Recent Articles from Alexandra Wepner
Global Pet Expo Day 1
Global Pet Expo kicked off in Orlando, Florida, on March 21.
Keeping Kitty Free of Fleas with Catego for Cats
Sponsored Content “Under ideal conditions, one mating female will lay at least 20 eggs a day, half of which hatch to females,” said William Miller Jr., VMD and professor of dermatology at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in an article published to the school’s Feline Health Center’s website. “This can eventually produce about 20,000 new […]
Pet Spending Research Benefits Retailers
The brick-and-mortar pet retail business is one that relies on everyday, face-to-face interactions, and it’s only human to make decisions based on the anecdotal evidence that such on-the-ground experiences would provide. Of course it’s crucial that retailers pay attention to what happens in their stores day in and day out. But what about a bird’s […]
Pura Naturals Pet: Honestly Labeled
Pet Age recently spoke with Beth Sommers, president of Pura Naturals Pet, to learn more about the products and find out what strategies the company has in place for 2018. Q Are your products appropriate for animals that suffer from allergies? A Because our products are USDA-Certified Organic and made in the USA, we know—and […]
Feeding Time: Owners Demand Healthy Ingredients, Condition-Specific Recipes
In 2016, customers spent $26.5 billion on pet food. According to John Gibbons, the Pet Business Professor, pet food and treats make up the largest swath of pet product sales in the U.S. “It’s basically an anchor for the store,” said Matt Ruona, co-owner of Four Paws on the Beach, along with his wife, Meghan. […]
Smitten with Scales: The Growing Reptile Segment
Whether they are lizards, snakes, testudines (turtles, tortoises and terrapins) or even the amphibians and invertebrates that are often merchandized as part of this category, “reptile” is one of the widest ranging pet segments in the industry. In fact, it’s one of the most diverse animal groups in the world. According to Sathya Achia Abraham […]
Senior Pets and their Specialized Products
Though all pets age, there is a great deal of variety across the lifespans of popular domesticated species. For example, hamsters can survive between one and three years, depending on the breed. Toward the other end of the spectrum, certain reptilian species, like turtles and tortoises, can live up to 40 to 60 years. Of […]
Pet Care Innovation Prize Finalists Announced
Five pet-focused startups have each won $10,000 and are competing to win the 2017-2018 Pet Care Innovation Prize grand prize. The finalists include a pet life management app, a microbiome-based pet health diagnostics and supplement company, a pet food company harnessing an invasive fish species as a primary protein source, a dog walking app delivering […]
The Power of Positive
Pet Age spoke with Merritt Milam, founder and head trainer at Wags ‘N Whiskers, a comprehensive pet care facility offering training, daycare, boarding, grooming and more to pets in the Birmingham, Alabama, area. Milam talks about her coincidental start in training, her experience running a brick and mortar business and why she loves working with […]
Filling the Gaps
It’s well documented that a balanced diet and active lifestyle are the building blocks of pet health, but it’s often more complicated than that. Since each dog is an individual with distinct needs, “healthy diet” is often no more than a convenient blanket term that, in reality, means something different for everyone. So where’s a […]
Pet Obesity: A Growing Problem, a Leading Health Concern Across All Species
Pet obesity isn’t new, but that doesn’t mean it’s no longer an issue. In fact, it only seems to be getting worse. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), 54 percent of dogs and 59 percent of cats were overweight or obese as of 2016 (and those numbers have been rising since 2012 […]
Feeling Festive: Preparing Your Pet Store for Holiday Shoppers
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, perhaps not quite yet. But that doesn’t mean the holiday season isn’t already on the minds of retailers nationwide. After all, approximately 40 percent of shoppers start shopping for the holidays before Halloween, though most consumers do their shopping in November, according to the 2015 National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Holiday[...]