(Published in Mar. 2008)

Something for Everyone
Categorized foods are targeting health issues, breeds, and other niches.
By Scott and Ann Springer

Perusing a dog food aisle in this day and age can overwhelm even the most educated consumer. Manufacturers specially formulate dog foods to match the needs of any dog in nearly every category: breed, size, age, medical condition, ingredient panels, and even season of the year.

"It's amazing how many SKUs are on the market," says Roman Versch, the president of Seasons Pet Foods in Glendora, Calif. "Consumers have such a variety of choices."

Show Me the Choices
The trend for specially formulated pet foods started in the late 1970s and early 1980s when manufacturers emphasized the use of certain ingredients, most notably chicken, Versch says. "It was really an ingredients issue years ago," says Versch who has worked in the pet food industry nearly all his life.

Today's consumers are looking at ingredients again also. In particular they seek alternative protein sources and organic and all-natural products to remedy common health problems, says George Parente, the owner of Dogs & Cats Rule with locations in Newtown, Penn. and Pennington, N.J.

"The biggest trend we're seeing is in protein shifts," Parente says. According to Parente, these specialty protein source diets may help to calm common food allergies that dog owners encounter.

His customers come in looking for everything from bison and buffalo to kangaroo and pheasant. "Fish and duck are now mainstream diets," Parente says.

Grain-free diets are also a popular category of specialized pet foods used to treat several health problems including diabetes, obesity, and allergies, says Michele Dixon, a member of the research and development team at Petcurean Pet Nutrition in British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

In the early 1980s, manufacturers began creating recipes that met the nutritional needs of dogs in all stages of life, recognizing that food appropriate for a puppy may not meet the needs of an aging dog, Versch says.

In the early 1990s, manufacturers took a step further by merging lifestyle concerns with ingredients. "We started seeing formulas with names like, lamb and rice puppy formula, hitting the market," Versch says.

By the mid-1990s, dog foods geared to remedy specific health issues – everything from sensitive stomach formulas to diabetic diets -- appeared on store shelves, Versch says.

"Not every food is for every type of dog," says Jeannie Berg, the manager at Civilized Nature, a Sammamish, Wash. retail store. "We like to give them choices that can address those health concerns."

Breed- and size-specific product lines also came into the dog food category and have been successful for Parente. "We do well with many of the breed-specific foods," Parente says. "It's out there and it's working."

In particular, Parente says owners of certain breeds often prefer purchasing the breed-specific diets. For example, a food geared toward Yorkshire Terriers contains a diet specially formulated to appeal to the dog's finicky taste buds. Also, the triangular-shaped kibble of a bulldog diet is designed to fit a bulldog's odd-shaped palette, Parente says.

Later this year when a new dog food reaches the market, consumers will even be able to feed their dogs based on the changing seasons, Versch says. "The change in climates totally affects the amount of nutrients an animal will require," Versch says. "When it's cold outside they use more energy to regulate body temperature."

This climate-oriented diet is based on the concept that the four seasons greatly impact human food choices and regulate seasonal shedding in animals. The food is formulated to increase protein and fat in the cooler seasons and then reduces fat and calories in the summer, while increasing essential fatty acids.

Show Me the Money
With the enormous amount of offerings at the doggie dinner table, Berg recommends retailers begin by digging for details about the customer's dog.

"We like to steer our customers in the direction that would be most helpful," Berg says. "Then we say to them, ‘These are three great choices and you can choose which one you like best.'"

Other stores may prefer to host seminars to help increase consumers knowledge of pet nutrition, Dixon says. These seminars focus on answering questions such as "What is chicken meal?" and "What is a probiotic?"

Using displays as educational tools can increase dialogue between retailers and consumers.

Dixon says putting up even the simplest of signage that says, ‘Got a fussy dog? Here's a food for you,' can open a door with an existing customer to switch over to a new diet.

Posting signs that pose thought-provoking questions can also lead to a question-and-answer session with a customer. For example, Dixon says a retailer may post a sign near the dog food section that says, "If you would like to know how foods have changed recently, I'm here to help you."

Costs of these higher-end specialty diets may be a deterrent for some consumers. Giving out free samples and issuing bounce-back coupons can also increase sales of specially formulated foods, Parente says.

Dixon recommends retailers display a chart that shows the daily cost comparison between a larger bag of lesser-quality food and a smaller bag of higher-quality food. Typically the higher-quality foods require less quantity in a daily feeding; thus, the cost would be about the same over a longer period of time.

"In this type of comparison, the higher-quality food is usually not more expensive or just marginally more per day," Dixon says. "The dollar always motivates people."

Scott and Ann Springer are regular contributors to the magazine.