Over the next few weeks, we will begin to see the new formulations on Orijen pet food.  Overall, these changes are good.  They have reformulated to include more fresh meat and use lower glycemic carbohydrates.  However, please note, that if your pup has a sensitive tummy, you’ll want to be sure you don’t wait till the bottom of the bag to get a new one.  Make sure you have enough of the old formula on hand to do a transition, and definitely add some of goat’s milk during the transition.

Orijen Whole Prey Dried Foods Brochure

Has your Fido made any New Year’s Resolutions?

Some of the top New Year’s Resolutions can easily be applied to our pets as well. See how we can help your Fido keep them.

1. Eat better. At Fido’s Market, we’re all about proper health through proper nutrition. We carry a wide selection of all-natural foods including raw diets, dehydrated, freeze-dried, canned and dry.

2. Exercise more. We have a great selection of things to help keep this resolution. Choose from aerobic-inducing toys like frisbees and balls or intellectually stimulating puzzles…so many options to choose from. We also carry a great assortment of supplements to help manage joint and muscles soreness.

3. Indulge a little. Deliciously cute cookies, 100% freeze dried meat treats, or simply yummy (and really healthy!) goat’s milk.

4. Get better rest. A good day’s work starts with a good night’s sleep. And what could give your Fido a better sleep than a nice comfy bed? We several styles, fabrics and sizes to choose from. All machine washable (making your life easier too!) and all eco-friendly.

5. Accessorize more. Who doesn’t want to look fabulous? All it takes is a fresh new look. We have many leashes and collars in stock, and a custom order program offering over 400 styles!

6. Have more spa days. We carry a great selection of at-home grooming supplies and all-natural shampoos to use at home. Or if you’d prefer, you can take advantage of our private self-wash area for Fido’s spa days. Better yet, call and book a grooming appointment and let us take care of it all for you.

I started to feel like every time I turned around there’s been a recall on something. This got me to do some thinking and some digging and I needed an outlet for my thoughts.  Blog.

Did you know there were more recalls on pet food by May 2012 than there were in all of 2011?  Yikes, right.

So here are my thoughts.

Types of Situations

There are, in my mind, three types of situations when it comes to recalls.

1. Sometimes, things are a bit out of a manufacturer’s control – like a company that uses organic peanut butter in their treats and got caught up in the organic peanut butter issues recently. The treat company found a reputable source for their peanut butter and their source had an issue.  While the treat manufacturer did not have anything test positive for any (more…)

Champion Pet Foods, makers of Acana and Orijen, recently had an equipment malfunction at their manufacturing facility that resulted in permanent damage to a major piece of equipment (a kibble dryer).  They are working diligently to replace this custom-made piece of equipment, and in the meantime, they are running the remaining dryer 24/7.

There is still food in the distribution pipeline, and there will continue to be food produced.  However, despite their best efforts, they know that one kitchen cannot complete the work normally done by two, and they are anticipating product shortages.  To maximize the remaining capacity during the repair period, their kitchens will be limiting production to the following foods:

• ORIJEN:  Adult Dog, 6 Fish Dog, Regional Red, Cat & Kitten (5.5# and 29.7# bags in dog; 5.5# and 15.4# bags in cat)
• ACANA:  Wild Prairie, Grasslands, Pacifica, Ranchlands (5.5# and 29.7# bags in dog)

We, at Fido’s Market, wanted you to be aware of the potential shortages, and are here to help in any way we can.  Here’s just a few ways:

• We have always advocated diet rotation (and this is just one reason why), and hopefully you’ve already been doing this.  If you haven’t, we recommend that you start planning now and not wait until you get to the bottom of the bag in case we don’t have what you need in stock.  We have free samples of most of the other products we carry for you to start trying.
• We continually spend a great deal of time researching and re-researching various foods on the market to ensure we are staying in tune with the latest changes.  In addition to the great lines we currently carry, we are looking at bringing in a few new foods that we believe will help to fill the voids.
• We are offering a free one-night only seminar with Canine Nutritionist, Anna Bettina.  Join us Wednesday, 10/3, at 7:00PM for a brief nutrition seminar, followed by free, personalized advice.  We will be offering extremely special deals on select other food products during the seminar to allow you to try something new with a minimal risk, as well as some special sales on what we like to call “transition products” (things that will help your dog transition to a new food).  Space will be limited, so please call 678-240-0440 to pre-register.

We understand that transitioning your dog from one food to the next can be difficult and will do whatever we can to make that transition easier.  We will continue to carry Champion products, as we believe they are the best you can find in a dry kibble.  We will stock them as fully as we can based on our distributor’s product availability.  (We do ask that you are cognizant of others and not try to stockpile.)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  We appreciate and value the trust you place in us for your pet’s well-being, and are proud to be your neighborhood pet wellness store.

I often hear from people that they picked up this or that at a “big box” store because it was cheaper.  Well…. last week I decided it was time to do another price analysis with a big box store (we did one about a year ago).  My analysis did not take into account any sales or special offers – it was strictly day-to-day pricing on the items.  Here’s what I found.

At one  store, I compared prices on 44 identical items.  These are the only 44 items that we both carry, so I didn’t pick & choose to skew the results.  I included every single item that both of us sell.  Of the 44  items, Fido’s Market was lower priced on 42 of them (that’s 95% of them).  Our price on those 42 items was, on average, 18% lower than the big box store.  In one instance, the big box store’s price was 58% higher than Fido’s!

Let’s also not forget that they are buying in much larger quantities than Fido’s does, and more than likely, they get bulk buying discounts because of it.   So, not only are they charging you more for the same item, they’re probably paying less for it to begin with.

Beyond pricing, which we’ve determined is not necessarily lower at a big box store, shopping with small independent businesses are great for the local economy and your community.

And finally, while you may be able to find a “similar” item for a slightly less price, I would venture to guess that:

• The similar item isn’t as high of quality as the item we carry.  Quality and safety are priority #1 for us here at Fido’s Market.
• There has been no concern for where or how the item was made, or what materials/ingredients were used in making it.  At Fido’s, we take all of this into account when choosing products.  It’s not just about the product, but also about the company making the product (are they concerned with animal welfare issues, are they concerned with the environment, etc.).
• You won’t find someone as knowledgeable about any of the products as we are about all of the ones we carry.  We take the time to research and learn about each of our products before they even enter our store…and we even learn about ones we don’t carry so we can discuss those with you as well.

The next time you think you’re saving a buck at a big box store, you might want to think again.  And think of Fido’s Market.  We’re your neighborhood pet supply store – here to help however we can!

When it comes to buying dog food, there is such a wide range of quality and pricing.  When it comes to the price, we have always advocated looking at the price per day or per feeding as opposed to the price per pound.  This is because every food requires different feeding amounts.  This even holds true among different flavors within the same brands.  So to illustrate our point, we did some calculations on a few different foods.  To be honest, even we were a bit surprised by some of the results.

To determine the calculations, we used the feeding recommendations for a 20# dog using a “small” size bag.  For the highest accuracy, we chose to use grams and kilograms rather than cup measurements.  When measuring dry food with a cup, it can be less exact due to (more…)

In light of last week’s recall of Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, Diamond Pet Foods has temporarily ceased distribution of all products made at the same plant.  This particular plant is the plant that supplies Taste of the Wild to the Southeast region, including the entire Atlanta area.  Because of this, we have chosen to pull Taste of the Wild from our sales floor.  (more…)

Do you know how your dog’s food ranks?  We’re hoping it’s 4 or 5 stars.  But if it’s not, we can help.  We’ve teamed up with our friends at NutriSource, and have developed a program to help out!

If you’re feeding less than a 4-star dog food (as rated by Dog Food Advisor), bring us your remaining food in its original packaging and trade it in for a free bag of NutriSource*!  We’ll donate your old food to a dog in need so everyone wins!

*Ask us for details so we can help you find the appropriate food for your dog’s needs.  Limit one trade up per household.  This is a limited time program.

A mild winter will surely bring a flea and tick filled summer.  And with the temperatures we’re already having, we might as well say it’s summer now.  Using a “spot-on” treatment may seem like a good idea that will solve your problems, but there are plenty of (more…)