High Quality Solutions: Sturtevant’s Veterinary Remedies

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Pet Age recently spoke with Steven Rosenfeld, president of Sturtevant’s Veterinary Remedies, a division of F.C. Sturtevant Company, to learn about the family-owned company’s pet care products.

Q Your canine antiseptic powder was first a veterinary product. What inspired the decision for it to become available to retailers?
A For almost a century our products were sold for professional use. It was about 50 years ago that we began receiving inquiries from trainers, breeders and groomers who wanted access to the products as well. We then began to provide the products to them as well. Soon after that we saw pet specialty stores opening up throughout the country that were owned and operated by true “pet people.” These folks took the time to learn about our products and also to demonstrate the best applications for use of them to their customers. Today we have about 1,800 local, independent pet products stores that feature the Sturtevant’s brand. We do not sell to any national chains or big box retailers, only to those stores where pet owners can be sure of obtaining the best service and advice.

Q What is the range of medical issues that your product addresses?
A Sturtevant’s Canine Remedy was developed to treat several conditions: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common pruritic skin disease affecting dogs worldwide. CAD can be identified by the uncharacteristic and relentless scratching which often results in lesions or damaged skin tissue.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a disease that is characterized by dry, itchy dandruff-like flakes that develop on
the skin. When left untreated, the dog will develop a distinctive odor and have a constant need to scratch. Eventually this causes bleeding, clumping and hair loss. Sarcoptic canine scabies (SCS) is also known as mange; this condition is caused by parasitic pests (mites) living on the dog’s skin. Advanced SCS often leads to a secondary bacterial infection which is accompanied by severe itching and a foul smell. Staphyloccus intermedius pyoderma is a bacterial infection caused when a dog licks a wound repeatedly and transfers bacteria from the mouth to the skin.

Q How can your product be useful for something as ordinary as small animal bathing in the home?
A That is a very good question. We have been noticing for the past decade or so a severe increase in the number of parasitic mites and other pests that have been living on our pets. I would say our pets are facing an epidemic of invading parasites that is unprecedented. Our canine remedy is specifically developed to eliminate the vast majority of these pesky creatures, and the best time to apply our powder to a small animal is when the pores of their skin are most receptive to absorbing the medicine. That would be after a bath. In fact, many groomers have been offering special “anti-itch” baths to their clients. They provide this service simply by applying our powder to the [pet] after a brief towel drying and before using any power drying method. This is the safest way to eliminate the horrible itchiness caused by parasites, and it is also a great preventative.

Q You have high standards for your product. How does the quality of your ingredients make your product so unique?
A We are a skin care products company, and as such, we have been producing products used in hospitals and by doctors to treat numerous conditions that affect humans. All of our products are made under cGMP procedures, and we only use the highest quality pharmaceutical ingredients in everything we manufacture. In addition, we produce everything here in the U.S.