volume 14     September 2005   

Autumn Tails
At this time, our thoughts are with the many people and animals who are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The reports of devastation in the Gulf region have touched everyone's hearts. Please read on for how you can help.

We are please to announce the donation of $500.00 to help aid starving people in Niger. The donation was generated from profits of last months 'Double Pack' sales. Thank for the food purchases.

The first batch of our new cat food has been prepared. This initial batch will be sent out to those feline friends that have signed up for our cat food trial. If you are not signed up already be sure to email your mailing information to service@thehonestkitchen.com. Those signed up will receive a complimentary sample packet and survey card.

Website revamping. Our website is in for an overhaul this month. We look forward to unvailing our newly designed, more user friendly version soon.
  • Katrina Charity
  • Healthy Animals
  • Ditty on Grains
  • Verve's cooking
  • Holistic Vets
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    How to Help!

    Here at The Honest Kitchen, as with the rest of the nation, our thoughts are with those effected by Katrina. We hope to offer some direction as to how everyone can help in the efforts to bring some relief directly to the people and their pets effected by the storm. Imagine what relief a rescued pet can bring to a family that has lost all their worldly possesions!


    The Honest Kitchen helping hand.

    A portion of all profits from sales of our six different Double Packs will also be donated toward animal-based relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Purchases of these items from our web site store will be automatically tracked throughout the coming weeks, and monetary donations will be made to a selection of charities working to assist animal victims of the storm. Last month we generated a $500.00 donation for Unicef to help aid starving people and childred in Niger and surrounding African countries.

    To place your double pack order, Click Here!

    Donation Suggestions
    Our friends at Animal Essentials, in conjunction with Mary Wulff-Tilford, have set up a non-profit emergency relief effort - the Hurricane Katrina Animal Welfare Fund - to assist with the care, shelter, and relocation of thousands of animals that remain injured or homeless as a result of the hurricane.

    Getting needed pet food and veterinary supplies into storm damaged areas remains very difficult and costly. Supplies and funds must get to the right people FAST... or many more pets will lose their lives.

    Money donated to this fund will be fully allocated and quickly delivered in the form of food, cash and supplies to animal rescue organizations, veterinary service providers and shelters that are working in direct response to Hurricane Katrina. The Fund will also accept and deliver funds that you want to reach a specific relief effort or any one of the veterinary professionals that need your help in hard hit areas.

    The Hurricane Katrina Animal Welfare Fund is federally registered (EIN 20-3407121) and is operated entirely by volunteer help--- every penny we receive will go toward helping the animals and animal care providers that have been severely impacted by this most deadly storm.

    Donations (check or money order) may be made payable to:
    Hurricane Katrina Animal Welfare Fund
    HKAWF, c/o Farmer's State Bank, 1950 North 1st Street, Hamilton, MT 59840.

    However, if you wish to designate a specific recipient for your donation, such as a veterinarian or a specific rescue effort in the disaster area, please send your check or money order, along with the name and address of the intended recipient, directly to the Hurricane Katrina Animal Welfare Fund office,
    P.O. Box 1645, Hamilton, MT 59840    .

    If you have questions or wish to help, please call Animal Essentials Inc.: (888) 551-0416 Or visit them Here
    or contact:
    Mary Wulff, fund administrator
    (406) 370-0699 / email to: animals@bitterroot.net

    Additional suggestions
    Donations may also be made to Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge. Make checks payable to the LVMA Dr. Walter J. Ernst Veterinary Memorial Foundation (write "Katrina Fund" on the memo line) and send to the LVMA, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. If desired, funds may be designated to assist animals directly, or support displaced veterinarians in the area who are caring for stranded animals.
    For more information on this fund, please call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, or e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov. More information can also be obtained from the LSU web site at www.vetmed.lsu.edu/#DONATIONS.

    Voices Needed: IMPORTANT ways WE ALL CAN get involved!!!

    Tell Your Federal Representatives to Demand Animals' Safe Evacuation From Storm areas!

    Call your member of Congress today to ask that people be allowed to evacuate with their animals, now and prepare for future events. Leave messages for them in Washington and at their home offices and get everyone you know to call. Your local representative and senators contact information can be found online. Find your Rep here!

    Helping Hands
    Also, check with your local shelter about pet fostering opportunities. Local shelters all over the country are taking in pets affected by the storm, and they will need caregivers, supplies, and donations.

    Please forward this to others willing to lend their voices, hands, or donations to help with this emergency.


    On the Reseller Front

    Healthy Animal store of Pembroke, MA has been nominated as the Honest Kitchen's store of the month. Healthy Animal's store owner started stocking her shelves with Honest Kitchen products after this past springs East Coast trade show. Animal Health's nomination stated that "they are the kind of store where we [Honest Kitchen] fit right in." We are delighted to have the store promoting our foods.

    The Healthy Animal
    808 Washington St.
    Pembroke, MA 02359
    Tel: (781) 826-9760

    Congratulations Dianne, of Healthy Animal. You will recieve 20% off your next order.

    Nominate your favorite reseller! Email us details of your favorite place to go pick up a bucket of Honest Kitchen products. service@thehonestkitchen.com


    Check out the list below to see if one of the newest HK reseller is near you.

    South Beach Paws- Deerfield Beach, FL
    Web: www.southbeachpaws.com
    The Lucky Dog- Alpharetta, GA
    Wild About Meat- Wyckoff, NJ
    Shogitai Akitas- Thomaston, CT
    For the Love of the Breed- Brewster, MA
    North Coast Pets- Solon, OH
    Sun Dog Pet Supplies- Westmont, IL
    Oak Village Animal Hospital- Oak Lawn, IL
    Cody Country Bed and Biscuit- Cody, WY
    www.woofyproducts.com
    Goober Express- Mesa, AZ
    www.gooberexpress.com
    Golden Bone Pet Products- Camp Verde, AZ
    www.goldenbonepets.com
    Olson Grain- Flagstaff, AZ
    Fireside Pets- Flagstaff, AZ
    Top Paws Sausalito, CA
    www.top-paws.com
    Felton Feed & Pet Supply- Felton, CA
    Katie's K9 Coral- Woodland, CA
    Better Grooming- San Diego, CA
    www.bettergrooming.com

    Online Stores
    www.classichound.com
    www.worldlygoodsforyou.com

    For our complete store directory: Click here!


    Getting into Grains

    We have all heard the saying, "Everything in moderation."
    Well this applies to grains and our four-legged friends as well.
    Moderate amounts of whole, unrefined, low-gluten, grains are beneficial for most dogs.

    Refined grains mean that during the milling process, the germ (nutrient-rich inner part) and bran (fiber-rich outer layer) of the kernel is removed, which is 90% of the nutritional content, such as B Vitamins, iron, Vitamin E, selenium and fiber. What remains is only the endosperm (starch), which increases the shelf life of the product. The germ and bran are what bugs go for first, so when this is removed, the grain is not as appealing. It would seem as though bugs are more intelligent than we are?

    Grains also provide something called FSO, or fructooligosaccharides to help regulate the beneficial bacteria (normal and healthy micro flora) in the lower intestines and upper bowel.

    Signs that your dog may need some whole grain in his diet; your dog has trouble maintaining a healthy body weight; you may find that your pooch has more flaky skin, or a dull coat when you remove grains from their diet. For a number of dogs, they may need grains for the Zinc and Magnesium qualities.

    Examples of whole grains that can be added to your dog's meals are listed below: (Grains need to be cooked prior to feeding)
    • Barley
    • Bulgur
    • Whole oats
    • Quinoa
    • Rye
    • Amaranth
    • Buckwheat
    • Millet
    • Spelt
    • Brown rice

    Your dog can benefit from a combination of both acidic and alkaline grains. For example, Oats, Barley and Wheat are all acidic grains. Buckwheat and Millet are alkaline, Brown rice is neutral. Organically grown grains are best, but also more expensive.

    There is a medley of grains present in the Verve diet, all of which are organic.


    Verve Blend

    VERVE – Great enthusiasm or Liveliness, Energy, Vivacity, Zeal

    We all grew up with Oatmeal for breakfast every once and a while. Although there are numerous benefits to a grain-free diet for dogs, many canines can actually benefit from the addition of a few whole grains to their regular diet at least once in a while!

    Whole grains provide a great source of Vitamins, iron, Vitamin E, selenium and fiber.

    Grains also contain plant chemicals called phytochemicals, which are believed to have many health-promoting effects. Most dogs will not have intolerances to grains, when fed whole grains in moderation. Some of our customers like to feed a diet of Force or Embark , both of which are Grain-Free, for one meal of the day, and Verve for the other meal. This allows for variety, an array of amino acids and grains.

    Our 100% human-grade Verve diet contains three Organic grains, Rye, Barley and Oats, along with USDA Beef, Organic flaxseed, Carrots, Alfalfa, Potatoes, Eggs, Spinach, Red and Green Peppers, Apples, Chicory (prebiotic), Parsley, Cranberries, Peppermint & Rosemary.

    Hydrate some Verve for your dog to allow him to reap the benefits of a few whole grains today!
     To read more and place an order for Verve Click here, or better yet, order an Original Double Pack Here!!!, where you can sign up for our customer rewards program and a portion of procedes will be donated to help support Katrina victims and their pets.


    Holistic Veterinary Networking

    Our Holistic Vet Network is starting to take shape, and we are now planning the next phase of expansion! We'd like to build a directory of recommended vets who incorporate complimentary or alternative therapies and advocate or recommend natural and raw diets. Are you a veterinarian who fits the bill? Or would you like to recommend the vet you currently use, to other customers with similar values and approaches to their companions' health?
    We'd love to hear from you! We hope to create a public listing of the vets who have already signed up available on our web site, so they can draw in new clients as a result. For those veterinarians that would like to ONLY use our the networking as a resource for connecting with other "holistic" Vets, you are welcome to remain anonymous (to the future public listing on our website).

    Responsible Breeding, Too!

    In addition, we are planning to establish a directory of ‘natural rearing', ethical breeders who advocate healthy, raw or home made foods; use minimal vaccine schedules and help their pups get off to the best start in life with a holistic approach to health.
    Please let us know if you are (or would like to recommend) a breeder who would like to be added to this directory for networking with others and the opportunity to find likeminded new homes for the puppies you raise.

    We are hopeful that these two directories will help to increase awareness of holistic care for dogs so that natural medicine and feeding become more widely recognized around the country and get the attention they deserve so that over-vaccination, needless medication and poor quality diets become a thing of the past.


           
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