Dog Health & Wellness

Dr. Harvey’s Testimonial – Following Up with Nala

Learn more about the difference quality dog food can make in Nala's Dr. Harvey's Testimonial
Written by Kevin Sando

You have, no doubt, heard us rave about Dr. Harvey’s dog food at least once over the past couple of years.

They are longtime sponsors of our blog, and we truly believe that they make the best dog food around. But you don’t have to just take our word for it – Check out the Q&A below to see how one of our readers dogs is doing after making a switch to Dr. Harvey’s!

A Closer Look at our Dogs Collective Health

At the beginning of 2016, MyDogLikes conducted a large dog health survey to get a better understanding of the most common issues facing our dogs. We received 100’s of responses and have used this information to shape much of our content over the past year.
  
One lucky survey participant was selected to win a trial of Dr. Harvey’s Dog Food – to see what kind of difference it would make in the life of their companion animal.
 
A photo of Nala before her Dr. Harvey's trial - weighing in at 15.6 lbs.

Introducing Nala – A Dr. Harvey’s Testimonial

The beautiful pup above is named Nala, and she was the lucky winner of our Dr. Harvey’s trial. According to her Mom (at the time of the original survey) she suffered from allergies and had a dry skin/coat. She also has food allergies/intolerances and could be a picky eater.
  

Nala’s Mom had also expressed interest in preparing homemade meals for her, but wanted to make sure that all of Nala’s nutritional needs were met. She was very excited to try out Dr. Harvey’s – and see what impact it would have on Nala’s health.

What was Nala Eating before her trial of Dr. Harvey’s?

Nala was eating a grain free kibble with a homemade topper (usually ground turkey, or a blend of veggies and oatmeal). 

How Long has Nala been Eating Dr. Harvey’s? 

Nala ate Dr. Harvey’s exclusively for about two months and it is now in the rotation of dehydrated and freeze dried foods we feed. We still use Veg-to-Bowl and Oracle quite often.
Preparing Veg-to-Bowl pre-mix from Dr. Harvey's

What forms of feeding Dr. Harvey’s have you tried?

Nala has tried Dr. Harvey’s Oracle Grain Free Tripe (no longer offered but she loved it), Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl, and the new formula of Dr. Harvey’s Oracle Grain Free Beef. I have also given both dogs Dr. Harvey’s Health and Shine, Coconut Smiles, and the Green Tripe treats (Power Pops).
Dr. Harvey's makes preparing homemade dog food easy with pre-mixes like Veg-to-Bowl. Just add your own protein and oil for a balanced meal.

Was preparing homemade meals as difficult as you thought?

Making a homemade meal for the pups (we added another dog to the family) was so easy using Dr. Harvey’s. Oracle is so easy to prepare since all you do is add water so it’s the best when I don’t have a lot of time. I have made homemade food for the dogs from scratch in the past and is was time consuming since I had to figure out ways to balance it nutritionally. Veg to Bowl took the headache out of home-cooking since all I had to do was to choose a protein and an oil. Veg to Bowl is fun to use since you can rotate proteins and oils as you please. We used goat, beef, turkey, chicken, (sometimes added sardines) for the proteins and for oils we used olive oil, coconut oil, and fish oil.
Homemade cupcakes (or pupcakes) using Veg-to-Bowl and ground turkey.
We even used pureed Veg to Bowl and Turkey to make pupcakes for Nala’s Birthday.
 

Do you have any tips or tricks to make the meal prep easier?

When I used veg to bowl making large batches worked best and I even froze some so that is would just need to be thawed overnight and be ready for the next day. Nala is small so I froze the already prepared food to make sure it wasn’t in the fridge too long. Freezing didn’t seem to harm the consistency of the food. I also added Canned Sardines (no salt added) into some batches to mix things up for Nala and it adds some more Omega 3 fatty acids to the food.

How would you now describe Nala’s overall health?

Nala is healthier than ever and is the fittest she has ever been in her life.

Since eating Dr. Harvey’s Nala has had more energy and is now able to keep up with her younger fur sibling, Cody. She acts like the younger dog and encourages Cody to play, which is great to see since she is 6 and Cody is 1. She is also much more muscular, that is probably a combo of food and a new playmate in Cody. I find that she is a lot less itchy and her coat is more shiny which is something that I was hoping for since she has always been an itchy pup. She also is very enthusiastic for dinner time.

Nala playing with her sister after her Dr. Harvey's trial. She now weighs 15.0 lbs is more muscular and energetic than ever!

Would you recommend Dr. Harvey’s to a friend?

I would definitely recommend Dr. Harvey’s to a friend especially since it makes home-cooking for dogs so much easier. 

The Dr. Harvey’s Difference

As you can see, Dr. Harvey’s was a big hit with Nala, and her Mom reports that she is doing better than ever. We wanted to quickly relate a few of her comments with our own experiences to show you how closely they align.

Energy Levels

Nala’s improved higher energy levels correspond directly to what we have seen in our own dogs as well. Harley has more energy than he has had in years (as a 10 year old!) and it is so satisfying to see that new pep in his step. Even after his daily walk he is routinely whining in the evenings hoping to play some more!

Allergies 

Both of our boys are also significantly less itchy after making the switch to Dr. Harvey’s. They used to each suffer from at least 1 or 2 skin infections on their belly every Summer, but we have been able to avoid these issues all but one time over the past 2 years.

Variety of Feeding Options

Finally – the variety of feeding options is perhaps our favorite aspect.

  • Want to prepare homemade meals? Veg-to-Bowl has you covered, saving you tons of time in prep and the headaches of making sure each meal is nutritionally balanced.
  • Short on time or need something easier? Canine Health and Oracle are completely balanced freeze dried meals. Just add water and you are ready to go!

Want to try out Dr. Harvey’s for yourself?

Click here to save an additional 10% with our exclusive code: MDL1231

If you want to read more inspiring stories – head on over to their website to read hundreds of testimonials, where Dr. Harvey’s has literally changed lives.

About the author

Kevin Sando

Kevin is a mechanical engineer with a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has move than a decade experience in new product design, prototyping and early stage manufacturing. Pairing this background with his love of dogs, gives him a unique perspective to evaluate the design and execution of new and interesting pet products.

2 Comments

  • We have the veg to bowl, but haven’t tried it yet. I think it will be a good choice. Nala looks great and quite happy.

  • Thanks so much for featuring Nala and giving us the opportunity to try Dr. Harvey’s products. Oracle and Veg to bowl are now in the food rotation all the time and add a great variety to the Nala and Cody’s diet. Oracle grain free fish is next on the list for the pups to try.