The Healthy Gulp Story:

In the Summer of 2005, we were having a family discussion about what flavor of Propel™ was our favorite. My kids wanted to see what flavor of Propel ™ Willow would like and wanted to do a taste test with her. My husband and I said "No, we can't do that. We can't give Willow Propel ™. Dogs can only drink water, water from the spigot." After a constant barrage of "why nots", we said "Because we just can't" and ended the conversation.

That night when I went to bed, I started to think about our discussion and thought "Why not?" Why shouldn't pets have bottled water, they deserve to have bottled water for the same reason we do. They deserve to have flavored water with vitamins and minerals, instead of the same old plain water every day of their lives.

Most of the next year was spent researching pet nutrition, FDA and AAFCO Rules and Regulations regarding pet foods and supplements and the labeling of same. I also researched how cats and dogs taste and smell and what they can taste and smell. Finding an ingredient that would freshen breath, and is odorless, tasteless, and colorless was a challenge. I finally found Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide (SCD). Unlike other products that freshen breath by simply covering it up, SCD kills the germs that cause the bad breath and tooth decay!

Along the way I discovered how tap water can actually be harmful for our pets. Tap water can contain dangerous levels of chlorine, lead, disinfection by-products, fluoride, other additives or contanminants that are used to make the water safe for us to drink. Yet, at certain levels can cause kidney problems, cancer, brittle bones, and more in our pets.

Willow, my sister's "zoo", and all of our friends and neighbors pets became Healthy Gulp's taste testers. Armed with the knowledge from my research on pet nutrition and based upon the taste tests, I was ready to get serious.

Three individuals Cydney Whitmoyer of Parkside Beverages, Monica Cevallos, of Sniff Design, and Rob Hobson of US Beverage, then helped make my vision become a reality. Cydney, is the beverage formulator who took my ideas and figured out how to bottle it so that it would taste great, be safe, and not grow anything funky! She is incredibly patient and a fellow Penn Stater-how could I go wrong. Not only a true professional, but a great person. Thanks Cydney!

Monica Cevallos, of Sniff Design is a graphic designer who specializes in the pet industry. She is truly artistically gifted. She designed Healthy Gulp's logo and this website. Thanks Monica!

Rob Hobson of US Beverage is the only bottler that I contacted that returned my phone calls. That told me all I needed to know. Rob took the time to explain the complex bottling process, and assisted me with other important things, like choosing a bottle, a lid, and developing a label. He took the time to deal with the no-name, new "little-guy" Thanks Rob!

When I started this endeavor in July of 2005, there were a couple of similar products on the market. In the year and a half that it has taken to develop Healthy Gulp, several more have come out. We think that Healthy Gulp is the best bottled water for your pet. Please take the time to check out our comparison page and decide for yourself!

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