Pet owners are
more aware of what their pets eat since a food recall last spring,
says the owner of a local pet shop.
Barb Paur, owner
of Paws/Mount Rushmore Birds, said 98 percent of the treats sold at
Paws are homemade with natural ingredients, which makes them a
favorite of her customers with canines.
Of the vast
selection of dog treats pet owners can choose from at Paws/Mount
Rushmore Birds, the most popular are Judy Warren's homemade
cheeseburger and pizza cookies.
In the spring of
2007, several pet foods were pulled from shelves when melamine was
discovered in wheat gluten imported from China. Wheat gluten is
used as a thickening agent or binding ingredient in various pet
foods, particularly in wet pet foods.
Countless dogs and
cats died after eating pet food containing melamine. Melamine can
be used to make plastics, cleaning products, glues, inks and
fertilizers. Mixed with wheat gluten, it gives the appearance of
raising the protein level, according to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
Hill City cat
breeder Darla Bohnet's Maine coon cats were safe during the recall,
but her 75-year-old mother in Chamberlain lost her cocker
spaniel.
The 9-year-old dog
died within three days of eating contaminated food. The pet's death
was hard on her mother, Bohnet said, especially since the
contaminated food was bought because the store was out of her usual
brand.
"My mother is
alone now," Bohnet said. "The dog was nice company for
her."
Bohnet orders her
cat food directly from a supplier. The company, Royal Canin wasn't
involved in the recall, but the extent of the impact on the pet
food industry "was scary," she said.
Although she has
complete confidence in the quality of cat food she buys, Bohnet did
monitor the company's Web site closely during the national
recall.
"I don't know what
I would have done (if Royal Canin had recalled products)," she
said.
Some of the pet
foods recalled were good pet foods, according to Pet Pantry manager
Laura Sumner. Sumner had only a few cans of cat food that were
included in the recall.
None of her
customers reported any pet illnesses because of contaminated food,
she said.
In the last year,
however, Sumner has noticed that pet owners are paying more
attention to the pet foods they buy, requesting natural and
American ingredients. They also look for American-made pet toys,
she said.
"I get those
questions a lot more than I used to," Sumner said.
Pet lovers are
also willing to pay a premium price for American products,
according to Kelly Doyle. Doyle and her husband, Jim, bought Pet
Giant last July.
"They want
everything made in America," Doyle said.
Natural pet foods
are also growing in popularity among her customers, she
said.
"We have a lot
more people looking for all-natural dog food than before," Doyle
said.
Doyle sells a
natural variety manufactured by Nutro, one of the companies that
did get caught in the melamine scare.
Nutro's Altra food
has "everything in it - cranberries, garlic, salmon," Doyle said.
The ingredients are all natural and there are no
fillers.
Last year's recall
was big, but it is not the first time pet foods have been
recalled.
Pet lovers take
the same risks with their pets that they face any time they eat
commercially prepared foods, according to Kami Ireland, a
veterinarian at Dakota Hills Veterinary Clinic. Pet food recalls
are not uncommon, even for dry foods, she said.
Ireland said the
pet owners she meets do not seem overly concerned about the safety
of their pet's food.
"The pet food
market's a lot like the human food market, we trust our government
regulations and the inspection processes," Ireland
said.
Dakota Hills does
not sell the pouch-type wet pet food that was the primary concern
during the recall.
Ireland said that
she could understand if pet owners are avoiding wet pet
foods.
"I'm sure that on
a larger industry standpoint, they're selling less of that,"
Ireland said.
The only way pet
owners can guarantee the safety of their pet's food is to "make
your own," Ireland said. "And, you're still at the mercy of
salmonellas and E. coli and things like that."
More pet owners
are taking a holistic approach to feeding their pets than before
the pet food recall, according to Teri Schweiss, a veterinarian at
Mountain View Animal Hospital.
"We're seeing
people a little more conscious of what their pets eat," she said.
"That's been the trend for a long time."
American pet
owners are fortunate that the pet food industry is required to
provide basic level of nutritional value in all products, Schweiss
said.
"Being able to
evaluate a pet food label is an art," Schweiss said. However,
reading a product's label isn't going to necessarily tell you
what's in that bag, she said.
Schweiss
recommends doing your research by going to the company to find
digestibility studies to understand what your pet is
eating.
"There is no pet
food on the market that you can buy now that would not provide the
base-level of nutrition that your cat or dog needs," she said.
"That's been well-established and well-regulated. You're not going
to get a malnourished animal on any pet food."
Just like you,
however, the overall health of your pet is going to be affected by
the quality of the food it eats.
"Eating McDonald's
every day, you're not going to die of malnourishment, but you're
not going to be healthy either," she said. "There's definitely a
difference between the cheap grocery store foods and the real
premium foods."
Paur said many dog
owners want their pets to have foods that are "human-grade" and
more natural. She recently added a line of dog food that is
oatmeal-based, rather than corn or wheat-based.
"You're seeing
people doing more fish diets," Paur said. Foods containing fish,
sweet potatoes and venison are popular, she said.
Contact Andrea
Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
Companies charged for
selling contaminated pet food
One year after melamine was
discovered in wheat gluten imported from China, a federal grand
jury has incited several for their part in sale of the wheat gluten
to pet food manufacturers.
Last March, several pet food
manufacturers, including a Canadian-based company that recalled 60
million containers of pet food, where forced to pull their products
off store shelves.
According to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration's Web site, a 26-count indictment was handed
down against a Chinese firm that processes and exports plant
proteins to the United States and two Chinese nationals.
In a separate, but related,
27-count indictment, a Las Vegas, Nev., corporation and two
individuals were charged. All have been charged with delivering
adulterated food containing melamine into interstate commerce,
introduction of a misbranded food into interstate commerce, along
with other charges.
The indictments allege that more
than 800 tons of purported wheat gluten, valued at nearly $850,000
were imported between November of 2006 and February of 2007.
