FDA: Don’t give bones to dogs

Although most pet owners assume it’s safe to give their pets a bone to chew on, the US Food and Drug Administration recently called it a “dangerous practice” that can cause injuries to pets.
“Bones are unsafe no matter what their size,” said Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA. “Giving your dog a bone may make your pet a candidate for a trip to your veterinarian’s office later, possible emergency surgery, or even death.”
The FDA listed 10 reasons to not give a pet a bone, including broken teeth, mouth/tongue injuries, blocked windpipe and infections.
“There are many bone-like products made with materials that are safe for dogs to chew on,” Stamper said.

Dr. Sandra Barker finds human benefits from pet interaction

Dr. Sandra Barker, a professor of psychiatry and director of the School of Medicine Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, studies what happens psychologically to humans when they interact with dogs.
In an interview with EarthSky, Barker revealed her findings in her 2009 study, in which people’s brain waves were tested before and after spending time with a dog.
She reported that she saw an increase in certain frequencies that correlate with a state of relaxation, in addition to a decrease in cortisol – the human stress hormone – after her subjects interacted with a dog.

Natura donates petfood to No More Homeless Pets KC

Natura Pet Products teamed up with animal welfare organization, No More Homeless Pets KC, to help feed homeless and in-need pets around the Kansas City, Missouri, USA, metro area.
“We are proud to be able to share more than 4,000 cases of our ... Innova dog and cat food cans with No More Homeless Pets KC,” said Don Scott, president of Natura.
Through donations like this, the animal welfare organization provides food, adoption awareness programs and other services for local animals.
The Innova dog and cat food will be distributed to other petfood pantries in the Kansas City area, as well as rescue groups and people caring for feral and free roaming dogs and cats. In addition, the donated petfood will be used to assist low income pet owners.

Video reports on industry growth, trends

Euromonitor International recently released a video reviewing pet industry growth in the past two years in addition to current petfood trends.
While petfood and pet care did not grow as much in 2009 as they did in 2008 due to the economic recession, when compared to other markets, the overall industry is still doing well.
“We expect this industry trend to pick up as the global economy outlook improves,” said Emily Woon, head of fresh food and pet care at Euromonitor.
She went on to explain the three trends currently seen in petfood: all-natural and organic petfood, weight management products and fortified/functional products.
“There is a lot of untapped potential from these three key markets,” Woon said.

Interzoo 2010 sees record number of visitors

Exhibitors and exhibition promoter, Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe GmbH, announced record-breaking results at the end of the recent 31st Interzoo in Nürnberg, Germany. With 4% more exhibitors and 3% more trade visitors from 117 countries compared to 2008, the event has exceeded expectations.
More than 38,000 trade visitors attended to find information on petfood, grooming aids, accessories and services. A total of 1,502 companies from 53 countries presented their innovations and trends for four-legged pets, ornamental birds, fish and reptiles for the four days of the exhibition on a record gross display area of over 90,000 square meters.
International exhibitors also rose from 77 to 79%. Besides Germany, the most exhibitors came from China, Italy, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the USA, France, Belgium, Spain and Poland.

Ernie Ward, Marion Nestle: Pets fat from treats

With recent studies showing that pets’ bellies are growing faster than ever, owners may be contributing to their pets’ obesity without even knowing it, according to The Associated Press.
Owners can overfeed their animals by as much as 25% a day, said Ernie Ward, a veterinarian and founder of the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention. “It seems so innocent. You overfeed and you don’t even know it,” he said.
However, Ward doesn’t place the blame on petfood, but on treats, calling them “kibble crack” and “calorie grenades.”
Marion Nestle, a professor and co-author of Feed Your Pet Right, agreed with Ward, saying the worst offense may be the “guilt treat” — those dropped by the handful when pets have to be left alone.

Butcher’s Pet Care completes paperwork to move

UK petfood firm Butcher’s Pet Care has completed legal paperwork in order to relocate to a new £38 million (US$55 million) administration and production facility, according to an article.
The company will move to the new Crick, Northamptonshire, UK, facility in late 2011.
Gazeley, a global developer of industrial spaces, is creating the new 250,000-square-foot complex, which will have the capacity to produce around 1,000 cans of petfood per minute and five million a week.,