About Fruffy’s
Jill and Jasmyn have a joint passion for pet health and wellness that stem from different origins, but have ultimately wound up aligning for the common goal of Fruffy’s!!
Over a decade ago, I, Jill, was a young mom with 2 cats and a dog. We were the average family with pets that were fed the best quality kibble I could find at our local box pet store. Much to my surprise, each one of my pets were diagnosed with some of the most common diseases. Our rescue dog had allergies and skin issues which was so commonplace that I was told it was “normal”. Our cats developed hyperthyroidism and kidney disease which, again, was considered a “normal” part of the aging process. These health issues require prescription diets and medications to only manage their illnesses, not cure them.
I became frustrated by the fact that their health, both mentally and physically, was declining. I was at my wits end, so I decided to try something different. I switched the cats to human grade canned food, and my dog went on raw. With only a few supplements and the diet change I witnessed a complete return to health! That ignited a passion in me to use nature’s medicine as a first line of defense as both a preventative and a treatment of active disease. Since then, I have made it my life’s mission to educate myself on proper diet and nutrition, as well as supplements and remedies initially for the benefit of my own beloved pets! Now, I am excited to take that passion to the next level, and use it to help others with their precious furry friends!
I, Jasmyn, am Jill’s daughter in law, and I worked as a vet assistant and receptionist for over a year. I saw and learned so much, being on the veterinary side of the equation. I learned that veterinary medicine is wonderful, and in so many instances is the difference between life and death. However, it can be limited, as so many of the medications only treat symptoms and don’t provide a cure.
As I watched Jill feed her pups a raw diet, I began to wonder if the highly processed diets that are recommended and/or prescribed were really the best options for a healthy life. Around that time, I brought home two Maine Coon kittens, and I put them on a raw diet as soon as they got home. I assumed it would be smooth sailing, however my boy, Ryu, was diagnosed with a grade 2-3 heart murmur at 13 weeks old. I was told that if it didn’t resolve by 6 months, that it would be permanent, with all the possible health implications that might entail. Now what?
So, we waited. When he was about 5 months old, I came across a heart tonic. I decided to put him on the heart tonic in hopes of helping his heart grow out of the heart murmur. I started him on it immediately, but at his 6 month appointment, the heart murmur was still evident. Initially I thought that it didn’t work, but Jill advised me to keep giving him the tonic because natural medicine takes time, and to be patient.
He had his next appointment, with a holistic doctor, this time, for his one year well check. She listened and listened, and told me that he was in perfect health! I then told her about the heart murmur, and she listened again, and insisted that there was no heart murmur! Thrilled and relieved, I do believe that the heart tonic was not an immediate fix, but that it did give his heart the support that it needed to repair! For those that are skeptical, he did go back to the original doctor, for another check, and she confirmed that, to her surprise, he no longer had a heart murmur!!
That is my story. I am finishing my Clinical Pet Nutrition Certification from the Academy of Natural Health Sciences out of New Jersey. It is an extensive 500 hour course that has prepared me with the knowledge to help people use natural means to bring their pets into balance.
Together, we are united in our commitment to helping pet guardians make educated and good choices so our pets can live their best lives!
Who Is Fruffy?
Renzo, aka, Fruffy was an Alaskan Malamute with a personality that was larger than life. He was as debonair as James Bond, as mischievous as Houdini, and as goofy as Jim Carey! As I write the words, I appreciate how impossible this combination sounds, but that was him, in a nutshell.
He was an extremely smart and mischievous puppy, with an owner that had no idea what to do with him!! I had read several training books before bringing him home, but I was still ill equipped to handle his antics. He was an expert crate escaper, a professional towel ripper, a masterful counter surfer, and he had a PHD in finding and stealing anything he wasn’t supposed to have! At 9 months, he was an 85 pound adolescent dog that I was pretty sure plotted to take over the world while the rest of us slept! He was wicked smart, and confident beyond measure, and with the help of a very talented trainer, he began to mature into the dog that I had always wanted!.
At 4.5 years old he was in his prime, when it was apparent that he was having trouble breathing. I rushed him to the hospital where I was told that he was suffering with a collapsed lung and my life stopped in an instant. He survived this episode using a novel, noninvasive procedure, and I was lucky enough to bring him home.
The condition ended up being hereditary, as he relapsed after 13 months, and I was gutted. This time, the procedure that saved him the first time, didn’t work. The more aggressive surgery didn’t feel humane, as since we now believed that it was hereditary, he would eventually have another episode, so we made the impossible choice to let him go.
He was a shooting star that lives forever in the hearts of all who knew him. The lessons learned, memories had, and love everlasting will forever be a part of his legacy. This store, in memory of Renzo, is founded on the premise that we can and should use nutrition and nature’s medicine to give our pets the best chance at a long and healthy life where they don’t just survive, they thrive!
