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Episode 197 "ANSWERS PET FOOD"
Hello Pups and Kittens and welcome back for the hundred and ninety seventh time to The Groomer Next Door Podcast. This week we're joined by an amazing man whose with a great company. This week on the podcast "BILLY HOEKMAN".
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Billy Hoekman is the Natural Science Coordinator for Answers Pet Food. He is involved in nearly every aspect of their nutritional and educational focuses. Including working with farms, product development, nutritional analysis, developing educational materials, in store trainings, and social media. He routinely speaks around the country in places ranging from pet stores to public libraries to Veterinary Colleges. He also does health and nutrition consultations and is a frequent contributor to Dogs Naturally Magazine. He currently lives in Los Angeles California with his wife Emily and their dog Lua.
ABOUT ANSWERS PET FOOD and their passion i creating a higher standard of pet food.
We are a small company based in Pennsylvania.
We still do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. Starting out, we knew there needed to be a higher standard of quality nutrition, food bioavailability, and a more humane way to source farm animals in the pet food industry.
Knowing the state of operations and quality of food that were currently on the shelves, we didn’t want to be an industrial large corporation that out-sourced materials or one of the so-called raw food companies employing harsh processing techniques like high pressure processing or freeze-drying. We knew it was time to offer a humane, sustainable way of organic, pasture-raised farming that protects the food state, environment, animals, and our pet’s well-being. From Farm to Bowl, this is how Answers Pet Food was created.
Our vision is to reinvent how pet owners think.
Our standards are set by science and socially and environmentally conscience principles. We’d like pet owners to re-examine how to meet their pets nutrition requirements and health care needs.
Our mission is to be more than a pet food manufacturing company.
We’d rather be an ethical, social, environmentally conscience and best practices based movement in the raw pet food industry.
Our goal is to improve the probability that our pets live longer, happier and healthier lives.
Moreover, that the current world’s population will leave a more peaceful, better educated and cleaner planet to future generations to come. We promise, despite the corporate climate of profit and greed in the pet food industry, to always put your pet’s health first.
Our unique process sets us apart in the pet food industry.
Our nutritional vision is to make the best pet food available. In the results of our research, we found that the best way to accomplish this was by using fermented raw foods. Since the birth of our company in 2009, we have enjoyed organic growth all over the country thanks to the fantastic results in animals switching from processed, raw or so-called raw foods to our fermented diet.
Why fermentation?
Unlike any other raw diet, Answers Pet Food enhances the nutritional value of raw food through the process of fermentation. By utilizing kombucha (fermented organic decaffeinated green tea), raw cultured whey, cultured raw goat’s milk and kefir, we created our own category by becoming the first and only fermented raw pet food diet in the industry.
The importance of our fermentation process.
Good bacteria is needed to create a thriving gut, and we believe that bacteria is the number one missing ingredient in pet food. We inoculate every one of our foods with good bacteria and allow them to thrive. These bacteria go to work pre-digesting the food, making it easier for your pet to assimilate nutrients. They also create new vitamins, enzymes, and organic acids that simply aren't present in non-fermented foods. Good bacteria fill up the food and also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. Safety through inhibition— just like nature has done from the very beginning. Fermentation is the most natural and effective way for us to make our products as safe and healthy as possible.
Fermentation’s health benefits.
Our raw fermented pet foods are formulated to create a healthy gut. Fermentation is a huge supporter of immune function. It increases B-vitamins, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and lactic acid that fight off harmful bacteria. It's also the ultimate source of probiotics.
Made with fresh air and sunshine.
We go the extra mile to ensure that every step of the process is done humanely and ethically.
Nothing affects the overall nutritional quality of pet food more than how its ingredients are being treated and sourced. Growing and farming organic food isn’t easy
Keeping family farms alive.
We support small, multi-generational family farms that, in turn, support the communities in which they live in. Our farmers are concerned with animal welfare and environmental consciousness. We love working with these farmers, as they take pride in raising their livestock and crops in a traditional manner more consistent with quality and sustainability. The focus for us and our farmers is not about how much we produce, but whether we produce it correctly and are making every effort to reduce our carbon footprint. To ensure the fundamentals of our cooperative initiative, we use farms that are independently audited by the Global Animal Partnership to protect earth’s land, water and animals. We also visit these farms ourselves on a regular basis.
FDA Warning: Store-Bought ‘Bone Treats’ Could Kill Your Dog
November 28, 2017 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning regarding the purchase and use of store-bought “bone treats”. The FDA claims the danger goes beyond the risk of regular bones.
What’s a ‘Bone Treat’?
The FDA reports it has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to “bone treats”.
Bone treats differ from regular uncooked butcher-type bones because they’re processed and packaged for sale as “dog treats”.
Which Products?
A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs were listed in the reports including items described as:
“Ham Bones”
“Pork Femur Bones”
“Rib Bones”
“Smokey Knuckle Bones”
No specific brands are mentioned in the FDA bulletin.
The processed products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking. They may also contain other ingredients such as:
Preservatives
Seasonings
Smoke flavorings
According to Dr. Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA…
“Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet.”
So, if you’re planning to give your dog a stocking full of bone treats this holiday season, you may want to reconsider.
Illnesses Reported
Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats have included:
Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract)
Choking
Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Bleeding from the rectum
Death
According to FDA, approximately 15 dogs have reportedly died after eating a bone treat.
How Widespread Is the Problem?
To date, reports submitted by pet owners and veterinarians have included about 90 dogs. Some reports included more than one dog.
In addition, FDA has received 7 reports of product problems such as…
Moldy-appearing bones
Treats splintering when chewed by the pet
How to Keep Your Dog Safe
FDA has included the following tips to help keep your dog safe:
Chicken bones and other bones from the kitchen table can cause injury when chewed by pets, too. So be careful to keep platters out of reach when you’re cooking or the family is eating.
Be careful what you put in the trash can. Dogs are notorious for helping themselves to the turkey carcass or steak bones disposed of there.
Talk with your veterinarian about other toys or treats that are most appropriate for your dog. There are many available products made with different materials for dogs to chew on.
What to Do?
Dr. Stamper adds the following advice…
“We recommend supervising your dog with any chew toy or treat, especially one she hasn’t had before. And if she ‘just isn’t acting right,’ call your veterinarian right away!”
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
View all episodes
By Christopher & Sarah GreenHello Pups and Kittens and welcome back for the hundred and ninety seventh time to The Groomer Next Door Podcast. This week we're joined by an amazing man whose with a great company. This week on the podcast "BILLY HOEKMAN".
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Billy Hoekman is the Natural Science Coordinator for Answers Pet Food. He is involved in nearly every aspect of their nutritional and educational focuses. Including working with farms, product development, nutritional analysis, developing educational materials, in store trainings, and social media. He routinely speaks around the country in places ranging from pet stores to public libraries to Veterinary Colleges. He also does health and nutrition consultations and is a frequent contributor to Dogs Naturally Magazine. He currently lives in Los Angeles California with his wife Emily and their dog Lua.
ABOUT ANSWERS PET FOOD and their passion i creating a higher standard of pet food.
We are a small company based in Pennsylvania.
We still do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. Starting out, we knew there needed to be a higher standard of quality nutrition, food bioavailability, and a more humane way to source farm animals in the pet food industry.
Knowing the state of operations and quality of food that were currently on the shelves, we didn’t want to be an industrial large corporation that out-sourced materials or one of the so-called raw food companies employing harsh processing techniques like high pressure processing or freeze-drying. We knew it was time to offer a humane, sustainable way of organic, pasture-raised farming that protects the food state, environment, animals, and our pet’s well-being. From Farm to Bowl, this is how Answers Pet Food was created.
Our vision is to reinvent how pet owners think.
Our standards are set by science and socially and environmentally conscience principles. We’d like pet owners to re-examine how to meet their pets nutrition requirements and health care needs.
Our mission is to be more than a pet food manufacturing company.
We’d rather be an ethical, social, environmentally conscience and best practices based movement in the raw pet food industry.
Our goal is to improve the probability that our pets live longer, happier and healthier lives.
Moreover, that the current world’s population will leave a more peaceful, better educated and cleaner planet to future generations to come. We promise, despite the corporate climate of profit and greed in the pet food industry, to always put your pet’s health first.
Our unique process sets us apart in the pet food industry.
Our nutritional vision is to make the best pet food available. In the results of our research, we found that the best way to accomplish this was by using fermented raw foods. Since the birth of our company in 2009, we have enjoyed organic growth all over the country thanks to the fantastic results in animals switching from processed, raw or so-called raw foods to our fermented diet.
Why fermentation?
Unlike any other raw diet, Answers Pet Food enhances the nutritional value of raw food through the process of fermentation. By utilizing kombucha (fermented organic decaffeinated green tea), raw cultured whey, cultured raw goat’s milk and kefir, we created our own category by becoming the first and only fermented raw pet food diet in the industry.
The importance of our fermentation process.
Good bacteria is needed to create a thriving gut, and we believe that bacteria is the number one missing ingredient in pet food. We inoculate every one of our foods with good bacteria and allow them to thrive. These bacteria go to work pre-digesting the food, making it easier for your pet to assimilate nutrients. They also create new vitamins, enzymes, and organic acids that simply aren't present in non-fermented foods. Good bacteria fill up the food and also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. Safety through inhibition— just like nature has done from the very beginning. Fermentation is the most natural and effective way for us to make our products as safe and healthy as possible.
Fermentation’s health benefits.
Our raw fermented pet foods are formulated to create a healthy gut. Fermentation is a huge supporter of immune function. It increases B-vitamins, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and lactic acid that fight off harmful bacteria. It's also the ultimate source of probiotics.
Made with fresh air and sunshine.
We go the extra mile to ensure that every step of the process is done humanely and ethically.
Nothing affects the overall nutritional quality of pet food more than how its ingredients are being treated and sourced. Growing and farming organic food isn’t easy
Keeping family farms alive.
We support small, multi-generational family farms that, in turn, support the communities in which they live in. Our farmers are concerned with animal welfare and environmental consciousness. We love working with these farmers, as they take pride in raising their livestock and crops in a traditional manner more consistent with quality and sustainability. The focus for us and our farmers is not about how much we produce, but whether we produce it correctly and are making every effort to reduce our carbon footprint. To ensure the fundamentals of our cooperative initiative, we use farms that are independently audited by the Global Animal Partnership to protect earth’s land, water and animals. We also visit these farms ourselves on a regular basis.
FDA Warning: Store-Bought ‘Bone Treats’ Could Kill Your Dog
November 28, 2017 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning regarding the purchase and use of store-bought “bone treats”. The FDA claims the danger goes beyond the risk of regular bones.
What’s a ‘Bone Treat’?
The FDA reports it has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to “bone treats”.
Bone treats differ from regular uncooked butcher-type bones because they’re processed and packaged for sale as “dog treats”.
Which Products?
A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs were listed in the reports including items described as:
“Ham Bones”
“Pork Femur Bones”
“Rib Bones”
“Smokey Knuckle Bones”
No specific brands are mentioned in the FDA bulletin.
The processed products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking. They may also contain other ingredients such as:
Preservatives
Seasonings
Smoke flavorings
According to Dr. Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA…
“Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet.”
So, if you’re planning to give your dog a stocking full of bone treats this holiday season, you may want to reconsider.
Illnesses Reported
Illnesses reported to FDA by owners and veterinarians in dogs that have eaten bone treats have included:
Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract)
Choking
Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Bleeding from the rectum
Death
According to FDA, approximately 15 dogs have reportedly died after eating a bone treat.
How Widespread Is the Problem?
To date, reports submitted by pet owners and veterinarians have included about 90 dogs. Some reports included more than one dog.
In addition, FDA has received 7 reports of product problems such as…
Moldy-appearing bones
Treats splintering when chewed by the pet
How to Keep Your Dog Safe
FDA has included the following tips to help keep your dog safe:
Chicken bones and other bones from the kitchen table can cause injury when chewed by pets, too. So be careful to keep platters out of reach when you’re cooking or the family is eating.
Be careful what you put in the trash can. Dogs are notorious for helping themselves to the turkey carcass or steak bones disposed of there.
Talk with your veterinarian about other toys or treats that are most appropriate for your dog. There are many available products made with different materials for dogs to chew on.
What to Do?
Dr. Stamper adds the following advice…
“We recommend supervising your dog with any chew toy or treat, especially one she hasn’t had before. And if she ‘just isn’t acting right,’ call your veterinarian right away!”
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.