It might be a disheartening fact,
but all animals will get hurt in
their lifetime. Most pets get into
some sticky situations resulting
in wound and skin issues. Most
of these issues can be fixed easily at home to get every animal
back onto its feet.
Wounds that are clean, well
maintained and remain moist
show faster healing than wounds
left on their own. However, keeping a wound bed clean and
moist can be difficult. The most
important step in any wound bed
healing process is the proper
preparation of the wound bed.
When an optimal environment
is achieved, wounds heal faster.
In order to attain an optimal
wound healing environment, the
wound bed needs to be removed
of cellular debris, senescent
cells, necrotic tissue, biofilm and
other foreign materials. A noncy-totoxic formulation of oxychlorine compounds can be used
to moisten, clean and debride
wounds. An effective oxychlorine
compound is hypochlorous acid.
Innovacyn now introduces, Vetericyn Plus! Innovacyn found the
way to stabilize the hypochlorous
molecule into a safe and non-toxic solution with an extended
shelf life. Vetericyn’s manufacturing process has created the
next generation of wound and
skin care solutions. All Vetericyn
Plus products are pH-balanced
solutions used for cleansing, irrigating and debriding wounds,
setting the stage for optimal
healing conditions. There is no
ocular irritation, no oral toxicity
or no skin cytotoxicity with the
use of Vetericyn Plus. Vetericyn
Plus is as safe as it is effective.
For more information, visit
vetericyn.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
Safety First, Sales Next
Merchandising tips for first aid, safety and summer products to keep warm-weather sales sunny.
PRODUCT MERCHANDISER FOCUS
BY HILARY DANINHIRSCH
The weather is heating up, which means that pets and their owners are spending
more time outdoors. Having
fun with pets goes hand in hand
with keeping them safe from
the hazards that can come with
warmer weather.
Several new products are
scheduled to hit the shelves this
season, including an all- natural
topical remedy, Ditch the Itch
by Natural Paws, the first product that the Scottsdale, Ariz.,
company created based on its
existing customers’ requests.
“It relieves itchy skin on contact and works to reduce the inflammation and irritation that
causes dogs to scratch and bite
themselves,” said founder and
president Elyse Horvath. “Ditch
the Itch also helps to heal and
nourish the skin, so that the itchiness is likely to remain at bay for
longer periods, which is especially helpful during allergy season.”
New York-based PawFlex,
which produces fur-friend-ly bandages, has several new
products to launch, including
a natural shampoo line called
Wickedly Potent. Also upcoming is a first aid kit that incorporates the company’s new,
all-natural medicine line called I
Love You Naturally and its bandages. Customers also should
be on the lookout for a toothpaste, a tooth spray cleaner and
two new toys called FunStufferz
and Tug Attack, said CEO Jennifer DiGrazia.
Earth Heart Inc., a maker of
natural aromatherapy products
in Dundee, Ill., released Buzz
Guard Balm in March, which
absorbs into skin and doesn’t
melt or run; it contains the com-
pany’s proprietary blend of es-
sential oils and was developed
to soothe dry skin, scrapes, in-
sect bites and other irritations,
said owner Vicki Rae Thorne.
She added that customers have
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DISPLAY TIPS
The ability to sample merchandise is an effective selling technique.
“Setting a few bottles aside as testers helps to give the customer ownership
of the product,” said Elyse Horvath, founder and president of Natural Paws in
Plus, she said, human customers can test Natural Paws on their own skin.
Not every retailer can carry every product in a line, which is why Lori Fouts, vice
president of sales management for MiracleCorp Products in Dayton, Ohio, said, “Keep
a wide variety of our [reflective] collars on hand or hang them next to a picture of the
complete fashion options available so consumers know they have choices.”
Another option for display is to bundle an entire manufacturer line.
“We recommend that Vetericyn products be placed next to one another on the
shelf,” said Courtney Mack, marketing specialist with Innovacyn in Rialto, Calif. “All
Vetericyn labels are created to work with one another to create an extensive shelf
space experience.”
No matter how a product
is displayed, the consumer
wants something easy to
understand, said Vicki Rae
Thorne, owner of Earth Heart
Inc. in Dundee, Ill.
“Point-of-sale material
should be easy to read; use
pictures or simple text showing how to use the product,”
she said.
This was reiterated by
Laura Clark, co-owner of Wy-
lie Wagg, which has stores in
Virginia and Washington, D.C.
“As with all displays, uses and benefits of featured products should be excep-
tionally clear,” she said. “Consumers are busy with lots of things competing for their
attention while they’re shopping. Highly visible and effective signage is key.”
“We create themed displays to draw attention to products within specific
categories,” she said. “Additionally, we keep summer products fairly close together
on the shelves so that we can up- and cross-sell.”
The stores also have seasonal events that help sell summer products, such as
Puppy Pool Parties and Ice Cream Socials in the summer, Clark said.
Safety First, Sales Next,
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