Infographic- Why Dogs are Epic!

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Interview with Marie Moody, Founder and President of Stella & Chewy's

Many vets and pet owners are beginning to realize the benefits of feeding a raw, species-appropriate diet to their cats and dogs. One of the forerunners in offering a raw diet commercial is Stella & Chewy's, based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founder and President Marie Moody was kind enough to offer this exclusive interview with Mad About Pets and tell us about what makes her company stand out above the rest.

Marie with Stella and Chewy

(Mad About Pets) I understand that you are started Stella & Chewy's after your own dog Chewy was aided through illness by a raw diet. What are the benefits of a raw diet, and what types of common illnesses can it help prevent or treat?

(Marie) We have heard from pet owners that while feeding Stella & Chewy’s their animals have a healthier appetite and better digestion, increased stamina and vitality, healthier coat and skin and less ear and eye issue. We’ve also gotten feedback that while on this diet the animals have fewer allergies and less obesity. The food increases not only the quality of life for the pet but also longevity. Stella & Chewy’s philosophy is based upon what pets naturally eat in the wild. Our frozen and freeze dried foods are made without using any heat. Foods that are processed above 120 degrees have less active enzymes and the vitamins and minerals are also impacted by heat. The food is therefore not as bioavailable. Stella & Chewy’s products are made without grains, fillers, artificial preservatives, added hormones or antibiotics. We don’t add sugar, salt or colorings. Stella & Chewy’s offers 100% complete and balanced dinners for dogs which are 95% raw meat, poultry and fish, 5% organic fruit and vegetables with added probiotics, vitamins and minerals.

Many pet owners are leery of raw food diets because of the threat of foodborne illnesses. How does Stella & Chewy's ensure that their foods are safe?

When I first started "S & C" I didn't know a lot about the regulatory side of pet food. Then a couple of my competitors were recalled for salmonella and I quickly educated myself about it. Since the FDA mandates a 0% tolerance for salmonella in pet food, it was a challenge to figure out a way to address the issue when it’s so frequently found in chicken. I had to figure out how to do it without using heat, radiation or chemicals that would alter the food from a raw state. I found a technology called HPP- hydrostatic high pressure which is essentially cold water pressure that kills vegetative bacteria without altering the enzymes and vitamins and proteins. Stella & Chewy’s was the first company in pet or human food to use this technology in a prepackaged product. That technology combined with advanced oxidation units which omit a low level of ozone and hydrogen peroxide which kill airborne bacteria...same technology that's used on cruise ships.....is the patent pending process that we use. This keeps the raw foods safe for pets and their owners. In addition we test every batch of frozen and freeze dried products at an independent lab and post the results on our website. Customers can go online and match the batch number off their bag of food to the corresponding number online and see the results

Stella & Chewy's offers both frozen and free dried raw diets for dogs. Is there a nutritional difference between frozen and freeze dried? What are the advantages of one over the other?

When I took Chewy to the vet and found out how sick he was the vet recommended home prepared meals. I researched options and thought a raw diet made sense because it was species appropriate. It simulates how they eat in the wild and how their ancestors ate; no thumbs to make fires, no cooked foods. Foods cooked above a certain temperature lose much of their nutritional value and natural enzymes. Raw foods have natural enzymes, which are critical in building proteins and rebuilding the body. Both our freeze–dried and frozen products are raw and they do not differ nutritionally. The biggest difference is one is shelf stable and the other is frozen. The great thing about the freeze-dried is that it’s very convenient and easy to use. It’s a great option for a pet owner who’s either not familiar with or not committed to feeding a 100 % raw diet. The freeze-dried products enable him/ her to incorporate at least some raw into what is presently being feed. The freeze- dried is also extremely palatable, offers a long shelf life and is easy to travel with.

I notice that for cats, Stella & Chewy's currently offers freeze dried diets only. Is there any plan to introduce frozen patties into the current feline line of products?

At this point in time we are focused on the freeze-dried products for cats.

What would you say the biggest difference is between Stella & Chewy's and other raw food diets currently available on the market?

One big difference is that we have our own manufacturing plant in Milwaukee, WI. We have complete control over all aspects of the manufacturing and production of our products. We’ve implemented a safety process that ensures our products are free from harmful bacteria. We use only organic fruits and vegetable, cage-free poultry, wild- caught fish and naturally raised beef. Quite possibly the biggest difference between Stella & Chewy’s and other raw food diets is that we’ve made it very convenient to feed a raw diet.

Does Stella & Chewy's have plans at this point to introduce any new flavors to the cat line?

Stella & Chewy’s has recently introduced a new line of freeze-dried cat dinners in six varieties, all made from wild-caught fish and cage-free poultry. The dinners are available in Chick, Chick Chicken, Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey™, Duck, Duck Goose, Heavenly Herring & Tuna™, Sea-Licious Salmon & Cod™, and Yummy Lickin’ Salmon & Chicken™. The line includes the first-ever, single-serve dinners for cats, ideal for finicky eaters and to add mealtime variety. The single-serve pouches provide consumers ease-of-use and convenience – just add 3 tablespoons of warm water, mix & serve. Re-sealable 12 oz. bags provide customers the opportunity to purchase larger sizes once their pets establish favorites.

If you could give readers one piece of advice when it comes to pet nutrition, what would it be?

Good nutrition is the single most important factor in promoting longevity and quality of life for your pet.

COMING SOON: Mad About Pets puts Stella & Chewy's to the test!

Enhancing Your Cat Care with Clicker Training

Lots of people clicker train their dogs, but few people (even savvy cat owners) realize that clicker training a cat is not only possibly, but quite easy! The general opinion among the human population is that cats cannot be trained; they do things their own way, and that’s just the way it is. The truth is, cats can definitely be trained…it’s just a matter of finding what motivates them. Dogs are motivated by food but also by their need to be a member of the pack. In their minds, they are in constant danger of being designated the pariah of the pack so they try their hardest to please the other pack members (your family.) Cats, on the other hand, do not have a pack mentality. When it comes to cats, there is one surefire motivator: FOOD.

Photo credit: for-cats-only.com

The person in charge of the majority of cat care in your household should have a pretty good idea what food motivates your kitty most. Some cats might enjoy some little tidbits of meat or even a small amount of yogurt. Another easy training tool for cats are commercially available cat treats that come in 7 flavors. These are easy to keep in your pocket during a training session. Remember though: calories add up fast for a kitty, so always keep track of how many treats you give your cat during training, which is another important part of cat care!

So why exactly would you want to clicker train your cat? Some people enjoy feline clicker training for the extra bonding time they get with their cats, and the mental challenge and stimulation it provides indoor cats. Cats can be taught useful behaviors like sit, stay, and even how to walk properly on a leash. Other people use clicker training to teach their cats “parlor tricks” like shake, play dead, or to walk on the hind legs. It’s best to start simple and play to the cat’s specific strengths. "Sit" is a simple and useful first behavior to start out with, and will give your cat a good idea of how the behavior/reward correlation works. For more advanced behaviors, it’s always easier to build on a behavior your cat already exhibits. If your cat likes to stand up on his hindquarters, teach him to do it on command. If your cat likes to roll onto her back, teach her to roll over on cue. Building on natural behaviors is a quick and easy way to add to your kitty’s training arsenal.

Clicker training principles for cats are essentially the same as they are for dogs. When a behavior is properly performed, the behavior must immediately be followed with a click of the clicker and a treat. It’s essential that the cat understands the correlation between the behavior and the food reward; if you’re too slow to the punch, your cat may not make the mental connection. It’s also crucial that the verbal and non-verbal cues you give your cat are consistent. If you use a verbal signal like “Sit!”, always use the same tone of voice, the same volume, and the same word every single time. For non-verbal cues like a hand signal, the same idea should be applied. The key to successful training is consistency and repetition. Though it may seem tedious at first, you will be so proud of your kitty cat when they master their first learned behavior!

Watch this video to learn more about the basics of clicker training:

Q & A: How Do I Transition My Cat to a Canned Food Diet?

Recently a reader wrote me asking for tips on how to transition her cat to a canned food only diet. I figured this information might be helpful to other readers as well, so here was my response:

Some kitties take to switching to canned very easily, while others are definitely die-hard kibble munchers! For starters, you should get the kibble completely out of the house; if the cat can even smell it in the cupboard, they will know it is there and hold out for it.

One of Mad About Pets' cats' favorites!

For my cats, I discovered that each of them was picky about flavor and texture. One of the cats would only eat pate, while another preferred shreds. I went to the pet store and bought a huge variety of different flavors and formulas to see which ones would be the most popular. Granted I ended up with a lot of wasted cat food, but at least I figured out which flavors worked out best! My cats ended up deciding on Holistic Select Chicken & Lamb, Holistic Select Duck & Chicken, Merrick Before Grain Quail, NutriSource Chicken & Rice , Nutro Max Cat Turkey & Giblets and Nutro Max Cat Chicken & Liver. Some of those are better than others, like the Merrick food doesn't have any grain or vegetables. I try to give them a mix, though, so they don't get bored of one flavor. The less grain or vegetables the better when it comes to moist food. In the "wild", cats wouldn't eat grains or vegetables beyond what is contained in the entrails of their prey. Grain and vegetables look nice in the ingredients list, but they're just filler.

One thing I look for when buying canned foods is I don't want anything that had seafood as an ingredient. You have to check the labels because many of the foods will have seafood flavoring hidden in the ingredients to make it tastier to kitties. However, many cats develop allergies and sensitivities to seafood, or will refuse to eat anything else if they are offered seafood. Since my kitty Gabe has IBD, it was especially important for him to stay away from seafood. Most "normal" cats can have seafood a few times a week, but I prefer to just keep it out of my house altogether and try to focus on foods that would be more typical of a cat's prey like foul.

The tasty probiotic FortiFlora

For kitties that are stubborn about moist food, there are a few tips you can try to make the food more tempting to them. You can try mixing some warm water into the food; this brings the scent out and sort of creates a "gravy" they can lap up. You can try sprinkling some Parmesan cheese on top of the food, or even crushing up some of the cat's old kibble and sprinkling it on top. If your cat likes tuna, you can try pouring some tuna water on top. Otherwise some kitties really like the flavor of the probiotic FortiFlora, and will eat just about anything you sprinkle it on (my Birman is nuts for this stuff.) Adding the probiotic would not be a bad idea anyway; it can help the tummy handle switching over to a new type of food and avoid diarrhea.

The main thing you have to watch out for with kitties when switching to a new food is Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic Lipadosis). If a cat refuses to eat, his liver is forced to use fat from the body for energy (which it is not very good at converting). The liver can't handle this, and essentially becomes loaded with fat. This is almost always fatal in cats without proper treatment. Cats can go about 2-3 days without eating, but after that the risk of Fatty Liver is great. As long as your kitty is eating a little, though, the body won't have to resort to using those fat stores exclusively. The best thing you can do is break the feedings up into 2-3 meals per day (preferably 3). If you give the cat a whole can of food at once, they're probably not going to be able to eat it all at once. In the "wild", a cat would eat several times a day so doing multiple feedings will mimic that. Hunger can be a great asset in convincing your kitty to switch to moist food, so if the cat doesn't eat for a day it's going to be ok. They may try a hunger strike with you and hold out for kibble, but after a day they'll be hungry enough to eat the moist whether they want it or not! Whatever you do, just be certain your cat is getting at least a little food in her system during this transitional period and always has access to plenty of fresh water.

If you're used to offering your cat a free freeding kibble buffet, you may be unsure how much moist food your cat needs on a canned only diet. The rule of thumb is this: 5-6 oz per each 7 pounds your cat weighs. Most canned food comes in 5.5 oz cans, so a 7 pound cat will eat one can per day. Weight and activity level are both factors in determining how much your cat should eat. If she's an overweight couch potato, stick with one can per day. If she's a lean and active kitty, you'll need to feed a little more. You'll want to feed at each feeding no more than your cat can eat in 30 minutes; a little trial and error and you'll figure out your kitty's necessary feeding amounts.

How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Your Dog’s Size

Choosing the right dog food for your dog can be a challenge with all of the different options available. Whereas most cat breeds are generally about the same size and vary only moderately in activity level, dogs run the gamut from teeny tiny pocket puppies to huge Irish Wolfhounds. Since there is no “one size fits all” for dogs, how does one go about choosing the right food option?

Photo credit: mrbigben.com

The first thing to consider is the size of the kibble or chunks. A big dog will have no trouble gulping down kibble or meat chunks, but a smaller toy dog needs a food that reflects his small stature. Many top manufacturers are now offering food that is easier to chew, swallow and digest for small dogs. For very small breeds like Chihuahuas or Miniature Pinschers, a general “adult dog” kibble is going to be far too large for them to eat comfortably. For these small dogs, specialty dog foods for especially for small dogs are the best dog food, and of course come in many delicious flavors to tempt even the pickiest pooches.

Another thing to consider when selecting the right food for your dog is the breed’s energy requirements. Larger dogs require more carbohydrates to stay active than smaller dogs. Again, most general dog foods are catered to medium-to-large breeds and therefore contain more carbohydrates. Foods tailored specifically to smaller breeds contain less carbs and are more nutritionally suited to the needs of small dogs. Every dog food will have feeding directions on the bag, but it’s never a bad idea to do the math and figure out exactly how many calories your dog needs. Here’s the formula to determine exactly how many calories your dog requires:

Body weight (kg) x 30 + 70 = Daily Calories Needed

This formula can be used as a basic guideline for your dog’s caloric requirements. However, energy levels should also be taken into account. A dog who runs 5 miles a day will need more calories than a dog who never leaves the couch! Always monitor your pet’s weight carefully and adjust the amount of food being offered to reflect any weight changes or gains. Nutrition for dogs, just as it is for human, is a complicated subject; talk to your vet for help with determining the best diet for your dog’s needs. 

Guest Post from Barbara Lampert: What Living with Dogs Means to My Family

Barbara Lampert and Charlie

Thank you so much for hosting me on your site. I love its name, Mad About Pets – it’s perfect!

You asked me to talk about Charlie, my Golden Retriever who is the subject of my dog memoir Charlie: A Love Story, about the impact he had on my family, and about what living with any dog means to a family. Great topics – and fun to think about!

I love all dogs and have all my life. I’ve had a number of them, at one point four dogs and two cats, which was paradise! Mostly I’ve had Golden Retrievers, whom I just adore. For me they’re the perfect family dog: smart, very playful, and endowed with an abundant emotional intelligence that makes them very sensitive to people’s needs and wants. They love people, adults and children, and other dogs, so they fit easily into a family. But because of these wonderful qualities, don’t look to the Golden Retriever to be a great watchdog! If you want protection, I suggest almost any other breed.

Because dogs are pack animals, the family group is perfect for them, one most of them love and can enhance. Most dogs love unconditionally, are enthusiastic and joyful, love to play, are loyal, can be made happy by the simplest of things, live in the moment, and prefer being close to nature – in their essence, they remind us about what’s important in life. These qualities of these very special beings are great gifts for a family.

Charlie brought these gifts and more. Starting when he was very young and throughout his life, what he wanted most was to be with his family and in his house. That meant everything to him, far more than being out and about. Sometimes when Charlie and I would be out walking, he’d decide we’d gone far enough. So he’d sit down and not budge until I capitulated and said we were going home. He’d then stand, tail wagging energetically, and walk to his home.

Charlie was extremely empathetic, had an uncanny ability to tune in. I always felt understood by him. Lots of people did. So many times I’d hear other people say, “He seems almost human…It’s like having another person around.” Charlie was very grounded and solid. No jumping and barking unnecessarily, no shaking or pulling when we went to the vet. There was a calmness about him which he carried with him always, even through a number of very difficult circumstances. In the words of Fran Lewis, a reviewer on Goodreads:

“Charlie had a special glow, energy, strength that most of us wish we had in times of illness, strife and stress… He truly lived his life to the fullest.”

Charlie brought all this to our family, and to me. He was easy to be with, a Buddha, no matter what was going on. Problems for Charlie were like gnats going by. He’d get through them calmly and then bounce out of them with joy, at times doing much better than before the problem happened. He was like this for his entire life – every single year and every single minute. He was exemplary. Even just after a surgery or other serious health event, there he’d be, raring to go after having encountered what many dogs probably would not have pulled out of. Charlie taught us to forge ahead, no matter what. He was a master, indomitable.

His whole life Charlie also had a wonderful sense of humor. When something he did made people laugh, I could see him actually be pleased with himself. One of his nicknames, given to him by our housekeeper, was “Funny Charlie.” To this day, when I think of Charlie, I smile.

Let me tell you about a few of his funny ways. Charlie threw his paw high in the air when he wanted something, usually to be petted. For such a large dog, that was the cutest behavior. And if I sat on the floor cross-legged, Charlie (all one hundred pounds of him) would back up like a truck, plop himself backwards into my lap, and then turn his head and, with a big smile, look at me. Of course I’d be laughing as he did this.

And then sometimes I’d lie on the floor with my knees raised, to rest my back, and as soon as Charlie saw me doing that, he’d come over and lie across me, actually pinning me down, again with that great big grin on his face. I’d be laughing hysterically and usually would need help to get him off of me. He was so proud of that behavior. Of course, because Charlie saw me laughing so hard at things he’d do, that would encourage him to keep on doing them. Even when Charlie didn’t feel well, it was sometimes difficult to know that, because his sense of humor seemed to override everything.

Charlie was an old soul, yet one who acted like a puppy all his life. He was generous of himself, giving so much to me and to our whole family. His character made him a central grounding figure in our family. Even now, I still ask myself, “What would Charlie do?” And I think Charlie’s beautiful, wise, and very solid character contributed to his long life.

Charlie served as an example of how to live. He was an extraordinary being. Who lived an extraordinary life. And ours was an extraordinary relationship I feel blessed to have shared with him.

Betty White once said, and I wholeheartedly agree: “Once someone has had the good fortune to share a true love affair with a Golden Retriever, one’s life and one’s outlook are never quite the same again. A warm afterglow remains that lasts a lifetime.”

All my dogs have given me the feeling of being a part of a wonderful family, Charlie maybe more than most. But then again, dogs are family for me.

Again, thank you!

And happy reading to all!

Barbara Lampert is the author of "Charlie: A Love Story" and a psychotherapist specializing in relationships. She lives in Malibu, California. Her passion is dogs.

Mad About Pets' review of "Charlie: A Love Story" can be found here.

Gabe’s IBD Diagnosis: Why Kibble is Now the Enemy

Gabe, the hero of our story

Last month we noticed our male Siamese cat Gabe acting a bit funny. He was acting strangely standoffish, and looked a bit “off”. In the past Gabe had suffered from a blocked urethra due to struvite crystals, but palpation of his abdomen did not show evidence of a full bladder or seem to cause Gabe any discomfort (other than the annoyance of me pawing at his tummy!)

A few days after we noticed Gabe’s changing behavior, Gabe didn’t eat his canned food at dinnertime. Gabe ALWAYS eats his canned food; in fact, he begs for it and scarfs it down like he’s starving. I thought perhaps he was just being fickle and no longer liked that particular flavor of food. My husband and I passed it off, and didn’t think much more of it until that evening when there was a trail of blood outside of the litter box.

I had already gone to bed when my husband noticed the blood. It was just a few mucousy drops, but it was still very alarming. My husband woke me up and told me about the blood, and I immediately noticed Gabe wasn’t laying at the foot of the bed in his usual location.

“Where’s Gabe?”, I asked in a panic.

I searched the bedroom for Gabe, and my husband searched the basement. We called out his name to no avail. A few moments later I heard my husband’s voice yelling, “Please come down here!” In the basement I found my husband standing over poor Gabe, who was crouched under the stairwell looking positively awful. His coat looked lackluster and dull, his eyes were wide and frightened, and he was clearly attempting to hide. I reached down to pet Gabe, and he let out a pitiful meow. Something was clearly very wrong.

We made the immediate decision to take Gabe to the emergency vet clinic on the other side of Madison. The blood outside the litter box coupled with Gabe’s hiding in the basement had us fearing the worst. As my husband drove us to the clinic, I began to Google Gabe’s symptoms on my iPhone. The more I read, the more I became convinced Gabe was suffering from a flare-up of IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease.)

When we got to the vet clinic, a nice nurse took us into an exam room and weighed Gabe. He was down to 8 pounds, and was very dehydrated. Gabe’s temperature was also unusually low. The vet did an examination, checking for any evidence of urinary discomfort (due to Gabe’s history of struvite crystals). Though Gabe was clearly not well, the physical exam did not show anything unusual other than some slight hardening of the intestines. The vet’s diagnosis? Gabe was suffering a flare-up of IBD.

The vet gave us a few options of how we could treat the issue at hand, and we decided to treat the immediate flare-up with some painkillers, subcutaneous fluids, a bland diet, and some probiotics. The vet informed us that IBD is something Gabe will always live with, and there are numerous ways to diagnose the root cause. A full blood panel could be done, an intestinal biopsy could be taken, etc. My husband and I both decided that at 12+ years of age, we have no desire to put Gabe through a barrage of invasive tests just to prove what we already know. I decided to go back to the drawing board, and do some research.

After hours of researching IBD, I came to realize that Gabe’s issues were probably caused by his diet. I had been feeding the cats canned food for dinner every evening, but it was always flavored with some sort of fish. As it seems, many cats cannot tolerate fish and in fact are allergic to it. I had no idea! My cats were also on a primarily dry food diet. Though the food I was buying was high-quality, I learned that dry food diets are in no way ideal for cats. In fact, most cats on dry food diets go through their lives partially dehydrated. Dry food diets can be linked to diabetes, obesity, renal failure, and IBD. I decided to go for the gusto and switch the cats over to a canned diet only.

The trio of moist food munchers

I scoured the canned food aisle at my local Mounds Pet Food Warehouse to find canned foods without fish, without grains, and with as little vegetable content as possible. I bought a smorgasbord of different varieties to find out which would most tempt the cats. I knew the cats were not going to be happy about having their kibble buffet taken away, but after all I’d read I knew it was what I had to do.

Let me tell you…the transformation has been amazing. After cutting out the kibble and switching to canned, the health of the cats has visibly improved. Gabe’s IBD symptoms disappeared, and his chronic yeast infection in his ears has subsided. Our Birman’s tear staining stopped, and her intermittent diarrhea has not returned. All three cats are more active than they’ve been in years. I could hardly believe the difference the diet change made! I’m now experimenting with a raw diet for the cats, so we’ll see how that goes. I’ll keep you updated on the diet changes!

The moral of the story? Ditch the kibble! Gabe says so!