Our friend at Pet Nutrisystems

Our new friend and Muttville supporter, Lee Ann Cox, who owns Pet Nutrisystems, has been helping foster Mom, Marie, find natural holistic treatments for her fospice (foster/hospice) dog, Collette who is fighting a mast-cell tumor.

She wrote us a wonderful blog about how she came to specialize in cancer fighting supplements for pets and why she has found a new passion to support our senior dogs.

“Inspiration often comes from the things we love. In October 2005, our cat Jock was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Our vet told us pets typically live an average of 6-12 months at his stage in the disease and there wasn’t much to be done except put him on a low protein diet.

“Being well versed in diet and nutrition, this just didn’t sound right, so we started doing some research. It soon became apparent that there was a lot of erroneous thinking out there. First of all, the protocol of a low protein diet was being questioned. In addition, studies (some recent, some not so recent) showed that a variety of nutritional supplements held promise in helping slow the progression of kidney disease.

“Little by little we pieced the information together and started Jock on these new protocols – and it worked! He stopped losing weight, showed renewed energy and had a healthier coat. Over 4 years later, the results speak for themselves. Today at age 18, Jock still eats a high quality, high protein diet. He has not had to resort to subcutaneous fluids and he looks and feels great. Is his kidney disease cured? No, that’s not possible, but he is living a longer, healthier, happier life than would have otherwise been achievable.

“So, that is how a cat inspired a company. And the more we shared our story, the more we heard others talk about their frustration when it came to dealing with their pet’s health issues. Many felt in the dark about everything from diagnosis to treatment options. Most were overwhelmed with how high their veterinary bills could be and almost everyone felt they had little control over their pet’s health.

“On the other hand, our research showed that there were also some success stories out there. People like Cyndi Smasal and her dog Norman who successfully fought the battle against liver disease and the 911 rescue dogs who used K-9 Immunity to maintain longevity and quality of life with cancer, are just a few examples of how nutrition and lifestyle can make all the difference.

“We give an overview of each condition, suggest a multi-step wellness plan and put everything together in convenient kits. Our kits contain the vital nutritional supplements and dietary suggestions along with guides and easy to understand instructions to help you and your pet effectively deal with the condition…

“Recently we became acquainted with Muttville, and the organization touched our hearts. Some of the rescue dogs at Muttville are not only senior, but they have health problems too. We wanted to do everything we could to help the dogs so we are launching a two pronged effort: we are helping get the word out about the work and mission of Muttville and we are assisting Muttville in securing the supplements they need. Pet Nutrisystems is proud to stand along side Muttville to help these dogs that might otherwise fall through the cracks. Our hats are off to Muttville for the tremendous job they do!”

Thank you Lee Ann! We are hopeful that Collette will be one of yours and our many success stories!

AliG | 03.29.10