Organic pet stores’ prices hard to digest

Like many of my neighbors in Oakland’s Grand-Lakeshore neighborhood, I was curious to see what business would fill the gaping retail hole created by the demise of Blockbuster, which occupied a prime spot in the middle of Lakeshore Avenue, the city’s most popular shopping district.

I was hoping for something new and different — not another cell phone store.

Much to my surprise, the space has gone to the dogs — and cats, rabbits and fish.

The new store, Unleashed by Petco, opened last month, the latest in a growing number of Oakland stores that specialize in healthy, holistic, organic pet food — which costs about twice as much as grocery-store pet food.

In fact, in November a Pet Food Express opened on Piedmont Avenue at the site of another former Blockbuster location. There also is Paws and Claws in the Dimond District, Canine Comforts in Jack London Square, and Pet Food Express and PetVet Petfood in North Oakland. Some foods are grain- and corn-free, ingredients that can cause allergic reactions in some animals. PetVet, which began 30 years ago as a veterinary clinic, sells medically prescribed foods for animals with health problems.

I have two healthy, happy house cats, Fred and Esther,

and I love them unconditionally, but I can’t afford to pay more for their food than I pay for my own. If you thought that Iams was a top-shelf pet food, prepare yourself.

At Pet Food Express in the Rockridge Shopping Center, well-heeled customers spend up to $110 for a 4-pound bag of K9 Natural dog food. Freezedried and fresh refrigerated raw meats are also available. A 5-pound roll of fresh venison or bison costs just under $40. Or maybe your pet would prefer duck, rabbit or venison meat medallions, 4 pounds for $21 to $27. A 30-pound bag of dried food costs about $100.

‘Natural ancestral diet’

Put another way, some of these items cost more than people food. For that kind of money, that dog or cat better wear a cape, be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and fight for truth, justice and the American way.

Oh, they can, Pet Food Express store manager Darrel Powell assured me.

The raw meat “mimics their natural ancestral diet,” he said. “It’s just as if he ran into the woods and caught it.” The only difference being that an animal’s natural ancestral diet is free.

Powell is not only a store manager, he’s also a devoted pet owner who understands the sentiments propelling the pet food industry. The way he cares for his 19month-old boxer, Quincy, is a perfect example.

“My dog eats before I eat, and he eats better than I eat,” Powell said. “I might have peanut butter from the jar for dinner, but he still gets his food, and expects it. And just like my kids, I don’t want to disappoint my dog.”

The Rockridge Pet Food Express is the busiest among 50 locations in Northern California, Powell said.

“It’s a billion-dollar industry, and we are just soaking it up,” he said.

At Unleashed by Petco on Lakeshore, customers can purchase betta water for the fighting fish, but it will leave you wishing it was a betta price. One liter sells for $4.

Yet some pet owners are undeterred by the prices and just happy to have a convenient store close to home.

“I’m damn grateful,” said JoAnne Holmes, a retired 69-year-old Oakland native who lives near Lakeshore.

“I don’t drive, so being able to walk down and get what I need for my cats is a godsend.”

Special occasions

For Fred and Esther, the Champagne wishes and caviar dreams are on hold for the time being.

Like any responsible pet owner, or parent, I feel a little guilty that I’m unable to provide my animals with the very best pet foods available, but I can’t shop at Whole Foods or the Rockridge Market for myself on a regular basis either, and the same rationale applies to five-star pet food stores.

It’s a great alternative for special treats a few times a year, but neither Fred and Esther nor I can afford to make it part of our daily diet.