Walmart Pet Policy
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Walmart is calling on its food suppliers to follow stricter guidelines for animal welfare and the use of antibiotics as it aims to be more transparent with customers about where its food comes from.
The announcement Friday is the first time the retailer has established an official position on the treatment of animals used in its supply chain. As the largest grocery store in the U.S., the move by Walmart could bring more oversight and awareness of animal welfare throughout the industry.
The guidelines call for eliminating antibiotics except when medically necessary, giving animals more room to roam and ensuring pain management techniques are used during procedures like castration and killing.
Suppliers are also being asked to give reports to Walmart and the public about their antibiotic use and animal welfare every year. The guidelines apply to fresh and frozen meat, dairy, eggs and deli meat.
'Our customers have told us that they want to know more about where their food comes from, and how it was sourced,' said Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice president of sustainability, in a blog post. 'As a retailer that sells products but does not produce them, we can use our strengths to influence change across our supply chain.'
Animal rights groups have called on Walmart in recent years to establish better policies regarding the treatment of animals. Non-profit Mercy for Animals conducted several investigations from 2012-2014 at pork farms that supply Walmart, finding that pigs were abused and confined in gestation crates for long periods of time. The group applauded Walmart, but said it should make the guidelines mandatory.
'We urge Walmart to add greater teeth to this announcement by making the new guidelines a requirement rather than a mere recommendation, and to set aggressive timelines for its suppliers to meet its expectations,' MFA President Nathan Runkle said. 'While there is still work to be done, Walmart's announcement is one of the most sweeping animal welfare policies ever adopted by a major food company.'
Gail Hansen, a public health veterinarian for The Pew Charitable Trusts, said Walmart's call for limiting the use of antibiotics is 'very positive' given the growing public health concern of antibiotic resistance.
'Too many antibiotics are being used both in human and animal medicine,' she says. 'Since Walmart is the largest grocery store, the largest meat seller, (the policy will) start to give people a handle on actually how the antibiotics are used. So you can make better policies on how to be good stewards of antibiotics.'
The Humane Society released a statement supporting Walmart's announcement.
'Walmart's animal welfare announcement is a game-changing progress and signals to agribusiness that the era of confining farm animals is ending,' said President and CEO Wayne Pacelle. 'Battery cages, gestation crates and veal crates – along with other long-standing practices that immobilize animals – have a short shelf life in our food system.'
Chicago attorney Stephanie Reinhart was fostering a litter of Shiba Inu puppies and their mom a few years ago when several of them became infected with the parasite giardia.
For a while, the whole crew needed daily doses of two medications. 'When I realized I was running low late one evening, my vet restocked me by calling in a prescription to my local Walgreens,' Reinhart says.
Not only did she get a refill, she also paid only $20 for a large bottle of the antibiotic metronidazole — less than half of what she would have spent at the vet.
Walgreens is just one of many commercial pharmacies now filling valid prescriptions from veterinarians.
CVS/pharmacy will fill a pet prescription if the drug is also prescribed for humans (many treatments for digestive troubles, itching, infections and high blood pressure are the same between species).
Walmart, Target and Rite-Aid have begun special programs in the past few years to stock animal-specific medications; Target carries hundreds. Free online marathi books download pdf.
'We're focused on providing our customers with affordable healthcare solutions for their families — and that includes their pets,' says Walmart spokesperson Danit Marquardt.
Walmart Pet Policy
Some programs also extend people perks to pets. Target's ClearRx program features a personalized color-coded ring around the neck of each person's — or pet's — prescription bottle to cut down on confusion at home.
And then there are the savings. Walmart's program began in 2012 with the launch of PetTrust Plus, a generic heartworm prevention that costs half as much as a brand-name version. Target offers the same $4 generics program to pets as it does to people, says spokesperson Jamie Bastian.
Walmart Pet Policy 2018
At Target and Walgreens, your pets can also join rewards programs that add up to big discounts over time.
Reinhart now has a Prescription Savings Club card for her dog, Shino. It reads: 'Shino Reinhart.'
Walmart Pet Meds
Check out your options
Here are some pharmacies that will fill a veterinarian's prescription for any drug they stock.
- Walmart
- Target
- Walgreens
- Rite-Aid
- Costco