Purina buys Waggin Train

I am sad to hear that waggin train is being bought out by Purina(Nestle) and that Lacey can no longer enjoy their treats.For the longest time she was enjoying their treats in addition to several other treats so she was not getting Waggin Train all the time.Still,it saddens us that Purina has bought them out and I(her owner) don’t have enough trust that the quality will remain the same enough to purchase again. As well as Natura Pet has also recently been bought out by P&G earlier this year.Although many still have good results I’d like to see that it doesn’t change for at least two year(2013) before I try to purchase any of these brands by Natura(P&G).With dog food companies going downhill,not to mention there’s rumors that Merrick is next(another possibly devastating decision to probably switch off Merricks dry/can in the near future),Lacey may eventually have to be fed raw in the near future….It’s getting really tough on making decisions for her food/treats and tough decisions will be made in the near future.Not a pretty though.

Here’s the article on Purina buying Waggin Train
St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina PetCare is beefing up its dog treat offerings.

Purina’s parent company, Swiss-based Nestlé, announced Friday that it is buying Waggin’ Train from private equity firm VMG Partners, headquartered in San Francisco and Los Angeles, for an undisclosed amount. The deal is set to close by the end of the month.

The Waggin’ Train line of meat jerky treats, chews and dental bones for dogs are made of chicken, duck, or beef.

Purina’s sells dog treats under its Beggin’ Strips, Moist & Meaty and Busy brands. The Waggin’ Train acquisition will boost Purina’s portfolio to include dental bones and snacks designed to help clean dogs’ teeth.

Purina will operate Waggin’ Train as a subsidiary that will report to Terry Block, Purina’s president of pet food, North America, said spokesman Keith Schopp. Waggin’ Train has 60 employees at its base in Anderson, S.C.

Waggin’ Train has grown its sales 30 percent annually for the past three years, and had $200 million in sales for the 12 months that ended in June.

“Importantly, this acquisition will fill a gap in our dog treat product portfolio, will provide a new growth platform and bring new consumers to the Nestlé Purina business,” W. Patrick McGinnis, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare, said in a statement.

Purina’s only other subsidiary is the PurinaCare pet insurance business, based in San Antonio.

Nestle Purina PetCare’s sales were up 2 percent for the first half of the year to $6.5 billion, compared to $6.4 billion in the first six months of 2009.
P&G buys out Natura Pet
Proctor & Gamble (PG) announced this week the acquisition of Natura Pet Products, a privately held company that produces holistic and natural pet foods. The price tag of the deal was not disclosed. Natura’s lines will join P&G’s other pet food brands like Iams and Eukanuba.

When it comes to strategy, Proctor & Gamble (PG) focuses on leading global brands and markets that are under-served. The opportunities must also be enormous. For example, P&G has a 20% share of the global house care market ($200 billion), 5% share of consumer health care ($240 billion) and 13% of beauty and grooming ($300 billion).

P&G’s pet division is still fairly small, accounting for only $747 million of the $19.2 billion in revenues reported in the latest quarter. Moreover, the business has been lagging recently, leaving some puzzled about this week’s acquisition. Yet, the sector does look promising. This is especially the case with premium brands, and Natura certainly has a strong offering. Its main lines include Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma.

A Search for the Healthiest Pet Food

Many people consider their pets as a part of the family. As a result, it is not uncommon for pet owners to buy top-of-the-line pet foods.

Back in 1992, John and Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins saw this as an opportunity and founded Natura Pet Products in Santa Clara, Calif. Their goal was to develop the “healthiest pet food in the world.” They consulted with veterinarians, breeders and nutritionists and used top-quality ingredients like USDA-inspected turkey, lamb, chicken, whole grain rice, vegetables and Grade A dairy products for their pet formulas. With so many ordinary pet foods on the market, the holistic and organic products from Natura definitely stand out.

Natura currently has a small footprint in the pet market, mostly selling through specialty stores and veterinarians. P&G should be able to effectively distribute Natura’s poducts through its extensive system.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/cXOl21

Looking back at Lacey’s first year:Health and all

Name:Lacey Princess Maltipoo Akamine
Current Weight at one year old:7.11 pounds according to vet records,7.6 according to home weight
Birth Date:March 13 2009
Born:Kailua,HI
Breed:Maltese/Toy Poodle
Mom:Poodle
Dad:Maltese
Adopted:july 17 2009
Age of adoption:16 weeks old
Found on:Kijiji.com
Price:$600
Name of Vet:Dr John Kaya
Vet Hospital:VCA Animal Hospital aka VCA University Hospital
Weight at first vet visit:4.5 pounds
Dog Food:Science Diet & IAMS,Beneful Prepared Meals till December 2009
Puppy Pad Training:9 weeks
Health Issues:Yeast infection in ear,worms,UTI,Spaying(February 2010)
First Heat:November 2009
First Treats:Nutro Dog Biscuits,Pupperoni,The Goodlife Recipe treats
First Walk:November 2009
Shortest Walk:<<<than 5 minutes
Longest Walk:62 minutes on her birthday
First Time Out: December 2009
First Thanksgiving:Thanksgiving 2009:Family Dinner
First Christmas:Christmas 2009:A new top,Waggin Train
Brands of dog food we tried:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Chicken Soup for the Pet lover's Soul,Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed/Super5Mix Complete Health Chicken,Halo's Spot's Stew
Current Dry Food Brands:Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,Halo's Spot's Stew(Wholesome Chicken & Wild Salmon flavors),Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural
Brands of Can Food we tried:Natural Balance,NV Instinct & Prairie can food,Wellness Can Food then lost interest,Halo's Spot's Stew Can Food,Merricks
Current Brands of Can Food:Merricks
First introduced to Raw(Freeze Dried):January 2010
Started accepting Freeze Dried Raw:Feburary 2010
Brands we tried:Stella & Chewy till APril 2010 then we'll be switching to Nature's variety Freeze Dried
First Freeze Dried Raw Treat:Primal Pet Turkey Liver(A birthday present)
Organic Treats she's tried:Trader Joe's,Waggin' Train,No Grainers
First Boarding Facilities we considered:Di Ventus Dog Hotel & Spa
First Boarding Facilities we looked at:The Ohana Doggie Day Care,Pets in the city
First Starts understanding people conversations:7-8 months old
First Command:SIT
Commands she knows:sit,stay,don't move,time out,sit & stay,shake paw/hand,"eat",hi5,shake your tail,down aka sit,lay down,kiss,learning roll over,"wait",inside,outside,table manners at the table
Uses Common Sense while walking:About 8-9 months old
Checks for cars like a human(right,left,right,left,center,then walk)about 10 months-1 year old
Goes outside for afternoon poop:December 2009-learned by example of aunty's dogs
Vaccinations:Distemper,Parvo,Lepto
First Carrier:casual Canine
First Crate:Pet Mate Kennel Cab
Characteristics:A definite mix of Maltese/Toy Poodle.Brains of the poodle.Looks of a maltese.eyes are poodle.Loves to play.Loves to sample food
Types of food she tried:Mexican,Italian,Japanese,Chinese
Favorite Fast Food:KFC chicken skin
Shops we shop at:Naturally Pet,Halo’s Purely for Pets,The Pet Spot,Kalihi Pet Store
Misc:Also tried Hartz Oinkies
Able to climb steps:10-11 months old
First Shampoo;Sergent’s Puppy Shampoo
Current Shampoo:Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo/Earthbath Shampoo
Grooming:Cardinal Pet Gold Metal Pets Unicoat Professional Spray

Lacey’s review for Primal Pet Freeze Dried TurkeyLiver Munchies vs Waggin’ Train Treats

For Lacey’s 1st birthday we got her Primal Pet Freeze Dried Liver Munchies.At first she didn’t like it till I “re introduced” it to her putting it in her crate bowl thinking it’s food.She loved it…Now,she’ll lick her mouth 18+ times for a Turkey Liver.You will know when she wants it by the way she sniffs whenever I put it in a certain spot.She’ll sniff upward looking at me like “Well….?Aren’t you going to give it to me???” I took a small piece of her waggin train & a small piece of the Turkey Liver she picked turkey liver over Waggin Train.She gets more excited over turkey liver than waggin’ train.Turkey liver is more expensivie but it’s good that she’s getting used to some raw treats too….

Lacey’s update on taking Berry Balance

As many know when we first started Lacey on Berry Balance she was on Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,which may have played a factor in her UTI along with being part toy poodle..She also took 1/8 t with every meal using canned food but her bowels were still very soft..I emailed another pup’s owner who dealt with UTI with their dog who suggested I keep Lacey on Berry Balance for another week and could be adjusting to it.Otherwise to discontinue using it..Along with that,I’ve been watching her bowels very closely by noticing when she goes to make her poop and look at the texture,size,color,softness then I give her some Wagging’ Train treats(it’s very easy to break apart)in small portions after she makes her poop.Then I give her some food with Berry Balance.Along with that I also give her another piece of waggin’ train with her meal.It seems to be helping because I’ve been doing it this way for the past day to day and a half and her bowels are getting better.I don’t have a set schedule as for the time she gets Berry Balance but typically after she goes and does her bowels I give her a Waggin’ Train followed by food with Berry Balance and another slice of Waggin’ Train wit her meal.I tried to give it to her with dry food but she won’t touch it.
A interesting thought about Lacey:She’ll take water from a doggie bowl but when you put her food in a bowl she won’t touch it.She’ll only take it on a plate.even fish,she won’t eat it in her dry or canned food if it’s listed first but if there’s fish listed further along ie salmon,whitefish,salmon oil etc(not exactly in that order but if some type of fish is listed after something like Beef Tripe,Beef Broth,Turkey,Salmon,Salmon oil…is ok)she’ll eat it.BUT she will eat cooked Salmon,Ahi(especially Ahi we found to be her favorite over Salmon).

Thoughts on Waggin’ Train

I see many people criticizing Waggin’ Train on their products but I never have seen it on a recall list.Perhaps some owners are giving their dogs too many Waggin’ Train treats and it might be not digesting in the dog’s systems.Until I see that Waggin’ Train was actually recalled I am okay with giving Lacey these treats.If she ever gets to the point where it seems like she’ll choke I will never buy these products again.However for Lacey I always follow what’s recommended on the package.She only gets one treat a day.After all,it’s loaded with protein!Right now these treats are like a “chew toy” for her.It seems easier to chew than a regular rawhide or pig skin ie Oinkies.

Lacey update:Excercise and dog food

I have made little doggie kits ready so when we go walking/running twice a day I am ready for when and if Lacey goes poop.Since we don’t buy little doggie bags,I took a small ziploc bag + 2 sheets of paper towel folded it in half and cut it then I fold it twice and slide it in the bag.Now,we’re ready to go..I’ve also started to measure Lacey’s dog food and canned dog food into ziploc bags.I measure each bag has 1/4 cup of canned dog food stored(result:1/8 for two days..1/8+1/8=1/4) and 1/8 of Halo’s & Solid Gold mixed together.After we finish SG we’ll look for a different brand just to be safe.I also label the package with a permanent marker so I know what’s in the bag & I don’t confuse it with other brands.

As for what Lacey’s been up to:She loves to go walking and running at least twice a day.In the afternoon and usually after dinner(after she gets some of her table food treats.Not a lot as I am cutting back on it quite a bit except when it comes to vienna sausage,eggs and ramen noodles).She enjoys being the neighborhood watch dog..When we go walking or running she’ll stop and look around,sniff the ground to be sure that the neighborhood is safe.She even watches some people get out of their care.Enjoys meeting other dogs and neighbors in the neighborhood.Everyone just loves seeing Lacey!Lacey also enjoys going up and down the steps several times and playing in the grass rolling over(typical doggie behavior for the outdoors.:))
Overall,Lacey is doing very well as she enters adulthood in her pup life.

Waggin’ Train Western Grill

So far,all of the Waggin’ Train treats get Lacey,39 weeks old,very excited to eat them.Today we got her Waggin’ Train Western Grill which we also plan to get her on her birthday(1 year old-March 13 2009)to see how she’d like it.I figured she’d go crazy for these treats.Sure enough,we brought it home and showed her the package.Same experience like the other Waggin’Train treats she sniffed it.When I dropped the bag on the ground she picked it up in her mouth and started to drag it around the house & trying to open it as well.Gave her one of the treats(a Chicken Drumstick)and she played with it then eventually ate it.I’ve never seen her get so excited for any other brand of treats ie Wellness,No Grainers,Cloud Star brands…Waggin’ Train is something else..

Lacey’s Christmas Present & Treat,Waggin’Train

Today we got Lacey her Christmas Present.A aloha top which I will post a picture of later & Waggin’ Train treats!I showed her the new top we picked out for her from Wal Mart and she was excited.Then I showed her the Waggin’ Train treat.Her response:More happy wagging and she was actually pawing at the package and constantly on my leg as if to say “Hurry up already.Let me at it!”I opened the bag to give her one and she sniffed it,licked it a few times and gobbled it up.Our review:Good,tasty,fun and easy to chew.Best of all it’s small.Something that’s very important to her is that her food and treats are small.While she ate her Waggin’ Train Chik N Biscuit her tail was literally wagging for like half a minute.