Compared to the estimated $82 billion dog food market Hypercube Insights forecasts by 2026, the origins of pet food are relatively humble.
About 20,000 years ago, early hunter-gatherers, hoping to protect themselves from the consequences of excessive protein consumption, such as diarrhea and protein poisoning, would give wolves extra meat scraps The practice not only laid the groundwork for today’s dog nutrition and pet food industry but may even have played an important role in the domestication of dogs themselves.
Ollie looked at news articles, research journals, and historical sources to outline key milestones in the history of dog food and nutrition.
The nutritional needs of dogs began to diverge from their wolf ancestors due to genetic changes that allowed modern dogs to digest starches more efficiently. The change paralleled advances in agriculture and dog husbandry. The development of these starch-digesting genes reflects similar changes in human populations that began eating higher carbohydrate diets due to agriculture. However, up until this point, dogs’ diets consisted mainly of leftover scraps from their companion’s meals, without regard to special needs.
It is difficult to determine exactly when the practice of feeding dogs special diets first appeared, as it probably evolved over time. However, the earliest documented recommendation for a specialized dog food comes over 4,000 years ago in the manual “Farm Topics” by author Marcus Terentius Varro. The text advises dog owners to feed them scraps of meat and bones and barley bread soaked in milk.
Literature can be found on specialized dog diets among noble families with working and hunting dogs in the Middle Ages. In a 14th-century text, author Gaston III, Count de Foix even detailed specific foods to give sick dogs, including buttered eggs and goat’s milk. However, giving dogs special treats did not transcend classes until the emergence of a wealthier middle class in the 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution.
The first commercial dog food
During that time, American electrician James Spratt embarked on a journey from Ohio to London to make a living selling lightning rods. There, the would-be salesman noticed dogs scavenging on the banks of the river. Realizing that dogs ate the dry biscuits that sailors ate on long voyages called hardtack, he realized that there was a similar need for affordable, convenient, and stable food among dog owners. After many iterations, Spratt developed the first commercial dog food: Spratt’s Patent Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes—a blend of grains, vegetables, beetroot, and “dried unsalted gelatinous portions of Prairie Beef,” explains a ad, according to The New York Times.
An entrepreneur at heart, Spratt quickly employed an ongoing marketing campaign that popularized his product nationwide, even including testimonials from owners of show dogs. From there, she expanded her product line to cater to specific life stages and beyond: puppy biscuits with cod liver oil for development and different sized “grade” biscuits for smaller ones and big dogs. While Blue Buffalo, a dog food manufacturer owned by General Mills, purchased Spratt’s in the 1950s, the concept of an affordable, mass-produced dog food remained far beyond its earliest variants.
Canned meat
Horse meat-packing plant owners and brothers Philip Mitchell, Earl, and Ernst Chappel pioneered the next big innovation in dog food in 1922 when they created a mixture of grain and meat—specifically, horse meat— to a paste that can be removed and stored. long term. They named the new product Ken-L Ration, carefully describing its meat contents in a 1950 Toledo Blade ad as “lean, red meat.” The product was so successful that, by the 1930s, the company was breeding horses specifically for dog food—a catchy jingle also helped sales.
But with the comfort of horses all over the country, the US government began rationing tin and meat amid domestic struggles during World War II, causing the popularity of canned dog food to decline.
The first kibble
Innovations in food processing gave rise to the next big change in dog food.
While extrusion, a food processing method, has been used to successfully produce bulk cheap cereals and pastas since the 1930s, it was not until the 1950s that extrusion was used to also produce pet food.
In 1950, Ralston Purina Co. used of an extruder, which pushed ingredients through a tube and used high pressure and air to make Chex cereal. The process helped keep the cereal crunchy in the milk. At the time, the company’s pet food division was also fielding complaints about the appearance, texture, and digestibility of its food. This prompted the division to borrow technology from its cereal peers, resulting in Purina Dog Chow, the first commercial dog kibble.
Establishing pet nutrition standards
Up until that point, dog food was pretty unconventional, according to Dr. Magda Szyrmer, a holistic and integrative vet. There is no governing body to determine standards for nutrition and many claims go unchecked.
The issue prompted the Association of American Feed Control Officials to step in. At its first meeting in the 1960s, AAFCO established definitions for ingredients that, among other things, outlined what poultry was versus what was a poultry product and defined what it meant to be “complete and balance.” Their guidelines are still in place and the claim of being “complete and balanced” is still printed on dog food bags today.
In the 1970s and ’80s, the National Research Council of the National Academies addressed the nutritional requirements for dogs and published “Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats,” which established recommended standards for domestic dog nutrition. Interestingly, Szyrmer said the council’s research was not based on dogs or cats but rather “extrapolated from other species.”
Modern trends: Increased diversification and sustainability
Diversification within the pet food industry is expected to continue: According to market research firm GfK, the number of pet food and treat brands increased by 71% between 2011 and 2018.
In addition to more diversity, the pet food industry targets consumer belief systems. Some notable trends include minimally processed dog food or “raw” diets that are marketed as purportedly resembling natural domestic dog food. Air-dried and dried dog feeds are appealing to consumers who are concerned about maximizing the nutritional value of their dog’s food. Gently cooked or baked foods also offer less processed options. Other sustainability-minded dog foods introduce alternative protein sources such as black soldier fly as well as algae-based products.
Many of these trends are probably familiar to owners. In fact, Mars Petcare predicts pet food trends by following human food trends. In a 2018 presentation at the Global Pet Expo, Eric Huston, then the company’s marketing director (now general manager at Mars Food Canada), shared that human food trends are emerging in the pet food arena in more faster rate than ever, from 5-6 years in history to as little as 1.5-2 years.
The pace of change is partly due to an increasingly digital society, where information and purchasing choices happen more quickly. Some upcoming trends may include dog probiotics or a special appliance for making dog treats at home. Regardless of the change, one thing remains the same: The field of dog nutrition follows the dietary patterns of man as it did in his childhood—a true reflection of the eternal connection between man and dog.
Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.
