Officially microwavable dog food to hit shelves June 1

For dog lovers whose hard-to-please pets cause them stress when they simply refuse to eat their daily fare, one innovative company appears to have found a unique answer: a microwavable dog food that is said to bring out the aromas dogs cherish.

Unicharm Corp., a Japanese chemicals maker that specializes in making diapers, feminine hygiene products and, of course, pet care products, announced Wednesday the launch of Gin-No-Sara Attaka (or “silver plate warm”) Kitchen Gourmet Mix, set to hit shelves nationwide on June 1.

Simply put, it is dog food you pop in the microwave for 10 seconds, and — voila! — you have what the company claims to be “a fresh and hot” feast fit for your finicky pup.

Ten packets containing 45 grams per bag of the dog cuisine will likely cost around ¥950 — nearly three times the price of conventional high-end dog food products. But according to Unicharm, that’s a small price to pay for dog lovers who treat their pets like one of the family.

Just warm the meal to about 40 to 45 degrees to evoke the food’s aroma. For dogs, whose are believed to have a sense of smell more than a thousand times sharper than humans, it is expected to have the desired effect of enhancing their appetites, giving them the same melt-in-the-mouth feeling their owners get from freshly baked bread, the company said.

More and more Japanese people are buying pets as the population continues to gray. Small dogs suitable for keeping inside homes are in particularly high demand.

According to the company, the percentage of Japanese dog owners with small dogs has grown from just 26 percent in 1995 to 63 percent in 2014 — and 40 percent of them complain of pets that refuse to eat.

Unicharm, which said it is also considering developing a similar product for cats, is aiming with its tasty new cuisine to take the high-end pet world by storm.