For years I've been working to persuade countless people to recognize one simple notion, that nutrition is the foundation of life. In my years at HealthyPetNet, I've done my utmost to formulate foods and treats that help to establish and maintain this important foundation.

Our companion animals depend on us to provide much-needed proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and other crucial nutrients to help them grow when they are young and to maintain health through their hopefully long adult years. 

Many pet foods are made based upon formulas that, at least on paper, fulfill the generally accepted nutritional requirements, which are then labeled complete or balanced diets. As a veterinarian, my nutritional philosophy differs from that of most pet food manufacturers.

Over the years I've seen hundreds of undernourished puppies and kittens, whose ears, skin and intestinal tracts are in various stages of decline. I've also witnessed them respond positively to increased consumption of nutrients and whole foods, having the effect of improving their health and shoring up their immune systems. I've also seen far too many middle-aged cats and dogs on these diets pass general examinations but lack energy, have dull eyes, are disagreeable, experience urinary tract issues, suffer with skin and coat conditions.

I know from these professional experiences that for a food to be truly nutritional, it must be formulated based upon different standards. These higher standards must take into account the actual physiology of dogs and cats in addition to accepted nutritional requirements. 

Dogs and cats are complex organisms. At HealthyPetNet, we believe that a pet's food must address all the many aspects of their bodies and chemistries. That's why we've included such a broad spectrum of nutrients. Every ingredient in Life's Abundance is selected to enhance specific parts of the body. The resulting balance of ingredients is combined in a very particular way, which becomes our holistic formula -- each ingredient working with the others to fulfill the needs of every dog and cat.

And believe me, there are many needs to fill! For example, some dogs have skin problems and others do not. It is heartbreaking to see a dog, or cat, scratch excessively and bite, further damaging their skin. 

When formulating Life's Abundance Dog Food, I selected ingredients to support all of the important bodily structures and functions. However, I would like to touch on skin and coat health since biting and scratching are among the top reasons pet parents take their companion animals to the vet. Protein is crucial, especially for puppies and seniors, so I selected highly-digestible, superior-quality proteins, putting in exactly the amounts that both young and old require for optimal skin and coat health.

We also added flaxseed meal because it includes proteins that meats don't have and antioxidants which the skin needs for optimal health. Not only that, but flaxseed meal contains a nice mixture of B vitamins and oil. We added Omega-3 fatty acids (from fish oil), as numerous studies have shown it's essential to skin health. As well as addressing the direct requirements of skin and coat, we included ingredients to help enhance the immune system, a must for the healthiest possible skin. Life's Abundance has numerous vegetables because they contain a wide array of antioxidants.

Special easily-absorbed minerals were also added because minerals work to improve the effectiveness of antioxidants (skin just loves zinc). And since one of the largest immune organs is located in the gut (GALT), several ingredients were selected to provide nourishment for this important immune organ.

Warmest wishes,
Dr. Jane Bicks
HealthyPetNet Formulator