Pet food/gear/supplies industry updates

[speedog]

Not even if this type of info is allowed to be posted in these forums, but seeing as many people are pet owners and seeing as I am in the retail pet food/gear/supplies industry, I though it might be prudent to post up info about a massive recall regarding all dry dog, cat and ferret foods being recalled by Natura Pet foods (owned by Proctor & Gamble) - namely Innova, EVO, California Natural, Healthwise and Karma.

This recall (for salmonella) started off quite small, had a second broader recall announced a short time later and this weekend, Natura Pet foods recalled all of their dry dog, cat and ferret foods - we have pulled all of their recalled product of of our stores shelves and are in the process of contacting our customers who have purchased the affected product recently. There are also some EVO dog and cat treats that have been recalled as well - see this link on Natura's web site for more details. Please note that you should not be able to buy any of the recalled items at this time as everything has been recalled and new product has not arrived at our distributor's warehouse locations as of yet. In fact, the soonest any consumer should see safe Natura products back on the shelves will be the middle of next week.

A little background on myself - I will not promote or identify our own shop and at times, you may even find me actively promoting other independent shops and I ask of anyone that knows of who we are, that they don't post that information in these forums out of respect for the forum rules and other businesses that are paid sponsors.

Please note that I will not actively promote big box stores or independents that operate in the same 'big box' fashion as I am a firm believer that a well run, small independent shop or small franchised chain shop with properly educated staff can offer up a better shopping experience to the average consumer. That said, if you're well versed/educated in what you're looking for, then by all means look for the best price - hell, even I occasionally buy stuff at retail prices at Pisces because we don't stock that particular item or because I had a brain fart and forgot something at our shop some 30+km across town.

[speedog]

So a second post with links to two more great resources - the Merck Veterinary Manual Online for Veterinary Professionals (link) and the Merck Manual for Pet Health for Pet Owners (link).

As always, we advocate taking your pet to a veterinary location as opposed to doing any self diagnosis/treatment - the information contained at the two links provided above is meant only to serve as an educational resource and certainly, we have personally learned a lot about a lifelong medical condition that one of our cats has to live with through the knowledge we gained at the Merck web site.

[Ducay]

If there has been an underserved area on CP, I would agree it is the pet food/gear/supplies genre. I'd almost suggest we need a seperate sub-forum for pet food/gear/supplies.

Does this mean you work at a pet store? Supplier? CP discount?

[speedog]

Originally Posted by Ducay

If there has been an underserved area on CP, I would agree it is the pet food/gear/supplies genre. I'd almost suggest we need a seperate sub-forum for pet food/gear/supplies.

Does this mean you work at a pet store? Supplier? CP discount?

My wife and I own a small independent retail pet food/supplies/grooming store here in Calgary - 5+ years now and I will post relevant info up info in this thread. I am not here to promote our shop as stated in my first post, just here to provide helpful information.

The expanded Natura recall notice above would be a great example of what I'm going to try to provide as often this type of information won't make it on to regular news channels/sources - at least in here, we can reach a number of people who can spread the news. Of note, I am active in two other forums where numerous Calgarians discuss issues and we also regularly provide updates similar to the above on our web site as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Considering the breadth of this most recent recall, I believe it is prudent to get this information out to pet owners so they can take the necessary precautions if need be.

[CaramonLS]

How much leeway do you have in ordering certain types of pet food?

My cat needs some special food that I can only get at the vet (Royal Canin variety).

[speedog]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

How much leeway do you have in ordering certain types of pet food?

My cat needs some special food that I can only get at the vet (Royal Canin variety).

Pet foods you buy at a vet can only be bought at a vet and vets (for the most part) do not sell regular retail pet foods - just the way the industry is set up.

Might I ask what kind of Royal Canin vet food you are buying for your cat and for what medical reason?

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by speedog

Not even if this type of info is allowed to be posted in these forums, but seeing as many people are pet owners and seeing as I am in the retail pet food/gear/supplies industry, I though it might be prudent to post up info about a massive recall regarding all dry dog, cat and ferret foods being recalled by Natura Pet foods (owned by Proctor & Gamble) - namely Innova, EVO, California Natural, Healthwise and Karma.

This recall (for salmonella) started off quite small, had a second broader recall announced a short time later and this weekend, Natura Pet foods recalled all of their dry dog, cat and ferret foods - we have pulled all of their recalled product of of our stores shelves and are in the process of contacting our customers who have purchased the affected product recently. There are also some EVO dog and cat treats that have been recalled as well - see this link on Natura's web site for more details. Please note that you should not be able to buy any of the recalled items at this time as everything has been recalled and new product has not arrived at our distributor's warehouse locations as of yet. In fact, the soonest any consumer should see safe Natura products back on the shelves will be the middle of next week.

A little background on myself - I will not promote or identify our own shop and at times, you may even find me actively promoting other independent shops and I ask of anyone that knows of who we are, that they don't post that information in these forums out of respect for the forum rules and other businesses that are paid sponsors.

Please note that I will not actively promote big box stores or independents that operate in the same 'big box' fashion as I am a firm believer that a well run, small independent shop or small franchised chain shop with properly educated staff can offer up a better shopping experience to the average consumer. That said, if you're well versed/educated in what you're looking for, then by all means look for the best price - hell, even I occasionally buy stuff at retail prices at Pisces because we don't stock that particular item or because I had a brain fart and forgot something at our shop some 30+km across town.

I have a question. We use that EVO dog food, it is all my dog has ever ate. The weight management one. She has been healthy as can be. One time we ran out and bought something else from the grocery store, and she barfed it all up. So, what is something by another brand comparable to that, that she can quickly switch to? And if she is a quarter through her bag of recalled food and no one is sick, any point in throwing it out now?

[speedog]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I have a question. We use that EVO dog food, it is all my dog has ever ate. The weight management one. She has been healthy as can be. One time we ran out and bought something else from the grocery store, and she barfed it all up. So, what is something by another brand comparable to that, that she can quickly switch to? And if she is a quarter through her bag of recalled food and no one is sick, any point in throwing it out now?

Going to be a tough one to replaced because of it's very high protein content - best bets would be Horizon Legacy adult (made in Saskatchewan), Orijen Senior or Adult (made in Alberta), Holistic Blend grain free (made in Ontario), Wellness Core Reduced Fat (made in USA), Blue Wilderness Senior (made in USA) or Timberwolf Chicken (made in USA). The first four should be quite easy to find in Calgary - the last two more difficult to find.

Hard to say if it's safe a quarter of the way through the bag - problem is the vet bills you could face if your dog does get sick. I'd say contact either Natura directly or contact the store that sold you this bag of food - I know that we are contacting our customers directly for those that we have current contact information for and are suggesting that they bring the food they purchased from us back for a refund and to get something else that will hopefully work in the mean time before the new Natura products appears back on our shelves.

Tough one for Natura - never have I heard of a company's compete product line being pulled from the shelves. Luckily for us it's not a major seller in our shop although it could prove problematic for the customers who have their animals on Natura products.

[speedog]

Another point - salmonella can be passed from pets to humans, is thaht another risk you're willing to take?

[Cowperson]

What toy is better from a pet store for a cat than a scrunched up piece of paper or using sunlight on your watch to project a dot on a wall?

Cowperson