How do you build a dream… What do you do when you know you have something almost miraculously beneficial to pets and yet have the overwhelming task of letting pet owners know it even exists?
I had a sad phone call this morning,,
one that not only grieved me, but also angered me. The anger I felt spurred me on to take the photos you see here, to move forward with a dream that from my vantage point in my farmhouse kitchen in Ohio, seems an almost impossible one to attain.
The phone rang and balancing the little bottle of Elixir on the counter so it wouldn’t roll off, I answered the call. It was Margaret Adams, a long-time dog breeder friend, calling to tell me that a local Collie breeder in Charleston had contacted her after hearing about our Agatha’a Apothecary line of products. It seems this lady had a new litter of puppies and that she had been having problems keeping their blood sugar levels stable, a common issue in puppies. This lady has absolutely stunning Collies, and a few years ago had bred the #1 Rough Collie in the nation, obviously a knowledgeable woman, but like myself she had believed that a popular pet supplement was the only way to address the issues in her puppies. Margaret said the lady had been using it to try and stabilize them. I groaned inwardly knowing where she was going with her story.
The puppies, though fussy eaters (a common side effect of this widely used product), had passed their 9 week puppy exam with her veterinarian, and had been released to new homes. As I waited for the story to unfold, I knew already that the outcome probably was a grim one. It seems that the first little girl puppy, a sweet baby called Molly, had been in her new home only 3 days when the owner called frantically to say that the puppy who just the evening before had been playing with her children, was limp and unresponsive and on her way to the emergency animal hospital.
Even after spending almost a thousand dollars, little Molly was gone,,,
A victim of her breeders good intentions and products that do more harm than good. Her lack of the right tools to keep her puppies healthy in that critical transition time of going to a new home resulted in the needless death of a beautiful puppy and a heartbroken family, not mention the financial losses incurred.
In years past I too had used that same commonly available supplement, and similar products like it until I lost one too many little puppies. Determined to know why was I losing puppies, why the more I used the thick sugary paste, the less my puppies ate, the more difficult it became to keep their appetites stimulated. Why would some of them began to have wildly fluctuating blood sugar levels and repeatedly crash when I tried to wean them off the corn syrup laden gel. Eventually I realized that the product I was using to support them was instead contributing to their problems. This is probably one of the most frequently used products for raising puppies and kittens, and unfortunately, one that has damaging side affects that are often unnoticed until it’s too late. Too late to stop the downhill slide little creatures can quickly make if there’s not swift intervention. Out of desperation, I began to search for a healthier alternative and finally found a product that had no less than amazing results when used not only for puppies like Molly, but for any time a pet needs extra immune system support. Working with a small private lab and a dog breeder of over 30 years, I’ve found a supplement we’ve christened Agatha’s Prebiotic Elixir.
A nourishing blend of proprietary herbs, vitamins and minerals formulated in a delicious barley apple cider syrup. Dogs love the taste and Agatha’s Elixir offers the happy benefit of gently stimulating appetites while normalizing and stabilizing blood sugar levels. This single item has been amazingly effective, quite easily one of the most beneficial I’ve found for animals who need extra calories and nutritional support during times of stress. CLICK HERE to purchase this product for your beloved furry friends, cats and dogs alike!
The dream that looks so impossible?
To help pet owners and dog breeders alike, find products that help their dogs live longer healthier lives and avoid costly vet bills.
I hope to encourage dog owners to stop using products that do more harm than good, to avoid the heartbreak and expense that lack of proper supplementation can bring. To help owners of dogs of all ages give them the products they need, simply and inexpensively. As I boxed up a small order of my much loved little product “Agatha’s Elixir” to mail to our client Constance, I reflect on what this package will mean to her pets. She had emailed me to say that her 3 dogs are thriving on our products, and that she was especially delighted that her 14 year old Golden Retriever who has Cushings Disease showed a marked improvement after just two weeks of taking Agatha’a Apothecary Advanced Probiotics, our ultra-high potency probiotic. Now, a year later, Constance wants to keep plenty on hand. She wrote to thank me for how much the products have helped her dogs.
It’s tough to start a small business in your kitchen, to build an online presence and community, to navigate social media and get the word out in the vast online world already teeming with other stories, to make the investments and find labs to produce my products, to do all it takes to help prevent such small tragedies like Molly’s.
I’m grateful for my customers and puppy people who continue to help spread the word, but it seems such an enormous task… This story was in the back of my mind as I hung up the phone, the winter sun was shining on the counter where I had placed my small shipment and labels, I picked up my camera to try and capture the reality of the process, to help illustrate the smallness and the immensity of what I have endeavored to do. I took several random shots, grieving the loss of yet another baby puppy who very likely would have thrived on our nourishing little elixir.
After I downloaded the first photos, I looked amazed at the first image, the little bottle of elixir on it’s side, dear Agatha gazing at me from the label, and unnoticed by me, as I’d taken the photo, a tiny rainbow shone across the counter where it lay, like a promise of good things to come.
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