Honest Kitchen Newsletter

volume 6

December 2004

Stirring up some warm thoughts of the past year!
Reflecting back on the year, as we all tend to do at this time, boy, The Honest Kitchen has expanded quite considerably - sales were up a fantastic 420%! We introduced the Embark diet for active dogs and puppies, and also our new supplement Invigor. You will now find THK diets in over 250 resellers throughout the country and this figure increases each week. Our coverage in July's Whole Dog Journal also helped us to grow in leaps and bounds. We are very proud to think of all the discerning dogs across the country who get a wholesome, 100% human edible, delicious & healthy bowl of Honest Kitchen food each day.

Monthly Specials

Monthly Special

Sparkling Special For the month of December, The Honest Kitchen's supplement Sparkle will be on special. Sparkle is an all natural blend of dried herbs, dandelion leaf, rosehips, burdock root, nettle leaf and nutritional yeast. This supplement is Rich in vitamins A, C, K, D & B complex. The herbs are chosen for their ability to cleanse the blood and support liver function. Skin that is itchy, oily or flaky often signifies a buildup of toxins.

Pushing up those thermostats during the winter, increases the dryness in the air, which can often lead to itching and irritation. Supplementing the diet with Sparkle can help relieve some of the discomfort. This supplement is easy to use, just sprinkle onto your pet's warm Honest Kitchen meal.

Sparkle is available for the month of December for $12.00 (MSRP $14.00) To order click here!

On the Reseller Front

We had a tough time choosing our reseller of the Month, as all the stores that carry our food seem to be doing such a great job. We did not want to have to decide between our two favorite stores for December, so we decided to feature both! They each offer customers a rich resource for optimal nutritional information for their canine friends and we have found that the two store owners have a respected presence in the pet nutrition field.

My Beautiful Dogomat is one of our San Diego resellers, and they have been carrying our diets nearly as long as we have been creating them. Vaughn, the master mind of My Beautiful Dogomat balances a grooming shop, self wash dog wash and nutrition center all under one roof. He is an advocate of feeding dogs raw & home prepared natural meals, so you can imagine how well our foods does in his store. We are looking forward to seeing the Dogomat's new look as we have heard that the shop is about to be Beautified. To visit the shop click here

The second store of the month is Drew's K9 Korner located in San Fransisco. The canine nutritional 'Guru', Drew, holds quite a reputation in the city. Drew introduced our delicious diets to San Francisco and the surrounding areas in late spring of 2003 and his sales of HK diets grow every month. People travel from far and wide to visit the K9 Korner. You may contact Drew's K9 Korner at Tel: (415) 221-0060 for further details.

The list of new stores and regional distributors carrying our diets grows, and grows each month. Our most recent addition of regional distributor are Animal Food & Supply for Southern CA, Allgemeiner will supply Oregon and Idaho stores with Honest Kitchen diets. Nature's Way Pet Supply, Riverside, CA, and Bark to Basics for the state of Kansas and into Missouri.

Here is the list of new retail stores, check to see if there is one in your area.
Pets, Pets, Pets, New Jersey
TLC, Darien Connecticut
Aardvark Pet Supplies, Pleasantville, New York
The Pawprint Market, Darien, Connecticut
Homevet, Weston, Connecticut
The Natural Pet Market, Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Pet Stuff Place, Castle Rock, Colorado
Black Dog Natural Pet Supply, Portland, Oregon
Summit Equine, Inc. Santa Cruz, California
Fetch Doggie Store & Kitty Too, Scottsdale, Arizonia

Please visit our store directory for locations and contact information for all our resellers. click here

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis, the name itself ( 'itis') means inflammation of the pancreas.
What is the job of the pancreas? This organ is responsible for protecting the duodenum portion of the small intestine (the first portion of the 3 segmented small intestine). The small intestine is where the nutrients from food are absorbed into the body. This segment of the small intestine receives the extremely acidic stomach contents that flow in during digestion. The pancreas is responsible for producing enzymes to further digest the proteins (protease), carbohydrates (amylase), and fats (lipase) of the stomach contents. The other important job of the pancreas is to produce bicarbonate, a substance that neutralizes the acid from the stomach and prevents it from burning the walls of the small intestine. So these are some of the important jobs of the pancreas, what happens when it malfunctions or becomes overloaded?

When the pancreas becomes overworked or irritated it can become inflammed. Once the tissue of the pancreas becomes too swollen the pancreatic duct will become obstructed. At this point the digestive enzymes are accumulating within the pancreas, mean while, the small intestine is triggering a response for more production of the pancreatic enzymes (amylase, and lipase) due to their lack presence in the small intestine. Due to the over production and accumulation in the pancreas, the enzymes now become active in the organ and begin to create havoc within the pancreas - creating further inflammation, self digestion and scarring.
While all this action is going on in the pancreas, the body's digestive system begins working incorrectly. The small intestine is no longer able to recognize the undigested state of nutrients, futher it is not able to absorb nutrients. This will lead to some of the signals that your dog has suffered a pancreatitis attack. Vomiting partially digested food and or yellow frothy bile, mucous-coated loose stool, a painful to touch belly, loss of appetite, restlessness or inability to get comfortable.
Pancreatitis can be an acute and mild situation, where you may not have even noticed, or it can be severe - resulting in days of hospitalization. To reduce the production of enzymes during an episode, the dog may have nothing by mouth other then water.
Pancreatitis can be treated holistically with acupuncture, vitamin injections and herbs or conventionally with a hospital stay and IV therapy as well as antibiotics.
Though no exact cause is known for bringing on an attack but some contributing factors are prior conditions of liver problems, Cushings disease, chronic bowel disease, and diabetes, very fatty meals are also a known factor that can result in pancreatitis.

A special note for the holiday season. Use caution when letting your dog celebrate with a very fatty meal of leftovers, especially older dogs or those with weakened systems. Though the liver provides the necessary enzymes to break down the fat, inflammation in the liver can lead to the pancreas overuse resulting in a holiday case of pancreatitis.

Ref: "Dogs, Diet, and Disease", Caroline D. Levin RN
Ref: "Restoring your Digestive Health", Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D.

Recipe of the Month

ALMOND BUTTER & PEPPERMINT POPPERS

Ingredients

1C Almond Butter (crunchy preferred)
1C Milk
1 oz Plain Yogurt
1C Oat Flour (sifted)
1C Verve diet- dehydrated
1/2 C warm water
½C Dried cranberries
2tsp Fresh Peppermint leaves (grind with motar & pestal)
2tsp Ground Flax Seeds
Dough

Mix Almond butter, milk, oat flour, and ground flax seeds in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix Verve with warm water & allow to rehydrate. Combine the two and knead until soft and lubricated. Flatten out the dough to be cut with cookie cutters or roll into small balls (poppers). Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15-20minutes.

Topping
Mix yogurt, peppermint and cranberries together and stir well so the peppermint disperses into the yogurt. Pour this on the cookies after they have been baked.
Serve to all your dog(s) and dog guests.

HOLIDAY NOSHERS

Ingredients

½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Egg
½ cup Almond Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
1 ¼ cups Water warmed
4cups Oat/ or Barley Flour
½ cup Quick-cooking oats
¼ cup Dried Blueberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine applesauce, egg, almond butter, vanilla and water
In a second bowl, combine flour, oats and blueberries.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead until thoroughly mixed together
Roll out dough into ¼ inch thick and cut out shapes
Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 45 minutes.
Cool on a rack before serving.
Store in a sealed container.
Makes 30 chewish delights

(adapted from the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook)

Sniff this!

Essential Oils for Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a particularly unsettling time for pets. Disruption to the usual daily routine, visitors to the home or travel to strange places and the general excitement of the holiday period can be surprisingly upsetting to our sensitive companions. The use of essential oils, either in a diffuser in the home, or combined with a carrier oil for massage or bathing, can help pets to remain calm and relaxed.
Here is how aromatherapy works with essential oils

When odors are inhaled, the receptors in the olfactory bulb signal nerves to carry the information to various parts of the brain. One of these parts is the hypothalamus which regulates the pituitary gland. Another area it is sent to is the thalamus and then is carried to the neocortex, it is here that scent perception occurs.

This is all possible because the molecules that make up essential oils are small enough to be readily absorbed through the mucous membranes in our noses and skin. Essential oils usually leave the body within a 24 hour period.

Chamomile is particularly suited to relieving conditions of nervous tension & depression, as well as emotional stress, fear and worry. This is a sweet, slightly herbal & fruity scented oil with wonderful relaxing, soothing properties. Chamomile is an herbaceous plant similar in appearance to the daisy family. It is associated with the Sun and the element Water.

Lavender is a fresh-scented oil from the purple-blue spike-shaped flowers of the lavender plant. It is one of the most versatile essential oils and is used to combat stress, anxiety, panic and depression. Lavender also brings about clarity and focus. It is associated with Mercury and the element Air.

Both Lavender and Chamomile work well in combination with one another in aromatherapy.

Neroli is one of the best essential oils to act as an anti-depressant and a sedative. It is great for ridding anxiety, and induces sleep. This oil is said to rid nightmares, so use it if your pooch has been whimpering during his slumber. Neroli can also be used as a shock remedy. Although this oil is know as the Orange Blossom it does not have a citrus scent, but more of a spicy and floral one.

Ylang Ylang This essential oil is primarily used as a sedative because it helps lower high blood pressure and a rapid heart beat. This is another essential oil that works well for treating depression. It benefits as an anti-depressant for those with feelings of frustration and anger.

Neroli and Ylang ylang are complimentary and blend well together. If you do not have an aromatherapy diffuser you can try aromatherapy this way. Put a cup of water is a small pot and bring to a boil. Add 4-5 drops of Neroli and 3-4 drops of Ylang ylang. Turn heat down to low and let the scent penetrate through the room.

(Resource: Aromatherapy Made Easy, Christine Wildwood)

Marjoram (sweet) is a warming oil that works well with emotions, we all agree that stress is a strong emotion. This essential oil helps comfort and relax the nervous system, relieves anxiety, stress and helps to calms hyperactivity - ideal for high-strung breeds such as Jack Russells, greeting guests!
Marjoram as a fresh or dried herb don't use essential oils internally) helps to sooth the digestive system to help with cramps, indigestion, constipation and flatulence. This is another holiday seasonal benefit. It also has a beneficial action on colds, sinusitis, bronchitis (kennel cough) and asthma. This all sounds good for both dogs and humans alike for the holiday season.

Aroma Dogs- has a nice product called "Chill Out" This product is a powerful blend of chamomile, lavender and sweet marjoram act to calm and quiet pet nervousness. Click here!

Purity of essential oil ingredients is a concern, so do your research. The December issue of The Whole Dog Journal has a lengthy article on Aromatherapy. If you are not already signed up to receive this journal, then we would recommend to add this to your holiday wish list. To subscribe Click here!