Dog and cat treat safety.

One of the things we take very seriously here in Vancouver is our health...at least for the most part we are not using bacon fat for buttering the toast as was the habit of certain relatives of mine while growing up on the prairies. (try it sometime though..mmmmmm baconnnnnn ughgughguhgughgu....)
Our healthy eating habits usually extends to our pets which is why our organic treats are so popular for both Dogs and Cats.
We do go a wee bit overboard sometimes when I am sourcing organic lamb meat from Granville Island for some biscuits or wild salmon from the local docks. I know.....crazy but in a good way I hope.
Lately I have been asked two big questions with regard to our treats and that is..."what is Melamine" and "is the peanut butter safe".
Firstly lets look at what Melamine is:
Melamine is an organic compound that is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a synthetic polymer which is fire resistant and heat tolerant. Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. Uses for melamine include whiteboards, floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but will set into a fixed form. This property makes it ideally suited to certain industrial applications.
Melamine resin is manufactured by mixing urea with formaldehyde under heat and pressure. The substances begin to polymerize and are forced into a mold which will create the desired shape. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed. The materials finish polymerizing and create a finished product, melamine resin.
Melamine resin is known as a thermoset plastic, because the plastic is fixed after molding. If exposed to enough heat, melamine will melt. For this reason, melamine dishware should not be exposed to high temperatures like those in the oven and microwave. However, the plastic is able to withstand higher temperatures than other plastics. Because it is a thermoset plastic, melamine resin is difficult to recycle.
Melamine can be made into a foam product. Melamine foam has a distinctive structure composed of stacked bubble shapes, which are extremely hard and therefore can easily clean a wide variety of substances. Melamine foam is marketed under a variety of commercial names including Magic Eraser, a cleaning tool well known for removing scuffs and dirt from a wide range of surfaces.
Melamine resin is used in Formica and similar construction products made from composite materials. Formica is made using melamine resin, which is used to coat the fibers in the upper layer of the construction product. The melamine resin makes the end result heat resistant, so that hot objects can be set on the counter without concern. The surface of the material is designed to be easily wiped and cleaned, creating a long lived household product.
Melamine also plays a role in a wide range of flame resistant materials. These include textiles used in upholstery and the uniforms worn by firemen. Thermal liners, heat resistant gloves, and aprons to protect from splashback of hot substances are made using melamine. Melamine will protect a wearer from heat hazards, and will help to resist the spread of fire in aircraft and buses by providing a fire blocker.
Melamine is also used in the manufacture of some filters. The material is porous and will admit substances to pass through, but can be used to filter out particles of a particular size. Melamine filters are capable of handling a high capacity and can be used in hot environments due to the heat resistance of it. Melamine filters are also extremely efficient.
Aside from common commercial uses, melamine became a topic of much discussion in early 2007, when veterinary scientists determined it to be the cause of hundreds of pet deaths, because of pet food contamination. Prior to these reports, melamine had been regarded as non-toxic or minimally toxic. However, because of the unexplained presence of melamine in wheat gluten added to mass-produced dog and cat foods, it is the most likely cause. Pet owners report symptoms that are commonly associated with renal failure, which could be explained by the ammonia that may result from the digestion of the melamine.
Now...these were only manufacturers from China. We never did or ever will import food items from China mainly because we exercise due diligence in examining the sales and manufacturing sheets that accompany toys to keep certain materials away from our store..... but as we all know now with the FURTHER travesty of Chinese milk products having Melamine fillers in them it is almost impossible to comfirm quality of Chinese products.
Yeh, yeh. I know I will get comments about this but I direct those who do send them to read the obits of the children and unhappy pet owners who have suffered the loss of their pooch. nuff said!
As for the peanut butter scrae that is going on we do not use peanut butter from the plant that is in Georgia as we use a fully Canadian pruduct. I have also called up the supplier and/or manufacturer of any product that has peanut butter in it to confirm that it is not on the recall list.
Just a wee little thing to do for our tail waggin' friends.
I think they are worth it don't you?!?!?
Besides is is just too easy to KNOW what goes into the treats when we make them here right?

...just sayin'.............WOOF!

Stray cat strut......

Here at the store I have found there are three different types of music that work wonders with the sales #s.
There seems to be only a vague common denominator in that they usually have the same BPM or beats per minute and within that, a happy tempo.
The first is Big Band music. Y'know those old band guys were really swingin' cats waaaay before we all figured it out. Even the most junior shopper seems to bop along to a post war tempo and tap their feet to Dorsey, Miller, Basie or Goodman. This music also gets a knowing smile from anyone with a snowy head of hair. "Nice music young man" I have heard more than a few times and the smile I get from being called young man at 42 stays with me until the next blood sugar ebb.
The next is ABBA. Say what you want about the popular foursome from Sweden but there is a continued following that spans a few generations now with the hit Mama Mia catching the ear of the young'ins and the lyrics are almost always lip synched by anyone feeling nostalgia for the 70s.
Its happy music for sure.
The third is a combination of sorts between The Spice Girls and Stray Cats. The two would seem far away in relation except that both appeal to the 30 smething crowd with the Spice girls getting the win from most girls and the nod towards the Stray Cats from the guys. Both these groups give good beat with toe tapping potential.
Pop music gets a bad rap sometimes simply for being popular which would be contraindicated would it not?! Someone has to be listening to this stuff right??
Evertime someone comes into Woofles and Meowz and sings along I think to myself .."yer busted!"....I'm not the only swingin' cat going.