VANGUARD AWARDS

Where once challenges with young pets were a dire and extremely challenging circumstance, milk substitutes have made a variety of options for young pets more available. Additionally, pet parents are more inclined to explore a category when they recognize a brand name they had a positive experience with but in another category. Category leaders like Pet-Ag and Zesty Paws are assisting pet parents in their efforts to address pets’ dietary and health needs at earlier stages in the pet’s life.

Pet-Ag offers a full-line of kitten and puppy milk replacer products in both powder and ready-to-use liquid formulas in each of its product lines, as well as premium and value products. “We recently upgraded our KMR Kitten Milk Replacer and Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer formulas to include a special fiber blend for improved gut health and digestion,” said Andrea Henderson, VP of Marketing. “We also took this as an opportunity to refresh the look of the packaging for both brands and feature a photo of a shelter kitten or puppy. Pet-Ag also just launched Goat’s Milk KMR Kitten Milk Replacer in both powder and liquid forms. The addition of Goat’s Milk KMR Kitten Milk Replacer to our current Goat’s Milk Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer, rounds out our premium product offering that is formulated especially for sensitive digestive systems. Goat’s milk is easier for kittens and puppies to digest than cow’s milk and elimi-

Milk Substitutes

nates complex proteins often associated with allergies. Having formulas made from both goat and cow milk provides caregivers with options to provide for the specific needs of their newborn kitten or puppy.”

Zesty Paws introduced the Puppy Milk Replacer as part of the brand’s first collection of puppy products including calming, multivitamins, and immune support, said VP of Marketing Yvethe Tyszka. “Crafted specifically to cater to this important life stage, Zesty Paws is excited to continue to expand our functional pet supplements offerings for dogs from puppy to senior,” she explained. “The Zesty Paws Puppy Milk Replacer is a powdered formula for nursing puppies with ingredients like colostrum, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids (with DHA), and prebiotics and probiotics to support the healthy development of a puppy’s eyes, heart, immune system and gut. Our veterinarian-formulated milk alternative is perfect for use in puppies up to six weeks old, but can also be given to senior dogs, or pregnant and lactating dogs to further support nutrition. Zesty Paws will continue to grow the category and explore additional ways to incorporate other beneficial ingredients into early life products.”

“Pet-Ag is committed to offering the highest quality milk replacers that are the closest match to mother’s milk,” Henderson said. “As part of this commitment, we recently upgraded our KMR and Esbilac formulas to include a special fiber blend for improved gut health and digestion. Scientifically, KMR, Esbilac, Goat’s Milk KMR, and Goat’s Milk Esbilac Milk Replacer products are the next best to mother’s milk.”

Zesty Paws’ product portfolio is designed to support pets’ health through each stage of their life. “We continue to look for ways to innovate with the consumer at the center of the conversation,” Tyszka said. “We are in continued growth mode with the goal of delighting our pet parents and fur babies as they go through their journey together. As the milk substitutes category continues to grow, Zesty Paws will look to propel the category forward by using best-inclass ingredients and formulas to innovate for all life stages including puppyhood and senior.”