REVIEW: The Honest Kitchen Force w/ GIVEAWAY (inc. Perfect Form)

Tags

dehydrated dog food, digestive aids, giveaways, honest kitchen, supplements

Product: The Honest Kitchen Force
Quantity: 2 lb. trial package
Price: $21.99 via THK online*
Ingredients (all dehydrated): Chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, organic alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, pumpkin, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, basil, garlic, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate
Guaranteed analysis:

• Protein, 24.0%
• Crude Fat, Min 0.85%
• Fiber, 6.5%
• Moisture, 8.5%

Country of origin: Manufactured in the United States; ingredients sourced from various locales, no ingredients from China
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101
Web Presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere

* Complimentary box received in exchange for our honest review. Please check out the bottom for details on a how to win a FREE trial box of THK!

In a long term relationship, one sometimes falls so deeply into familiar routines, questions start answering themselves. It’s hard to step outside that halcyon lull when everything just feels fine. And why should you want to? Steadiness, reliability, and that constant source of assurance can be exactly what makes any long term relationship so desirable.

But then one day, your old familiar partner walks through the door with a wild new hairstyle or decked out in a sharp new wardrobe, and you think…

… Woah. Hot!!!

For it’s a mistake to equate stability with stasis, or a lack of change. The desire to package and present yourself anew can itself be endearing. So long as we’re not talking drastic measures like, say, face tattoos without prior notice, and all the intrinsically lovable traits remain intact, some element of surprise does wonders to keep a relationship fresh.

And that is how I feel about The Honest Kitchen’s new packaging, designed by Natalya Zahn, unveiled a few months ago and introduced via a lovely care package delivered straight to the doorstep at the House of Two Bows.

Inside was a wooden crate containing all kinds of literature reintroducing the brand and the product, including a lavishly photographed recipe book full of healthy dog- and human-friendly meals. Of immediate concern to the Bows was the box of Perfect Form, a digestive supplement that we sometimes use, and a trial size box of Force, the grain-free chicken recipe that is already a part of the Bows’ regular meals.

I’m cataloging the contents for full disclosure that yes, we did get free stuff from THK in exchange for our honest review. No other compensation was received. But the Bows’ and THK already go way back to July 2011, when we first started feeding it regularly. I had no idea back then that we would use THK products on a near-daily basis. Indeed, as sometimes happens in long-term relationships, we’ve come to take their products for granted. So the surprise package was a welcome invitation to recall why we fell in love in the first place.

Some of the many ways we prepare THK: topped with raw chicken gizzards and hearts, mixed with shredded carrot and topped with raw chicken’s foot, topped with raw chicken liver and mixed with herbal skin and coat supplements, rounding out a meal of smallish raw chicken drumsticks, blended with raw ground turkey, topped with raw egg, with raw sardines and scrambled raw egg, with a hunk of raw chicken thigh

The new, two-pound trial size box is available in four dog-specific recipes (Force, Embark, Love, and Keen) and one cat-specific recipe (Prowl). Each box makes about eight pounds of food, which lasts about three to four weeks when fed for one of the two meals at the House of Two Bows. Thus, it’s a fitting amount for a proper food trial, both in terms of volume and time. The previous one and three-ounce packages only give a shallow impression, basically letting you know if your pet will bite… or not. To get a better idea of potential benefits, you gotta have enough to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the affair a bit.

So let me now take this opportunity to explain the top three reasons why I have stuck with The Honest Kitchen over the years:

• They’re just my physical type. Of all the different types of dog food — kibble, canned, raw, rolled, etc. — I find this dehydrated form to be the most versatile and portable. Every recipe is fully balanced on its own, but I like to add extras to bump up protein content or just to spice things up (also very easy to hide medication, as necessary). Meanwhile, rehydration adds necessary moisture, and that can be adjusted too.


When switching formulas or countering mild digestive upsets, I add Perfect Form to the mix. Pictured is THK Preference (meatless base mix) with ground turkey, topped with Perfect Form before mixing.

• They have a strong personality… insofar as one can speak of a company possessing a personality. I’m not referring to a cartoon mascot or hired spokesperson. I mean that the company visibly embraces specific food production values which overlap with lifestyle philosophies, all of which they forefront with abundant detail. Now, I don’t claim to be in complete alignment, but I feel like we’re on the same page on a lot of flashpoint issues inclusive of dogs and cats and also extending to matters of broader social import. There are too many examples to list here, but the thing is you don’t have to dig too deep to find out where the company stands on quality control, sustainable sourcing of ingredients (the tag “nothing from China” is even printed on the box), and even social issues like the balance between animal rescues and ethical breeding, etc.
  

  Honest Kitchen is clear about where all their ingredients are from, even if internationally sourced. All recipes are domestically manufactured in the US. Source: THK blog, http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/thk-blog/pet-food-with-no-ingredients-from-china/

• Third, they know how to communicate. They’ve been pretty social media-savvy from the start, especially on Facebook. Not only do you know about it when they’re adjusting recipes, they even solicit feedback in the course of making product changes. There’s a lot more they do to maintain integrity with their customer base. Again, too many examples to list here, but suffice to say, their presence and outreach efforts befit their status as a 21st century pet food company, both in the office and on the product shelves.

Finally, The Honest Kitchen is generously sponsoring a GIVEAWAY for one box of any of their 2-pound trial boxes:

• FORCE, free range chicken (grain-free)
• EMBARK, cage-free turkey (grain-free)
• LOVE, Midwestern beef (grain-free)
• KEEN, turkey with organic oats
• PROWL, free-range chicken for CATS

That’s right! Cat owners are invited to participate, as well. The only rules are that 1) you are committed to a long-term relationship with your pet(s) — so please tell us who you’re entering for, 2) you reside in the continental United States, and 3) comment on this post simply stating which recipe you would like to try out.

Deadline is Wednesday, June 18th at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time, at which point one winner will be randomly chosen to receive their preferred two-pound box; three runner-ups will be chosen to receive sample packets of THK Perfect Form, a digestive supplement suitable for both dogs and cats. Because I will be personally mailing out the packets of Perfect Form, “runner up” winners can be from anywhere in the world — so international participants are welcome to comment, though you’ll be ineligible for the main prize.

Have at it, and good luck!

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REVIEW: The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom Instant Goat’s Milk

Tags

digestive enzymes, goat's milk, honest kitchen, powdered milk, probiotics, supplements

Product: The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom
Quantity: 8 oz box (contains 16 half-ounce pouches*)
Price: $23.99 via THK site (approx. $1.50 per pack)*
Ingredients: Dehydrated goat’s milk, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried candida rugosa fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation product, dried pineapple fermentation product; dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus brevis fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried streptococcus thermophiles fermentation product
Guaranteed analysis:

• Crude Protein, Min 35 %
• Crude Fat, Min 1 %
• Crude Fiber, Max 0.5 %
• Moisture, Max 7.9 %

Country of origin: USA
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101
Web Presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere

Every now and then, I wander back to my fantasy goat farm and think about swapping my academic career “plans” for a couple dairy Alpines. I probably know as much about goats as I did about academia when I first started my degree(s)…

Which is to say, just about nothing.

I know I find goats enchanting, with their weird eyes and odd vocalizations that make me laugh until I cry when viewed in YouTube digest form… though, like academia, I’m sure some of these daily quirks wear thin in short order. I know that goats can be very affectionate towards humans, thanks in part to their long domestication history. Most importantly, they produce tasty cheese that costs/sells for oodles of foodiebucks, though I’m not necessarily a fan of goat milk.

The Bows, however, find goat’s milk to be quite a novelty, as I found out thanks to the Honest Kitchen, who sent us a couple sample packs of their new powdered goat milk supplement, Pro Bloom. The “pro” is for the additional probiotics and digestive enzymes loaded into the dehydrated mix, which you can check out in very full detail here.

In my cursory web searches on the use of goat’s milk for pets, I often stumbled across fairly broad claims of its efficacy. It’s praised for being highly digestible, even for those who are somewhat lactose intolerant (*raises hand*), it’s got more this and more that, it’s wholly nutritious unto itself, especially in its raw, natural form, etc. Well, I appreciate that THK is a little more restrained in their claims. This product is as much about the added probiotics as the milk itself, and they do supply plenty of information to assure you that the product will do what it is labeled to do — boost digestive gut flora that helps the body break down whatever needs to be consumed, but is not in and of itself a substitute for proper nutrition.

We know of at least one other commercially available goat milk product for pets, but THK is different in a couple ways. One is the aforementioned list of added cultures. Two is the fact that it is not raw, but pasteurized before dehydration. Third is its powdered form, which means it’s a lot easier to keep and offer as needed, and just as easy to rehydrate as their other products.

Each half-ounce pouch reconstitutes with a cup of warm water into a rich, fragrant mix. I sampled a few sips myself before offering some to the dogs (it’s described as “human-grade and made in the USA from pasture-raised, free-ranging goat’s milk in the Pacific Northwest[…], naturally free of pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics”). Bowdu was lapping up his share before the bowl even touched ground, while Bowpi hesitated, insisting that I take another sip from the prep bowl before she followed suit.

And then we entered Slurp City: Population, 2.

They licked everything clean, including the film rimming each bowl. As a powdered product, one can clearly see and taste the difference, but it’s not bad, for what it is.

The individuated packaging seemed excessive to me, but I can see its advantages. It is not priced for regular consumption (though apparently it’s great for nursing puppies and kittens), so most pets would probably be getting this on an occasional basis. Thus, the portioned pouches help keep the rest of the powder fresh and loose — a real concern with dry formulas in humid zones. You can also easily incorporate the powder into the rest of THK’s dehydrated mixes or other wet meals.

So if I ever end up with that goat farm, at least I know that the Bows will accept some milk in their fare. Until then, I suppose we’ll make do with it in this form.

* We only sampled two pouches and couldn’t test the product claims over a longer trial, so there’s not enough info to assign our typical letter grade. The most I can say is that Bows were happy with their samples and I am a fan of the company. I have ideas for how I would use it in the future, as I’m willing to try it again, though I’m not sure when I’d have occasion to spring for the cost of a full box. On a pass-fail scale, we can at least give this product a grade of SATISFACTORY (Pass).

The cost of things: March 2013

Tags

budgeting, canine dental, coconut oil, glucosamine, grooming, jarrow formulas, pet finances, supplements, vet, virbac

This is my third year of tracking our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for March 2013:

• Food: $72 [previous month, $135]
• Treats: $9 [previous, $3]
• Grooming: $8 [previous, $15]
• Accessories and misc: $0 [previous, $12]
• Vet & Medical: $265 [previous, $0]
• TOTAL: $354 (running total for 2013 ~$188/month)

Well, if it wasn’t for Bowpi’s vet visit (regular checkup) and box of prescription flea meds, we would’ve been in the double digits this month… Alas, it’s not like I get to arbitrarily decide, “Hey! This month my dogs will get NO vetting even if it’s an emergency!” If it’s time to pay those bills, you just gotta pay up…

At least we had quite a bit of food socked away from last month. March’s total includes about $50 worth of supplements that will average out over extended periods of time. I got a couple 16 oz. jars of Jarrow Formulas Coconut Oil, which I’m guessing should be enough to last a whole year. A 32 fl. oz jar of Liquid Health K-9 Glucosamine was also purchased for $25.95 with prime shipping on Amazon. The last container (different brand, pictured below) lasted almost five months for Bowdu at half daily dose, alternating with other joint-friendly things some days.

Meanwhile, keeping our treats all raw and homemade really controls our costs in this category. This month’s expenditures included a couple pounds of chicken hearts (dehydrated at home) and two rounds of lamb bone chews. Kibble sample pouches and other freebies kept us stocked for the rest of the month.

Finally, in grooming supplies, got another tube of Virbac C.E.T. toothpaste, seafood flavored. Yum. Dog toothpaste is not cheap in comparison to human toothpaste! By the end of the year, I should have a pretty good idea of what I spend just to maintain Bowpi’s dental health (Bowdu barely needs any help there). Whatever the total, it can’t be as bad as having to dish out hundreds all at once on a full dental checkup with extractions…

REVIEW: Pawalla pet gift subscription service

Tags

canine dental, canned dog food, dog food, dog treats, dogswell, kong, mulligan stew, nutrisca, nutrition, pawalla, precise holistic complete, sam's yams, sponsored reviews, supplements, sweet potatoes, tropiclean, wapiti labs, weruva, wet dog food

EDIT: On 22 August 2013, Pawalla announced that it is “no longer operating as a subscription service.”

Product: Pawalla.com pet gift subscription service
Quantity: One big ol’ box of food, treats, supplements, and other pet products
Price: $26 / month for pay-as-you-go subscription; $21 / month for a 12-month subscription (with 2 bonus months thrown in); shipping included (to the lower 48 US states?)**
Ingredients: all kinds!
Company information: Pawalla.com, 9415 Culver Blvd.; Culver City, CA 90232
Web Presence: At Pawalla.com and Facebook

With a single THUMP announcing the delivery on the front porch, the Bows got more postal love than I’ve gotten in years! I never thought I’d feel mail jealousy directed towards my dogs.

Pawalla.com is a monthly subscription service for dogs and cats, offering a thoughtfully selected variety of six or more “all natural” wet foods, treats, supplements, and extras like grooming aids and toys. This hefty promotional box sent to The House of Two Bows was bursting with goodies:

• Mulligan Stew (Beef), one 13 oz can
• Precise Holistic Complete (Beef w/ Vegetables and Wild at Heart River Line w/ Salmon and Trout), two 5.5 oz cans
• Weruva Amazon Liver (Chicken), two 5.5 oz cans
• Sam’s Yams Veggie Rawhide, one 5 oz pouch
• Kong Traxx tire chew toy, size medium
• Kong Chewy Treats (Chicken, Lamb), two 0.75 oz pouches
• Nutrisca Freeze Dried Dinner Bites (chicken), one 5 oz pouch
• Wapiti Labs elk antler chew, 4″ medium
• Wapiti Labs natural mobility supplement, 15 g sample pouch
• Tropiclean Fresh Breath gel, one 2 fl oz bottle

That’s quite a first impression! A printed menu presented the month’s selections with peppy, personalized descriptions. My quick tabulation of local retail prices for all this schwag rang up at about $60 total. If this box is indicative of the usual fare, subscribers are in for some great deals!

More importantly, the quality of the items show that the folks at Pawalla know what they’re doing. Everything in here was a brand that we have either purchased in the past, or noted as worth trying in the future. That means that Pawalla has passed The House of Two Bows’ stringent selection criteria multiple times! What are the chances?

Pretty good, apparently, if you have a certified nutritionist on board. I love that the company has the credentials of their nutritionist, Dr. Susan Lauten, prominently featured on their introduction page. If Pawalla adheres to Dr. Lauten’s advice as I found on the website for Nature’s Variety, one of the brands she advises, I am confident that the company will maintain rigorous standards. That is, I expect all future products to be free of low-quality grains like corn, wheat, or soy (though not necessarily grain free), gluten, animal byproducts, generic meats and fats, and chemical preservatives.

I also checked each item to make sure that none of the items were manufactured in China or other sites of recent recalls. While Weruva, one of the brands of canned food included in this box, is manufactured in Thailand, the plant adheres to international export quality standards that should allay the fears of consumers with a North American bias.

Eric, one of the company founders, assured me that they “share[d my] concern about Chinese made products and do not provide them in [their] boxes.” In the future I would like to see a more explicit policy about how the company will ensure that their products pass muster, including staying abreast of recalls and how they would issue item replacements, if necessary. As it is, the company FAQ covers more of the monetary and procedural end of affairs, and offers less detailed information regarding what’s actually inside each box. Some amount of mystery is necessary, after all, to preserve the element of surprise!

Perhaps some of the reticence is because the company is still in development. Future plans include an online store, to be launched in August, for customers to stock up — because sometimes a single can is just not enough for a hungry pet, let alone Two Bows!

This subscription service is ideal for dogs who exhibit no food allergies. I asked Eric if they had plans to restrict protein options pending pet owner preferences. Unfortunately, we are hearing about more and more about dogs who exhibit sensitivities to common proteins across the board — which is one reason why so many in my crowd are eager to embrace home-prepared meals. Understandably, this would complicate the supply process if enough picky-bickys join the club, but this is a valid deterrent to a more long-term subscription for consumers like us, despite the great value (note that two free months are currently being offered with a year’s subscription).

Having some probiotics and digestive aids on hand might be a good idea when trying out new products. Luckily, the Bows are used to variety, but if your pet is not, be aware that you might wreak havoc on your pet’s digestive health if you try to go through a different can of food a day without adequate transition time. It would be better to pace the surprises over the course of the month.

I would recommend this as an awesome gift idea for first-time dog owners — and it’s very easy to purchase a 3, 6, or 12 month gift subscription for someone else. Perhaps your best friends just adopted their first dog and they’re overwhelmed by the wide world of dog products. Pawalla has it in them to guide newbies to the good stuff first. Yet, there are still surprises in store for more seasoned consumers, too. Personally, I was excited about the Wapiti Labs mobility supplements for Bowdu, and the Tropiclean dental gel for Bowpi, though it’s too early to tell if these products work as advertised.

It is also important to me that Pawalla offers some customizations for pets of different ages and sizes. The promotional box contained items that would have been appropriate for a range of ages from puppies (super tough chew toys) to adults and seniors (mobility supplements). Frankly, we prefer consumables to objects that just accumulate around the house, though a post on the Pawalla blog makes an argument that everything in the box is essential, from food to toys, when you’re striving for the optimum physical and emotional health for your pet.

Over time, I will be curious to see how Pawalla can maintain both a commitment to quality while rotating enough product diversity to keep subscriptions interesting. A common complaint of other pet deals sites is the number of repeat offerings. Is it possible that there is a finite number of high quality brands that Pawalla can present? Or does a service like Pawalla actually help promote higher standards and fuel the growing market for quality pet products?

I’d like to think the latter is true, and indicative of a positive trend in how people are willing to care for their pets. Meanwhile, I’m grateful for the existence of companies like Pawalla that appear to align with my own retail philosophies. I was honestly impressed by the execution, and they’re definitely on the right track. However, I will withhold my highest grade because there is no record yet of consistency, which is critical for a subscription-based operation. But since The Bows asked so nicely, I do believe we’ll be getting another box in the future.

FINAL GRADE: A-

** Note: The House of Two Bows was given one promotional box in exchange for our honest review.

EDIT: On 22 August 2013, Pawalla announced that it is “no longer operating as a subscription service.”

The cost of things: April 2012 + Lifetime Costs of Pets

Tags

betagen, budgeting, chondroiton, comfortis, glucosamine, honest kitchen, lick granulomas, supplements, vet

This is part of my ongoing effort to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. Previous posts in the series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for April 2012:

• Food: $90
• Treats: $14
• Accessories and misc: $0
• Grooming: $0
• Vet & Medical: $171
• TOTAL: $275 (running average for 2012 ~ $184 / month)

Food-wise, two purchases puffed up this figure. Earlier in the month, a mild playtime injury revealed that Bowdu was no longer as young and limber as he used to be, so we are introducing canine glucosamine, chondroiton, and MSM to his diet. At $12.99 for an 8 fl. oz bottle of K9 Glucosamine from Liquid Health from my local pet store, it’s certainly not as inexpensive as I had hoped it would be, particularly if we will be adding this long-term. Bowdu’s condition did improve with both time and supplements, so I think we should keep it up while I research other options.

Also on the tab was an order from Honest Kitchen to make use of a free shipping coupon that we got. I haven’t even dipped into the box of Keen or two canisters of Sparkle yet (still working through a portion that I had saved in the freezer from the end of last summer). But this should be plenty to last us for a couple months…

Obviously, the other major category this month was veterinary bills. To prepare for summer fleas, we restocked on Comfortis, purchased directly from my vet. I have found that my vet’s price on this is more competitive than the online pharmacies because they give one free dose with every six-pack purchased, and they frequently offer mail-in rebates ($10 off this time) that are only available for prescriptions purchased directly from veterinarians. Through my vet, it ends up being about $11.22 a dose for each 20 ~ 40 pound dog (compared to $15 / dose at Pet Meds or Drs. Foster and Smith).

And finally, there was Bowpi’s vet visit for her lick granuloma (which still remains, but she isn’t bothering it as much anymore). I typically itemize my vet bills here to give a sense of just how expensive veterinary care in the California Bay Area can be, so here is what our bill amounted to:

• Office Call: Examination, $56 $50.40
• Cytology: In House, $76 $13.50
• Betagen topical spray (60 mL), $28.53
• TOTAL: $92.43

On Wednesday, students get discounted services at this particular vet — hence, the different prices seen above. It is always a shock for me to walk in and out of an appointment with a bill that’s less than three digits! Hey, we’ll take it!

Finally, sharing a link scooped via Doggerel: The Lifetime Costs of a Pet, broken down by type of pet, from fish to feathered and furred species. Mint.com says the total lifetime cost for a single dog is over $25K! How do they break it down? You can take a look for yourself and see if you agree…

Provided by Mint.com

Holistic treatments for pet allergies

Tags

allergies, bovine colostrum, digestive enzymes, essential fatty acids, holistic veterinary care, nettle, skin and coat supplements, supplements, vitamin C

Last year during April, we initiated some preemptive measures to stave off the onset of spring and summer allergies. March showers bring a profusion of April floral activity here in the Bay Area. Even I have been sniffling more than usual, indicating that something is already in the air. So last year around this time, we started giving Bowdu a Benadryl tablet every other day to block those histamine receptors before things really had a chance to go nuts. During the peak of summer, he was still getting Benadryl just about every day, though he was on no prescription meds. We got through last summer rather smoothly, but as a complex and chronic concern, I’m always looking to find out more about allergy treatment options.

A preliminary disclosure: I’m no expert; I’m just presenting the notes I collected from a talk I attended. I think I maintain reasonable skepticism of veterinary practices in general, though my own background and experiences have made me far more sympathetic to holistic care. I grew up with two scientist parents who have been employed for decades by a major pharmaceuticals company (mom works in their animal health department — there are many clinical trial reports floating about the internal document library that were edited by said employee’s teenaged daughter). Yet our entire family has frequently turned to traditional Chinese medicine than manufactured drugs to alleviate our own chronic ailments.

Which just goes to say that I don’t necessarily advocate any one “school” or type of medicine over another. As long as one is willing to counterbalance the information they receive from professionals with their own research, I think there is merit in exploring new ideas.

Dr. Anne Reed addresses the crowd at her allergy talk.

At the end of last month, I attended a talk on “Holistic treatments for pet allergies” hosted by a local pet boutique and headed by a well-respected local holistic veterinarian, Dr. Anne Reed. You can check her website for her credentials, as I did before I signed up for the event. The talk was booked to capacity, and the crowd consisted primarily of women, age 30 and older. Many attendees were already familiar with Dr. Reed’s services. I was not. Despite rave reviews and a decent network of resources in our area, we have not yet made the costly plunge into holistic veterinary care (for example, Dr. Reed’s current rates are $210 for a first intake, or $265 for a first house call). The $10 entrance fee to this event seemed a mere pittance in comparison.

Dr. Reed began by laying out the differences between Western medicine and holistic medicine (a term which she used interchangeably with “Chinese medicine”). As she explained it, the default position with Western medicine regards the allergen — the pollen, dander, food in rare cases of true food allergies as opposed to intolerances, etc. — as the problem. Treatment options are thus focused on eliminating the offending allergen by figuring out what to avoid (hence, the costly tests that still often register false positives), or eliminating the body’s response to allergens through specialized diets of “food-like substances” (hydrolyzed protein prescription diets), immune suppressing drugs (Prednisone and prednisolone, antihistamines, cyclosporin), or complex immunotherapy (which remains prohibitively costly and time consuming for most pet owners).

The problem is that the immune system, when suppressed for such long periods of time, relishes the opportunity to get back to “work,” so allergic reactions frequently tend to get worse over time. When your pet is taken off those drugs, the immune system kicks back in overdrive mode, so future allergic responses tend to get more extreme, or last longer, or branch out to new allergens that were never a problem before. Dr. Reed confessed to dreading the patients who come to her as a last resort because the drugs that have been prescribed to them for years no longer work; it takes a significantly longer time to undo the damage than the temporary relief of prescription drugs, and for this reason, she recommends that pet owners do everything in their power to stay away from these drugs in the first place.

Holistic medicine, on the other hand, is not concerned with identifying specific allergens, because it takes the body as the foundation for all improvements, not external factors. If the body is healthy and balanced and everything is working properly, it should be well equipped to handle the stressors of living and functioning as natural beings in a normal environment. Not so much to expect our bodies to behave, right? Well, as dog people know, ideal behaviors come through consistent and steady training, and our bodies can be conditioned in a similar way.

As a holistic practitioner, she doesn’t really look at or consider allergy tests. In her experience, the results frequently have a demoralizing effect — how is it fair, after all, that a household pet can or should be allergic to human dander or grass? The best that the tests can do, in her experience, is buy some time as she works to strengthen the body’s immune response through holistic means.

To that end, food is her essential starting block. She briefly debunked the idea rehashed by many pet owners that some common proteins are inherently evil (chicken, beef, and lamb are oft-named culprits) or that any specific breed typically does not do well with any particular protein. If certain breeds seem predisposed to reject specific types of proteins, she’s more likely to ascribe the problems to genetic factors and how the pets were bred, not necessarily what breed they are. She did not spend much time on this point, but she did allude to grave concerns that generations of kibble-fed dogs have resulted in generations of modern dogs that are ill-equipped to adapt as nature intended.

At the same time, Dr. Reed was very pragmatic about acknowledging that a fully home-cooked or raw diet is not possible for many homes. To that end, we can only do the best that we can, but there is nothing like a good diet of fresh and balanced food to start your pet off on the right foot. She spent some time talking about the differences between home cooking and raw food. One note that I jotted down which resonated with past knowledge is that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners actually don’t advocate a diet of exclusively raw meat, because too much “cold” food (and “cold” means more than temperature here) can be damaging to the spleen and other vital organs. If your pet tends to be energetically “hot,” and allergies are symptomatic of such a state, then a raw diet can certainly help. However, bodies and metabolism do not remain stable over a lifetime, so you should be prepared to adjust as necessary. If nothing else, TCM reminds us that natural systems are constantly in flux. We may strive for perfect balance, though we cannot assume permanence!

There is much more to be said on the intricacies of traditional Chinese medicine, but rather than stray too far from her main topic, Dr. Reed recommended that interested parties do their own research. She recommended Four Paws, Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs by Cheryl Schwartz as a good starting point for pet owners. Personally, I’ve had a look at this title in the past and found it problematic in many ways, but that’s a post for another time. Dr. Reed praises the book for giving a broad, if someone dizzying overview of TCM in current practice.

Next, she turned to specific allergy treatments that pet owners can work with. I’ve tried to organize and represent the information based on notes to the best of my ability. If I have made any transcription or factual errors, I will follow up and correct the information.

• Omega-3s.
  Functions: to decrease inflammation, build cell membranes, help joints, etc. Omega-3s and Essential Fatty Acids are widely touted, so you can look up the benefits with little problem.
  Use: Look for a DHA/EPA number between 50 ~ 100 mg/kg, a capsule of about 1000 mg / day is a good maintenance dose.
  Issues: In the past, vets could solve lots of problems fairly efficiently by giving pets just Omega-3s, but this no longer seems to be as effective because commercial pet foods are now supplementing with their own essential fatty acids. Consequently, pets need more Omega-3s in order to counterbalance the Omega-6s in commercial diets. Also, just because everyone sings the praises of fish oils and because this is a “holistic” approach doesn’t mean that there are no side effects. Too much Omega-3, for example, has been associated with increased clotting time (so animals may bleed easier and keep bleeding) — a concern if your pet is going in for surgery. Clean and sustainable sourcing of fish oils is an ongoing concern as well, so make sure to monitor the quality of your product.
• Digestive enzymes.
  Functions: to help “rest” the digestive tract and allow associated organs some relief while promoting nutritional absorption and decreasing intestinal inflammation
  Use: Pick a simple, plant-based enzyme (she likes Standard Process Multizyme and Prozyme), typically added at about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of food.
  Issues: Digestive and skin health are closely related in holistic medicine. You want your pet’s skin looking and feeling as healthy as possible. Paw pads shouldn’t be crusty, but rather, feel “like a pair of fine driving gloves,” even though they meet concrete and ground every single day. The best way to improve skin is through digestion, and if your pet’s skin and coat are looking good, everything else is probably reasonably in balance.
• Vitamin C
  Functions: to serve as a natural antihistamine, to strengthen cellular bonds, to serve as a “cooling” agent
  Use: about 500 ~ 1000 mg per day, once a day, for a 50 pound dog
  Issues: I didn’t get a chance to ask whether this was a temporary measure or a more permanent supplement, as I’d read conflicting information about whether or not this is necessary, or potentially harmful for pets. If i get a chance to follow up, I will update here.
• Bovine colostrum
  Functions: to promote digestive health by “sealing up” the cellular walls of the intestinal tract, aiding in better digestion, among other functions
  Use: look for it in powdered form, follow recommended dosing information
  Issues: She didn’t get much time to talk about this one, so I may be missing some details. This is a “quick” and more short-term fix that she seemed enthusiastic to endorse, though she doesn’t use it over the long run.
• Freeze-dried nettle
  Function: as a homeopathic remedy particularly useful for inhaled allergies
  Use: about 1/4 tsp per 50 pounds of dog
  Issues: It may cause several days to a week of itchiness or irritation until you see improvement. However, she has found this particularly effective to ward off seasonal allergies just as they are appearing. She did not say how long one should keep feeding the nettles (over a whole season?). This is also meant to be a short term remedy.

At this point, Dr. Reed started running out of time, so she blitzed through the potential uses of apple cider vinegar (messing with pH is controversial, but she recommends 1 Tbsp/50 pounds of dog in certain situations), green tripe (a “miracle food” loaded with enzymes), and green leafy vegetables (good for the liver). On Vitamin E, she has not found it absolutely necessary to add this in combination with fish oil, as some years she has recommended it, and some years she has not, yet has seen no difference either way. She thinks that pets are compensating for the supposed depletion of Vitamin E in other ways, particularly if they get a good mix of organs in their balanced meal.

IN CONCLUSION: patience and perseverance, and staying away from prescription allergy meds, puts your pet on the right track to long-term health. You may not see immediate results with the approaches that she outlined, but in the best cases, you will be able to look back after some time and account for significant differences. I know that has certainly been the case for us here at the House of Two Bows.

The cost of things: November 2011

Tags

basenji health endowment, basket muzzles, budgeting, dog muzzles, fanconi, inulin, merrick, orthopedic foundation for animals, probiotics, supplements

THE COST OF (PET) THINGS: November 2011

• FOOD: $59
• TREATS: $40
• ACCESSORIES & MISC: $13
• VET/MEDICAL: $50

TOTAL: $162
(Running average for 11 months so far: $257 / month)

Food:
The usual meat here and there, a refill of enough fish oil to last us months, and something new: a bottle of inulin to “enhance calcium absorption” and “promote probiotic bacteria growth“. A 180 gram container cost $8.99 around my parts. I picked up a bottle manufactured by Jarrow Formulas. It’s going to last a long time since I’m only adding a couple pinches of this sweet powder to the Bows’ wet meals. I’m also adding some to my own diet, when I remember — funny how I am more consistent with the dogs’ supplements than I am with my own. Anyway, we’ll give this a couple months and see where it goes.

Treats:
The usual treats here and there. Also picked up two pieces of Merrick’s Porky Jerky Pumpers (pig heart), since we seldom see pork meat-based treats in the store, aside from ears and snouts.

At $3.99 for each 2.5 oz shrink-wrapped pack, it felt like a rip-off. I think I’d rather swing through the local Asian market and get the dogs the real, raw thing.

Or maybe it’s time to just invest in a dehydrator. Any recommendations?

Accessories:
Bowdu got a basket muzzle.

1 November 2011

Vet/medical:
The Basenji Health Endowment was subsidizing OFA Fanconi retests for dogs who had previously submitted saliva samples. Even though Bowpi had originally tested Probably Clear/Normal for the linked marker test, even though it was unlikely that a probably clear dog would have their results change to becoming “affected,” even though she is spayed, and even though we have no pedigree information for her, I still wanted to take advantage of this discount for my own peace of mind.

We haven’t gotten the results back yet, but I’m not worried.

20 October 2011

REVIEW: Honest Kitchen Sparkle, an herbal skin and coat supplement

Tags

allergies, burdock root, dandelion, dr. pitcairn, herbal remedies, herbs for pets, holistic veterinary care, honest kitchen, nettle, rose hips, skin care, sparkle, supplements, tilford & wulff, yeast

Product: Honest Kitchen Sparkle herbal supplement
Quantity: 3.4 oz
Price Paid: $11 [via the HK online store]
Ingredients: Dandelion leaf, rosehips, burdock root, nettle leaf, yeast flakes
Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude protein: min 18.00%
Crude fat: min 0.50%
Crude fiber: max 10.26%
Moisture: max 11.00%
Potassium: 2.24 ~ 2.49%
Magnesium: 0.29 ~ 0.34%
Iron: 140 ~ 170 mg/kg
Manganese: 59 ~ 74 mg/kg
Zinc: 46 ~ 54 mg/kg

Country of manufacture: Not clear, though the company claims that all of its ingredients are 100% human grade, a claim that has been cleared by the FDA
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101; tel: 1-866-437-9729 / (619) 544-0018
Web presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, etc.

When Bowdu’s system was thrown out of whack owing to his hypothyroidism, one of the most obvious physical signs was his recurrent skin issues and out-of-control allergies. Last year’s summer of suffering has inspired me to explore alternative dermal health remedies, especially options geared towards long-term and holistic maintenance.

The Honest Kitchen was also founded on a philosophy of good health through optimum diet and natural care. For a number of reasons, including their high standards of quality, accountability, size of the company and apparent transparency, HK is probably one of my favorite pet-related companies out there. When I saw that they offer a skin supplement, Sparkle, I was happy to give it a go.

Here’s the product description from the website:

Proper pet nutrition is the first step to improving your dog or cat’s skin and coat health. For additional nutritive support, we offer Sparkle. After using this natural herbal supplement, all your friends will be in awe of your pet’s healthy, shiny coat!

Sparkle is an herbal nutritional supplement made with a selection of natural herbs, designed to support healthy skin and a shiny coat for both dogs and cats.

I was unable to find more specific information about the ingredients on the company site, so I consulted Gregory L. Tilford and Mary L. Wulff’s Herbs for Pets: the Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life (Second Edition, Irvine: Bowtie Press, 2009). I claim no expertise or special knowledge in herbal nutrition, and certainly not because I happen to have a couple relevant books in my personal library. This is just one ready reference that I like having on hand (though they could use an updated list of references, even if they are one of the pioneers in this subfield).

Anyway, here are some relevant passages from Tilford & Wulff related to the selection of herbs in this blend:

Dandelion leaf:

Dandelion is a “classic” and extremely common herbal remedy with a large range of benefits, including boosting the liver and optimizing waste elimination (aside from regularizing digestion, it can act as a diuretic). With long-term use, the whole plant is reputed to offer medicinal effects without taxing the body with harsh or excess chemicals and minerals. As far as its immediate benefits, I thought this was interesting:

In addition to providing your animal with many of the nutrients she needs, the leaves have what the herbalists call a bitter tonic effect: the body’s metabolism is ‘warmed up’ before the digestive system is forced to go to work. When a small amount of a bitter herb is taken into the mouth, the recipient immediately experiences a sudden increase in salivation. As the bitter herb reaches the stomach, bile and other digestive agents are then triggered into production. The result is more efficient digestion, reduced indigestion, better absorption of nutrients, and increased appetite.

Tilford and Wulff, pp. 95-6
In other words, dandelion leaf works primarily by maximizing the effects of an already-healthy meal; as with any dietary supplement, you have to start on a solid foundation. Dandelion is not an immediate choice for improving dermal health, but it would be a first resort if the aim, as described by the Honest Kitchen, is to detox and offer “nutritive support.”

Rose hips:

Rose hips, the heart of the bloom

This is another common herbal remedy known for being rich in Vitamin C and ascorbic acid (ibid., p. 172). All the better when it’s sourced from such a cute little fruit. This is hardly an obscure vitamin so I’ll trust that we all understand its many functions, and move on…

Burdock root:

Burdock root is a specific treatment for chronic acute psoriasis or eczema; it has a strong affinity toward the treatment of flaky, oily, or inflammatory skin disorders that can be traced back to liver deficiencies or a general overload of toxic substances in the body (usually the result of a poor diet). It is also useful in the holistic treatment of arthritis, rheumatoid disorders, inflammatory kidney and bladder diseases, and virtually any other type of metabolic disorder that may be the result of poor waste elimination. Adding to all of this is a diuretic action that helps in the elimination of waste materials from the body. In simple terms, burdock helps clean the body from the inside out.

ibid. p. 68
By this description, this herb is the most explicitly indicated for dermal care. Many of its functions overlap with that of dandelion, so again, it’s aiding in overall gastrointestinal health.

Nettle root:

Although the theories behind the medicinal actions of nettle are varried, we believe that part of the basis for nettle’s antiallergenic usefulness may lie in the plant’s histamine content, which may work in a like-versus-like manner similar to the concepts of homeopathy. What we mean is that by introducing a substance into the body that acts mildly as an allergenic antagonist, the body is triggered into protecting itself from what it believes to be an inevitable, all-out attack of allergens. In short, nettle may prompt the body into preparing itself. For animals with predictable seasonal occurrences of allergies, dietary supplementation with dried nettle leaf may help.

ibid., p. 154
This same principle applies to allergy shots and immunotherapy, but instead of injecting the body with a number of specific, targeted allergens, just nettle is used to increase the body’s tolerance to potential environmental irritants.

Nutritional yeast (yeast flakes):

Tilford and Wulff provide no information on this ingredient. However, nutritional yeast is the primary ingredient in Dr. Pitcairn’s “Healthy Powder” mix which is an essential component of the recipes in his book [cf. Richard & Susan Pitcairn, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 2005) p. 53]. In this blend, I think these flakes add mere traces of additional vitamins and minerals.

1/2 tsp of Sparkle (that’s a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon, and 1/4 tsp pile below)

For 11 ~ 30 pound pets, the recommended daily dose is 1/2 a teaspoon twice daily (roughly consistent with recommended doses in Tilford & Wulff), mixed or sprinkled onto the food. That seemed like enough to significantly alter the taste of the food, which usually backfires when it comes to Bowpi. I ended up giving less than recommended — about three pinches per meal for Bowdu and two pinches for Bowpi, which amounted to about half of the suggested daily intake. It seemed reasonable to lean on the lower side of the spectrum, since too much of a couple of these herbs might trigger too much of a diuretic effect or overly loose stools, at worst. When the pups got raw meals, I would either sprinkle this into a side dish of pumpkin or mushed up sweet potato (preferred) or coat the meat as if preparing an herbal dry rub.

At this rate, the container lasted us about two months, a fair stretch of time.

What I like about Sparkle is that the ingredients give me a different set of dietary “tools” to work with by improving the skin in an indirect fashion. Sparkle works through the internal organs by improving modes of circulation (waste processing, nutrient delivery and absorption), instead of building the epidermal layer on a cellular level. Since we’re talking about a cumulative effect, I expected the results to be a little more subtle, prompting me to look a little harder.

Now the thing is both Bows already have fairly nice coats, so I can’t really proclaim any drastic changes. For Bowpi, who came to us with some dandruff and dry patches, improvements were especially dramatic when we started boosting her Essential Fatty Acid intake with fish oil (and Vitamin E) supplements at dinnertime and olive oil drizzles with breakfast. If you’re looking for a quick and observable improvement, load up those EFAs and you’ll definitely know there’s been a before and after.

4 October 2011

We crossed that threshold with Bowpi’s coat some time ago. Though she’s already pretty soft and glossy, I guess she does seem even plushier these days. Her skin is clean and supple. The rash that had broken out on her upper arms, already slowly on its way to improvement once we took her off the suspected culprit food, completely cleared up after we started using Sparkle. Most significantly, her injured eye has been less watery, an improvement I was not anticipating.

As all these observations have coincided with our continuous use of Sparkle, I will be generous in my assessment and say that it could be due to this supplement’s benefits — though it could also be due to other factors like seasonal and environmental changes.

With Bowdu, the only noticeable recent change has been in the scent of his skin and coat. He generally doesn’t have much of an odor anyway, but lately he’s been even more nuzzleable than ever.

Again, this could be due to seasonal changes, and my own desire to huff Shiba fur as the weather gets chillier.

Here at the House of Two Bows, where academic habits inevitably bleed into blogging, we typically stamp reviewed products with an A ~ F letter grade. Given all that I’ve written above though, it doesn’t seem fair to assign a letter grade. I know I’d like to give Sparkle an A grade based on how much I respect the company and how much I want to trust in the efficacy of a holistic approach. But honestly, I can’t say that even my own observations justify the high marks.

Would I purchase and use this supplement again? Sure! I think if we started the daily supplementation at least a month in advance of allergy season, that would be a more serious test.

Is Sparkle a required part of the daily diet for the Two Bows? Here, I’d have to say no. And since it’s not part of the core menu here, maybe it’s better to grade it on a pass/fail basis. Thumbs up or thumbs down.

To summarize —

PROS:

• high quality ingredients from a trustworthy company
• offers a natural, holistic alternative or complement to EFA supplementation
• attractive and handy packaging
• fair price for amount of product (especially if used conservatively)
• good for dogs AND cats!

CONS:

• results may not be immediate, demands consistency and patience over long-term use
• some animals may not enjoy the taste
• best when mixed into moist food, which not every dog gets all the time
• calling this a “skin and coat” supplement is somewhat misleading when the operating premise actually seems to be gastrointestinal management which ultimately results in healthier appearanaces

FINAL GRADE: PASS / SATISFACTORY

[Edit 9 April 2012: Related post, “Holistic treatments for pet allergies“

Health update: allergies under control

Tags

allergies, canine atopic dermatitis, canine hypothyroidism, grooming, hot spots, skin care, supplements

This is a quick log of Bowdu’s dermal health, and to compare his summer allergies with almost the exact same time last year…

I’m happy to report that there’s not much to report.

24 July 2011

This year…

• Raw and home-cooked meals make up at least 50% of his diet.
• He’s on thyroid support (Soloxine).
• He gets more daily nutritional supplements (in addition to the ones we were already using last year) like yucca, grass/pollen combatants, Vitamin E, etc.
• He’s NOT on any prescription allergy drugs (though he’s been getting OTC antihistamines 1 – 2x a day).
• He’s NOT in a cone.
• He’s not licking his paw pads.
• He’s still licking the same spots on his front “wrists” and the top of his back toes, though the spots are a lot smaller.
• He still hates getting topical ointments rubbed on his parts, unless he’s in the car.
• His paws are wiped down after every walk through grass and dirt.
• He’s less smelly and his skin is less greasy.
• He’s gotten 3 or 4 baths since the beginning of summer, purpose not being to drench him but to wash away allergens and loosen some undercoat.
• He’s been brushed a lot less, though I will manually remove fur as I pet him, and I’m doing a lot more sweeping.

In summary, he’s doing really well, and is infinitely more manageable this year. The pictures show that he’s not in perfect condition, but again, compared to last year… wow.

However, August has typically been his worst month. He’s also due for another thyroid check, so I’m still holding my breath until we get through the dog days.

I’ll have another update on Bowpi’s skin breakout later. She does appear to be getting better, but progress on her has been a lot slower than anticipated.

The cost of things: May 2011

Tags

budgeting, fish oil, plaqueoff, supplements

For a background explanation on why I’m charting our monthly pet expenses, please check my first post in this series.

THE COST OF (PET) THINGS: May 2011

• FOOD: $117
• TREATS: $43
• ACCESSORIES & MISC: $0
• VET/MEDICAL: $0

TOTAL: $160
(Running average for 5 months so far: $233 / month)

Didn’t I say something about how I was going to bring food costs down last month?

Oh, how intentions and actuality seldom align.

Proden PlaqueOff, a seaweed-based dental supplement

As it turns out, I ended up spending more in this category last month. A few chicken’s feet here, a few turkey necks there… what really inflated the figure was restocking things like fish oil and PlaqueOff, supplements they get every day, and the two precious vials of holistic tonics that ran about $20 a pop. Yup, $89 of “food” expenses this month consisted of droplets and powder. Since they get these as part of their everyday diet, this is the appropriate category according to my definitions.

These supplements are purchased once in a few months. We load up on fish oil when it’s on sale. While I could probably save about 10-15% by getting the other stuff online, I decided that the $2 or $3 I would save on each item would be better invested in my local pet stores. This is only the third container of PlaqueOff we’ve purchased since we started using it a year ago, so a little bit goes a long way.

As we move into allergy season, I can’t really expect the overall figure to go down, particularly if we’re looking at any vet visits in the next few months.

Photo taken 27 April 2011