April Letter from the Editor

Transcription

1 April2009 LetterfromtheEditor Ihopethisnewsletterfindsyouandyourpetsdoingwellandenjoyingthewarming weather(finally!).becauseitisgettingsowarm,ithoughti dtalkalittleaboutfleas, ticks,andtheotherlovelyparasitesthatlovethewarmweatherasmuchaswedo. Somecustomerstellmethatthey dprefertheirdogorcathavefleasandticks ratherthanapplyatopicalpreventativelikefrontlineoradvantage.thisusually stemsfromthefactthatthesecustomersperceivefrontlineandadvantagetobe harshchemicalsthatwillentertheirpet sbloodstreamandwreakhavocontheir overallhealth.fortunately,thatisnothowfrontlineandadvantagework.these topicalpreventativesworkcompletelyoutsidethebloodstreambytravelingfrom hairtohairviayourpet snaturalcoatoils.forthisreason,werecommendthatyou don tbatheyourpetfor48hoursbeforeorafterapplyingthesemedicationsas bathingstripsthenaturaloilsandwillcausetheproducttobefarlesseffective. Asforthosewhoarereluctanttousepreventatives,Iwouldsaythatthebenefitsfar outweighanyrisks.frontlineandadvantageareknowntobeverysafe(we wouldn tcarrythemiftheyweren t)andfleasandticksareknowntobevery dangerous.althoughlymediseaseisstillmainlyprevalentinthenorthernstates,it isworkingitswaydownhereatanalarmingrate.fleascancauseanemia,skin irritation,andcancertainlygiveyouahardtimeiftheydecidetoinfestyourhome. Ehrlichiosisisanothereasilymissedtick bornediseasethataffectsmanypetsinour area. AsforusherearePhydeaux,we redoingeverythinginourpowertohelpyou combatthesepeskyparasites.inadditiontosellingfrotlinetopspot,frontline Plus,andAdvantageatthebestpriceswe reabletofindinthisarea(oron Petmeds),wealsosellherbalcollars,tickremovers,garlicandbrewersyeasttreats andtablets,safeandeffectivedefleashampooandspray,aswellasboricacidwhich canbeusedsafelytoremovefleasfromyourhome.we vedeclaredwaron parasites,andwehopeyou lldothesame.feelfreetocomeinandtalktoanyofus aboutwhattypeofpreventativeisbestforyourpetsandyourfamily. Onanothernote,thisisaveryspecialissueofthePhydeauxnewsletterbecauseMo haswrittenasectionabouthistouratthediamondpetfoodplant.theplantmakes Canidaebrandpetfoodamongothers,andMohasgivenusalladetailedreport abouthistour.it sveryinformativeandithinkyou llenjoyreadingaboutwhere someofourqualitypetdietscomefromandhowtheyarecreated.

2 Haveawonderfulmonth,andI llseeyouinthestore! Heather *BonusSection*Mo staleoftouringapetfoodmanufacturingfacility WrittenbyMoMorelli OnThursdayApril9th,IdrovetoGaston,SCtotourtheDiamondpetfoodfactory, whichmakesseveralofthedrypetfoodswecarry.theymakethefulllineof Diamondfoods,ofcourse,butseveralothercompanieshaveDiamondmanufacture theirdryproducts.canidaehasmovedtheirdryfoodmanufacturingtodiamond plantsoverthepastyear,achangewhichhasallowedthemtolaunchseveralnew products:theiralllifestagesandfish basedgrainfreefoodsandthebeefand salmonadditiontotheirstandarddrydogfoodline. Icertainlydidn'thaveanyqualmsaboutthequalityofCanidae'sfoodbeforethis trip,butthespecificdetailsilearnedaboutthemanufacturingprocessshowedme justhowmuchworkgoesintomaintainingingredientandformulaquality,andi wantedtopassthisinformationtoourcustomerstogiveanideaofwhathappenson themanufacturingsideofthings.keepinmindthatwhileseveralofthefoodswe carryherearemadeatthisparticularplant,i'llbeusingcanidae(specificallytheir originalalllifestagesformula)asanexamplesincethetourwasrunbyour Canidaerepresentativeandmuchoftheinformationweweregivenwasspecificto theirformulas. OnethingthatstruckmeduringthistripwashowbadtheplantdidNOTsmell.I hadtwoseperatepeopletellmethey'dlivednearortraveledpastpetfoodplantsin thepast,andbothtoldmetheysmelledterribleevenfromtheoutside.thereisa distinctsmelltothediamondplant,tobesure,butitwasn'tdiscernablefromthe outsideandsmellednodifferentorworsethanabagofdrykibbleoncewewere inside.therewouldbenowaytohidearottenorrancidsmell,andthefactthati didn'tnoticeonewasahugeplus,bothformyowncomfortduringthetourand becauseiknewitmeantthatallthefoodmadethere,eventypesthatdon'tmeetour exactingingredientstandards,ismadeoffresh,well handledingredients. Thebeginningofthemanufacturingprocessstartsinthereceivingarea,where ingredientssuchasapples,brownrice,andchickenmealcomebyrailortruck. Beforeanyingredientisunloaded,samplesaretakenfromthetopandbottom sectionsofeachhopperandaretestedforcontaminantsandgivenbasicvisualand smelltestsforquality.ingredientsarethentransportedtolargebinsorsilos,where theyremainuntiltheyareneededforaparticularformula.certainingredients,such aschickenmeal,comeinvaryinggradeswhichareseparatedbyqualitybeforebeing stored;allthefoodsmadeinthisplantthatwecarryuseexclusivelythehighest gradeofallrankedingredients. Eachbatchofdrykibblewillresultintwotothreetonsoffood,andbeforeeach newrun,thecookingandextrudingequipmentiscompletelycleaned.sincethis factorydoesproducefoodswithingredientslikecornthatwespecificallyavoidin

3 theproductswecarry,it'sespeciallyimportanttoknowthatthishappensevery timeadifferentformulaismade.inaddition,it'sawaytoensurethatsensitivedogs don'tingesttraceamountsofproteinsourcesorotheringredientsthattheir systemscan'thandle. Thebatchesaremeasuredoutbyacomputerprogram;alltheengineershavetodo isenteracodeintoacomputer,andtheingredientsareindividuallyweighedand mixedtogether,ensuringaconsistentproduct.oncethecookingprocessbegins,the qualitycontrolmeasuresarerunningconstantlyuntilthekibbleiscompletely finishedandcooled.testsforvarioustoxinsarerunatthebeginningandendofthe cookingprocessforeachbatch,andasampleofthefinishedproductisalsosenttoa third partylabforadditionaltestingoncetheprocessiscomplete.nonewproduct leavesthefactoryuntilthosethird partyresultsarereturned. Inadditiontothetestsformoldandtoxins,otherlevelsareconstantlybeing monitoredasthebatchoffoodcooks.everyfifteenminutes,asampleistakenand analyzedforthecorrectlevelsofprotein,fat,andmoisture.thepercentagesyou seeonthebagareaguideline abatchcannotbeacceptediftheproteinislessthan ormorethanthreepercentagepointsgreaterthanthelistedamount,forexample. Reportsheetsforeachbatchlistalltestresultsandalsoincludedetailssuchasthe food'stemperatureasitcools,nutrientdensity,andtheshapeandsizeofthekibble. Onceabatchoffoodiscompletelycooledandreadytobepackaged,asmallsample issavedforseveralmonthssothatanyquestionsfromcustomersaboutacertain batchcanbeansweredthroughdirecttestingofthebatchinquestion.thisisone reasonwhyit'ssoimportanttosavetheoriginalpackagingofanyfoodortreatyou buy thosedatecodesreallydomatchuptoahugewealthofdatabackattheplant. Thebaggingareaismostlymadeupofhugerobotarmsthatfillandtransportbags toapallet wrappingstation it'salotoffuntowatch,butbythetimethefoodhas reachedthisstage,there'snotmuchlefttodointermsofensuringagreatproduct. Thefinaltouchisametaldetectorthateachbaghastopassthrough anymetalin thefood(whichisalwaysapossibilitywhenmachineryisaround;boltscouldcome looseoratinybitofscrapmetalcouldhavefallenintoahugebinofaparticular ingredient)willsetofftheextremelysensitivedetectorandshutdowntheconveyor beltsystemuntilthebagisremoved.inaddition,everychutethattransportsraw ingredientshasmagnetsarrangedalongittopickupanystraymetalpartsthat weren'tremovedbysifting. Oncethepalletsareroboticallycreated,theyarestoredintheplantuntilthethirdpartytestresultsreturn,andfromtheretheymaketheirwayfirsttothedistributor, thenourfloor,andthentoyourpet'sbowl! So,that'sthebasicprocessofhowtrucksfullofingredientsturnintoagreatdog food!idon'tknowthati'llgetanotherchancetotourafoodmanufacturingplant, butifido,iwillbesuretosharemyexperienceswithyou.ifyouhaveother questionsaboutmytrip,feelfreetoaskmenexttimeyou'reinthestore!

4 PhydeauxFAQ Q:I dliketopurchaseanentirecaseofcannedfoodformydogorcat.isthat possible,andisthereadiscountifipurchasethatmany? A:We dbemorethanhappytosellyouacaseofcans.largecansgenerallycome incasesof12,whilesmallercansusuallycomeincasesof24.ifyou dlikeonly12of thesmallercanshowever,wecancertainlydothataswell.whilethereisnospecial discountforcases,believeitornot,that sthegoodnews.phydeauxhasalways,and continuestosellallpetfoodsatpricesbelowsuggestedretail.webelievethata pet sdietiscrucialtoitsoverallhealthandthereforewesellallofourfoodsforthe lowestpossibleprices.we dbehappytopointyoutowardssomeofourvery reasonablypricedfoodsifyou reonabudgetbecausewebelievethateveryone shouldbeabletoaffordtofeedtheirpetahighqualitydiet. Q:Mypethasdiarrhea/loosestools whatcanidotofixthisproblem? A:Ifyourpetishavingseriousdiarrheathat snotachronicproblemand/oris accompaniedbybloodorworms,thenclearlytheansweristotakehimstraightto thevet soffice.however,ifthediarrheaisnotseriousorit snotachronicproblem, thereareseveraldifferentthingsyoucando.probioticscanbehelpful,and PhydeauxsellsaproductcalledGentledigestthatisahighqualityprobioticand tendstobeveryhelpfulinendingshortboutsofdiarrhea.prozymeisaproductthat ishelpfulforchronicloosebowels.prozymeisanenzymaticsupplementthat increasestheabsorptionofnutrientsinyourpet sdigestivesystem.youmayalso considerswitchingfoods.californianaturalisafoodthatwehighlyrecommendfor petswithsensitivestomachs,asitisaverylowingredientdiet.californianatural comesin3dryformulasfordogs:chickenandrice,lambandrice,andherringand sweetpotato,and2dryformulasforcats:chickenandrice,andherringandsweet potato.californianaturalalsocomesinavarietyofflavorsofcansforbothdogs andcats. Anotherthingthatwetellourcustomerstousefordiarrheaisplain,unsweetened, cannedpumpkin.wedon thavecannedpumpkinatthestore,butyoucaneasily pickitupatanygrocerystore.youcanaddaspoonfulortwotoyourpet sregular diet,andtheaddedfiberwillhelptobalancethingsout.

5 PhydeauxEmployeeProfileoftheMonth Thismonth,wegettotalktoAndrew,whoalongwithMoisamanageratPhydeaux. Q:HowlonghaveyoubeenworkingatPhydeaux? A:5years Q:Doyouhaveanypets? A:Ihavenothadananimalinacoupleofyears.MycatHominyleftonenightto catchanorangetabbyandunfortunatelydidnotmakethereturntrip.sincetheni havelivedvicariouslythroughpastroommatespet. Q:Ifyouhadadogandacatrightnow,whatwouldyoubemostlikelytofeedthem? A:Probablyacombinationofdryandwet.SpecificallyIwouldn tknowuntilihad spentsometimefiguringoutwhatmightsuittheirneedsnutritionallyand digestively.iwouldconsidersomerawfoodmaybe2or3timesaweekafterigotto knowtheanimalandletthemsettle. Q:Asamanager,whatsortsofthingsdoyoudoatPhydeaux? A:AtPhydeauxwealldoabitofeverythingbutMoandIdoabulkoftheordering.

6 Ihelptomaintaininventoryandmakesurereturnsaredonecorrectlyasall vendorshavespecificneeds.vendorandmanufacturercommunicationisvery important.ikeepafriendlyrapportwiththem.ineverwanttobeoutofthe proverbialloop.customersatisfactionisalsoimportanttome.mostimportantlyi trytoworkbyexampleandhopeidon tinterrupttoomuchexceptwhenneeded. Therearemanythingstodoasmanager.Prioritizingthemisveryimportantand sometimesdifficult. Q:WhatarethebestandalsothemostdifficultaspectsofyourjobatPhydeaux? A:Clearlythebestaspectisworkingwithourawesomecrew.Wehavean intelligentandjovialteam.thismakesphydeauxthebestplaceihaveeverworked butican tforgetallthewonderfulpetsthatcomethroughourstore.weliketo provideahappyexperienceatphydeauxandthatiliketothinkihelpmaintainthat whetheritiswiththecustomersortheteam.someofthemostdifficultthingscan simplybestatedasmultitasking.becausewehavesomanythingstodoitcanbe difficultbutnotimpossibletogetthingsdoneinatimelymanner. Q:Whatdoyoudoinyoursparetime? A:ItrytogetoutonthemountainbikebutunfortunatelyIdonotdoitenough! TheoccasionalshowatCatsCradle.ButnowthatMomliveswithmeweendup doingalottogether.sometimesgoingtomuseumsandthebotanicalgardens. UpcomingEvents Phydeaux spetphotocontestisstillgoingon.we vegotourbulletingboardsup andwe restartingtocollectsomereallycutepictures.besuretobringinyour picturesoon ifyourpetwinsyouwina$50giftcertificatetophydeaux! Also,we rehavingsalesonselectflavorsofwagatha sdogbiscuitswhilesupplies last!askanyphydeauxstaffmemberwheretofindthesalesonthesedeliciousand wholesomedogtreats.buthurry suppliesarelimited! AdoptionEvents Saturday,May2,2009,12:00 4:00 Palisades(dogsandcats) Saturday,May9,200912:00 3:00 Paws4Ever(dogsandcats) Saturday,May16,2009,1:00 4:00 IndependentAnimalRescue(dogsonly) Saturday,May23,2009,12:00 4:00 Palisades(dogsandcats) Saturday,May30,2009,12:00 5:00 NCChihuahuaRescue Saturday,June6,2009,12:00 3:00 Paws4Ever(dogsandcats) Saturday,July11,2009,12:00 3:00 Paws4Ever(dogsandcats) Saturday,August8,2009,12:00 3:00 Paws4Ever(dogsandcats)

7 FeaturedProductoftheMonth April sproductofthemonthispetbeddingbybigshrimpy.thesebedscomein tonsofsizesandcolors.theycomeinfauxsuedeorasofter,fuzzierfabric.the greatthingaboutthesebedsisthattheylendthemselvessowelltobeingwashed. Theoutsidecovercanbecompletelyremoved,revealinganinnercoveringthat containstherecycledcottonfilling.notonlycanbothcoveringsbewashed separately,butthefillingcanbewashedbyitselftoo.thebedscomeinrectangular shapesorroundshapesforpetsthatliketoreallycurlup.bigshrimpybedsare durable,washable,andmostofall,comfortable. WorthyPetCauseoftheMonth PhydeauxwouldliketorecognizePiedmontWildlifeCenterasoneofthebest Wildlifeconservationandrehabilitationorganizationsinthestate.Afterabrief periodofbeingclosed,piedmontwildlifecenterisnowopenagainandreadyto helppreservenorthcarolina'snativewildlifespecies. PiedmontWildlifeCenterisa501(c)(3)nonprofitcorporationdedicatedto supportingnativewildlifethroughrehabilitation,education,andscientificstudy. ThecenterwillbeholdingitsannualFestivalforWildlifeonSaturday,May2,2009 atleighfarmpark.checkoutpiedmontwildlifecenterat injuredbirds,etc,thisistheplace!theyarewonderful!