Pet food shortage has some owners on the hunt
Feb. 12—A continuing shortage of some pet foods has some owners looking for options.
The problem stems from a familiar place — supply chain issues.
Erin Evans Green, UPCO vice president, said several people have visited the store due to not being able to find their pets' food anywhere else.
"We have had some customers come in and talk to us about the places they were getting their food before not having what they need, asking if we can help, asking if we have food," Green said. "Since it is our business, we've worked really hard with our suppliers to make sure that we're going to be able to keep food ourselves. We might see from time to time a flavor outage. Lamb and rice right now is hard to get in some lines, but we have food — dogs, cats, birds. We got it."
Because it can be hard to keep different brands on the shelves, owners may have to try new foods for their furry friends. But switching up their diet can actually cause gut issues.
Perci Langill, a veterinarian at Twin Pines Animal Clinic, said they've even had difficulties getting certain items in, and if owners are having to change their pets' food they need to do their research on what they plan to switch to.
"We've been having difficulty getting some of our therapeutic special needs diets in for our clients with dogs with kidney disease, allergies, liver disease, heart disease, things like that," Langill said. "(Owners) should make sure that they find a substitute that matches the product that their animals are used to as far as fat, protein and fiber levels.
"Animals thrive on consistency day in and day out," he said. "When they make dietary changes, they should look that their replacement comes from a reputable company with good manufacturing and quality control procedures in place that company has a board-certified veterinary nutritionist that they consult with or have on staff."
Langill said that dog obesity is a major concern in the United States, and if you have to change your pets' diet, this might be a good time to look at healthier options.
"We do have an obesity epidemic in our dogs in this country," Langill said. "At least 50% of the dogs that come through our doors are overweight. Another opportunity with this shortage is to read the label and feed the recommended amount of your dog food because that extra weight they're carrying, it will catch up with them."
Evans also said that a safe switch to make for your furry friends is one with lamb and rice.
"So if you're going to switch and you have to switch brands, sometimes a lamb and rice will help," Evans said. "And we also recommend trying to do it over a week's time. So you kind of half and half for a little while to get them used to the new food. And we also recommend a probiotic. Something like that will help them balance out their gut health to help them transition into a new food."
Evans said that she knows this can be a difficult time for pets and their owners, but she said retailers like hers work hard to help where they can.
"I mean, it's absolutely something to be nervous about," Evans said. "You want to make sure that you can feed your pet and continue to keep them as healthy as possible with what you're wanting to give them. Maybe try getting a storage container, buying a couple of bags at a time if you can afford it. You can call ahead to make sure we can hold them a bag, we'll do that here."
