NPP Journal

I was feeding Performatrin: Now what do I do?
Large chain stores and online retailers such as Pet Valu, Chewy, Pet Smart, Costco and Petco have their own ‘in-house’ brands of dog food to help build customer loyalty. In reality all these ‘house brands’ are essentially a mimic on top selling pet foods under their private label or “house brand”. Their product is a literal copycat of top-selling foods in the marketplace and does not provide anything more superior to what is available to your local pet store. Sales associates are trained to direct consumers to their house brand because they make more money by selling you their brand. Read More

The Big Miss: Is No-Hide® Actually Rawhide?
A ‘consumer advocate’ recently stirred up drama from July 2017 re-circulating an article (figure 1) claiming that Earth Animal No-Hide® treats were rawhide, again. This was on the heels of the announcement of a class-action lawsuit (figure 2) against Earth Animal Ventures (EAV) questioning the ingredients and sourcing of No-Hide® products. I didn’t think I would have to address this issue
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Nutrition Exposed: Is Your Food Adequate?
You’ve likely been told to focus on the top 5 ingredients and the percentage of protein or fat when it comes to picking out food for your pet. While these may appear to be important, they aren’t the ideal way to pick out food. None of these factors consider what happens to ingredients when they are processed and enter a dog or cat’s body. Believe…
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Revealed: How to switch your cat’s food successfully
Switching your cat’s food can be stressful for you and your cat. Before you start there are a few important things to consider. First, set…
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Is Your Pet’s Healthy Food Being Served in a Toxic Bowl?
Pet Parents are spending a great deal of time and money to ensure they are serving the healthiest foods to their pets. However, when it…
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5 Questions Pet Owners Can Ask to Improve Pet Food
Hint: It’s not what you think What if I told you that it’s highly likely that the pet food you are feeding your cat or…
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Facts, fear, sales, CBD & COVID-19
I could probably go on forever questioning why the media (and even some “reputable” associations) continue to share non-peer reviewed, non-verified information, but I won’t. We know a great headline catches clicks and shares. This is a great example of how bad science is used to propagate either a false sense of security, fear – and sell a product. I’m also not “anti” CBD, but that isn't the point. There are several applications where it is useful for pets and people, but in this instance there simply an overabundance of bad information swirling around CBD preventing and/or treating COVID-19.Read More

How to determine food & supplement quality
Transparency, or Lack Thereof Transparency has become a feel-good word for those who don’t know any better. However, for those that do, it’s become a cringe-worthy tagline that is an Achilles heel. In some ways, by leaning into companies who claim to be transparent, without holding them accountable to transparency one could argue that consumers and retailers are their own worst enemy. The fact of the matter is that many products within the pet industry, including…
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Journal of Animal Science Article Full Summary, Volume 98, Issue 6, June 2020
In June of 2018, Lisa Freeman, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist from Tufts University published a blog titled “A broken heart: Risk of heart disease in boutique or grain-free diets and exotic ingredients.” This blog warned pet owners and veterinarians that ‘BEG’ (boutique, exotic, grain free) diets were causing heart disease in dogs. This left professionals and the public scrambling for more information, which was further fueled by media frenzy. As a result, the FDA launched…
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