A Victoria pet food company is seeing product interest rise in the wake of the tainted pet food recall across North America.

Happy Paws Holistic Pet Food owner Ron DeNoble has received several e-mails from pet owners saying they are going to buy his food. Also, a major customer has just increased its regular order by 20 per cent.

It's a little early to say whether sales have increased at the 60 outlets on Vancouver Island, along with a few on the mainland, that carry Happy Paws, DeNoble said yesterday. He sells about 50 tonnes of Happy Paws per month on the Island.

Pet owners have been anxiously checking their pet food to find out if it falls into the long list of popular brands supplied by Menu Foods, based in Mississauga, Ont. and may have been tainted by rat poison.

So far, several dogs and cats in North America have become sick or died from kidney failure. Anecdotal reports say far more have died.

Happy Paws ingredients are listed on its website, www.happypaws.ca. DeNoble said all ingredients are from Canada, other than New Zealand free-range lamb. Ingredients are human-grade, and some are organic.

Meanwhile, Dave Vernon, who has the B.C. franchise for Multi Menu foods, wants to make sure that company is not taken for Menu foods because the similarity in names has caused confusion.

Since starting last year, he has about 80 Greater Victoria customers for the product from the Quebec-based company.

Multi Menu, which is home-delivered, is made by PLB International. Company spokesman Bernard Hamel urges pet owners to read the label for ingredients.