Ask Dr Jane Bicks Your Pet Questions

Dr. Jane Bicks
Dr. Jane Bicks, holistic veterinarian and HealthyPetNet product formulator,
answers your pet questions.

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 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.

Dr. Jane is responsible for HealthyPetNet 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.

We are pleased to announce the formation of the Dr. Jane HealthyPetNet Foundation, Inc. This non-profit foundation is dedicated to the promotion, establishment, maintenance and management of animal rescue groups that are committed to rescuing abused animals in the U.S. And Trilogy International is donating a portion of our net profit to help support the operations of this extraordinary foundation.

We look forward to sharing with you more about the progress of this foundation’s important work. To find out how you can make a difference in the success of this noble enterprise, call our office at 800-428-6416.

Do you have a pet question? Let Dr Jane Bicks answer!

Contact Us with your questions and we'll post Dr. Jane's answer!

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Grape Seed Extract and Grapes In Dog Food

Dear Dr. Jane: I have two young, male Bichon Frises. My question is about the Life's Abundance dog food that you created. All of the research that I have tried to do on Life's Abundance shows it to be an impressively high quality food but I have one nagging concern that I haven't been able to find reassuring info on. The food includes Grape Seed Extract in it's ingredients. I know that Grape Seed Extract is a powerful antioxidant for humans but I also know that grapes are very toxic to dogs. Is this a safe ingredient to have in a dog food? How can Grape Seed Extract not damage my dog's health if the grapes that it comes from are so dangerous? Please educate me. I would appreciate any info that you can give me.

Dr Jane's Answer: Excellent question. I use a grape seed extract called Activin. I do not use the grape, or the skin or most of the seed components. There are many components of the seed that are extracted (by water, no chemicals). The only component I use is the proanthocyanidins which are the active antioxidants. It is very easy for a company to identify plant components by using sophisticated chemical analysis machines that map out the chemical look of each component. There are many companies that are not willing to spend the money to extract just one compound. When you go to the Activin site and see the 60 papers and presentations on Activin’s role against cancer you will understand why I have included it in the food. There is no doubt in my mind that this product helps to make the Life's Abundance Premium Health Food For Dogs And Puppies as successful as it is.

Large Breeds and High Protein

Dear Dr. Jane: I have a large breed (Great Dane) 8 month old puppy. We have been advised by
many Great Dane Groups, that Adult Food for Great Dane Puppies contains too much protein, etc. that
would cause the dog to grow too quickly causing bone and joint problems. Do you have a LARGE BREED PUPPY formula? If not, how does your company address this issue with your adult food line?

I would be very interested in your product, but I am concerned about this issue. He is now on Nutro
Natural Lamb and Rice Large Breed Puppy Food and seems to be doing fine, but I am concerned with
the recall which also included some Nutro Products. His food was not included in this recall, but I still
have concerns. Thanks for any information you might be able to provide.

Dr Jane's Answer: The only thing that a large breed puppy needs different from a smaller puppy is less calories. Bone problems are due ONLY to genetics and gaining weight too fast and playing Frisbee. Manufacturers like to have many items on the shelf because the more there are, the better the chance you will buy them. Thus, they have small breed puppy, large breed puppy, adult regular, adult mature, and the list goes on.

Life's Abundance Premium Health Food For Dogs And Puppies is 100% nutritional according to AAFCO for all life stages.

All studies of large breed puppies show that they should have no less than 26% protein, which we have. Why would one limit protein in a big dog when you need it to grow skin, coat, kidney, lungs, brain, and the list goes on? There is a lot of misinformation out there.

HealthyPetNet Instinctive Choice Canned Cat Food vs. Hill's Prescription C/D

Dear Dr. Jane: I recently adopted an adorable male Himalayan-mix (Paddy O'Toole) who the vet believes to be 5-7 years. I took him to my vet a couple of weeks ago as he was straining when peeing. His urinalysis was normal, his urine culture was negative. The vet initially saw some "debris" or small "crystals" in ultra-sound. She put him on a an anti-smasmodic med and a pain med pending the results of the urinalysis and urine culture. She believes he may have FLUTD, which may be chronic or may not occur again. She requested him that I put him on Prescription Diet c/d Multicare food (wet). He is doing quite well. Previous to the flare up with FLUTD, I was feeding him Innova dry food and a variety of wet foods - Wellness, Innova, Merck, PetGuard, Wysong, etc. My question is: Is the Instinctive Choice comparable to C/D? My vet wanted to get his Ph level lower and it was a bit on the high normal end of the scale. A good friend of mine has a male kitty who had the same sort of problem and she had him on C/D for about 3 months and now has him on Instinctive Choice and he's had no problem. I appreciate your attention and suggestions regarding this issue.

Dr Jane's Answer: If the pH is not acid enough then let's wait it out a few months with the C/D. Please understand that the C/D is really not nutritious. Explain to your veterinarian how important nutrition is and show him/her the ingredients in C/D. The only thing that it does is keep the urine pH more acid, and if it is canned, adds water.

You will start with the Instinctive choice. Your vet will teach you how to take the urine pH herself. If we can't keep it down then you can stay on C/D. 2 - 3 times weekly (dry) and then our Instinctive Choice. Last - it is genetic and it is due to not enough water.

Life's Abundance Dog and Cat Food Processing

Dear Dr. Jane: The order was received. My dog and two cats all seem to like their food. If you could give me any more info on how the pet foods are processed I would appreciate it. Thanks for all of your help.

Dr Jane's Answer: The food is made in a USA plant that is APHIS certified for the European market. That means that there is additional inspections and that the ingredients must be human grade. All ingredients are called "just in time" which means that they arrive and we use them. There is no storage to save money. We extrude (similar to pressure cooking) at about 214 degrees for 16 - 18 seconds. We are proud of our fast cooking.