History of Dog Food

The following was adapted from Dr Janice Elenbaas blog on the history of dog food posted on the website at www.luckydogcuisine.com
For the full story please click here.

History of Dog Food

People and dogs have been intertwined throughout history. Some say 15,000 years and others tout an even longer relationship. Dogs have been eating our table scraps for millennia.  So how did the current trend of feeding dry kibble come to be? 

The advent of commercial dry dog food and biscuits can be traced back to an electrician from Cincinnati, named James Spratt in the mid 1800's. His work selling lightning rods often took him to the docks area in London England. Often he would watch as sailors would amuse themselves by tossing leftover "ship's biscuits" to the local dogs. These early dog treats were made from water, salt and flour and needed no refrigeration and made up the bulk of a crew's diet while at sea.

With a few variations Spratt came up with his own line of dog biscuits and dry food was born.

The 1930's brought Ken-L-Ration, the sponsorship of the very popular radio show Rin Tin Tin and canned horsemeat to the forefront of the dog food business. 50,000 horses were slaughtered yearly for the production and by 1941 90% of dog food was canned. 

Feeding the troops during the war years resulted in the birth of portable and long life food such as Spam. With the rationing of both meat and tin commercial dog food companies like Ralston Purina turned to their cereal divisions for alternative solutions. Post war America brought a slew of changes to the dog food industry. Every major player in the business was a processed food company looking to rid themselves of their waste products and dog food was the new way to do it. Mars, Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor and Gamble and Delmonte all owned or still own multiple of the dog food brands you see today.

Today we are seeing a change again. People are better educated about what they are putting in both their own bodies and their dog's. According to Psychology Today, 81% of people consider their dogs members of the family. With Canine Cancer reaching epic proportions with one in two dogs now being diagnosed with cancer and with the fallout from the dog food scandal of 2007 still in the minds of health conscious pet owners - more than 4,150 dogs died from melamine contaminated dry dog food in 2007 - more and more people are switching to whole food diets for both themselves and their dogs. 

Your dog needs you in every way. Let's do our best to provide them with lots of exercise, fresh air, plenty of love and a whole food diet that allows them to stay with us as long as possible. 

For the complete article on History of Dog Food please click here

Yours in good health,

Dr. Janice Elenbaas