“Finally my dog Brooke’s UTI was treated effectively and her past bladder infections have not returned” Interview with Jennifer Norato

Cranimals: Jennifer welcome. You have a very special story to share and some health tips for pet owners based on your experience. Tell us what you do?Jennifer: I work here at Ramapo valley animal hospital in Oakland, NJ and I have been working here for over 10 years now. I first started during my college years as a part time job and quickly grew into a passion.
We are a small practice that has steadily been growing through the years. We currently are in a new building and have 2 doctors that specialize in small animals, mostly dogs and cats. We are located in northern New Jersey, which is mostly suburban life but our pets do encounter a lot of wildlife.Cranimals: Tell us about your own pets and their health challenges?Jennifer: I have two dogs, a 6 year old hound mix and a 14 year old Pomeranian and 6 cats! A hazard of my occupation is that I raise abandoned kittens and many of them don’t leave my house! It has never been a challenge keeping 6 cats happy though! They all love each other and play all night long.

My hound mix, Brooke, hasn’t been the healthiest though. I adopted her as an adult and fought her chronic ear and bladder infections from day one.

My old man, Mako, has had the happiest life, but not the healthiest either. One of his legs was amputated almost 8 years ago and has suffered from multiple related health issues.

Cranimals: What made you look into Cranimals and where did you find us?

Jennifer: I first discovered Cranimals in a pet magazine, advertising the benefits of the original formula. It couldn’t have come at a better time!

My Brooke was suffering from another bladder infection caused by her constant struvite crystals. Working at an animal hospital, I had every diagnostic and treatment at my disposal, but still she got infections. She had countless urine tests, blood work, cultures, x-rays, prescription foods, meds, and even ultrasounds but nothing could keep her from making struvite crystals in her bladder.

And then I saw Cranimals! I, of course, had tried cranberry supplements before to help Brooke’s bladder, but this product immediately seemed different than the ones that failed in the past. I immediately placed an order and patiently waited for my shipment!

Cranimals: What seemed different about Cranimals from all the other products and treatments you tried?

Jennifer: I loved the science that is behind the claims of excellence. The Cranimals products didn’t just say it would benefit my dog’s bladder health, it explained how it would. As a pet owner, I loved that the Cranimals company detailed why this supplement was scientifically proven to work so I understood why it would work. Other products I tried didn’t seem to have any scientific backing to their claims.

Cranimals: You mention it was painful to watch Brooke suffer – tell us about that?

Jennifer: Bladder infections most commonly cause symptoms of urinating frequently and in small amounts. It feels like they can’t empty their bladder so they always have the feeling that they need to urinate. But in Brooke’s case, she had struvite crystals, which physically made it painful to urinate. So much so that she would hold her urine as long as she could! She just didn’t want to urinate because she knew it was going to hurt. And that starts the vicious cycle of bacteria collecting in her bladder, creating an infection.

Cranimals: Did she eat it with no fuss?

Jennifer: Brooke, being a hound dog, loved the taste of the Cranimals Original. I initially mixed the Cranimals with some plain yoghurt, which she was already eating for the probiotic benefits. But as I used it more, I realized she loved the flavor no matter how I gave it to her!

Cranimals: And Ramapo valley animal hospital now stock Cranimals?

Jennifer: Yes, getting my colleges on board with this new product was a breeze! They saw me suffering constantly with Brooke’s bladder problems and were amazed with how quickly she felt better. After a month of being free of bladder problems, it was decided to recommend this product to all our patients with similar problems.

Cranimals: What health tip do you have for other animal lovers?

Jennifer: My best tip of advice is to use preventative medicine! It is always better for your pet and more affordable for you, to prevent a health problem than it is to treat one.

I am able to prevent bladder infections for Brooke by giving her two teaspoons a day of Cranimals Original and have saved me thousands of dollars in vet bills, let alone the pain and discomfort that would come along with her infections.

Cranimals: Thank you Jennifer and thank you Ramapo Valley Animal Hospital.

Comments or new interview suggestions to madeleine@cranimal.com

How Cranimals began

The push to develop products for companion animals came from our CEO Wilma’s own dogs in Vancouver – Phoebe, who died of cancer a few years earlier and Charlie, a dog prone to anxiety. The Fraser Valley, based near Vancouver, wedged in between the Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains is quite possibly the best berry growing region in the World. Wilma had researched the role of nutrition in disease and behaviour and already knew these ingredients had tremendous health benefits.The CranimalsTM brand was born in 2008.

At Cranimals we believe strongly in preventative health care and also nutritional medicine. The rise in chronic degenerative disease, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease, over the last few decades in both humans and companion animals is strongly tied to exercise, diet and environment. Most pets are now being raised on highly processed foods, and this includes kibble and dehydrated foods. It is widely accepted that the underlying cause of accelerated aging and degenerative disease is due in large part to oxidative damage and inflammation – countless studies have identified the importance of natural antioxidants (e.g. phytochemicals) and anti inflammatories (e.g. essential fatty acids) in helping to manage oxidation and inflammation. Many other modern pet illnesses including kidney & bladder stones and urinary tract infections are also on the rise. Our mission with the Cranimals line is to help pet parents deliver therapeutic levels of the key nutrients needed to manage or help prevent these problems. As they say…”prevention is better than cure”!

Cranimals Expansion and Future Products by Ryan Calvert

CRANIMALS have enjoyed considerable growth the past 3 years since its introduction into the market. This was achieved by quickly gaining a loyal customer following and earning a reputation of providing innovative quality products.Our supplements are available in pet food stores, health food stores, veterinarian clinics and training and agility organizations­ all over the World! It always makes us feels good to get all the customer feedback of the positive results experienced from feeding CRANIMALS supplements. Visit our facebook page and read testimonials from one of our 15000 fans.Another contributing factor to our success is the outstanding sales and marketing support we offer our retailers like attractive point of sale, single dose samples and online training to equip our retailers with the tools needed to promote CRANIMALS.This year we are putting a focus on expanding even more into Europe and other global regions. We are excited with the opening of our distribution center in the UK earlier this year, facilitating sales to France, the Netherlands and Norway and delivering to retailers and distributors quickly and with lower cost.CRANIMALS will continue to develop and manufacture innovative pet health products and is looking to launch a new product Spring 2012.Peace and Bones and Happy Holidays and a Best New Year from all the animals at Cranimals!Director Sales and Marketing: Ryan Calvert
ryan@cranimal.com