OPINION | PET GAZETTE | 27
ever before. Indeed, the application of
scientific findings to the management, nutrition
and overall care of the domestic dog has
been significant. Many dogs now live longer,
safer, healthier, and disease-free lives than
their ancestors. Indeed, many have firmly
ensconced themselves into our lives, families
and even our beds!
DOGS AS SMALL HUMANS?
This humanisation of dogs has had a
significant impact on how dogs are viewed in
society. Dogs are increasingly referred to as
“family members”, “best friends”, “furbabies”
and even as substitute children. This
phenomenon has proved to be a marketing
boon for the pet industry – there is a direct
correlation between the level of affection
that someone identifies for their pet and the
amount they are willing to spend on that pet.
Nutrition is only one part of this, but it is an
important one. Indeed, the last two decades
or so have seen a significant shift in the pet
food industry, with consumers (well, the pet
owners at least, the actual consumers tend
not to be the purchasers!) becoming more
critical and discerning in the nutrition choices
made. However, this might not always be in
the best interests of the actual consumer – the
dog (or cat, or rabbit and so on).
DREAMS, DESIRES, DIET
While cost remains a key factor in the choice
of what to feed their pet for many, it is an
inescapable fact that lifestyle, aspirations,
dreams, desires, susceptibility to marketing
(especially social media) and increased
awareness of personal health and nutrition
has a significant impact on owners’ dietary
choices for their pets. The rise of vegetarian
and vegan dietary options exemplifies this
neatly, where human lifestyle choices are
directly impacting on pets’ dietary provisions.
In the same way, we see human food trends
towards high protein, low carbohydrate,
fresh, raw, “natural”, gluten free and so on,
becoming reflected in the choices made
for their pets. Indeed, smart marketing has
recognised this and is increasingly exploiting
both the human-dog relationship AND
consumer trends, unfortunately not always
in the best interests of the dog and often with
the application of little or no robust scientific
evidence.
ISSUES OF TRUST
While human consumer trends continue to
have an impact on pet food trends, there
has also been a corresponding loss of trust
generally in mass manufacturing, science
and “experts”. This was further compounded
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by the melamine scandal in 2007 where
many products, not just specific pet foods,
were adulterated with highly toxic melamine,
causing illness and death. As a result,
pet owners lost trust in many of the large
companies they relied upon to produce safe,
nourishing food for their pets and alternatives
were sought. This incident spawned the
growth of many new, smaller brands of
pet food claiming to be “cleaner”, “safer”,
“transparent”, “species appropriate” and the
pet food market now contains a range of
companies and products all vying to be the
chosen one for your pet.
STYLE, SCIENCE OR
SUBSTANCE?
This change in pet owner purchasing
behaviour has been interesting. The rise of
the critical consumer who asks questions and
researches has forced many companies to be
much more open, clear and transparent about
their production methods and raw ingredients
used. The problem comes when substance
and style increasingly trump science and
evidence base. For example, the standard
advice when choosing a dog food is to “look at
the ingredients list and check that fresh meat
or meat meal is the first listed ingredient”.
This is taken to be a clear indication of the
perceived quality of the product, when in
actuality, dogs need nutrients not ingredients;
ingredients supply those nutrients! As a result,
the overall formulation of the diet (as well as
who formulated it!) is a much better signifier
of quality.
Similarly, the recent explosion in “grain
– free” diets has closely followed debate
about whether dogs are carnivores and
what is a “species-appropriate diet”, as
well as concerns about gluten and feeding
grains in general. Unfortunately, for some
dogs, this dietary choice appears to be
linked to a specific heart condition, Dilated
Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and studies are now
underway to elucidate the mechanism and
apparent nutritional link. There is no doubt
that specific dietary exclusions are vital for
some dogs with intolerances and diagnosed
allergies, but a universal shift to exclusion
diets based on human perception with no
scientific evidence might be a step too far. On
this basis, being alert to marketing claims
and whether they have any basis in robust
science by asking for peer-reviewed evidence
is another way of ensuring nutritional fact and
not fashion determines dietary choices.
BALANCING FACTS WITH
FASHION
Pet food manufacturers must remain alert and
dynamic in a rapidly changing industry. Pet
food trends closely follow human food trends
but are also impacted upon by wider issues
such as sustainability. It’s a tight balancing
act that must be maintained – applying
current nutritional science and appealing
to consumers’ desires and demands is
critical in the current pet food marketplace.
Ultimately, the end consumer, in this case the
dog, is either the beneficiary or the casualty.
Responsible and evidence-based pet
ownership must always be promoted, and we
all have a role to play in that.
June 2019