Time discovers truth.

I met an account manager (E.F.) from Proctor & Gamble Pet Care who sells Iams and Eukanuba to clients, mostly veterinarians and one or two canine boarding facilities. I emailed E.F. about the Natura Pet acquisition and her reply finally arrived. Here is the Q & A via email:

From: Around the Dog Bowl
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 9:31 PM
To: E.F.

Subject: Natura Pet and P&G

"Hi E.F.,

My name is -----. We met at ----- when you were there to see -----. I recently learned that P&G purchased Natura Pet and I am a big fan of Natura Pet (EVO dog food and Mother Nature & California Natural treats). You must be very excited about this new company! Does this mean your product line for your clients will now include Natura Pet products?

I was hoping you could help me balance what I've been hearing. I've spoken with four local independent pet store owners/managers in the Sacramento region and their response has been very negative. Some have gone as far as pull all their EVO and California Natural from the shelves, place them on clearance sale and provide a discount for owners to seek a new, different brand of dog food. They say Natura Pet makes excellent dog food & treats but now with P&G in charge, there will changes to formulations and ingredients of Natura Pet products in the future. Is this true?

I also spoke to the Natura Pet representatives at the Dog Expo 2010 this past summer and they said there are no expected changes. It would be helpful to get your perspective on it...if you don't mind?"

Thanks.

Around the Dog Bowl

From: E.F.
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 4:16 PM
To: Around the Dog Bowl

Subject: RE: Natura Pet and P&G

 

"Hi -----!  Sorry it took me a little while to get back to you. Things have been really busy lately.  I too love their products.  But as far as I know I don’t think I will have them to offer my clients.  P&G plans on keeping things the same; to maintain business as usual for the foreseeable future and to grow and strengthen the Natura brands.  But I understand the concerns.  When P&G purchased Iams 10 years ago there were a lot of concerns and there were a few changes, but something that stands out to me is how they have actually improved Eukanuba and made Iams more accessible to more pets and pet parents.  Take Eukanuba Maintenance for example since P&G acquired them 10 years ago they have only changed 3 things in the whole formula…those are adding FOS (a natural prebiotic), adding Dental Defense and adding more vitamins…all good things!  Acquisitions always spark rumors. Natura’s dedication to quality is not changing. P&G understands and respects their mission and dedication to nutritional excellence. Superior quality and value are two reasons P&G has grown to be such a large company. The P&G resources now available could actually boost product quality because they are able to utilize some of P&G’s learnings and nutritional expertise.  As to the formulas changing Natura has been extremely successful with their unique formulas, providing high quality nutrition to dogs and cats. Quality is and always has been paramount for them and they are going to continue to provide the current formulas to their customers.  As to the ingredients changing this is Natura’s statement and I agree completely with it!  I really don’t think P&G is going to come in and ruin something that is so great!  

“Will the ingredients change or cheapen now that you are owned by a big company?   

Quality is paramount with every aspect of our business and the number one responsibility of our employees, suppliers and distributors. At Natura, we are all pet lovers; we would not put anything into our foods that we wouldn't feel comfortable feeding to our own dogs and cats.”

I think that a lot of the independent pet stores are worried about their being changes and are scared.  I know P&G is stressing to us how these products are very important to those stores and how much they belong there and how important these stores are to Natura products.  I don’t see that changing.  P&G (IAMs and Eukanuba as well as Natura) are very focused on these smaller stores and spending a lot of money to support these stores and drive customers into those stores thru advertising and other opportunities.  There is a lot more on their web site at: http://www.naturapet.com/ if you want more info on their policies and values it is a great resource.  I wish I had access to these products to sell because they are Fantastic!  I hope this helps ease your mind a little and next time I am in the ----- we can talk more about it. 

I hope you have a great weekend."  

E.F.

P&G Pet Care - Iams & Eukanuba

Veterinary Account Manager

Northern California

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.

Be dogzoomin'

A heartfelt Thank you and joyous Happy Birthday to the gal at dogzoomies!

She is the creative genius behind the blog's masthead. It is everything I imagined and beautifully executed! dogzoomies' talents - photography & design - are awe-inspiring; must be Molly & Ben channeling their ideas and whims to her.

It is also her birthday! Her lucky day will start off with a shopping spree at Hearty Pet! I know she's been wanting to test the new grain-free treats by Nature's Variety and Barkwheats on her dogs. This is my way of telling her I wuv ya.

Remember brick walls let us show our dedication.

My dog food journal

Yesterday, I briefly described my dog food journal. This plain black & white composition notebook also evolved into tracking food intake and noting observations. There was so much information to sort out – daunting, discouraging like a brick wall. I was determined to figure this out as government regulations and pet food makers were no help at all. I’m talking about standards by USDA, FDA, AAFCO and label claims like “complete & balanced,” “formulated to meet nutritional levels,” “natural & holistic,” “organic ingredients,” “human-grade ingredients.” Seriously, what does it all mean? Even the authoritative publication for veterinarians Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (Michael S. Hand et al) seemed elusive to the typical pet owner. With help from dogzoomies and others, I think I sorted through the mess and compiled my go to web resources to follow the pet food industry:

• The Whole Dog Journal
• The Dog Food Project
• Dog Aware
• Dog Food Advisor
• Dog Food Chat
• FDA - Animal & Veterinary/Pet Food
• The Truth About Pet Food

I will not tell you how to select better dog foods (resources above already do an excellent job) but I’ll share what is working for us: feed variety and rotate foods. This means I provide a variety of protein sources plus water, fresh foods and supplements. The base of this feeding method is high-quality dry food and on a 3-day or 5-day rotation, I simply add “toppers” to the dry food. No matter what toppers I mix with the dry food adding ¼ cup to ½ cup of water is a must. Toppers include wet (canned) food, home-prepared cooked foods, home-prepared raw foods, commercial frozen raw foods, dehydrated raw food mixes, and other fresh foods. To change it up, I will feed cooked or raw meals exclusively.

This method of feeding gives me flexibility with a monthly budget and it is easy to do, especially if you are already preparing meals for yourself in the kitchen. Convenient. Fresh foods have moisture, enzymes, natural vitamins, minerals and trace elements that processed dog food lacks. I never run out of food because I always have something in the refrigerator or freezer that the dogs can eat. Josey & Lucas (and my foster BCs) look forward to each mealtime and devour everything in their bowls.

The border collies eat twice a day – morning & evening – which suits their active metabolisms. They get ½ cup to 1 cup of dry food per meal (1 to 2 cups per day) – depending on their weight, activity level and the season. This means I tend to feed less than the guidelines printed on the bag. On average, I rotate to another dry food of a different protein every 1 to 3 months (i.e., fish → turkey or chicken → venison or beef → fish, etc.). Although I have favorite brands of dry food, I always ask myself: What is the current condition of each dog? What is the kcal/cup of the dry food? What is the guaranteed analysis of % protein, % fat and % carbohydrate? What are the ingredients?

Notes on ACANA Pacifica dry food

To keep Josey & Lucas lean at 40-45 pounds, I aim for 1,000-1,100 total calories per day (dry food + toppers + supplements + treats). Sometimes less, sometimes more. Their activity level can be characterized as active; they exercise 3-4 times per day for 30-60 minutes per outing. This does not include indoor & backyard playtime.

Of course, all of this is highly dependent on the weather. We’ve noticed they put on weight in the summer because hot weather (with overheating, exhaustion, poor air quality, etc.) limits the amount of exercise. Lucas can’t stand anything over 80 degrees and Josey no longer tolerates the heat as much as when she was younger. In fall/winter, exercise doubles because we all love, love, love cold, wet weather.

brochures of dehydrated raw food mixes

wet (canned) food labels

This post is just a snapshot of how I feed and what I feed. How do I sum it up? Three words: Variety. Rotation. Flexibility. Must be doin’ something right ‘cuz Josey & Lucas are healthy, strong, beautiful. We often receive compliments from passers by.

Future posts will detail our favorite dry foods, supplements, toppers, fresh foods, etc. Hope you are intrigued and you keep visiting us!

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.

I am not a veterinarian, canine nutritionist or veterinary technician but I know a thing or two about what makes dog food good and what makes it bad. For a year, I collected labels, receipts, product brochures & pamphlets, and notes on all my dog food, treats, supplements, and supplies. Details about this “journal” will be a separate post but I can tell you right now what I've learned. It is important to balance the information you find by comparing sources, asking questions and discussing it with others. You ultimately decide what is best for your dogs.

I’m an amateur foodie, food & cooking TV shows junkie and I love to cook (special thanks to my dad, a phenomenal chef, and my mom, an amazing home-cook). You are what you eat. That is such a cliché but it works for me. I eat anything and try to eat healthy so it made a lot of sense to learn how to feed my dogs better food, too. Lucky for me, they are happy to work as taste testers! My husband would say the dogs eat better than us.

Dog food "wars" are going on right now. The market of “natural” dog food is growing exponentially and everyone is capitalizing on it. Critics have lots of opinions; companies & manufacturers depend on consumers’ ignorance; marketers are slick and consumers are sheep. I believe we all can do better.

At the end of the day, I remember what I’m trying to accomplish: feed better dog food through my own reading & research. This applies to dog treats and supplements, too. Nearly everyday, dogzoomies and I share our experiences and that gal is the main reason why this blog exist at all. I'll also review the independent retail stores where I buy dog food. Lookin' forward to sharing because we have plenty to learn from each other.

Chez le Chien

Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come.

Maddie May

Meet Miss Maddie May. Maddie is the latest foster BC to arrive at Around the Dog Bowl. After a successful foster experience with Jim and Border Collie Rescue of Northern California, we decided to give it a go, again! We picked her up Sept 6 along with Nikki who is another young BC at BCRNC.

Maddie is a 9-month old female with a B/W smooth coat. Her upright, pointy ears are super soft and endearing! Maddie is a small border collie weighing in at 30 pounds. She had to grow up too fast so she's still finding her place in the world. Maddie is enjoying her foster home! In fact as soon as she walked into her foster home with Josey & Lucas, Maddie has been a playful, happy and easy-going young girl.

She's got a really nice temperament too – friendly with people; submissive, curious towards other dogs yet Maddie has a few doggie skills to refine. Giving lots of kisses and tag wags tells us she’s eager to please so we're using a clicker. A quick study she is learning sit, down, stay and come. We’re also learning how to walk nicely on a leash. With more training and daily exercise, Maddie will make a lovely companion for an active family with older children or for someone who is retired or works from home.

Her energy is high at playtime but she settles down beautifully. She loves attention and ear rubs. Maddie is not a barker but she’ll croon to let you know she needs something! She is housebroken and crate-trained. Maddie has not been tested on cats. Maddie is spayed and current on vaccinations. She is also negative for heartworm and on preventative heartworm & flea/tick medicines.

As always, Lucas keeps a close watch on the new foster BC

If you are interested in adopting Maddie, visit BCRNC for more information. Meanwhile, I'll be blogging about her progress and adoption journey.

A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.

Gentleman Jim

We fostered Jim from July 14 to Sept 1 for our favorite BC rescue.  He was our first foster dog (!) and we got lucky with the entire fostering experience, start to finish. Jim was a wonderful foster BC with many nicknames: Jimmy, Yimmy, Slim Jim and Slimmy.  Happily, Jim found his Forever Home after a chance meeting with a tenderhearted woman at Woofstock. It was fate - dogzoomies said. At six-years old, he was already very mellow, calm and gentle. The woman just loved this about him. I'll be checking up on the both of them to see how everything is going. 

Border Collies are always underfoot and Jim was no exception. He bonded quickly to me like Velcro. I had to watch myself around Jim to avoid tripping and stepping on him. He was very good with Josey & Lucas and vice versa.  Jim is the perfect dog to tag along with you - he has excellent social skills with dogs, cats and people. 

Hanging out in the kindergarten yard

I enjoyed preparing home-cooked meals for Jimmy (he ate everything and had an iron stomach). He loved his baths and brushings (unlike my BCs). He has a new name now but he will always be Jim to me. I dare say I miss the boy and think of him often!

 Enjoy your new Forever Home with Dexter, Luchie and Daisy!

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

My first photo of Lucas

Lucas (a.k.a. Cool Hand Luke, Luke, Lukey) is our third Border Collie. He was a stray at three months old, carried off the streets into the safety of a BC rescue. He was five months old by the time he was adopted. Lucas is intelligent, stubborn, vocal and rebellious. At three-years old, Lucas still has his demons; but with love, time, patience and a clicker we'll work together. Lucas' favorite toy is a Frisbee, particularly the Tuffy Toy Ultimate Flyer in camo blue.

Lucas' profile and photos from the rescue:

He was ours from the get go - Thanks to dogzoomies!