U.S. and Canada: Page 83

U.S. and Canada

Disconnect between veterinary care and nutrition

During the American Veterinary Medical Association’s annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in July, several sessions and press conferences focused on one significant issue: an overall 17% decrease in veterinary visits for US pets over the past two years. This sobering figure comes from the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study, a collaboration among Bayer Healthcare, Brakke Consulting and the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Pet Food Product Database

UCoat It America LLC antimicrobial floor coatings

Nielsen, Walmart sign US sales information agreement

The consumer purchasing analytics company Nielsen signed a cooperation agreement with Walmart to receive and analyze consumer sales information from Walmart’s US stores. The agreement, expected to be followed by similar ones with other research firms, comes after a decade of the retailing giant's ban on sharing scanning data.

Online petfood retailer receives US$10 million funding

Online petfood retailer PetFlow.com announced a US$10 million Series B round of funding led by LightSpeed Venture Partners. The company, founded in 2010, plans to use the new funds to grow infrastructure, hire more employees and expand marketing.

Kemin completes acquisition of ADF's spray drying technology, products

Petfood ingredients provider Kemin Industries completed its purchase and acquisition of selected property, equipment and other assets of American Dehydrated Foods Inc. The acquisition includes spray dried liver hydrolysate products, spray dried liver products, other specialty dried products and spray drying technology for use in premium and super premium petfood.

Market Trends and Reports

Nestle issues dry cat food recall in US

Nestle Purina PetCare Co. recalled select bags of its Cat Chow and Friskies brands of dry cat food over concerns of Salmonella contamination. The food was shipped to distributors in Colorado, Idaho and Oregon, USA, and in turn, may have been distributed to other western states, according to the company.

Ellen DeGeneres' Halo petfood awards US disaster relief grants

Ellen DeGeneres’ Halo holistic petfood Pet Foundation donated US$70,000 in disaster relief grants to eight animal welfare groups, in response to tornados and flooding in the southern US. Grant recipients include Noah’s Wish, a nationwide group; Save our Pets Food Bank and SOS Club in Georgia; Arkansans for Animals in Arkansas; Blount County Animal Shelter and Second Chance Animal Sanctuary in Alabama; Paws, Claws ‘N More Rescue in Kentucky; and McKamey Animal Center in Tennessee.

AVMA issues alert for chicken jerky treats from China

In June, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association notified the American Veterinary Medical Association that CVMA had received reports of Fanconi syndrom-like symptoms in dogs, similar to those cases reported in 2007 by AVMA that were found to be associated with chicken jerky treats made in China. AVMA issued an alert to its members, recommending vigilance for any suspected cases in the US, as well as to state veterinary medical associations and allied organizations.

Minnesota, USA, man faces charges for vegan petfood production

A Little Canada, Minnesota, USA, man faces 58 counts ranging from animal cruelty to practicing without a license after producing his own vegan petfood, according to a report by Minnesota's Fox news. Prosecutors served Eric Weisman with a warrant for the criminal charges on June 15.

Pet industry grows with human trends in petfood, pet products

Despite a recession, the pet industry has seen continued growth in recent years as the trend of pet humanization has more pet owners purchasing human-grade, premium petfoods, luxury products and human-like medical care for their pets, according to a recent New York Times article. Americans spent a record US$55 billion on their pets in 2010, driven by a 7% increase in veterinary services, according to Packaged Facts.

California, USA, petfood company recalls raw cat food for Salmonella

A California, USA, petfood company issued a voluntary recall of its raw cat food because the food may be contaminated with Salmonella. Primal Pet Foods of San Mateo, California, USA recalled its Feline Chicken & Salmon Formula, 4-pound chicken and salmon nuggets (UPC# 8 95135 00025 0) with a "best by" date code of 043112-17.

AdWeek looks at evolution of dog food advertising in America

A recent article from AdWeek takes a look into how advertising for brands in the dog food industry has changed over the course of US history. In 1908, one of the few choices for Americans looking to feed their pets was Milk-Bone dog biscuits.

Speak! dog food's advertisement set trends for petfood advertisers today.

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