For dog lovers whose hard-to-please pets cause them stress because they simply refuse to eat their daily fare, one innovative company appears to have found a unique answer: the first ever microwavable dog food, said to bring out the aroma dogs cherish.
Unicharm Corp., a Japanese chemicals company that specializes in the manufacture of diapers, feminine hygiene products and, of course, pet care products, announced Wednesday the launch of Gin-No-Sara Attaka (or "silver plate warm") Kitchen Gourmet Mix, set to hit shelves nationwide on June 1.
Simply put, it is dog food you pop in the microwave for 10 seconds, and -- voila! -- you have what the company claims to be "a fresh and hot" feast fit for your finicky pup.
Ten packets containing 45 grams per bag of the dog cuisine will likely cost around 950 yen -- nearly three times the price of conventional high-end dog food products. But according to Unicharm, that's a small price to pay for dog lovers who treat their pets like one of the family.
Just warm the meal to about 40-45 C to evoke the food's aroma. For dogs, whose sense of smell is believed to be more than one thousand times sharper than humans', it is expected to have the desired effect of enhancing their appetites, giving them the same melt-in-the-mouth feeling their owners get from freshly baked bread, the company said.
More and more Japanese people continue to buy pets as the population continues to age and with the growth of the nuclear family. Small dogs suitable for keeping inside homes are particularly in high demand.
According to the company, the percentage of Japanese dog owners with small dogs has increased from just 26 percent in 1995 to 63 percent in 2014 -- and 40 percent of small dog owners complain of pets that refuse to eat.
Unicharm, which said it is also considering developing a similar product for cats, is aiming with its tasty new cuisine to take the high-end pet world by storm.