PAWFECT TREATS-BALANCING EMOTIONS & FUNCTIONS

Introduction

Never before have we been so unconditionally in love with our furry friends or lavished so much on them. The family pet has been clawing its way up the food chain since the early ‘90s and today has morphed into a companion christened with all the rights, privileges and relationship responsibilities of a very best friend. Greater value is being placed on the health and wellness of pets than ever before and an increasing awareness is altering the purchasing behaviour of the pet parents who are no longer satisfied with just healthy food but desire the same benefits from the entire spectrum of edibles. Consequently, pet treats that have always been something of a finicky segment and cared less for their nutritional but more for their reward values is undergoing a fast-paced metamorphosis.

The Dilemma

Pet obesity often gets pinned on not just overfeeding, but overtreating specifically. All treats, rewards and supplements provide more calories from fat, protein and carbohydrate to the overall nutritional regime. These ‘extra’ calories are on top of what the pet is given in their complete and balanced food. All this treating then causes the dilemma of maintaining the weight of our pets when so many additional calories come from these ‘extra’ food products (treats, rewards and supplements).

Despite the dilemma, pet treats have always been a big deal as they are the easiest and the most convenient way to show affection and share joy with our pets. From a trade perspective treats have been creating a higher ring at the cash register and have been great basket builder items. It is no surprise that conveyor belt, nutritionally vacant products made of grain flour, mixed with colour, baked at high temperatures in the shape of bones and paws or a piece of rejected/off cut meat dried whichever way continue to find their way in our pets’ gut in the name of treats.

The Awakening

As the concern for keeping pets health grows and a vast number of research highlights that several health issues for pets can be resolved through nutritional solutions for: skin allergies (#2), gastritis/vomiting (#4), enteritis/diarrhoea (#5) and osteoarthritis (#8). In cats, lower urinary tract disease was #1 followed by gastritis/stomach upsets (#2), enteritis/diarrhoea (#4) and skin allergies (#6). This is the reason pet parents demand has spurred for recipes for food or treats that are free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and fillers such as corn, wheat and soy.

The first set of change has been swiftly followed by another trend that’s mirroring our pet parents personal searches for nutritional and healthy alternatives to pharmaceuticals/drugs for themselves and carrying the same search process over to their pets. Translated into the marketplace this implies that pet parents want more from their treats than just taste, they want treats to enhance their dog’s nutrition and complement their overall health. These demands are leading to nutritional solutions that are being incorporated into humanized products resulting in ‘functional’ treats (described in detail later).

The Revolution

Treats have lived well beyond the simplistic role of just being a training tool or a method of rewarding for good behaviour. From the days of fibrine dog cakes made by James Pratt in 1860s and Milk-Bones in 1907 all the way up until 2000, nutritionally bleak and mass-produced/over-processed, conveyor belt dog treats riddled with dubious second-rate ingredients, filler grains, unscrupulous masking, synthetic nasties and artificial flavours flooded the shelves, this is indeed the well needed revolutionary phase for pet treats.

With the acceleration and amalgamation of emerging trends and the vast majority of dog and cat owners thinking of themselves as “pet parents” rather than “pet owners,” it makes sense that they also feel a weighty sense of responsibility when it comes how do they indulge/ “treat” their pets.

Today, the results are hardly surprising when “My pet is like a child to me so I sometimes spoil him or her” performs poorly against the concept of “I care for my pet and choose foods that provide all the required nutrients for a healthy life” is consequently resulting in dramatic change in how producers and buyers view this segment. To summarise, nutrition is now what is top of the check list, with a large majority of purchasers across markets agreeing how important it is to consider nutrition when choosing treats.

The Opportunities

Despite the progress in the treat segment there’s no denying the fact that functional claims are much less developed viz-a-viz food thereby making them a key area for innovation. Coupling the specific functional benefits with the emotional benefits of the treating experience, is a great motivation for more pet parents to make treats a regular and frequent part of each day.

With the pandemic as a background for rising health consciousness, we can expect pet parents to increasingly seek all-natural treats for their pet’s health and wellness. With some claims being more popular and growing faster than others, it offers a lot of direction for pet food companies looking to expand or refine their product lines.

However, the pet food & treats manufacturers need to back up their claims with research and analytics and provide real solutions. Marketing spins and wild half-truths that is rife in the food category ought to be avoided to avoid dampening the trust of the pet parents in this fast-growing segment.

Conclusion

At Pawfect, we have diligently assembled a root and branch response to the changing pet parents needs by championing food and treats ranges made with all-natural, healthy and nutritious ingredients with absolutely no nasties whatsoever, making our treats an intrinsic element of your pet’s daily diet and a pet parent’s regular purchase. I could TELL you a lot more about our treats here, but I think it would be better to CONVEY through our products. Give us a try and if you aren't impressed, your dog doesn't love it and together you don’t find them Pawfect, we will refund your purchase price AND any shipping charges.