Pet Health Institute

Pet Health Institute was founded in 1999 for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing an exclusive line of proprietary nutritional supplements for pets called Dr. Kruger’s supplements. This exclusive line of nutritional supplements was developed by Dr. Charles Kruger, a Seattle based veterinarian, over 20 years ago for use in his practice. The Ultimate Supplement was an incredible medical success in the field for those formative years, but to capitalize on it's potential would require a different approach.

In 2001, new owners moved the operation to Portland, Oregon and initiated a focused marketing plan that serviced professional dog people with superior products. Today, we now offer that same technology and care to pet owners who are serious about nutrition for their pets.

Pet Health Institute has grown over the last few years and not only serves customers directly through the Internet, but through regional distributors in the United States and Internationally.

Our corporate mantra is "It's all about the dog". We intend to support that thought with products that consider and promote healthy nutrition for the pet industry and as we grow, our focus will be on continuing Dr. Kruger's commitment to our "Best Friends" by always delivering the highest quality products for you and your pet.

The Kruger Story

As the creator of Dr. Kruger’s supplements,  Dr. Charles Kruger is man of action. His life-long work and compassion for animals speaks volumes of his commitment to improving the quality of life for our pet companions.   Along with being a nationally respected veterinarian, he is a world-class breeder of Pembroke Welsh Corgis and German Shepherds, and a top-level show judge.  Like the man himself, his history is interesting and varied.  Let's take a brief look at the mission that drives Dr. Kruger to work so tirelessly and selflessly at improving the health and happiness of our pet companions.

In The Beginning

Since the 1970's, an unexplainable sudden-death syndrome has stalked German Shepherds.  It has killed some of the nation’s most highly prized champions, usually within 48 hours of showing initial symptoms.  Breeders, owners and handlers had become desperate, but no one knew how to predict it, prevent it, or worse yet cure it. Then, in the early 1980's, the breed suffered a tragic loss with the sudden death of the great German Shepherd, Ch. Karagin's Crusader ROM.  Although not his own, Dr. Kruger was deeply saddened by the loss of this particular dog since he embodied all the best characteristics of the breed.  Even more frustrating was that no one knew what mysterious illness took the dog's life.  Dr. Kruger however, was determined to discover what was killing the best cared for, most highly bred dogs and discover a way to stop such a senseless death.

A Discovery Is Made

Along with the assistance of Helen ("Scootie") Sherlock and Judith Hale, Dr. Kruger discovered and named this baffling sudden-death disease as Toxic Gut Syndrome (medically known as Clostridial enterotoxaemia). To understand why Toxic Gut Syndrome is so lethal, one must understand how it develops from an unfriendly strain of bacteria that already lives in the gut of every dog.  These normally low-level bacteria can multiply to dangerously high levels causing the intestine to become irreversibly paralyzed.  This causes a deadly amount of bacterial overgrowth in the digestive tract and reduces its capacity for digesting food, which ultimately leads to death.  He also found that German Shepherds and a few other breeds were more susceptible to this chain of events as their bodies do not secrete enough pancreatic enzymes to destroy these unfriendly bacteria.  In all, the effects of Toxic Gut Syndrome are the same as if a dog were to eat poison, except the poisoning would begin internally, stemming from the dog's gut and intestine.

Prevention Is The Key

Dr. Kruger realized the only way to stop Toxic Gut Syndrome was to prevent it from occurring in the first place.  He came upon the idea of supplementing the dogs' diets with the missing enzymes and probiotics needed to control the unfriendly bacteria.  For an extra measure of safety he added in good bacteria (medically known as Lactobacilli) that are critical to the dog’s digestive tract and its normal process of fighting off bad bacteria. As he knew that even the best dog foods do not provide all the required bio-available vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary for good health, he added them to his formula to make the only complete All-In-One supplement on the market today.

True Surprises

Over the next 20 years Dr. Kruger used the supplements on his own dogs and dispensed it privately through his own veterinarian practice to owners of both champion and companion dogs. Once the supplement became widely used by champion German Shepherds, Toxic Gut Syndrome virtually disappeared, proving the correctness of Dr. Kruger's reasoning. The true surprise, however, was that there were improvements in so many other areas of health for the dogs, including more energy, better coat and skin, and relief from chronic digestive problems - from diarrhea to constipation.

Today...

Dr. Kruger's supplements have become legendary on the show circuit, but over the years it had only been available in small quantities through Dr. Kruger's vet clinic.  We felt that every dog should have an equal opportunity to experience a higher level of health.  Based on this, Pet Health Institute has made sure Dr. Kruger's products are available to each and every dog in the country.   We manufacture five unique formulations that target specific dog health issues - and one for cats.  It is fast becoming a leader among discriminating pet owners everywhere, who only give the best to their pets!

For additional information regarding Toxic Gut Syndrome, we suggest taking a moment to read Dr. Kruger's article "Toxic Gut Syndrome: The Silent Killer".

Contact Information

Please direct any questions, comments, a
nd suggestions to:

Pet Health Institute
PO Box 2025
Tualatin, OR 97062
800.711.8736