I always hear about how important it is to give our pets good quality food and provide good drinking water. I also hear that using ceramic bowls or stainless bowls are better for our pets' health than using plastic bowls. But I rarely hear people say "Let's keep the pet food and water bowls clean every day, to keep them healthy!"

Some pet owners I know don't clean their pet food and water bowls. They just add food and water as the bowls get empty.

Since I haven't run into any articles or books that talk specifically about how unsanitary pet food and water bowls can affect pet health, I can't support my opinion with strong evidence. But just using common sense, would you be willing to pour your freshly-cooked favorite meal onto a plate that hasn't been washed for a long time? Or would you keep adding water to your mug cup over and over, never cleaning it?

William G. Crook, M.D. mentions left-over meals in his book The Yeast Connection : A Medical Breakthrough, he says:"Such foods provide a rich breeding ground for yeasts and molds. Molds are one of the major micro-organisms causing foods to spoil, and all foods spoil. Although refrigeration retards mold growth, even refrigerated foods develop mold contamination. So prepare only as much foods as you need and eat it promptly, or freeze left-overs."

It doesn't necessarily relate to pets' unsanitary food and water bowls, but at least it can give you an idea what left-over foods (or even particles, maybe) in general are capable of harboring. In addition to that, our cats' and dogs' mouths touch the bowls when they eat and drink. That means they may also leave their saliva (also carrying bacteria) on their plates and in their water.

I'm sure keeping a clean environment (in this case pet food bowls) is one of many factors needed to keep our companion animals happy and healthy.

HealthyPetNet describes Dr. Jane Bicks as follows:


First and foremost, Dr. Jane is the ultimate pet person. She shares her life with a dog, a goat, two horses, a monkey, and two cats. Her pets are her family and she is dedicated to their health and happiness. Dr. Jane knows you feel the same way about your pets and she has devoted her life to the health and wellness of our precious companions.

Dr. Jane is a highly respected and nationally recognized holistic veterinarian. She is the author of three national books on pet care and nutrition and has served on professional boards including the Cornell Feline Health Center. Dr. Jane served as the President of the Veterinary Medical Association in NYC and was appointed by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to help start one of the largest animal shelters in the United States. She has also appeared on many network television and cable programs and numerous radio stations as a veterinary expert.

Dr. Jane is responsible for HealthyPetNet's product formulation and development, and she consults regularly with pet industry experts to ensure our cutting-edge formulas meet the highest standards for quality and effectiveness.


In my opinion, Dr. Jane is even more than what the above text describes. I respect her commitment to pets' health and to the education of pet owners. Her profound knowledge of canine and feline nutrition and thorough research on the formulas and ingredients used for the Life's Abundance Pet foods and other products has helped so many pet owners and their precious dogs and cats. I sometimes wonder if Dr. Jane is the busiest pet food formulator in the United States. She never stops at merely being the "pet food company's formulator". Her caring personality and drive to help pet owners always reaches out to people and animals. She is truly an animal lover, and everyone loves her.

If you haven't listened to Dr. Jane's audio message on "Do You Really Know What's In Your Pet Food?" yet, please do so now by clicking here. It will give you an idea who Dr. Jane is and what healthy pet foods should be like.

Life's Abundance Premium Health Foods for Dogs and Cats do NOT contain corn (or wheat). There are reasons.

First, many pet food manufacturers use corn (and corn gluten) as a source of protein. Corn is inexpensive, compared to meat sources. Corn protein may help "satisfy" the protein requirement for labeling, but the pet's body may not utilize the corn protein as effectively as meat. Protein from meat is considered easier for dogs and cats to digest.

Second, corn is also used as a source of carbohydrates. Both fats and carbohydrates create energy in the body, but carbohydrates are inexpensive, compared to good fat sources. Some pet food manufacturers may choose corn over fats to keep the cost low.

Third, eating corn on a regular basis is often attributed to some pets' health problems. Gluten in corn is hard to digest in dogs and cats.

Fourth, as the recent case of contaminated pet foods show, corn often becomes the harbor for toxic fungus such as Aflatoxin. Such toxic fungi can survive cooking process and may end up in pets' food bowls.

Dr. Jane Bicks (pet food formulator of Life's Abundance Health Foods for Dogs and Cats) and HealthyPetNet (the company that distributes this food) don't see any benefit of using corn in their foods -- pet health is their primary concern. The health of your cat and dog is important to us!

According to a blood test I took, I'm allergic to some vegetables - not acutely, it's a delayed type. I always enjoy eating lots of vegetables. Ironically, some of these foods seem to cause me trouble, no matter how healthy they are to other people in general.

I'm certain this applies to pets' diets, too.

Before I started feeding my dog and cat the present pet foods, I had been feeding them other brand's "quality premium pet foods". From a pet's owner's point of view, I really liked the foods, especially the dog food I chose for my dog - good ingredients that are highly digestible. I didn't even mind driving all the way to the store to just get the dog food and my dog seemed to enjoy eating it, too.

But physically, the dog didn't do well with the food -- even though it was a holistic brand. I monitored my dog's condition for a while because I knew that sometimes animals need time to get adjusted to new foods. But it didn't get any better. So, I decided to let go of the dog food, although I really liked it myself. I concluded that it doesn't matter whether I liked the pet food or not. It had to suit my dog's physical needs.

Just because a pet food is good for a majority of pets out there, it doesn't necessarily mean it will also be suitable for your cat and dog. Some ingredients may not be so compatible with the body of your pets, even if they are supposed to promote animals' health in general. Every animal is different, and their ability to digest and absorb nutrients is different. Your cat and dog are unique individuals, just like we all are.

It is important to find a food that is best for your pets.

Through trial and error, I was eventually led to the present pet foods for both my dog and cat. Luckily, my pets like the foods and thrive on them. I hope you will find the right pet food or diet for your furry family members, too!

My dog sleeps by my side in bed at night. The other night, she wagged her tail vigorously in her sleep, as if she met someone she liked. That made me wonder: Do animals dream just like humans do?

Studies done by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers using rats suggest they do. The researchers trained rats to run along a circular track for a food reward. They monitored the animals' brain activity during the task and while they were asleep. Rats go through multiple stages of sleep, from slow-wave sleep to REM sleep. The researchers found that half of the rats' REM episodes (more than 40 REM episodes were examined) repeated the brain activity that was created while the animals were running in the track. In humans, it is during REM sleep that most dreaming occurs.
For more information on this study by MIT researchers, click here.

I hope my pets have good dreams. Sweet dreams, Maggie!