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North Texas Pet Food Trends
ogs are duty-bound protectors and cats are cuddly companions—or sometimes the other way around. Whatever the case, our pets are members of the family, and we must care for them as if they are precocious children. That includes supervising grooming, play habits, medical needs and importantly—diet. What we provide or allow them to eat has a lot to do with their quality of life and even how long that will last. Natural Awakenings Dallas -Fort Worth Metroplex magazine surveyed five area businesses to determine what exactly is trending in the field of pet nutrition.
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acks Premium, founded by siblings
Madison and Luke Clasby, has been in the manufacturing and distribution of premium, allnatural, pet feed and treats since 2010. Luke is seeing trends continue to shift toward higherquality, human-grade, organic, holistic alternatives. whole-food, less-processed form of nutrition. “There is also expectation from consumers for ‘just-in-time’ delivery services and curbside pick-ups,” notes Madison. Jack’s Premium continues to expand its product offerings to provide a variety of choices for customers. “We realize every animal is different, and subsequently has its own unique set of needs and wants. We support many different feeding options, from raw and freeze dried to traditional kibble, and focus on many single-ingredient treats.” They were an earlier adopter of home delivery offering same day service to the entire Metro area and an easy-order smartphone app since 2010. Madison reports, “Consumers are becoming more and more educated. The speed at which information changes hands is lightening quick. Consumers can demand certain expectations, and the companies that listen and adapt to their needs will be the ones that continue to grow.” He explains that the advent of COVID has effected the supply chain supporting the pet food industry. “There have been ingredients that have become more difficult to source, as packers were short on labor and have not harvested as many animal parts as in the recent past. In addition, consumers may see changes in packaging solutions because there has been disruption in the manufacturing of paper and plastic feed sacks, as well as plastic containers. Hopefully, these disruptions will
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force the pet food industry into seeking out sustainable and more eco-friendly solutions which they have been putting off due to lower-cost solutions being readily available.” Jacks Premium, 920 S. Harwood St., Dallas. 1-833-345-2257, JacksPremium.com. See ad, back cover.
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aw by Canines First has been in
business for eight years. Owner Greg Raupers notes, “The pandemic brought out a lot of new buying trends. Most households are looking for longer-lasting chews or interactive toys to keep the dog busy while they are on conference calls. We like lick mats, West Paw toys and treat balls. We are also seeing people pay more attention to their pets’ diet and start to apply the same quality nutrition standards to their pets’ food that they follow on a dayto-day basis; that means less processed foods and more fresh and high-quality ingredients. Nutrition has the greatest impact on our pets’ lives, and it isn’t hard to make vast improvements without significantly increasing the time or money you spend.” Raupers observes, “RAW by Canines First is seeing a lot of customers spend more time with their pets and reflect on the types of food they choose to feed. Most of our customers who feed kibble have made the choice to include frozen or freeze dried raw food to their pet bowl to boost the palatability and nutrients. A recently published 10-year study by Helsinki University shows that including as little as 20 percent of raw food in a dog’s diet will result in the positive
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attributes associated with feeding a raw diet. The most prominent attributes are less shedding, smaller stools and reduced allergies/ scratching.” He is also seeing a lot of small and elderly dogs switch to lightly cooked food. The brands RAW by Canines First carries use human-grade ingredients which are lightly cooked to improve desirability and increase digestibility. “Even adding a small portion of cooked food to the pet’s regular food will get your dog to finish their bowl as soon as you put it down,” Raupers advises. “RAW by Canines First has always focused on nutrition and finding the high quality foods that fit each price category and that will never change. What we see more and more is that people are interested in the ingredients in the bag, he says. “They want to see more of the ingredients and ingredient quality that they feed themselves in their pets’ food. It only makes sense that better nutrition leads to a better life for the owner and the pet.” RAW Canines First, 5460 W. Lovers Ln., Ste. 232, Dallas. 214-350-0808, RawByCaninesFirst.com.
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uenster Milling, in business since
1932, is a manufacturer of Natural, Holistic Dog and Pet Food. Director of Marketing Eddie Hale thinks there is a growing trend for dog foods that are either kibble-free or kibble-mix type foods. “People are making their own foods, buying frozen fresh and freeze-dried or looking for custom blends of traditional kibble with added freeze-dried,
