Thrive4Life Holistic Pet Food is a new destination in WhitchurchStouffville that sells premium pet foods and unique lifestyle products to help enhance the quality of life for both dogs and cats. Lucy Jabrayan opened Thrive4Life last August. The detached store sits in front of a country house on a lovely, partially forested 25-acre farm, just north and west of where Durham Road 8 intersects with York Durham Line. Thrive4Life is open Tuesday-Saturday.
Thrive4Life is the intermingling of Lucy’s passions in life – a love and caring for animals, and a holistic lifestyle. Lucy has been in the health and nutraceutical industry for over a decade, with an educational background in holistic and sports nutrition, exercise physiology, a BSc degree in Psychology, and a certification as an equine massage therapist.
On the farm, you may see dogs and cats, chickens and goats, a pet Parakeet, and two horses. Lucy has been an avid rider since she was 9 years old. Lucy considers herself a curator of the best pet food the industry has to offer. “I want to take the guess work out of selecting the best for your pets,” says Lucy. “Our motto is ‘Why wait for something to break before fixing it’, as we believe in taking a proactive approach to health since so many diseases have become such an epidemic. Statistics show that there is a significant increase in disease and illnesses that are affecting our beloved pets over the past few decades.”
Thrive4Life specializes in high quality raw pet food (hormone and antibiotic free), unique and natural lifestyle products, natural treats, kibble toppers, and farm fresh goods. Lucy carries raw food in many forms, including freeze-dried and dehydrated that have the convenience of kibble but the nutrition of raw.
Whether it be in the form of freeze-dried or dehydrated, you can be assured that “it is quality through and through” says Lucy. Like any diet, human or otherwise, the raw diet is somewhat controversial. There are volumes online about the issue that passionately support both sides of the argument; one side speaking to risk, the other side about vigor and healing. You have to decide whether raw pet food is a path for you.
At the very least, stop in and consult with Lucy. She is approachable and is happy to talk about pets.
One thing I learned (Editor), is that Thirve4Life, the local box pet store, and your veterinarian all have a different opinion of what’s best for you and your pet. Perhaps the only thing they would all agree upon is not to feed your pet the crappiest food, often made by well-known name brands: big marketing doesn’t always translate into nutrition. Lucy offers a voice and she is pleasant to visit with.