We probably will not purchase Halo’s again

Lately there have been so many disturbing comments about Halo’s such as they are sending customers expired products(ie treats),have switched up the recipe without notifying buyers,dogs and cats not being able to digest can/dry food and having diarrhea,smells different, makes me really wonder if we can continue to buy it…Right now I am having Lacey finish up the last 6-8 cups of Halo’s.One brand we are looking to transition to is Taste of the Wild as one of her main brands then Blue Buffalo Wilderness & Earthborn for long term use.

Out of all the foods she’s been on as an adult she’s been on Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural the longest since December 2009.I am always looking for new foods for her to try to add in her rotation over the years.

Looking back at Lacey’s first year:Health and all

Name:Lacey Princess Maltipoo Akamine
Current Weight at one year old:7.11 pounds according to vet records,7.6 according to home weight
Birth Date:March 13 2009
Born:Kailua,HI
Breed:Maltese/Toy Poodle
Mom:Poodle
Dad:Maltese
Adopted:july 17 2009
Age of adoption:16 weeks old
Found on:Kijiji.com
Price:$600
Name of Vet:Dr John Kaya
Vet Hospital:VCA Animal Hospital aka VCA University Hospital
Weight at first vet visit:4.5 pounds
Dog Food:Science Diet & IAMS,Beneful Prepared Meals till December 2009
Puppy Pad Training:9 weeks
Health Issues:Yeast infection in ear,worms,UTI,Spaying(February 2010)
First Heat:November 2009
First Treats:Nutro Dog Biscuits,Pupperoni,The Goodlife Recipe treats
First Walk:November 2009
Shortest Walk:<<<than 5 minutes
Longest Walk:62 minutes on her birthday
First Time Out: December 2009
First Thanksgiving:Thanksgiving 2009:Family Dinner
First Christmas:Christmas 2009:A new top,Waggin Train
Brands of dog food we tried:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Chicken Soup for the Pet lover's Soul,Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed/Super5Mix Complete Health Chicken,Halo's Spot's Stew
Current Dry Food Brands:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Halo's Spot's Stew(Wholesome Chicken & Wild Salmon flavors),Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural
Brands of Can Food we tried:Natural Balance,NV Instinct & Prairie can food,Wellness Can Food then lost interest,Halo's Spot's Stew Can Food,Merricks
Current Brands of Can Food:Merricks
First introduced to Raw(Freeze Dried):January 2010
Started accepting Freeze Dried Raw:Feburary 2010
Brands we tried:Stella & Chewy till APril 2010 then we'll be switching to Nature's variety Freeze Dried
First Freeze Dried Raw Treat:Primal Pet Turkey Liver(A birthday present)
Organic Treats she's tried:Trader Joe's,Waggin' Train,No Grainers
First Boarding Facilities we considered:Di Ventus Dog Hotel & Spa
First Boarding Facilities we looked at:The Ohana Doggie Day Care,Pets in the city
First Starts understanding people conversations:7-8 months old
First Command:SIT
Commands she knows:sit,stay,don't move,time out,sit & stay,shake paw/hand,"eat",hi5,shake your tail,down aka sit,lay down,kiss,learning roll over,"wait",inside,outside,table manners at the table
Uses Common Sense while walking:About 8-9 months old
Checks for cars like a human(right,left,right,left,center,then walk)about 10 months-1 year old
Goes outside for afternoon poop:December 2009-learned by example of aunty's dogs
Vaccinations:Distemper,Parvo,Lepto
First Carrier:casual Canine
First Crate:Pet Mate Kennel Cab
Characteristics:A definite mix of Maltese/Toy Poodle.Brains of the poodle.Looks of a maltese.eyes are poodle.Loves to play.Loves to sample food
Types of food she tried:Mexican,Italian,Japanese,Chinese
Favorite Fast Food:KFC chicken skin
Shops we shop at:Naturally Pet,Halo’s Purely for Pets,The Pet Spot,Kalihi Pet Store
Misc:Also tried Hartz Oinkies
Able to climb steps:10-11 months old
First Shampoo;Sergent’s Puppy Shampoo
Current Shampoo:Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo/Earthbath Shampoo
Grooming:Cardinal Pet Gold Metal Pets Unicoat Professional Spray

Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon

Lacey has just given Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon her maltipoo approval on how she likes the “new” food!We just got it in the mail this morning and when I took it out of the box for her to try she wouldn’t take it but when my dad tried she did eat one kibble.I tried to hand feed it to her but she wouldn’t have it.So,I did it the other way where I place her food in her bottle to introduce her to the “new” food.After I did that she ate one whole 1/8 cup of Wild Salmon!She also took a bit of it in her crate tray too!At least we know that Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon has gotten her approval!A few more flavors if Halo’s should ever introduce you can bet that we will defiantly give it a try for Lacey!Whatever flavor it is Wholesome Chicken or Wild Salmon she will most likely eat it!Thank Goodness we found Halo’s!Now we switch up her proteins almost every meal every day.We start out with Halo’s Wholesome Chicken,then SG Just a Wee Bit (Bison)MIXED with Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural(Turkey),then we give her Halo’s Wild Salmon.Once a week she gets Merricks Can Food(any flavor)on Saturdays.Mean while,we also use Stella & Chewy as a supplement with any of her dry foods.I break up a small amount into her kibble and she will usually eat that as well.Lacey’s review on Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon for finicky eaters…Give it a try!Your dog(if finicky) might thank you!

Decided to give Halo’s Wild Salmon Dry Food a try…

At first we were not going to try this one as I thought it had a lot of fish in it like many other dry food brands but not in this case.It is if anything the exact same recipe as the chicken one except it’s salmon & not chicken.I asked Halo’s on twitter if they could send us a sample.While I know like the last time it will take a while before they send a sample they always eventually get to it.As good as our experience was with the Chicken flavor & how Lacey rejects all of their can food made me wonder how she’d do on the Wild Salmon Dry Food???This way she could still get two proteins with the option of having raw.I am not trying to force her to eat raw right now but after 7 I would like her to eat more “raw” than dry.
Here are the ingredients for the Chicken flavor dry food for dogs
Chicken, Eggs, Pea Protein, Oats, Vegetable Broth, Pearled Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Whole Peas, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Flax Seed, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Inulin, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Salt, Vitamins (Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum.
Salmon:
Salmon, Eggs, Pea Protein, Oats, Vegetable Broth, Pearled Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Whole Peas, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Flax Seed, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Inulin, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Salt, Vitamins (Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum.

A Lacey Recovery Update after spaying on Feburary 16 2010

Lacey is recovering very quickly & regaining strength in just a matter of days.(Wednesday)Yesterday she ate some(mostly hand fed in the morning & ate some of the 95% Wellness Lamb).Through the day she didn’t eat a lot and there was no bowels.She did have some energy.Still tired but she tried to jump off the bed a couple times successfully without a yelp(two out of three times).She took a walk & wanted to play but I wouldn’t let her so she whimpered a few times.Licking the incision is kept to a minimal.Surprisingly,without the e-collar & scratching the incision is also kept to a minimal but not to the point where pawz doggy boots are needed.We have it on hand in case we ever need it.She seems to know how much she can handle by the day.Doesn’t do more than she can handle.Takes her meds like a good pup.
Today(Thursday)she defiantly had more pep/energy today.From the start of the morning I could sense more energy by the way she was prancing around on the blankets in the living room.She gave morning kisses & was alert.She had some vienna sausage for breakfast(bits & pieces) but is still somewhat scared of eating people food.She usually does but still not up to 100% normal.So,I hand fed her and she’s been eating a lot better than on Wednesday.She has made one bowel this afternoon(less than 72 hours after her surgery)and is eating a lot more variety.Still refuses her Halo’s & raw but within time she’ll get there again.She tried to lick her incision on three occasions today but stopped when she was told to.Went walking & she wanted to go running but I told her no & she kept going so I brought her inside to teach her a lesson.Later in the evening we tried again & by then around 5:300pm(HST)she started to run around the house a little.Once she starts running inside the house I allow her to run outside but it has to match her inside behavior.If she can’t run inside I don’t want her to run outside…After 6:00pm(HST) we walked again & ran some.About half of her incision is pretty much healed already.I credit her quick healing to Halo’s Spot’s Stew.Prior to Halo’s I don’t recall her recovering so quickly from anything before.Overall she’s doing great.Drinking more water,slowly eating more food but still somewhat jumpy at times.Still hasn’t really played with her toys & treats a lot but she’s starting to so that’s good.We’ve been adding on to her walk time every day by about 5 minutes.We started at 10 or 15 minutes on Wednesday & now we’re at 20 minutes today.Tomorrow(Friday)we’ll take it to 25 minutes w/walk & run.By Saturday we’ll be at our usual 30 minutes plus for a walk/run.

Ketoconazole side effects for Lacey

Looks like we will have to call Dr Kaya after all.While it does seem to be working for Lacey her stools are still on the soft side.Not as bad as on Super5Mix but still not too good.I didn’t call on Monday because on Monday morning it seemed like her stools were getting better but this evening even when she does get dry and canned food it’s not that soft.We’ll defiantly call Dr Kaya tomorrow to see what he says.It can’t be the Super5Mix because she’s been eating mostly Halo’s and Merrick’s Canned food…An update will follow as soon as we get a response from Dr Kaya sometime tomorrow.

Email Response from Castor & Pollux

We have received an email response from Castor & Pollux regarding “Samples of dog food”.Here’s what they said:
We have two unique lines of dog foods – Organix, our certified organic line of dry and canned food and treats that’s made in compliance with the USDA’s National Organic Program, and Natural Ultramix, our natural option that features a minimum of five meat-based protein sources and real fruits/veggies blended with the kibble. All of our formulas are developed by our PhD Animal Nutritionist to be complete and balanced. They taste great too!

Organix offers the benefits of being a certified organic food along with outstanding palatability and digestibility. In fact, the #1 ingredient in Organix dry formulas is certified organic, free range chicken – the same that you’d buy for yourself at your local natural food store! Under the USDA’s National Organic Program, each and every ingredient in Organix must be reviewed and approved by the organic certifying agency for inclusion in Organix. From the field and farm through to the handling, processing and manufacturing of Organix, each step must be certified organic. This extremely rigorous regulatory program is not applicable to pet foods that are natural, holistic or human grade. For more information on what it means to be certified organic, please visit our website (www.castorpolluxpet.com) and click on Your Questions to be taken to the link.

Natural Ultramix is our natural option for pet parents who are not quite ready to go organic. Natural Ultramix provides a high meat-based protein diet that’s highly bioavailable along with the natural benefits of real pieces of fruits and veggies blended with the kibble. From a product safety standpoint, ALL of our Natural Ultramix and Organix products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid, salmonella and other toxins BEFORE they are released for sale.

I do apologize we do not have samples of our dog formulas at this time, but here’s how easy it is to try Organix and Natural Ultramix – all of our products are unconditionally guaranteed. If you or your dog are not entirely satisfied, just call or e-mail us. We’ll refund your purchase or send you a replacement product right away – you don’t need to go back to the store! I can send coupons to you too; if you would like to provide me with your address information, we’ll put them in the mail right away!

Thank you for being such a wonderful pet parent! We are a small, family company that is committed to providing safe, healthy, natural and organic products for dogs and cats. We’re all pet parents ourselves and take this commitment very, very seriously.

I have emailed them for coupons of the dog food just in case we need a back up for Lacey.I mentioned right now we are between trying different brands for Lacey and it would be helpful if we got a coupon as a back up.
Note:So far Castor & Pollux is the only other line I have okayed besides Halo’s & Wellness.I will consider other options but would like to try Wellness first & then Castor & Pollux even if it means ordering it online.I did get a response from Wellness and am considering calling them tomorrow just to see what their input is before we return the bag to try the Lamb,Barley and Salmon from their Super5Mix line.
Update:regretfully,we couldn’t find the receipt for The Pet Spot where we got Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed but I do believe it is the amount of fish that was causing her soft bowels.I am very sad to give up on the Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed but I have to do what is best for Lacey not myself.After all,she is the one eating the dog food not me!

Lacey tries Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed

We just came back from dog food shopping for Lacey.We got her the Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed.While she does not seem to be thrilled about the change I have it mixed very little of the Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed with her Halo’s(majority of the food)and we’ll continue it for about a month to see how she does on it.If she’s still getting soft bowels we’ll donate it to a shelter and try perhaps a different choice of wellness.

Semi-Final decisions on Lacey’s dog food

Main Brand:Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken(Dry & Canned)
Second Brand:Wellness Super5Mix hoping she can tolerate it.Otherwise back to the drawing board
Third Brand:Earthborn dry(different proteins)
Raw:Undecided yet
Canned:Halo’s,Merricks,Wellness so far..
A final update will be posted after we try her on Wellness Super5mix.

Berry Balance update

I got a response from a owner whose dog had UTI about Berry Balance who suggested that while their dog didn’t have any of these problems(soft bowels) that it could be she’s adjusting to the supplement and to try it out for another week.We’ve already decided to stop the Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit and I have no plans to put her back on it for any reason.It was a good food and she did love it but not as much after Halo’s Spot’s Stew came along…We’ll try it for another week and see how she does.Otherwise if there is still soft bowel movements we’ll stop Berry Balance altogether and for a while keep her on Halo’s while we figure things out.Also when we see Dr Kaya in February we’ll ask him if there is any preventive medicine to help prevent UTI’s from reoccurring..and see what he has to say.I am also not going to mention the change of her food till I figure out what other type of “diet” we’ll try for her.