EXPERT OPINIONS

Word From Kymythy Schultze:
Dear Customers of Companion Natural Pet Food,"Our own doctors recommend that we eat fewer processed foods and more fresh food if we wish to enjoy good health. Doesn't your dog or cat deserve the same consideration? Providing a species-appropriate diet of wholesome, fresh foods is the best you can do for the health and well-being of your furry friend. If you are unable to prepare meals at home, you can purchase a well-designed fresh food product for your animal companion; a better alternative than feeding kibbles and cans with poor quality ingredients and additives."

- Kymythy R. Schultze, CCN, AHI
author of "Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet"

Testimonials

In Loving Memory of Jade,  1994 – 2007

It is with great sadness that we announce Jade’s crossing over.  She was my truest, most loyal and loving friend. Her amazing legacy is all the wonderful benefits our pet food brings to dogs and cats everywhere. Goodbye, sweet Jade, you will be deeply missed.

Within two months of eating only a raw meat based diet both dogs had completely healed from their infections and they have never returned. It’s now 6 years since I started feeding our dogs only raw food. Their coats are shiny and their eyes are bright. Their energy level now allows them to play like younger dogs. Their breath is fresher and their teeth are whiter than most dogs their age.

Though Jade is now 12 years old and starting to finally show her age, I believe she would not be here today without the exclusive diet of raw, human-grade meats, vegetables and supplements for the past 6 years. She now suffers only from the long-term use of steroidal drugs needed to replace what her own adrenal glands stopped producing long ago.

Stacy LaPoint
President and Co-Owner of Companion Natural Pet Food


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May 24, 2007

Hi Stacy & Bill,

I have to tell you that your raw food has made an incredible difference in my dog's life.  Lucy is my 7 year old best friend and has had seasonal skin allergies on her back the last 4 years.  It was heartbreaking to watch Lucy try and itch her back and roll in the grass for any relief every chance she got and she was always wanting me to itch her back.  I could tell she was miserable and it broke my heart.  I have taken Lucy to many vets, even an allergy specialist.  We have done allergy tests and taken too many steroid pills to count.  The steroid pills would just mask the problem.  This year, the steroid pills were not even giving Lucy any relief.  I heard through a friend about Companion raw food.  I looked on-line and became intrigued.  But Lucy was allergic to things outside, and not to food, so I didn’t understand how changing her food could work.  I called your office about 2 months ago and Bill answered the phone.  We spoke for 30 minutes and he took the time to answer all of my questions.  Bill was so helpful and made me a believer and told me that a no grain, raw diet has done wonders for dogs with allergies.  Bill also suggested I purchase salmon oil and a digestive aid as well.  That night I purchased the Companion raw frozen food and started transitioning Lucy over to that food.  What did I have to lose?  After a week she was eating only raw frozen food and no grain treats.  Her allergies went away and within another week she had no itching at all.  Her coat is shinier and softer than ever!  This is the time of year when her allergies are the worst and she has not itched in 2 months.  I can't thank Stacy & Bill enough for making this food and making a dramatic change in my life and my dog's life.  She is no longer miserable and trying to itch her back.  I wish I would have known about you sooner, but thankfully I found a solution and I don't have to give Lucy any more steroid pills.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I want to spread the word to anyone that has a dog with allergies.  Try this raw food and see the change yourself.  Lucy now eats raw no grain kibble in the morning and raw frozen food at night.  She is happy, healthy and the best friend I could every ask for.  Thank you!!!

Oneda Young
Wauwatosa, WI


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I had to write to tell you what an incredible difference your food has made on the health of my in-door cat Carmel. I used Science Diet Light for the first 8 years of his life and found that he would gain huge amounts of weight on the “light” version of their food. I then tried other varieties of kibble and just couldn’t believe the amount of waste that he was creating along with the odor and loose stools that came along with it! As a result, something had to change.

I had heard about the Raw diet for a couple of years and decided to give it a try. Approximately three years ago I started on the raw diet with Companion Natural Pet Food. The new diet changed Carmel’s life and health. The first thing I noticed about Carmel is that his coat became visibly shinier. And over time Carmel went from being extremely overweight to now looking like and average healthy cat of normal weight. Later in life the kibble took its toll on Carmel’s system. He was diagnosed with Diabetes about 2 years ago and found that it was from many years of eating kibble which is high in fillers and sugars. Carmel is now able to control his diabetes with very little medication by living on a raw diet.

Thanks so much for providing such an incredible product that has positively changed the health, happiness and longevity of my cat!

Heidi M.

Milwaukee WI

Our 4 yr old mini-dachshund, Otis, has been enjoying Companion Natural Pet Food, Digestive Enzymes, Nutritional Dietary Supplements and Freeze Dried Treats for most of his life. We recently brought him to a new vet for a routine check up and teeth cleaning and the Doctor thought he was a puppy! He said Otis must have a remarkably healthy diet to be able to maintain the muscle structure, shiny coat and lean physique of an active puppy.

We recommend all Companion Natural products to all dog and cat owners! Thank You Companion Natural” – Howie Goldklang & Carly Flynn, Milwaukee, WI

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Sadie and Carmel

In order to provide a superior quality diet for our pets, and still keep our costs down, we choose to feed a combination of Companion Natural Pet Food's "Raw Diet" along with occasional meals of Wellness holistic pet food by Old Mother Hubbard.

Our pets are doing so much better on natural food than they did on big brands like Iams, Science Diet and Nutro. Our 8 year old Airdale, Sadie, used to have chronic loose stools which have since disappeared after switching to these high quality foods. She now plays like a puppy and jumps with excitement at mealtime! Our young Tabby mix cat, Carmel , is thriving on these foods and gobbles down his raw food with so much delight!

It makes sense to us that investing in natural foods, especially raw, grain-free, meat-based foods like Companion Natural Pet Food, is an easy way to help avoid the cost of treating ailments later in a pet's life. We highly recommend everyone with pets switch to a quality, natural diet to help their pets dodge illness as we have.”

UPDATE 2007: Sadie is now 14 years old and has been eating Companion Natural Pet Food exclusively for the past 4 years.  She is hard of hearing and is a little slower to move these days but still has her health in every way and still loves to protect our home from the scary mailman!  We believe she wouldn’t be in such good shape at her ripe old age if it weren’t for a raw diet, digestive enzymes and fish oil.   Carmel is also 5 years older now and has been on Companion exclusively along with Sadie.  He is an outdoor cat much of the time.  He eagerly awaits every meal and comes running when it’s time—he’s in perfect health. 

Cindy S. Elkhorn, WI

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Hello Stacy,

I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with your food, and what a difference your efforts have made for both my cat and my dog.

I had initially contacted you approximately one year ago because my 1.5 year old dog had severe allergies, and it had been suggested that I try a raw diet for him. You were wonderful about talking to me and answering my questions, and I appreciated it very much! In the course of trying it, you suggested I look into something called VetNAET. Since neither my dog nor I was getting any sleep any more, and he had scratched himself raw in patches over various parts of his body, I was feeling desperate for any possible leads. I checked into VetNAET which led me Dr. Jan Harkins in Reedsburg, WI. Yes, I made a four-hour round trip weekly for several months so that she and her Chinese medicine consultant could work with my dog, Elliott. Through acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and a (temporarily) severely restricted raw diet, they were able to help his body heal. He is doing great now! I remember the thin, partially bald dog I had last year and can hardly believe it is the same one. (I definitely recommend Dr. Harkins and her “team”!) I have continued feeding him a home-made raw diet, and I have no intention of ever going back to commercial dog food!!

But, the neatest thing of all is what I have seen your food do for my cat! I was impressed enough by conversations I had with you and other friends of mine who were feeding a raw diet to their dogs to try it with my cat as well. I felt that my best option for her was your food, so I gave it a try. She was a 10 year old cat who should have weighed about 9 lbs. She was up to 13 ½ lbs, despite my efforts of feeding “light” dry cat food (for several years). Her hair coat was dull and felt dirty to my touch, and no amount of effort on my part could get her to play any more. She preferred to curl up in the back room of my house and just lay there all day. She had been like that for about 8 years, and I really missed the playful, affectionate cat I used to have. I took away her dry cat food and started offering her your food. It took about a day and a half before she was willing to even try it. And then, after she tried it, she liked it but about 3 days later, she became quite sick. I wondered about “detox”, and waited it out, coaxing her to eat anything I could get her to try. (Being an overweight cat, I didn’t’ want her to fast for too long…) She came out of it, and wow, you should see her now! She is down to the 9 lbs she should weigh, her coat is soft and shiny again, her eyes are bright and clear, and she is playful and affectionate again! She has turned into a Velcro-lap-cat anytime I sit down anywhere, any time, and if I pick up a cat toy, she comes to life. She has even started playing with the dog!

I hope other people have as much success with their pets and your food as I have had. Thank you!

Sandy

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Dear Companion
We gradually switched our Golden Retriever, Lucy, from a mid-range puppy
kibble to 2/3 Companion and 1/3 high grade kibble when we brought her home at 3 months. Her hair went from wiry to sleek and silky in a month. At 3 years young, she continues this Companion/kibble diet and still has beautiful, silky hair (just listen to the amazement in people's voices when they pet her). Her teeth have far less tarter buildup than most of her peers on non-raw regimens and she is a very healthy dog - scratches heal quickly, no skin diseases, no digestive problems, no gunk in her ears or eyes. The Companion dog foods have a great ratio of meat to veggies/greens. No ash or filler or grains. Additives like yams, apples, alfalfa, kelp, apple cider vinegar and garlic are a nutritional bonanza. It is well worth the extra cost. Lucy loves her Companion food! So do we.

-Jo Lueck, Kenosha WI

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Dear Companion
When we adopted our Chihuahua puppy (Macy) we intended to litter box train her - couldn't see putting a little dog out in the winter. After talking with Stacy and doing some research on the raw meat diet, we were sold on Companion Natural Pet Food. Her stools are consistently firm and compact. Most importantly, they have very little odor.

Macy is a very happy, sleekly built Chihuahua with lots of energy and a shiny coat. I have recommended Companion Natural Pet Food to all my friends with dogs. It just makes sense; it is how they would eat naturally.
Josh Keller

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Hi Bill and Stacy,
I was very pleased to find your site and products recently. We are on the same mission...trying to feed our pets (and owners too, in my case) biologically appropriate foods that do no harm.
I have been doing Internet consultation through my Website for the past 5 years following my personal diagnosis of celiac disease, the study of which changed my entire life. I write about this extensively on my site. Since that time, I have been taking ALL of my patients off of gluten (wheat, barley, rye), casein (dairy products), soy, and corn and watching the miracles occur. I have dedicated my life to this mission, continuing to write on human and veterinary forums and doing my Internet consultations.

I will be sending clients your way. Keep up the great work.

John
John B. Symes, DVM aka "Dogtor J."
http://dogtorj.tripod.com
(Read: Food Intolerance- Man and Animals versus Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Corn...OR...How We Won the Battle of Helm's Deep" http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id1.html

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Dear Companion,
Hi, I stopped at your table last Saturday at the Greyhound Gala in Waukesha and spoke to you about my sweet greyhound who has earned the nickname "Gassy Sassy". You recommended we try the Total-zymes and gave me some reading material. The reading material suggested it would take about 2 weeks to become fully effective, and that may be true, but I wanted to let you know that last Saturday evening we put some Total-zymes in Sassy's supper and we had our first gas free night in 2 years and she has been gas free every night since. Sassy sleeps at the foot of our bed and I used to wake up in the middle of the night because of the smell of her gas. Even if it was 10 below outside, I would have to open a window to get the air out or I felt I couldn't breath. This has been a miracle product for us! I went to your website and copied off info. about the product and will be bringing it to my vet this afternoon and also to a friend at church who is a vet. They need to know about your website and Total-zyme.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Lucinda Michaelis

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Dear Companion,
Thank you for your healthy nutritious cat food. My 11 year old feline companion, Bruno, was recently diagnosed with Diabetes. It was so bad he could hardly walk. His doctor wanted to start insulin injections immediately. However, I decided to research the subject and learned that a high protein, low carbohydrate diet might help him. So I took him off dry and canned cat food and began feeding him Companion Natural Pet Food. Within 48 hours he was walking around again! Now, after only 10 days on your foods he is running, jumping and playing and his coat has never looked better, plus no insulin injections! His recovery is almost miraculous. Thanks again for your food. I'd recommend it to anyone with a pet!

Sincerely,
Stuart B. Milwaukee

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"Cinder"
My name is Michelle and I have a 6 year old Miniature Pinscher named Cinder. She was diagnosed with a Mast Cell Tumor in early May 2002. The tumor was removed successfully. I was told by my vet that I needed to put her on a steroid pills for the rest of her life. I did not do it. After doing some research I found out that cancer thrives on carbohydrates and by putting Cinder on a protein diet the chances of her getting the cancer again would be lessend. I was told that cancer can't live off protein. It was a big decision but I changed her diet completely no more dog food or donuts off the table. I now feed her Companion Natural Pet Food. I have seen a big difference in her coat, it is now shiny. Cinder has lost 1 lb and is developing muscle mass. She is lean and mean and sassy as ever. I know that the cancer may come back but at least she is happy and knock on wood healthy so far no tumors. At least for Cinder this was a better option then steroids, what dog doesn't love meat.

Thank you,

Michelle Bande-Siegfried, WI

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"Harmonee"

Harmonee is our 14 year old Bedlington Terrier. Prior to switching to Companion Natural Pet Food, Harmonee was plagued for the past several years with skin reactive food/grass allergies and reoccurring candida infections in her right ear. She has been eating the Companion raw food diet exclusively now for a few months. The first thing that happened was an intense cycle of detoxification that lasted a few weeks (very goopy eye discharges, skin weirdness, loss of appetite, etc.). After that diminished, there were gradual, significant improvements in both the allergies and ear infections. Her energy levels are now also noticeably up, and her coat color and texture have improved (we take a long weekend to visit our parents/in-laws once a month, and everyone has commented on how "good
Harmonee is looking now"). Another benefit worth mentioning is the significant reduction of the dogs stool size. Even though our reason for putting Harmonee on Companion products was related to her specific health conditions, we now feel that this raw food diet would be beneficial for any dog (or cat), even if they aren't suffering from a specific health problem.

Thank you Bill and Stacy for helping our dog be healthier and happier than
she has been in years!

Howard, Kathryn and Minda (our 2 year old, daughter) Silvestre, Milwaukee WI