According to the 2012 US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, 43 million households in the United States own dogs and 36 million own cats. With so many pet owners in the US, it’s not surprising that the pet products industry is a booming business. Our pets are part of the family and this holiday season, give them the gift of health.

“As the days get shorter and the weather colder, our pets spend more time indoors, with less exercise, leading to unhealthy weight gain and inactivity, both negatives in the area of good health,” says Will Post, President of Hounds & Gatos Pet Foods.  “An easy way to insure your pet enjoys a healthy life is to use similar guidelines one would use for one’s self.  If you instill good eating, exercise and sleep schedules, your pet, and you, will reap the benefits resulting in a longer and happier life”, he says.

Hound & Gatos Educates Pet Owners about Cancer Detection and Prevention during National Pet Cancer Awareness Month

Cancer is the number one disease-related killer of pets today. In fact, the Morris Animal Foundation states that 1 in 4 dogs will die of cancer and according to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, cancer accounts for approximately half the deaths of dogs over ten years of age. November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and Hound & Gatos Pet Foods Corporation hopes to increase awareness about the detection and prevention of pet cancer.

Pet food sales are big business. In fact, the Pet Food Institute reported that during 2012 there was $19 billion worth of cat and dog food sold in the U.S. alone. Not all pet foods are created equal, however, and some may even have ingredients that are down right dangerous to be feeding to cats and dogs. One ingredient in particular that has been coming under fire is carrageenan.

“Increasingly people are beginning to realize how important it is to read the ingredient list on their pet food can or bag,” explains Will Post, President of Hound & Gatos Pet Food Corporation. “The problem with that is they will find many ingredients that they don’t recognize at all. Unless they invistigate further, reading the ingredients may not be enough to help keep pets safe and healthy.”