The Renfrew County SPCA has received a donation of thousands of kilograms of pet food at a time when more and more pet owners are seeking help feeding their animals.

The anonymous donor offered up more than 7,200 kilograms of dry cat and dog food and the community jumped into action, said Heather Jobe, the SPCA’s pet food pantry co-ordinator.

“As soon as we knew about the food donation and that they were ready to transport this 16,000 pounds of food to Renfrew County I just started making some phone calls,” Jobe said.

“I popped into a couple of local businesses and said, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity that I really don’t want to pass up and with a bit of support, we’ll be able to make this happen.'”

Within 24 hours, companies were offering up shipping containers, trucks, and space to store all the kibble.

“We have been reaching out to food banks that we haven’t even worked with before because we have this food available,” Jobe said. “We don’t want it to sit on a shelf, we want it to fill a belly.”

Jobe said the donation comes at an opportunity time, with pet owners reaching out for help as inflation makes just about everything more expensive.

“If we can provide some support there, it means that these animals can stay with their families,” she said. “And people are just so thankful.”

Struggles are widespread

Renfrew County SPCA isn’t the only agency, however, that’s noticing that animal lovers are struggling with the cost of living.

The Ottawa Paw Pantry, one of the city’s pet food banks, has a notice posted on its website that requests for urgent support are on hold until the end of May “while we catch up on existing requests.”

“Our demand has steadily been increasing for the pet food bank, for sure,” said Sharon Miko, president and CEO of the Ottawa Humane Society (OHS).

“More people have become aware of it, but we also know that we are seeing more people who are surrendering animals to us because of the cost.”

Miko said while they’re fortunate to have a sponsor cover a large part of their food costs, that food is coming with “much steeper price tags” these days.

“There’s a lack of hydrolyzed chicken to produce the food itself. And once the food is produced, the cost of packaging has gone up exponentially. And once you pay for packaging, then it’s the transport,” she said.

The OHS emergency pet food bank served 1,100 pets last year with 1,200 kilograms of dry food and 1,800 cans of wet food.

Miko said OHS has been lucky to keep getting donations, given the financial pressures.

“A lot of people have animals in our hearts. And we’ve been very grateful [for] the support that our community has continued to provide.”

More animals being surrendered

The OHS has also seen more animals given up in the past year, with more than 1,200 surrenders between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.

But cost isn’t the only reason.

Miko said pet owners also cite a lack of time and having too many pets already.

“We really encourage people to look at the costs involved before they think of adding to the family to ensure that it’s a cost that they can take on,” she said.

“And that’s not just with regard to food costs, but also the increasing cost of veterinary care. Because we know that’s also impacting our community.”