News & Newsletters: Page 756

Study finds decline in vet visits among pet owners in recession

A survey of 1,200 dog and cat owners by the Pert Group and Brakke Consulting found veterinarians continue to be key in influencing pet product purchases and are the primary retail channel for items like medications and prescription petfood diets, yet pet owners are visiting the veterinarian less thanks to the recession. The survey, conducted in November 2011, found that 77 percent of respondents reported taking their pet to the veterinarian, down 20 percent from 88 percent in 2007, the first year the survey was conducted.

Purina launches small animal treats in PetSmart stores

Petfood maker Purina recently launched two new lines of food and treats for small animals, available in US PetSmart stores. The new products, Purina Garden Recipe and Purina Small Animals, are specially formulated diets for gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats and mice, Purina says, made from ingredients like seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits.

Online petfood retailers growing popular among American pet owners

With 232.1 million Americans having Internet access at home or at the office, according to Forrester Research, a growing number of online petfood and pet product retailers are popping up in hopes of finding more success among pet owners, according to an article on WSJ.com. Online pet supply retailers like PetFlow.com, MrChewy.com and Wag.com are among those that have emerged in recent years thanks to changes in Internet commerce, online pet retailers say, as well as reduced marketing costs and consumers' desires for convenience.

Petfood Forum Asia draws record attendance in Thailand

On February 16, more than 135 petfood professionals from 15 countries attended Petfood Forum Asia 2012, co-located with agrifeed show Victam Asia, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Petfood companies in attendance included Royal Canin, Mars Petcare, Procter & Gamble, Del Monte, Unicharm, Perfect Companion, Nippon Pet Food, Betagro, Total Alimentos and more.

Rush Direct offers new dog treats, bones, herbal supplements

Rush Direct is expanding its product line with new Ultra Chewy bones and treats and new Ferrera Farms Naturals brand herbal supplements for dogs. Supplements in the new Ferrera Farms line, Bee the Best, contain Brazilian Red Propolis, a natural supplement produced by honeybees, using a mix of tree sap, beeswax and natural oils, the company says. The Bee the Best line includes: Hip & Joints, Immunity, Relaxing, and Skin & Coat chewable supplements.

Mexico Pet Expo launches online registration

Organizers of Mexico Pet Expo Show & Conference launched a new website for exhibitors and visitors that allows those interested in attending the pet products tradeshow to register online. Mexico Pet Expo, taking place June 27-29, in Guadalajara, Mexico, will co-locate for 2012 with the Mexico Forum on Pet Food, hosted by La Asociacion Mexicana de Productores de Alimentos, AC.

Freshpet introduces new ready-to-bake cookies for dogs

Fresh, refrigerated petfood company Freshpet introduced a new line of ready-to-bake cookies for dogs, available in the petfood aisle refrigerator at grocery stores and pet specialty retailers. Freshpet says Ready to Bake Cookies are made from scratch, are 100 percent natural, and are made of ingredients such as crunchy peanut butter, whole oats and dried cranberries.

LM Farms introduces new dog, cat treats line, petfood sprinkle

LM Farms, a maker of bird food and small animal food, introduced a new nutritional supplement sprinkle for petfood as well as a line of pet biscuits and treats for dogs and cats. LM Farms Nutrition Boosters is a sprinkle for dog and cat food, which the company says provides an essential balance of nutrients, including omega fatty acids, probiotics and prebiotics, and contains farm-sourced natural ingredients like flaxseed and sunflower seed.

Royal Canin expands petfood offerings with X-SMALL dog food line

Petfood company Royal Canin is launching a new Royal Canin X-SMALL canine nutrition line, formulated for the needs of very small dogs. The new line, introduced at the recently held Global Pet Expo, includes four formulas: Puppy, Adult, Mature +8 and Aging +12.

PetSmart reports higher earnings for fourth quarter, fiscal year 2011

Pet product retailer PetSmart Inc. reported its earnings per share rose 18 percent to US$0.91 in the fourth quarter of 2011, while earnings per share rose 27 percent over 2010 to US$2.55 for full-year 2011. For the fourth quarter of 2011, PetSmart reported comparable store sales, or sales in stores open for at least one year, grew by 5.5 percent, benefitting by comparable transactions growth of 2.9 percent.

Canadian petfood company files to market MOJO petfood brand in US

Canadian petfood manufacturer Paw4mance Pet Products International Inc. announced that it plans to submit filings for its MOJO brand petfood label registration in Nevada, California and Utah, USA. The petfood company anticipates that it will file for approval during the first quarter of 2012, and it will begin distribution and sales of MOJO petfood in the three states as soon as it receives clearance.

Online human-animal bond resource launched at Global Pet Expo

The Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative recently launched HABRI Central at Global Pet Expo to serve as an online resource for data collection, research and collaboration for human-animal bond studies. Sponsored by the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation in collaboration with the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue Libraries, the HABRI Central resource provides researchers, pet industry professionals and pet owners with access to scholarly material, an online publishing platform for peer-reviewed content and a virtual collaborative community for those involved in studies of the human-animal bond.

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