For the Love of Pets

by Nicholas Saraceno | September 3, 2019

The pet health category continues to grow, and manufacturers are looking for new ways to keep our furry friends in tip-top shape from nose to tail.

For many of us, pets are a part of the family. They are loved and cared for just as any other family member would be, and just as healthy living for a human can be expensive, pet care is no different.

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), last year, Americans spent $72.56 billion on pets with the following breakdown:

• Food: $30.32 billion
• Supplies/OTC Medicine: $16.01 billion
• Vet care: $18.11 billion
• Live animal purchases: $2.01 billion
• Other services: $6.11 billion

APPA estimates that these figures will only increase for 2019, jumping to $75.38 billion.

Supplement manufacturers, who are aware of the need and demand for pet products, continue to utilize the latest research to provide retailers with the best possible options.

Sniffing Out the Best

Interestingly enough, pets are more similar to people than many may realize—in fact, they often deal with similar health issues.

“Pets have many of the same issues as people that supplements can address: stress, digestive upset, joint health, immune support and the like,” said Regina Flight, NOW Pets category manager at NOW Foods in Illinois. “We’re really not seeing new ingredients developed specifically for pets. The majority of the ingredients have been around for years on the human side, but as the pet supplement category has become more established, suppliers are marketing them for pets as well. It makes sense for ingredient suppliers to look at the pet category for new sales opportunities and determine if their ingredients are safe and effective for animals.”

With so many pet products now touting their “natural” qualities, retailers—and consumers—need to do their homework.

“I believe we are seeing companies jumping on the bandwagon to either market their product as ‘all-natural’ or ‘non-GMO’ (genetically modified organism) simply because it makes them more money,” said Heather the Hygienist, founder/creator of Florida-based Simply Silver Products, maker of the Immune Booster dietary supplement for pets. “Consumers really need to do their own research when it comes to not just their own health, but their pet children as well. I am a staunch supporter of being your own health advocate for your family and your furry friends. Read your labels! Just because something says ‘all-natural,’ doesn’t mean it is. You can look up individual ingredients on the material safety data sheets or MSDS. Each ingredient has to have a toxicology report, and you will be shocked at what is allowed into our food supply. It’s even worse for our beloved animals,” she said.

“I started my colloidal silver line of oral care products a few years ago because there was nothing on the market that actually freshened your breath worth a darn that was chemical free,” she added. “Now, you are seeing more and more colloidal silver-based products popping up. As a naturalist, I don’t want to eat, drink, slather on or brush with chemicals, and I certainly don’t want to poison my furry friend with chemicals that could leave him having seizures or lifelong complications either.”

Adam Stark, co-owner and “chief miscellaneous officer” of Debra’s Natural Gourmet (Massachusetts) who noted the popularity of wild, organic, non-GMO, paleo, grass fed, CBD and cricket protein, added that in regard to popular delivery systems, “food is trending. Treats are trending. Maybe oils. But for the most part, I see people wanting a big bag of great food jam-packed with the finest ingredients—not a big bag of pretty good food, plus a separate fish oil, plus a greens, plus a probiotic.”

Pets’ love of treats has not gone unnoticed by pet supplement manufacturers.

“Pet parents tend to give their pets supplements that are in ‘treat’ form rather than capsules or tablets,” Flight explained. “On average, pet parents feed their pets eight to 10 treats per day. … people want something that makes them feel good about what they give their pet. Another [reason] is that getting a pill down their dog or cat’s throat can be an ordeal, and it’s far easier to give their pet a yummy treat. NOW Pets products are available in tasty chewable tablets, powders that can be mixed with food, and soft gels, for those ingredients that need to be delivered in that form, that can be hidden in other treats.”

This plethora of naturally focused and nutritious products that pets love are also attracting a major target group of consumers—Millennials.

“We are now seeing so many different types of natural products geared toward animals. Everything from pet food to pet supplements are being revamped to capitalize on the growing trend of a healthier alternative to the cheap, chemical-laden options of the past,” Heather observed. “Millennials are making manufacturers rethink products of old, as over half of them are willing to try natural and holistic methods with their pets first, as opposed to only 30 percent of people over 35 and older.”

Chew on This

As some might predict, the market for pet supplements is well on its way.

“The pet supplement industry is growing at a remarkable rate,” Heather said. “In 2017, pet supplements and nutraceutical treats encompassed more than $1.6 billion in sales. As people become more aware of labeling on human food, the trend extends to pets as well.”

And as alluded to earlier, people that utilize supplements are likely to maintain that lifestyle with their pets.

“Pet parents who use supplements themselves will be open to giving their furry friends supplements also,” Flight pointed out. “As the number of people who use supplements has continued to grow, incorporating supplements into care of their animal companions drives continued sales growth. As a comparatively new segment, there is room for development in the different condition-specific categories.”

Although the market in this category may be thriving, retailers still need to do their part to benefit their end of the supply chain.
Succinctly put, Stark noted that they ought to compete on price with food, while capturing some margin on treats.

Retailers should also think about adding extra sections to the supplement aisle—ones that help explain that condition-specific products can benefit humans just as much as animals. This goes hand-in-hand with staff education, as employees ought to be aware of specific product information.

“Create a specific health concerns section and rotate the display, in addition to keeping the products in their usual place on the shelf,” Flight suggested. “Consider adding them to condition-specific human sections as well, because when people are looking for joint health supplements for themselves and see one targeted to pets—it helps them understand that their animal companies can benefit from supplements too. Training your staff to know more about the brand and each of the products that were developed really is key, partly because it sets you apart from buying online. There is a video on the NOW website that explains each of our pet products that can be used to train your staff, or played in a loop in store or on your website.”

And the importance of understanding nutrition labels cannot be stressed enough, especially if ingredient transparency is being compromised.

“I think we need to teach people how to read a label first and foremost,” Heather advised. “Most people have no idea what most of these ingredients are and how to detect clever labeling of items that are unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs. Companies are infamous for hiding ingredients or changing their names once the consumer becomes aware. For example, high fructose corn syrup is now known as simply, fructose, because people were being awakened to the dangers of consuming it, so they just changed the name.”

Safe, Healthy Pets

From a retailer perspective, some, such as Debra’s, are interested in “real science, with endpoints relevant to the real world. Longevity studies would be great. Condition-specific research would be just as important. And then, just as important as the science, is the ability (and willingness and ethics) to communicate it honestly, to the retailer and the consumer.”

NOW is always looking for research demonstrating how a product can help the pet, along with safety data; it is important to note that what is deemed safe for humans may not necessarily be safe for pets. The company works with Barbara Royal, DVM, CVA, a Midwestern veterinarian and pioneering expert in holistic animal care, to help develop its pet line.

“Pet health products are a growing category and because pets are an important part of the family, many trademarked ingredient companies are expanding their clinical research to include animals,” said Flight. “When the data on some of the studies have merit, we send the information to our formulator, Dr. Barbara Royal, to review and determine if the ingredient is something that she wants to use to create a product for our pet line.”

Nowadays, “natural” has taken society by storm, as a result of these products’ health benefits. If it could lead to pets living longer, why not?

“I think anything that is more natural has a greater chance of success than in the past,” Heather said. “People are wanting healthier alternatives in all aspects of their lives including their pets. People are looking for ingredients that have no animal by-products, are grain-free and organic. Research is showing that animals who eat a healthier diet have a longer life expectancy, show increased energy, maintain a healthy weight and have fewer digestive disorders.”

So overall, as more health-conscious consumers emerge, expect more natural alternatives to leave their mark on the pet health category.

“People are seeing their pets as ‘children’ and are becoming more aware of not just their own health, but the health of their pets as well. Research has shown that fresh is best, so you are now seeing fresh food options available at stores like Walmart and Target,” Heather concluded. “There has been an increasing concern among pet parents about providing their pets with food quantifying the same nutritional standards as theirs, and companies have had to keep up with the trends.” VR

Side-bar:

Vegan Dogs and Cats? Many Owners Are Interested in a Plant-based Diet for Their Pets

A surprising number of pet owners, particularly those who are vegan, are interested in feeding their pets a plant-based diet, according to new University of Guelph (U of G, Canada) research.

Researchers with U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) along with colleagues in New Zealand conducted an online survey of 3,673 dog and cat owners from around the world to learn about what kinds of foods they fed their pets and themselves.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the survey found that 35 percent of pet owners whose pets ate conventional diets were interested in switching their animals to a vegan diet.

More than half of them (55 percent) added, though, that they had certain stipulations that had to be met first before they would make the switch. Those stipulations included needing further evidence that a plant-based diet would meet their pets’ nutritional needs; wanting approval from their veterinarians; and wanting plant-based pet foods to be easily available.

Just under 6 percent of the survey respondents were vegan—meaning they ate no meat, dairy or fish—and more than a quarter (27 percent) of them reported they already fed their pets plant-based diets.

Among the rest of the vegans, a full 78 percent were interested in helping their pets to switch to a plant-based diet if one was available that met their needs.

Lead author Dr. Sarah Dodd, currently a PhD candidate at OVC’s Department of Population Medicine, said even she was surprised by how many vegans had already chosen to eliminate meat from their pets’ diets.

“That percentage, 27 percent, might sound like a small number, but when you think of the actual numbers of pets involved, that’s huge, and much higher than we expected.” In total, 1.6 percent of the 2,940 dogs in the survey and 0.7 percent of the 1,545 cats were being fed a strictly plant-based diet; only vegans and one vegetarian chose to exclusively feed plant-based diets.

Another 10.4 percent of the dogs and 3.3 percent of cats were intermittently fed vegetarian diets or plant-based foods.

Of the 3,673 pet owners surveyed, 6 percent were vegetarian (meaning they ate no meat but did eat dairy, eggs or honey), 4 percent were pescatarian (meaning they ate no meat but fish, and may eat dairy, eggs or honey), and nearly 6 percent were vegan (meaning they ate no animal products).

Dodd said while her team’s research was not designed to assess whether vegan pet diets are a growing trend, she expects interest in the diets to increase.

“People have been hearing about how vegan diets are linked to lowered risks of cancer and other health benefits in humans. There is also growing concern about the environmental impact of animal agriculture.”

Previous studies have also shown that pet owners tend to offer the same kind of diets to their dogs and cats that they adopt for themselves.

“So, while only a small proportion of pet owners are currently feeding plant-based diets to their pets, it is safe to say that interest in the diets is likely to grow.”

However, there has not been much research on the nutritional suitability of vegan diets for dogs and cats, nor on the health benefits and risks of plant-based diets in these animals, said Dodd. “This study shows there is a clear need for further research in this area.”