Moorpark Pet Food Firm Offers Holistic Products
By Alicia Doyle, Ventura County Star, Calif.
Apr. 4–After giving her dog another brand of food, Nanette Beck noticed something that made her switch back to what a breeder recommended, Great Life Performance Pet Products.
“Within two weeks, his coat started to dull,” the Escondido resident said, describing her dog’s reaction to the other food. “He now has his shiny mahogany coat again and his teeth are milk-white and healthy.”
Beck is among many cat and dog owners who depend on holistic pet food companies such as Great Life Performance, which provides natural food, supplements and treats.
Pet owners spend about $14.5 billion a year on pet food, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
“Many consumers are graduating to healthier natural pet products,” said Elliott Harvey of Thousand Oaks, creator of Great Life Performance, a Moorpark company that serves clients in the United States, Canada and Asia.
With the holistic pet food industry growing to more than a billion dollars a year, Harvey said, consumers are becoming more aware that many brands from supermarkets and warehouses “have beautiful labels, however, the ingredients are harmful.”
Founded in 1996, Great Life Performance provides premium dog and cat food, supplements for horses, pet treats, organic biscuits and other nutrition products.
Harvey is a contributing writer for Animal Wellness Magazine, a consultant for Pet Product News and author of “The Healthy Wholistic Dog,” which features more than 260 therapies and protocols for canine ailments and diseases. At 7 tonight, Harvey will be signing his book at Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks.
Harvey said his products contain no fillers, byproducts, potatoes, white rice, soy, gluten meals, peanut hulls, plasma, beet pulp, added salt, corn, flavorings or chemical preservatives.
The ingredients begin with the high end of the nutrient spectrum. For instance, a superior natural dog and cat food is enhanced with a layered, freeze-dried, raw meat source as well as raw greens, mixed baby sprouts, green tripe, coral calcium and prebiotics and probiotics.
“We then enclose the kibble in natural salmon oil, keeping all nutrients active,” he explained. “We provide all the benefits of a raw food diet without the mess or expense, and no refrigeration is needed.”
Dogs with allergies and other health problems can greatly benefit, Harvey said, because the products contain tapioca — good for digestion — instead of grains, which are known to cause an allergic reaction. Virgin coconut oil helps balance the thyroid and prevent parasites and bowel disorders, and wild salmon oil provides fatty acids needed for skin, coat and heart health. Other ingredients include mangosteen, a nutrient-rich fruit, and pumpkin, which helps expel worms.
“Our foods have active nutrition, not burnt-out nutrition that is prevalent in other pet foods,” Harvey said.
Darlene Gimper of Winlock, Wash., said she has seen a remarkable difference in the puppies at her kennel since switching to Great Life Performance.
“Their coats, spirit and overall health are tremendous,” she said.
ON THE NET:
–http://www.greatlife4pets.com
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