Like people, your pet needs to keep his brain stimulated and challenged. He needs both physical and mental exercise daily. If not given the opportunity to exercise and release energy, dogs of any size can become anxious, frustrated or destructive. You may send him out to play in the yard, or take him for a long walk, but his brain needs a work out as well. Did you know that wild dogs would spend about 80% of their waking hours hunting and scavenging for food? While domestic dogs have been beside us for thousands of years, and are bred for...

Q&A/I. Scott Pollak; Crusader for Health and Wellness of Pets By DONNA GREENE Published: January 23, 2000 PROZAC for dogs? I. Scott Pollak, president of a company that sells food and health products for pets, thinks it is a bad idea. But, while he says there are many nutritional supplements that can be good for a dog or cat, the best thing an owner can do is first make sure the pet is eating enough fresh meat. Mr. Pollak, whose company, Viand Pet. is in White Plains, says he is horrified by the trends in the pet food industry to...

Dogs and cats in America are getting fatter. Roughly 80-85 million pets are considered obese. Not only is it unhealthy for the animal, but the health costs can be enormous. Many low fat and diet foods are fed in such differing amounts that they can actually put weight on the animal. Most pet owners don't understand how much weight can be put on a cat or dog with just that "one snack a day". Overweight animals are more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease. The other conditions that come with obesity are arthritis and cruciate ligament tears. Overweight animals have...

We have learned a lot from the holistic community, especially this truth: Feeding a live creature dead food cannot deliver optimum health. The most important factor when raising and maintaining the overall wellness of your animal is feeding raw meat. Canned, moist or processed food loses most of its integrity and nutritional value during high-temperature manufacturing. Because we recommend feeding dogs and cats raw meat, we are often asked "What about parasites?" The most common questions concern E.coli and Salmonella. E.coli is a bacterium normally found in the billions in the colons of our animals. It is essential for life...

Help me out here (which way did I come in?), I have every batch of Viand tested after production. Mind you, the raw ingredients are also tested prior to production and I have never had a recall. So, after the math, the cost is around 3 cents a pound for the finished product, or $1,500 a small production run of 40,000 pounds. Granted the big 4 (Procter & Gamble, Nestle's, Mars and Colgate, Palmolive) who produce, I believe, 90% of all the pet food consumed in the U.S.A. produce much larger production runs, so their cost would be less per pound....

There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Your dog needs both. B and C vitamins are water-soluble. This means any excess of the vitamin is filtered through the kidneys and urinated out after ingestion. Because of this, these vitamins must be present in every meal. Vitamin C is needed for healthy teeth and gums. Vitamin B is needed for energy, breaking down protein, and promoting biochemical reactions in the body. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they are stored in the fatty tissue of the body, and the liver, and so do not need to...