Friday, February 29, 2008 9:18 PM CST
Edgar County business has product for dogs with discriminating tastes
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and other condiments are staples for those who want to give their food some extra flavor.
Dog owners now have a new option for giving some extra flavor, and vitamins, to their canines’ meals.
Paris-based Yotta Pet Products recently launched all-natural Dog Lover’s Choice Extra Topping at Rural King stores in Illinois and five other states. Yotta has entered the market with a brand name of its own, Dog Lover’s Choice, after manufacturing pet food ingredients for other companies for more than 25 years.
The Dog Lover’s Choice liquid topping is available in 14-ounce plastic bottles and can be squeezed onto dry dog food.
“You could equate it to putting steak sauce on your steak,” said Bob Bridwell, vice president and director of retail operations for Yotta.
Bridwell said Extra Topping packs flavor that entices dogs to eat bland food and its bottle preserves the topping’s freshness. He said dry dog food, which is not that fresh in the beginning, starts going stale and losing some of its nutritional value as soon as the bag is opened.
Extra Topping also gives dogs vitamins and minerals that might be lacking in their dry food, Bridwell said. Vitamins A, D, E and choline as well as Omega 3 and Omega 6 are listed as being part of the product’s nutritional value.
Bridwell said vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps prevent arthritis and stiff joints, choline chloride increase metabolism and helps break down cholesterol, and Omega 3 and Omega 6 promote healthy skin and coats.
Chris Herbert, who is helping market Extra Topping, said some owners will give their dogs table scraps or homemade gravy to entice them to eat their dry good. She said eating human food can result in the dogs becoming obese.
The flavorful topping provides a healthy way of getting dogs to eat the correct portions of their food. She added the topping has become a favorite of her dog.
“If I don’t put (the topping) on, he will stand at the door and wait. He won’t eat until I put it on,” Herbert said.
Herbert, who is public relations director for DCC Marketing in Decatur, said Yotta has been working for four years on developing its own products. Yotta has provided ingredients over the years for Alpo, Allied Mills, Carnation, Gaines, Nabisco and Ralston-Purina.
Bridwell said Yotta put a priority on ensuring its first product line is all natural, without byproducts or added water. He said all of the ingredients are grown and processed in the United States, which is especially important after consumers have seen the recall of some pet foods with ingredients made in China.
“We have about two or three other products under development that are in various stages,” Bridwell said, adding they also will be all natural.
More information about Dog Lover’s Choice or free trial-sized samples of Extra Topping are available through www.dogloverschoice.com.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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