Bully sticks dog treats may be high in calories, contain bacteria

Dog treats known as bully or pizzle sticks may actually have more calories than expected and may also be contaminated by bacteria, according to a new study published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal.
Researchers from Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine studied 26 bully sticks, dog treats made from the uncooked, dried penis of a bull or steer, which were made by different manufacturers. They found that the dog treats contained 9 to 22 calories per inch, an average of 88 calories in the standard 6-inch bully stick. The amount of calories researchers found to be in the treats makes up 30 percent of a 10-pound dog's daily calorie requirement and 9 percent of a 50-pound dog's daily calorie requirement.
"While calorie information isn't currently required on pet treats or most pet foods, these findings reinforce that veterinarians and pet owners need to be aware of pet treats like these bully sticks as a source of calories in a dog's diet," said the study's author Dr. Lisa Freeman, a professor of nutrition at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. "With obesity in pets on the rise, it is important for pet owners to factor in not only their dog's food, but also treats and table food."
In addition, nearly one-third of the bully stick treats examined by researchers were found to be contaminated with bacteria. The type of bacteria found varied: Clostridium difficile was found in one stick, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found in one stick, and E. coli was found in seven sticks. 

Wellness natural pet food brand launches TV ad campaign

Wellness debuted a new ad campaign to highlight the benefits of a natural pet food diet.

WellPet LLC recently premiered its Wellness natural pet food brand's first TV commercial in more than two years, on cable networks in the US.
The 30- and 15-second commercial spots feature a lively, healthy Border Collie, named Wellsy, which the company says represents the vibrancy a pet can achieve on a natural pet food diet. Wellsy is shown next to Stuffy, a lookalike dog on a big-brand diet.
The launch of the TV advertisements will be supported by a digital banner and video advertising. The commercials air on the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, TLC and TNT. 

New website about Chinese jerky pet treats aims to educate consumers

Bixbi, a Colorado, USA-based pet treat manufacturer, recently launched a new website, AwesomeValley.com, which the company says aims to educate consumers about the dangers of Chinese-sourced chicken jerky pet treats.
The new website takes a unique approach to educating consumers about jerky treats from China. It features fake pet products in the online store, such as Arsnick'r-Doodles and Formalde-Hound, as well as an interactive Flavor Creator and an 'Easter egg' coupon for Bixbi products for consumers who decode the Chinese message. 

Pet lifestyle journalist to be awarded for pet industry contributions

Journalist Sandy Robins will be awarded for her contributions to the pet industry at Global Pet Expo.

The American Pet Products Association and Pet Industry Distributors Association announced that pet lifestyle journalist, author and Petco spokeswoman Sandy Robins is the 2013 recipient of Global Pet Expo’s annual Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award.
Robins’ work has been published in such platforms as MSNBC.com, Today.com and AOL’s PawNation. She is a regular contributor to national publications like Modern Dog, Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy and others, on topics ranging from the newest, state-of-the-art surgical procedures to home décor trends that improve pets' lives.
“With such dedication to spreading life-enhancing information on behalf of pets, we couldn’t be more confident and pleased with our decision to award Ms. Robins,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “Her enthusiasm and passion for both pets and the journalism profession is what this award is all about and we’re thrilled to honor her.”
Robins will accept the award on Thursday, February 21 at the Purina Media Reception, taking place in Orlando, Florida, USA, at Global Pet Expo. Global Pet Expo takes place February 20-22, at the Orange County Convention Center. 

Spring Naturals donates $10,000 to animal organizations in past year

Spring Naturals brand of dog dinners and dog treats has donated more than US$10,000 to various animal organizations since debuting in the pet food market in January 2012.
As part of a partnership with Daily Kibble, Spring Naturals' Share the Love campaign allowed fans to submit their information and an animal rescue group of their choice for the chance to win one of two prize packages. Spring Naturals donated a total of more than US$3,250 worth of dog food and dog treats to the Boston Brigade, the Atlantic Bulldog Rescue and their nominees.
Launched on May 1, 2012, Spring Into Action, an ongoing campaign dedicated to honoring animal advocates and the work they do in their community, has also brought money to animal organizations. The campaign encourages users to visit Spring Naturals' Facebook page via the "Spring Into Action" tab to vote for and share the story of their favorite animal advocate. The nominee with the most votes at the end of the month is then featured on the Facebook page, and Spring Naturals also delivers US$250 worth of food and treats to the winning nominee and the animal organization of their choice. The Spring Into Action grand-prize winner will receive US$2,000 worth of dog dinners plus a US$500 cash donation to the animal rescue organization of their choice.
Along with the Spring Into Action campaign, Spring Naturals' sponsored a 2-year-old mixed breed female puppy named Spring. Spring Naturals donated a year's supply of dog food and treats, as well as the costs of the dog's initial medical care, a total value of US$1,000.
Additionally, Spring Naturals' latest effort to support animal welfare was the 12 Dogs of Christmas campaign, which brought a total of US$1,550 in donations, pet food and treats to Project Rescue Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In total, the company has worked with more than 10 animal welfare groups, shelters and rescues in the past year. 

New Deloitte Center aids petfood industry with regulatory, supply chain issues

The Deloitte Center for the Global Food Value Chain recently debuted as a source of insights and analysis designed to help companies in the food industry understand the changing regulatory environment, reduce risk and address supply chain issues. Along with its debut, the Center issued a series of research papers to help companies comprehend and comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The following research reports are available online:

• Food Safety. A year in review: 2012 issues, challenges, and forward momentum
• The Need for Food Defense in the Post-9/11 Era: Can the Risk be Ignored?
• Conflict Minerals: The 10-minute guide
• Supply chain risk strategies for emerging markets: Understanding the importance of risk
According to James C. Cascone, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP, co-leader of the Deloitte Center for the Global Food Value Chain and national leader of Deloitte's food & product safety practice: “Preventing foodborne illnesses is at the heart of today's sweeping regulatory reform of the US food industry. FSMA's biggest challenge may be the adoption of mandatory compliance programs that exert a global reach.
"There is a need for improved supplier transparency globally, and enhancing product traceability throughout the value chain may impact business relationships, sourcing practices and growth strategies. The new regulatory environment may increase the cost of compliance, but also presents a unique opportunity for food and beverage companies to transform current operational practices and position their businesses for competitive advantage," Cascone said. 

DNA in dogs, wolves may explain diet preferences, research finds

Over time, dogs have evolved from their wolf ancestors to be able consume and digest the starches in varied pet food diets found today, according to a new study conducted by scientists in Sweden.
Evolutionary geneticist, Erik Axelsson, Uppsala University, compared the DNA of dogs and wolves to determine which genes were important for domestication. The researchers looked at DNA from 12 wolves worldwide and from 60 dogs belonging to 14 breeds.
Researchers first looked at individual letters, or bases, in DNA that vary from genome to genome, identifying 4 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms. They focused on regions with little or no SNPs, as these regions' lack of variation means the DNA was necessary for survival during domestication, resulting in a loss of variation and the same SNPs for most dogs. The study found 122 genes in 36 regions that contributed to the evolution of dogs, including 10 genes that are important to dogs' ability to digest starch.
According to the research, dogs have four to 30 copies of the gene for the protein amylase, which starts starch breakdown in the intestine, whereas wolves have just one copy on each of their two chromosomes. Another difference noted was that the gene was more active in dogs by 28-fold. These differences mean that dogs should be better than wolves at digesting starches, such as wheat and rice, often found in commercial petfood diets.
Axelsson noted that the number of copies of the gene for amylase also varies in people, depending on the world region and the amount of starch that makes up their diet. "We have adapted in a very similar way to the dramatic changes that happened when agriculture was developed," Axelsson said.
Another key enzyme in starch digestion is the gene that codes for maltase, MGAM, which was found to have the same number of copies in dogs and wolves. However, four differences were observed in the sequence in dogs and wolves, one of which causes dogs to produce longer versions of maltase often seen in other herbivores. Researchers found that these differences make the maltase produced by dogs more efficient than that of wolves, also helping to explain dogs' ability to better digest starches in their diet than wolves.