Scores of children and adults played Pet Food Institute-Caribbean’s new Not Safe! Game at the GP Kennels All Breed Dog Show in Portmore recently. The game is designed to teach players about foods - like bones, onions, chocolate, alcohol, nutmeg, raisins and grapes – that are dangerous to dogs and cats.

Scores of children and adults played Pet Food Institute-Caribbean’s new Not Safe! Game at the GP Kennels All Breed Dog Show in Portmore recently. The game is designed to teach players about foods - like bones, onions, chocolate, alcohol, nutmeg, raisins and grapes – that are dangerous to dogs and cats.

Hundreds attended the Goode Promotions All Breed Dog Show in Portmore recently and while the main attraction were the scores of top breed dogs strutting their stuff in the ring, the Pet Food Institute-Caribbean’s tent was also abuzz as children and adults played the new ‘Not Safe!’ game.

“The game was a huge hit,” said Sandra Kemp, Pet Food Institute-Caribbean representative. “It’s a lot of fun and very easy to win and so that’s part of why people loved it so much.  But it also opened up great conversation about all of the foods – like bones, table scraps, onions, grapes, raisins, alcohol, nutmeg and chocolate – that are not safe for dogs and cats to consume. It was a great day of, ‘wow – I never knew that’ and ‘I give my dogs that all the time, I need to stop.’ That’s what we hoped to accomplish so we’re really pleased with how the day went.”

To play, participants spun and landed on a letter. Ten photos of Not Safe! foods were displayed at PFI-Caribbean’s table and to win, all players had to do was identify the Not Safe! Food that started with their letter.

“We had children who played at least 10 times,” noted Kemp. “In fact, I ended up with one little girl who acted as my assistant. By the end of the day, not only could she name all of the foods by heart, she could also explain that onions could cause a dog’s red blood cells to burst and that chocolate can cause violent vomiting and even death.”

Many pet owners are unaware of the considerable health risks associated with feeding table scraps.

“Cats and dogs require 42 and 48 essential nutrients, respectively, in appropriate levels for good health,” says Kemp. “Human food and table scraps may not fulfill these nutritional requirements and can lead to serious health problems like obesity, thiamine deficiency in cats and canine pancreatitis in dogs. Pet food packaging that contains the language ‘complete and balanced’ is specifically formulated to provide the essential nutrients that your dog or cat requires, at the appropriate levels.”

Pet Food Institute-Caribbean was a sponsor of the ABKC-sanctioned show, which brought together dogs from the length and breadth of Jamaica.  International judge Ty Lumley officiated.

“We’re really appreciative of PFI-Caribbean’s sponsorship,” said Morris Goode, promoter. “Our primary missions are the same – to promote responsible pet ownership and pet wellness in Jamaica – and so having them with us is a great match.”

The Pet Food Institute-Caribbean is a non-profit organisation that promotes initiatives to advance pet nutrition and the overall quality of pet food in The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica. For more information please visit http://www.petfoodinstitute.org, or to showcase the pets you love, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @pficaribbean

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