Need A Pawtner to Help with Your New Year’s Resolution?

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It won’t surprise you to hear that “Getting more exercise” is among the most popular New Year’s resolutions. It also won’t surprise you to hear that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February.

But don’t be discouraged! People who exercise with their dog buck that trend. And while your pup may not be allowed in the gym, she may be the perfect outdoor walking or jogging partner. Just be sure she’s ready for the workout—especially if you live in a place where it’s cold this time of year.

Check with the vet.
Just how you should consult your doctor before you jump into a new exercise routine, consult your vet about your dog. Ask for advice—based on your dog’s age, breed, or health—to keep your dog safe. Even if she’s cleared, keep an eye on her during walks and runs for signs of exhaustion, like heavy panting, trouble breathing, serious lagging behind or disorientation.

Ease into it.
Again, just like us, dogs shouldn’t go from couch potato to distance runner right away. Start at a slower pace on shorter routes and stay close enough to home that you can cut out easily if you need to. Always have water on hand, even on short strolls.

Be mindful of the weather.
Each dog is different, based on breed, background, and, frankly, their preference. Just know they can’t retain heat the way we do. A coat may help, but be sure it fits well, and still watch your dog for cues that indicate she’s too cold. Plus, snow and ice can be hard on dogs’ paws. Be sure to clean them well after each excursion to remove all salt from between their pads.

As your resolution becomes routine, make sure your dog is getting enough healthy calories to make up for what she’s burning. If you’re not sure about amounts, consult your vet.

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Not-so-still Life with Cats

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Living with a cat has so many benefits. Of course we enjoy the company of these always-adorable, sometimes-cuddly, often-independent creatures. And of course, living with a cat has its challenges, too, challenges that require cat owners to have a certain type of strength.

The extent of cats’ curiosity, spontaneity, dominance, and skittishness can keep us pretty busy. It also takes some serious devotion and patience to live with a family member who is bent on terrorizing rolls of toilet paper, swatting objects off shelves, dueling with dogs, and, this time of year, eviscerating Christmas trees.

There’s also research that shows self-identified cat people tend to be pretty open, which researchers tie to intellectual curiosity and artistic creativity. And if you’ve had to outsmart a cat at Christmas-time, you know what we’re talking about.

But no matter how ornery our cats are, they still purr themselves back into our hearts when they’re done. And like the good pet parents we are, we’re there to love and treat them.

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What Do Vegans Feed Their Pets?

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Embracing a plant-based lifestyle may start with what’s on your plate, but whether you’re vegan for health, humane, or environmental reasons, for lots of people it’s not just a diet, but a way of life. Being vegan can affect nearly every purchasing decision, so it’s only natural to think about how it affects pets’ diets. 

So, what do vegans and vegetarians feed their cats and dogs?
Due to the distinct differences in their physiology, we have to look at dogs and cats separately. Dogs are omnivores. Thanks in part to living with us for thousands of years (and enjoying food that “falls” off our plates), dogs’ digestive systems have evolved to support a more starch-rich diet. Dogs have a dietary requirement for specific nutrients. Those nutrients can come from meat or they can come from plant-based sources. So, many people who choose not to eat meat choose to feed their dog vegan dog food, like Halo’s Garden of Vegan.

What about vegan cat food?
Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning there are nutrients cats need that they cannot get from a vegetarian diet. So, from a health standpoint, real, whole meat cat food delivers the nutrients they need. But what about pet parents who are concerned about the treatment of our life-giving animals and the environmental impact of pet food? In the U.S., dogs’ and cats’ diets are responsible for “25-30% of animal production in terms of the use of land, water, fossil fuel, phosphate, and biocides,” according to a 2017 study.

That’s why Halo commits to ethical and sustainable agricultural practices. Our promise of OrigiNative® sourcing means we work with farmers who treat animals with respect and help maintain a regenerative ecosystem by using original animal husbandry and farming practices and rearing animals in their native environments. To ensure the OrigiNative® philosophy is followed, Halo’s meat proteins are GAP (Global Animal Partnership®) certified humane, and our fish is MSC (Marine Stewardship Council®) certified sustainably caught. Plus, all of the fruits and vegetables Halo uses are non-GMO.

Vegans, vegetarians, and other animal lovers and advocates who want pet food they can feel good about can find great choices with Halo. Through our mission to change the way companion animals are fed and farm animals are raised…for the better, we offer canned vegan dog food, dry vegan dog food, and vegan dog treats, as well as dog food and cat food made with third-party certified humane and sustainable proteins.

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The (Therapeutic) Power of Dogs

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The mere act of owning a pet means we have at least one someone in our life we have to think about and take care of besides ourself. That alone requires at least a little effort on our part, and supports our mental and physical health—like petting, walking, feeding our dog. But researchers across the country have found many more reasons why living with a dog may be quite good for us.

• Kids with family history of allergies and asthma who, from birth, grow up with a dog, are less likely to develop eczema and asthma.

• Kids who grow up caring for dogs have higher levels of empathy and self esteem. And kids who practice reading to a dog improved their reading skills 12% compared to kids who didn’t read to a dog (and showed no improvement).

• Teens in households with dogs are more physically active than those who aren’t.

• People who walk their dog regularly have one third the risk of getting diabetes.

• People who walk with a dog walk faster than with a human buddy or alone. They walk farther too, and they’re more likely to stick to their fitness plans.

• The physical activity we do with our dogs also helps keep stress levels down. Plus, just petting a dog can lower our stress. Dogs help reduce agitation and anxiety in people with dementia.

• The act of petting a dog reduces blood pressure. Of people who experienced heart attacks, those who owned dogs had a better one-year survival rate.

• People recovering from surgery who regularly petted dogs needed 50% less pain medication.

• Elderly dog owners need 20% less medical care than those who don’t own dogs.

So for all they do for us, the least we can do is feed them with unconditional love, and toss in an occasional treat to make sure they always know who’s a good dog.

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Waiting for the Welcome Waggin’ This Holiday?

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Ever wonder if your dog misses you when you’re gone? Or, gulp, if they’ll forget you if you’re gone long enough? As millions of college students return home on winter break and adult children return to their parents’ homes for holiday celebrations, they’re bound to find out.

Researchers have started to uncover more about whether dogs miss us when we’re gone and if they miss us more when we’re gone longer. Turns out dogs greet their owners with greater intensity after 2 hours alone, versus 30 minutes alone. But no different when they’re alone for 2 hours versus 4. And what about days or more? Still no evidence—at least not from the lab.

But if you’re going back home for the holidays or you have someone returning to yours, just wait for the happy tails, the tippy-taps, and the zoomies. Want to up the intensity of your next greeting? Make sure you’ve got some treats close by, too.

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No Halo Products Affected By Vitamin D Pet Food Recalls

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Halo pet food
As pet parents, we too find pet food recalls to be scary, so we want to assure you that Halo is not affected by the recent recall in which several pet foods have been found to have unsafe levels of vitamin D. According to fda.gov, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the presence of elevated, potentially toxic levels of vitamin D in several dry pet foods.”

In pet food, vitamin D needs to be added as a supplement. Vitamin D is an important part of your pet’s diet, but it can be dangerous if the level of vitamin D is too high.

The pet foods that are affected by these recent recalls are from two specific manufacturing facilities. Halo does not use either of them. Plus, Halo routinely tests the nutritional content of our cat food and dog food, and to date we have not found any nutritional values—including vitamin D—to be different from what is printed on our label.

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The Coolest Cat Video You Haven’t Seen Yet

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It’s not news that, unlike dogs who are drawn to us for nearly all their social and functional needs, cats are pretty independent creatures. Now though, scientists at Georgia Tech know one reason why.

Maybe our dogs don’t love it when we groom them, but the truth is they need it. Cats, however, figured this out on their own. At least, they evolved to. Using cameras that capture 500 frames per second, scientists were able to see cats’ tongues more clearly and watch them in action.

Cat tongue in slow motion

The high-speed cameras revealed that the tiny keratin spikes that cover the surface of cats’ tongues are u-shaped, hollow, and tilt back toward the throat. Their unique shape lets them carry saliva to whatever spot your cat is cleaning.

Understanding more about our cats is always helpful, but this knowledge can help engineers design ways to better transport and apply fluids, like cleaners or medicine.

But even though cats don’t need us to brush and bathe them, they’re still happy to let us serve them their favorite cat food.

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Need Help Sleeping at Night? Consult Your Dog.

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As the temperatures drop, now you’ve got more reasons to make it a 1-, 2-, or 3-dog night. The Journal of the National Society of Anthrozoology just reported that women say their sleep is less disturbed and they have greater feelings of security and comfort when a dog sleeps in their bed.

While 55 percent of the 1,000 women in the study have dogs, 31% share their bed with at least one cat and 57% share it with a human partner. According to the cat moms, cats are just as disruptive to their sleep as human partners.

The dog moms also reported going to bed earlier and waking up earlier than the women who have cats but no dogs.

Not that we needed it, but now that we have even more evidence that dogs give us as much or more as we give them, be sure to feed them with unconditional love.

 

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Celebrate #GivingTuesday with the Humane Society of the United States and Halo®

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GivingTuesday

Today, November 27th, is #GivingTuesday and your gift to the Animal Rescue Team of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) can go even further. For every $1 you give, Halo is donating one bowl of food to a rescued animal courtesy of Freekibble.com and GreaterGood.org. Plus, your gift directly supports the work of the Animal Rescue Team. Every dollar raised will help save animals from puppy mills, animal fighting operations, natural disasters and other situations where they’re suffering from extreme cruelty and neglect.

Donate to help animals!

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Thrive Market Partners with HALO SpokesPets to Help Animals in Need

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Manny the Frenchie and Thrive Market
Halo Pets & Thrive Market are teaming up this holiday season to help our fellow furry friends in need! With this promotion they are offering first time customers 20% off their order of their favorite Halo Pets products.

In addition to the 20% off you’ll get from Thrive Market when you use Manny the Frenchie or Lil BUB‘s link, for every purchase, they will also donate $20 to #HaloFeeditForward initiative. What does this mean? That $20 AND 20 bowls of food to animals in need!

 
When you choose Halo pet food, made from real WHOLE meat, poultry, or fish, and NO “meat meal” of ANY kind, your pet won’t be the only one with a radiant coat, clear eyes and renewed energy. Halo feeds it forward, donating over 1.5 million bowls annually. Thank you for helping #HaloFeeditForward.

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