Dog Treat Recalls Pour In Daily…
It seems that I have an alert in my inbox almost daily regarding dog treat recalls.  In particular, chicken jerky seems to be holding the #1 position for recalled treats.  The reasons vary from antibiotic contamination to salmonella.  What is antibiotic contamination, you ask?  These treats are testing positive for antibiotics not labeled as admissible for [...]


For those of you who read the blog regularly, the focus is nutrition and I rarely mention names while doing a review of a product or supplement.  However this review is different because I have found a harness for my dogs that I LOVE and want to share with the world! I have a dog that is [...]

Carbohydrates in Dog Food
The value of carbohydrates in dog foods is often debated among nutritionists. Despite the debate, most commercial dry foods contain between 0% and 70% carbohydrates. If we examine the diets of the wild canines that most closely resemble our domestic pets, we recognize that the wild canines do eat some carbohydrates through the consumption of [...]

The Benefits of Feeding a Raw Diet to your Dogs (and Cats)
By Heather Zorn, PAS The major benefit of feeding a raw diet to your dogs is feeding them the way nature intended.  Dogs are carnivores with digestive systems specifically designed to efficiently process and utilize raw meat.  Protein is the staple of the diet and not only important in maintaining the outward appearance in skin, coat, [...]

Winter Is Coming (again)
Another summer is coming to a close, and its time to start thinking about shutting down the pool and putting away the  patio furniture. One thing to keep in mind as we start to look at our winter clothing and what we have ready for the colder temperatures that are about to come are way, is what will the four [...]

Equine Supplements, Part 2
by Heather Zorn, PAS Another supplement review marketed for Insulin Resistance in horses. Do you have a horse with metabolic issues?  Overweight or an easy keeper? Recurring laminits, or founder?  Please let me be the first (and hopefully last) to tell you that there is no *magic* fix for insulin resistance. Since it is not [...]

Why I became an Animal Nutritionist
Heather Zorn, P.A.S I am so fortunate to have met such wonderful, caring animal owners whose devotion to their animals is unwavering.  These dedicated people give me inspiration each day to continue working and never give up. I have been interested in nutrition as therapy for many, many years. One horse and one dog, in [...]

So many supplements…A review
by Heather Zorn, PAS Does my horse need this supplement? Of course, there is no way for me to answer this question on a general scope, but what I CAN teach you to do is: Read through the marketing and hype to determine the answer for yourself and for the health of your horse! Supplements [...]

AAFCO Pet Food Ingredients- Do you want to know what they mean?
by Heather Zorn, PAS AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines and definitions of ingredients in animal feed, including dog food and treats.  We thought you may be interested in what really is going into your dog’s food and treats…  Then again, after reading this, maybe not… Beef (meat): is the clean [...]

Does My Horse Need Grain or a Pelleted Feed?
by Heather Zorn, PAS Many of us feed our horses grain for different reasons; some need the extra calories and fat provided by a high density feed, others simply due to the fact that they have always fed grain.  If you do feed grain, do you have a good reason why or is it simply [...]


As most of my readers will know, I will only review or recommend a particular product, company or website that I have used personally.  I was recently asked to do a review of the Mr. Chewy’s website and agreed to do so if I found their products and service  to be excellent.  In this case, [...]

March is National Nutrition Month, so why not make it that for our pets too?
While you may be focusing on your own health and nutrition, are you making good, healthy choices for your pets as well? Their health is YOUR responsibility, so take charge and make good decisions.  Some simple suggestions that are easily achievable: For our Dog Lovers: Evaluate your current feeding plan.  Are you feeding a commercial [...]

Does Grain Give My Horse What He Needs?
by Heather Zorn, PAS I get asked this question a lot!  Most people have become so used to giving their horses grain, thanks to the over effective advertising campaigns of major feed companies, that they never stop to think or ask “Why am I feeding this” or” does my horse need this?” First, let me [...]

New Cushing’s Drug Gains FDA Approval
In case you haven’t heard, the FDA has approved a new drug for equine use in treating Cushing’s/PPID.  It is called Prascend and comes in 1mg tablets. Due to the 1mg tablets being made available commercially, if you are currently prescribed 1mg capsules of Pergolide, pharmacies are no longer compounding that particular dose. You have 2 options, and will [...]

Make a New Year’s Resolution for your Pets!
At the beginning of the year, we all seem to make resolutions based on achieving better health.  Whether it be losing weight, eating better, exercising- the list goes on… Day in, day out, your pet relies on your knowledge to keep him/her healthy, so why not live up to the expectation your pet has for [...]

Can I Make Better Food Choices for My Dog?
by Heather Zorn, PAS The answer  is simply, YES!  You need to become a better educated consumer so you can make the best choices for your Pampered Pooch when it comes to nutrition.  #1  Learn how to read a food label, which includes dog food, treats, and anything else they may consume… Focus on the [...]

Does your horse really need a Probiotic?
by Heather Zorn, PAS A client of mine recently got back from a horse event that was sponsored in part, by a nationally known feed company that used the opportunity of a gathering of like-minded horse folks to sell their newest product.  The product that my client was specifically interested in was a probiotic.  The [...]

The Importance of Antioxidants for Horses
by Heather Zorn, P.A.S. The word “free radicals” and “oxidative stress” get tossed around a lot these, but do we really know what it means?    Breakthroughs in science won’t mean much to the average person unless they understand them. Free radicals are produced during regular biochemical reactions that involve oxygen, a perfect example being exercise.  [...]

Senior Spotight: Wintering Successfully with your Aging Horse
by Heather Zorn, PAS In addition to my position as nutritionist for Pampered Pooch and Pony, I am also fortunate to own/run Desert Sky Ranch, Equine Retirement Boarding Facilityin New Mexico.  I board aging horses and really get to put my knowledge as a nutritionist to good use in keeping my old guys happy and [...]

Vet opposes FEI’s stance on NSAIDS
Bute (phenylbutazone) is as common as dewormer and fly spray in most barns.  It’s a go-to quick fix for any horse in pain.  However, as horse owners simply trying to ensure our companions are not in pain, we forget that pain serves an important function as a natural, protective response.  The Internation Equestrian Federation allowed [...]

AAFCO Dog Food Ingredients- Do you know what these ingredients really mean?
by Heather Zorn, PAS AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines and definitions of ingredients in animal feed, including dog food and treats.  We thought you may be interested in what really is going into your dog’s food and treats…  Then again, after reading this, maybe not… Beef (meat): is the clean [...]

Is it Necessary to Reduce Protein in the Diet? SENIOR Dog Health Spotlight
By Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health There is a lot of misconceptions concerning protein and dogs. So let’s start with the basics and learn exactly what protein is and what foods contain the necessary proteins for a healthy dog’s diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Each amino acid is important because of the [...]

Dog Food Carbohydrates… A Surprising Secret Revealed
by Mike Sagman Zero.  Nada.  Zip.   That’s how many carbohydrates are required by a dog to sustain  life. The fact that a dog food doesn’t need to contain any “carbs” at all… may seem hard to believe. But it’s true. You see, according to the National Research Council… and compared to the other major nutrients… [...]

Using Nutrition to Prevent and Manage Equine Disease
by: Erica Larson, News Editor Horse.com While you can’t necessarily prevent or squelch every equine ailment by adjusting his diet, what a horse consumes can impact certain maladies. According to Meri Stratton-Phelps, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVN, owner of All Creatures Veterinary Nutrition Consulting, in Fairfield, Calif., veterinarians and owners can use certain dietary ingredients to [...]

Consumer Reports should report on cars and toasters, not dog food!
Oh dear, Consumer Reports has done it again by weighing in on the value of commercial dog food.  While they are correct in saying that “premium” has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality,” they are sadly incorrect in saying that Walmart’s brand, Ol’ Roy, at 34 cents a pound is the best deal.  [...]