As responsible manufacturers of healthful treats for dogs, we try to present news and information of interest to retailers who, like us, believe that pet owners deserve the very best for their beloved companions.
Luxury pet products leading the way in sales
Retailers continue to appeal to pet owners. Whether looking for broader customer reach or attracted by high profit margins, this trend is evident across the range of retailers, from dollar stores to luxury boutiques. Even Target and Wal-Mart are moving upmarket, but what's at the top?
In the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, a much larger selection of luxury pet accessories was featured than last year, including a $185 dog leash that matches personal accessories and an Italian-designed dog house for $8,000. Notably, there's also a Neiman Marcus-branded pet throw costing from $485 to $800.
Macy's haslaunched it's second pet department in Philadelphia. The first 'Pet on the Woof' boutique has opened in NYC.
Harrod's in the UK holds an annual pet fashion show called Pet-a-Porter.
Online retaile,Pampered Puppy, recently wrote about brand extensions from the likes of Kate Spade, Von Dutch and Burberry.
http://weeklypets.blogspot.com/search/label/luxury
Food Safety Amendment approved by Senate
WASHINGTON, DC] - Today the Senate passed, by a vote of 94-0, an amendment introduced by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) that will strengthen the nation's food safety system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of the federal agencies charged with safeguarding the U.S. food supply, has come under fire recently in the wake of nationwide recalls and quarantines of tainted pork, spinach, peanut butter and pet food.
Durbin's amendment establishes an early warning and notification system for human food, as well as pet food, establish fines for companies that don't promptly report contaminated products, improves inspections/monitoring of imports, and provides better, more uniform pet food safety standards. Durbin's amendment was accepted as part of the FDA Reauthorization bill, S.1082.
http://www.durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=273506
Study shows bacterial contamination common in commercially-available raw meat diets
This study was conducted in order to evaluate bacterial and protozoal contamination of commercially-available raw meat diets for dogs. In a prospective longitudinal study, 240 samples from 20 raw meat diets for dogs (containing beef, lamb, chicken or turkey), 24 samples from two dry dog foods and 24 samples from two canned dog foods were evaluated.
Each product was purchased commercially on four dates approximately two months apart. Three samples from each product at each sampling period were evaluated via bacterial culture for non-type-specific Escherichia coli (NTSEC), Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter spp. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on selected isolates. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to detect DNA from Cryptosporidium spp, Neospora spp and Toxoplasma spp in samples obtained in the third and fourth sampling periods.
One hundred fifty-three of 288 (53%) samples were contaminated with NTSEC. Both raw and prepared foods contained NTSEC during at least one culture period. Salmonella enterica was recovered from 17 (5.9%) samples, all of which were raw meat products. Campylobacter spp was not isolated from any samples. In 91 of 288 (31.6%) samples, there was no gram-negative bacterial growth before enrichment, and in 48 of 288 (16.7%) samples, there was no aerobic bacterial growth before enrichment. Susceptibility phenotypes were variable. Cryptosporidium spp DNA was detected in three samples.
From this study it was found that bacterial contamination is common in commercially-available raw meat diets, suggesting that there is a risk of foodborne illness in dogs fed these diets, as well as possible risk for humans associated with the dogs or their environments.
Source: Strohmeyer, RA, et al., 2006. Evaluation of bacterial and protozoal contamination of commercially-available raw meat diets for dogs. JAVMA 228:537-542.