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Jun 17, 2009

About Wysong - Best Dog Food 2009

I will be posting a series for the Best Dog Food of 2009 - My pick Wysong over the next few weeks. Check back for details and helpful tips on finding the best pet food and supplements for your dog, cat, ferret or even horses.

About Wysong - Learn about the company, background and Dr. Wysong

For nearly thirty years we have let principle lead and have helped people achieve better health for themselves and their pets with competent and honest information and products. The premium, natural, and organic health products and information on this site represent tens of thousands of hours in research and development spanning nearly thirty years. We see our business as a place of trust, fiduciary responsibility, and conscience. Many of the “natural” changes you see in the market were begun right here at Wysong.

We were originated by, and are presently led by, health professionals who have come to see that nature is the ultimate origin of health. Our purpose is to help people take control of their own health destiny. Wysong products, and especially our information, make it easy to be healthy and fit because true health comes from an informed mind.

Our best product is information, much of which is free on this website. We offer Dr. Wysong's books, monographs, CDs, and newsletters (covering topics on supplements, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other nutraceuticals, as well as holistic health, disease care, holistic veterinary approaches, preventive care, dieting, natural therapy, sports supplements, natural anabolics, alkaline water, orthotic insoles, skin care, beauty, personal care, natural shampoos, organic cereal, prescription pet diets, premium dog food, cat food, ferret food, equine food, and more).

Over 300 healthy human products, cat foods and supplements, dog foods and supplements, ferret foods, and horse feed and supplements are offered to you on our sites. What we discover of value in humans, we apply to animals, and vice versa. All creatures share the same need for natural nutrition as nature intended. All creatures can enjoy health by abiding the same natural principles.

We are a small company with a big goal - we want our work to help you and your loved ones be healthy. To do this we develop and manufacture our own products based on sound science and using nature as the principle. We are not middlemen and these are not ‘me-too’ products intended only to capture a market. Moreover, if you avail yourself of the education and health newsletters you will learn how to achieve the best health potential for you, your family, and pets, without having to rely on any manufactured products at all - even ours. As with any good doctor, we serve people best if we can teach them how to not need us.

If you are a thinking person serious about health, we are here for you.

About Wysong FAQ

1.Q: Where did the name "Wysong" come from?
A: That is the name of our founder and present director, Dr. Wysong.

2. Q: How long have you been in business?
A: Since about 1979. Dr. Wysong began with clinical and surgical inventions, and branched into the various facets you see today as his research demonstrated the problems in conventional medicine and the importance of prevention.

3. Q: What is Dr. Wysong's background?
A: Dr. Wysong has a B.S. in biology and chemistry and a DVM in veterinary surgery and medicine. At the college level he has taught human anatomy, physiology and origin of life courses. He also has practiced veterinary clinical surgery and medicine for over 30 years. Dr. Wysong has engaged in research and development of surgical, clinical, nutritional, food processing and nutraceutical products with an emphasis on prevention and natural therapeutics.
Publications include technical journal articles on nutrition, health care, embryology, and surgical techniques. He has authored a monthly health newsletter since 1987. His books include Lipid Nutrition - Understanding Fats and Oils in Health and Disease, The Synorgon Diet - Achieving Healthy Weight in a World of Excess, Rationale for Animal Nutrition, The Truth About Pet Foods and numerous technical product monographs.
Both the company by his name, and the non-profit Wysong Institute, were founded by him and continue under his direction to this day.

4. Q: Do you have other scientists?
A: There are several others with DVM, PhD or MD equivalent, as well as others with MS and BS degrees in the sciences. Although nature is the underlying principle at Wysong, leading edge science is used to discover and apply that principle.

5. Q: Does this make you different from other companies?
A: We think so. For most companies the emphasis is on marketing. There may be name dropping of "Dr." consultants, but these individuals usually have no authority over product design and in many cases (in the pet food industry particularly) no real expertise in the field. There is also liberal use of words such as "science," "clinical," "studies," and the like - whether or not there is underlying substance. In contrast, Dr. Wysong directly designs, oversees and controls products and processing.

6. Q: Are you a health food company?
A: Since many people equate "health food," with "weird food," we don't like the association. In our food divisions, we create healthy foods backed by science, not lore. Wysong, in effect, bridges the gap between nature and science.

7. Q: Where are you located?
A: Our corporate and research headquarters are located in Midland, MI. We also have manufacturing operations in Lake Mills, WI.

8. Q: Are you approved by government regulations?
A: We are inspected and under the purview of the FDA, USDA, OSHA, and AAFCO.

9. Q: Can I buy stock in your company?
A: No, we are not a publicly traded company.

10. Q: Are there job opportunities with Wysong?
A: Yes. Please send an e-mail to wysong@wysong.net with your cover letter and resume.

11. Q: Do you manufacture your products or do you have others do it?
A: Yes, we conceive, design, and directly manufacture almost all of our products. This distinguishes us from most pet food companies.

12. Q: How do you control the quality of your products?
A: In order to control quality you first must understand a lot about food processing and the potential dangers within foods. We have professionals on staff who work with Dr. Wysong to control a variety of factors that many manufacturers are not even aware of - such as mycotoxins, food-borne pathogens, antinutritional factors, oxidant status and toxin contaminants, to name a few.

13. Q: Do you do laboratory research on animals?
A: No. We believe that caging animals for studies is unnecessary. When we want to gather data, we ask for help from real pets in real homes and use veterinary clinical consultants across the country. Nobody gets hurt. Please see our article on Animal Testing and Feeding Trials.

14. Q: What do you do to be environmental?
A: All that we can. The world is a finite resource and we treat it that way. We take all the measures we can to reduce energy consumption. We reduce, reuse, and as a last resort, recycle. We have an in-house recycling center, compost organic waste and encourage garage sale reuse among employees. Keep in mind that the ultimate goal of environmentalism is health. If an action - such as recyclable packaging that improperly protects nutrients and causes toxin formation - creates harm to health, we put health first.

15. Q: Isn't it kind of weird making both human and animal products? Hope you don't mix them up.
A: The technology Dr. Wysong developed for animals applies to humans, and the technology he developed for humans applies to animals. So why not? We and our fellow biological creatures are not so different as you might imagine. We also use our products to teach. Many people come to learn how to better care for themselves and their family because of interest triggered in what they learned from Wysong animal foods. Or vice versa. And no...we don't mix them up - they are made separately. Even if we did, no harm would come because the same level of quality is in all of our products.

16. Q: How do you decide what products to make?
A: First off, we do not see the point of making things that are already available just to try to gain profit. We make things that, in our opinion, are not made well enough yet. We also make what we would personally prefer to use.

17. Q: There are so many choices out there, how do I decide?
A: Since companies and their advertising/marketing partners can easily confuse people, you need to be informed. Cool ads, movie stars, words like "natural" and "science," fancy graphs, pretty packaging and the like is not that education. Asking questions like this is a start. If a company cannot give you any real depth, get suspicious. Please see our article How To Choose a Pet Food Company.

18. Q: Why don't I see your company advertising or in all the major stores?
A: Our primary focus has been and is education, research, and development. We are not a marketing firm, so what advertising you do see will be with an educational emphasis.

19. Q: Why are some of your products quite expensive?A: Because they are expensive to produce. Quality has a price.

20. Q: It just seems that there are similar things out there for a lot less money, don't you think?A: Health is not a place to be budget-minded. It's a pay now or pay later type-thing. There are many important health features in Wysong products which are not easily discerned on labels. (Pet food regulators strictly limit what can be said on labeling.) In fact, it is possible to create products that have virtually the same label as Wysong, but cost a fraction of what it costs to produce Wysong. Since such deception is possible, you must read company literature carefully to discern if those behind the products are marketers saying words or serious scientists committed to health.

21. Q: Where is Wysong headed in the future?
A: You can count on Wysong being very creative. We will continue to lead, not follow, and bring you state-of-the-art information and products to enhance health for both humans and animals.

Also see: Wysong As A Holistic Company

Jun 15, 2009

10 Tips to Choose a Pet Food Company


It is virtually impossible for consumers to know the health value of packaged pet foods by viewing or feeding them. Processing makes products non-descript, and, furthermore, manufacturers can cleverly make about anything look like anything they like, e.g., starch, textured vegetable protein and dyes can look like a pork chop. Additionally, taste enhancers can make non-foods palatable and short term feeding trial results do not reveal the true health measure of a pet food’s value – long, active, vital life, free from chronic degenerative disease conditions.

Judging merit by reading advertising, marketing brochures and pet food package labels can also be deceiving. Although it would seem that regulation would not permit false and misleading information in the marketplace, this is simply not the case. So assuming that what is said in advertising is true because it is in a reputable publication, or on a beautifully designed brochure or package is a dangerous mistake.

So if all the commonly used criteria for judging the merit of a pet food are invalid, what is the concerned pet owner to do? As in all other important decisions in life, gathering information and applying reason is the best way to the best answer. This process is even more important in food decisions because health is at issue.

Ultimately a pet food can be no better than the competency and the principles of those producing it. Everything flows from that. If the pet food producer’s main objective is profit, then health will be a secondary consideration. Evaluating manufacturers, therefore, becomes the most critical element in making pet feeding choices. The following criteria will help you in this evaluation.

1. PET HEALTH PHILOSOPHY: Does the literature and pet health philosophy make sense and clearly put pet health as the number one priority, or is the primary objective marketing and sales?

2. LEADER CREDENTIALS: What are the credentials, experience and accomplishments of the people in charge? Is the leader a marketing person, a board of directors concerned primarily about profits, or someone competent in health and nutrition?

3. PET HEALTH INFORMATION LITERATURE: Read their literature, don’t just test feed the product or read package labels. Is their literature mere marketing claims, or do they educate and provide logical and documented scientific proof for the rationale of their product? Additionally, do they propose that the only way to pet health is through feeding their products? If so, be assured that they are lying...

4. MANUFACTURING CONTROL: Find out if the pet food company marketing the product is also the owner of the company manufacturing it or in close control of formulations and manufacturing parameters. Consider that anyone off the street can go to any number of pet food manufacturers and have them make a food (such contract manufacturers have files full of ready-to-go formulas), add micro amounts of “special” ingredients, create a new label and then make unsubstantiated claims about the superiority of the “revolutionary new” product.

5. THE “100% COMPLETE & BALANCED PET FOOD” MYTH: Does the company promote the claim of “100% complete and balanced?” This claim is a myth and is directly responsible for far-reaching nutritional diseases in pets. Use of the claim proves a manufacturer does not properly understand animal nutrition and pet health and is under the mistaken (but profitable, since it misleads consumers into thinking they should feed only their processed food) view that manufactured foods can be perfect.

6. FADS OVER FACTS: Does the company follow fads or does it lead with solid responsible information? Fads include high fiber, low cholesterol, low fat, “natural,” no preservatives, four food groups, high protein and the like. Such singular focus on faddish pet food fallacies demonstrates either an incomplete understanding of nutrition or a motive to profit from misinformed consumers.

7. INGREDIENT BOOGEYMEN: Does the company incite fear mongering about “boogeyman” ingredients? Current examples of such nutritional boogiemen include: soy, corn, wheat, fat, “by-products,” seaweed, ash, meat meal, yeast and magnesium. Popular misconceptions, dubious field reports and poorly conducted science lie at the base of such beliefs. If a pet food company uses such fallacies to promote their products, they either do not understand pet nutrition or desire to play on popular ignorance for financial gain.

8. FOODS AS DRUGS: Since the body can only experience health and healing from natural foods and a natural environmental context, it is presumptuous to claim a processed, manipulated, fraction-based food can do it better. In fact, such fabricated foods may create serious side effects and are far inferior to whole natural nutrition. Pet food producers who create and promote such foods attempt to capitalize on the awe of supposed advanced manufacturing technology and medicine. The illusion is created that a processed pet food, just because it is promoted like a prescription drug, is somehow high-tech and scientific, when in fact it may be no more so than most other processed pet foods.

9. COSMETICS OVER PET NUTRITION: Most pet food producers target food cosmetics rather than real nutrition. Flavors, shapes, packaging, bonuses, discounts, coupons, pricing, guarantees and the like are essentially unrelated to health and nutrition. Emphasis on such features should alert the consumer that the producer may be interested primarily in mass marketing, not serious pet health and nutrition.

10. INNOVATION: Since nutritional science is a rapidly growing and expanding field of knowledge, a producer truly interested in pet health should be highly innovative. Adapting new knowledge to formulations, processing, packaging and storage should be ongoing and these innovations should be clearly communicated to consumers. Most pet food companies don’t lead, they follow. Consumers would be wise to follow leaders, now followers.
We invite your comparison.

Natural Raw Healthy Pet Food Wysong

Jun 14, 2009

Freeze Dried Raw Pet Food Recall - Nature's Variety


Freeze Dried Raw Product

Nature's Variety News - June 12, 2009

Nature’s Variety recently identified two lots of Freeze Dried product that didn’t meet our quality standards. These products do not represent a health hazard to your pet. We have voluntarily withdrawn distribution of these specific products:

Freeze Dried Raw Chicken Formula (UPC # 69949 60151) with a “best if used by” date of 05/25/10
Freeze Dried Raw Beef Formula (UPC # 69949 60251) with a “best if used by” date of 05/25/10

From the Nature's Variety site:

Our distributor and retailer partners have kept control of these products, and because we retrieved these products so quickly, it is very unlikely that you purchased this batch of food. If, however, you believe you may have purchased one of these products, you may contact Nature’s Variety at 1.888.519.PETS (7387) for a full refund or replacement.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us by clicking CONTACT US at the top of this page, or call our Customer Service Team directly at 1.888.519.PETS. We will be happy to respond to you as quickly as possible.

Our Commitment to Quality
At Nature’s Variety, we’re committed to product quality. Our team is passionate about providing nutritious products, formulated with high quality meat, poultry, and fish protein. Our Quality Assurance Team takes extra care to ensure the wholesomeness of our premium foods.

Nature’s Variety has and will continue to enforce strict quality standards as we offer our nutritious foods to your special pet. Thank you for your continued trust in Nature’s Variety. Be assured, your pet’s health and happiness is our first priority.


Jun 8, 2009

Dog Skin Problems Cures

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Thank you for your votes so far in 2009!

Watch this before feeding your dog again...

Important video about dog food and more help here.
More help here....