More Than Feeding pets–Sunbury Sunshine to Bloomsburg Sunlight
I recently revisited the bewildering and bedazzling Sunlight Feed Store in Bloomsburg (Route 11) to check out the owner’s ever-changing stock of pet foods and gadgets. While Whiskers, the Miniature Schnauzer, is still the official greeter, a sign on the door says “no dogs allowed” Owner Brad Crawford, who has been in the pet food business for almost a decade, has seen an increase in the number of stocked food brands from five to over 52, and has enjoyed a 17% increase in sales this year alone! The classics like 150-year-old Blue Seal are still available but natural and organic foods are increasing in popularity. In addition, there are literally fifty feet of toys. Customers come from as far as State College to purchase meals, treats and supplements for their four-legged, two-legged and finned pets. Crawford says the anchor store for him was “Sunshine”, which was located in a 100-year-old family-owned Sunbury mill. Once he purchased the Bloomsburg store, he named it the Sunlight Super Store.
One of the newest brands is called Canine Caviar and the distinguishing ingredient in the dry form is fish oil. Fish oil can be purchased in capsules OTC and goes a long way toward keeping coats shiny and soft. Cheaper by the capsule, I add them to my Spaniels’ meals twice a day. However, fish oil is perhaps best known among pet nutritionists for EPA and DHA content. Some foods with fish oil skip right into DHA on their label and claim it makes dogs smarter–especially puppies. Although clinical studies do not substantiate the wishful thinking DHA and EPA are important in a food for older dogs by prescription–b/d. This is a powerful food and needs both owner and veterinarian monitoring. The cost is awesome but so are the results.
The purpose of this visit was to check out Eukanuba’s new breed-targeted foods–some call them “DNA foods.” I had had someone ask me to look into one made for Spaniels. I was and am skeptical. First of all, even though English Springer Spaniels are one breed, within the breed there are really two separate breeds–those bred to hunt and those bred for all other performance sports. They don’t even look alike–even their temperaments can vary widely–so a low protein food would be the first choice for an overactive dog. Also, behavior testing in these studies is sometimes performed by a sub-contractor. My advice is not to try to save money on food. If the food is working for your dog–stay with it. However, very worth noting is that Eukanuba maintains a wonderful website–Challenger Newsletter–which allows pet owners to ask individual questions. Unfortunately my request for a copy of the clinical trials behind “Spaniel” has thus far gone unanswered.
If I were to change dog foods I would try EVO–called an “ancestral diet”. It is probably the least processed of all foods on the market. And, believe it or not the processing does make a major difference–not just in usable nutrients but taste. I saw this recently when I switched from packaged baby carrots to the long, natural farmers market carrots. Before the switch the carrots were just a part my dogs’ dinner and suddenly they became the most exciting part of the meal! It was amazing. So, if you want to save money, just add fresh vegetables to your dog’s regular diet with a dollop of yogurt with probiotics and a hard boiled shelled egg. Never add anything, however, without discussing the addition with your veterinarian. And, 70% of pet owners do add goodies to the basic diet. One of my doctors steams fresh asparagus and adds it to his Shepherd’s meal!!
Most weight reducing pet foods have L-Carnitine prominently mentioned on the package. This can also be purchased OTC in most pharmacies–I do because I doubt there is really enough L-Carnitine in pet food to make a real difference. Cost is always a factor, especially today. The L-Carnitine helps with weight loss and a lighter pet is much more fun–more food bang for your bucks.
Jun 08, 2009 | | Uncategorized