rarely drink enough water to support excellent hydration (very much like their human counterparts here!) and organ function. I recommend anywhere from 25-50% of their daily calories come from canned food. You can feed it all at one time during the day or break it up into 2 meals…whatever is easiest for you.

I recommend a diet transition time of 7-10 days anytime a dog’s diet is being changed to Halo. Their intestinal tract has a unique set of bacteria and enzymes that need to adjust to the proper digestion of the new food. Days 1-3, 75% old food, 25% Halo; Days 4-5 50% old food, 50% Halo, Days 6-7 25% old food, 75% Halo and then 100% Halo thereafter. If your dogs have any digestive upset during the transition, return to the amount that was not causing problems and keep them there for a few more days before continuing with the diet change. Once they are eating Halo, you can change between the flavors if you would like. There is no need for a transition period. However, you can also just stick with one flavor…personal preference.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Here’s a wonderful story for those of us with fussy eaters or pets with sensitive stomachs, from L.J. Schrader on Amazon.com:

HALO food for my little angel of a dog!, February 25, 2009
By L. J. Schrader

I have a small Italian Greyhound who is quite fussy about his food and has always had a sensitive stomach as well. Since they are tiny & skinny dogs, keeping him at a healthy weight is not easy if he does not enjoy his food.

Long story short, he loves Halo’s Spot’s Stew in both the beef flavor and the chicken, and the 5 oz. cans are the perfect size for him twice a day. The food is really so authentic that it looks and smells more like chunky baby food than dog food that has the usual fillers. It is easy on his stomach since it is a great natural product, so he is healthier than ever.

It is a little pricey, but I believe it is great food for great dogs.

Thanks, L.J.! We’re so glad your Italian Greyhound is healthier than ever! Of course no one should be surprised that it looks and smells more like human food – because it is! Take a look at this fun video. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get lots of coupons and special by email.

Click here to see the review on Amazon, or to comment.