Merrick Pet Care launches dog food advertising campaign

Natural petfood manufacturer Merrick Pet Care has launched its “Best Dog Ever Deserves the Best Food Ever” advertising campaign with Austin, Texas-based agency McGarrah Jessee. The new campaign for the company’s all-natural Merrick brand dog food marks the most substantial marketing investment in its 25+ year history and comes at a time when the brand is experiencing double-digit growth in the expanding natural, premium petfood category, according to the company.

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“Our new campaign is based on the guiding insight that most pet parents truly believe their dog is the best dog ever, and to honor that bond they seek the very best for their dog when it comes to choosing a food,” said Mark Sapir, vice president of marketing for Merrick Pet Care. “This emotional insight wrapped around the benefits of our food—high quality, nutrition and great taste—guided the development of the campaign as we celebrate the special relationship between pet parent and pet shown through shared joy at mealtime.”
As pet parents continue to research petfood brands online, a major component of the campaign will target current and potential consumers via search, display and remarketing. In addition, there will be a heavy social media component to reach new and current pet parents, as research demonstrates pet parents are particularly active across a number of social platforms and receptive to brand messages there. “The natural petfood category has become very crowded, and a highly targeted digital campaign is the best way to break through to the right consumers and reach them via multi-media channels that bring our story to life in the most compelling ways,” said Sapir.
Finally, the company is updating the Merrick website with a dynamic comparison tool for pet parents to compare their dog food brands to Merrick, and offering a money-back guarantee to reinforce that pet parents will find Merrick to be “the best food ever, for the best dog ever.”

DOG for DOG wins 'Best in Show' at Global Pet Expo 2014

DOG for DOG received the 2014 Global Pet Expo's top award, "Best in Show," in Global's New Product Showcase for dogs. The company celebrated the launch of its new DOGSFOOD all-natural premium kibble at the show.

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Presented by The American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), this is the first time the honor has been given to a dog food product in more than five years. Additionally, DOG for DOG donated its display, an eight-foot wall built out of bags of DOGSFOOD totaling 2,380 pounds of dog food, to eight local Florida dog charities. "Winning 'Best Product' at the Global Pet Expo further validates the fact that there is a strong need to help dogs in need and that our customers want to be a part of the solution," said Rocky Kanaka, president of DOG for DOG. "Our supporters can feel great when they purchase DOGSFOOD  because they know that they are providing premium, healthy food for their pets, while they are also helping feed dogs that are in shelters or part of rescue groups." 
The 2014 expo saw 2,896 booths, more than 6,000 buyers and 3,000 new products.

Innova introduces Nature's Table natural, grain-free petfood

Inspired by the farm-to-table movement, Innova has announced the launch of Nature's Table, a new line of premium grain-free, natural recipes.

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Innova Nature's Table recipes each start with high-quality proteins like farm-raised chicken, cold water salmon or ranch-raised bison, according to the company, and include fresh fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots. "We know that our consumers care about high-quality, farm-grown ingredients that benefit their pets' natural lifestyle," said Dan Jackson, marketing director at Innova. "In fact, Innova was the first brand to create a grain-free product and Nature's Table recipes continue to follow this movement. By eliminating gluten, grains and white potato and using healthy carbohydrates like lentils and peas, similar to the way so many of us eat, we are proud to continue to provide pet parents with the ability to feed their pets natural products."
The recipes contain no chicken by-product meal, fillers, wheat, corn, soy, artificial preservatives, artificial colors or artificial flavors. Dog owners can choose from five dry recipes and two treats recipes:

• Grain Free Farm-Raised Chicken & Savory Turkey Recipe Adult Dog Food
• Grain Free Cold Water Salmon & Wild Herring Recipe Adult Dog Food
• Grain Free Ranch-Raised Beef & Red Lentils Recipe Adult Dog Food
• Grain Free Adult Dog Food with Ranch-Raised Bison & Green Lentils
• Grain Free Adult Dog Food with Pasture-Raised Venison & Split Peas
• Grain Free Farm-Raised Chicken Recipe Dog Treats
• Grain Free Ranch-Raised Beef & Garden Peas Recipe Dog Treats
Cat owners can choose from two dry recipes and one treat recipe:

•  Grain Free Farm-Raised Chicken & Tender Turkey Recipe Adult Cat Food
• Grain Free Cold Water Salmon & Peas Recipe Adult Cat Food
• Grain Free Cold Water Salmon & Savory Chicken Recipe Cat Treats

Wellness announces dog, cat food formulas now GMO-free

Wellness Natural Pet Food announced that its dry dog and dry cat food formulas are now free of genetically modified organisms.
GMOs are defined as organisms in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. With recent increased consumer awareness about GMOs, National Non-GMO Month was created in 2010 to be celebrated in October.
"Providing GMO-free recipes makes it possible for consumers to make the same nutrition choices for their pets as they do for themselves," said Chanda Leary-Coutu, Wellness marketing communications manager. "We constantly strive to source the highest-quality ingredients available and we will continue to seek out and use GMO-free ingredients across a growing number of our products."

PetSpy.com compares ingredients in dog food to educate pet owners on nutrition

Homemade dog food website, http://petspy.com, examined commercial dog food companies and compared the ingredients to help educate pet owners about pet nutrition online.
The site says comparisons made through research have confirmed the varying levels of natural and refined ingredients that are placed into some petfoods sold in the U.S. "The words 'natural' and 'healthy' are not always accurate on petfood packages," said a source for the website. 
The website offers dog food reviews for natural sources and some store-bought specialty brands. The comparisons made on PetSpy.com have been placed into accessible content online that includes streaming videos, e-books and blogs. 

Hill's launches new cat, dog foods in reformulated Science Diet line

Hill's Pet Nutrition launched five new food varieties and eight new treat varieties for cats and dogs as part of the reformulated Hill's Science Diet line, now featuring natural ingredients.
The new petfood varieties contain a balance of essential nutrients with natural ingredients, quality protein as the first ingredient, no chicken by-product meal, and no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors. Dry food varieties include Adult Grain Free for cats, Adult Grain Free for dogs, Adult Indoor Long Coat for cats, Senior Indoor Long Coat for cats, and Senior, Small and Toy Breed Age Defying for dogs. 
Newly launched Science Diet treats are all natural, made with real chicken and beef, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, and are free of corn, artificial colors flavors and preservatives. Treats include Baked Light Biscuits, Dental Chews, Fruity Snacks and Veggie Chips. 
Additionally, Hill's launched a new brand of Ideal Balance treats for dogs and cats. Ideal Balance treats are made from quality, natural ingredients, such as chicken, tuna, lamb, duck, beef, apricots, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables. These grain-free pet treats come in Oven-Baked Naturals, Soft-Baked Naturals and Crunchy Naturals, in a variety of flavors.  

Mars Petcare focuses on pet health, nutrition in new marketing campaign

Mars Petcare is making health and nutrition a priority for its Pedigree, Whiskas, Cesar and Sheba petfood brands to  focus more on the emotional connection people feel with their pets. The petfood maker is hoping the plan will lead to advertising that sets the brands apart from traditional petfood marketing campaigns and compete more directly with P&G's Iams brand. 
The new marketing campaign includes the Cesar brand's first TV commercial in five years, which centers on the relationship between an old man and his dog, featuring the petfood as one of the ways an owner can repay their dog for its friendship. The campaign also features in-store, sampling and online activities that promote how the food can improve a dog's health.
The Cesar campaign runs throughout June alongside a new marketing strategy for the Pedigree brand. The "Brighter Futures" campaign aims to increase awareness of the needs of rescue dogs and the role that healthy, balanced meals play in their road to a new home. Pedigree has also pledged to donate 1 million meals to a network of animal shelters across the country as part of the campaign.
Mars is also increasing marketing for its Whiskas and Sheba cat food brands in response to shifting consumer trends towards healthier pet products to support the launch of several new products over the coming months. 

Royal Canin develops new dog food formula using feathermeal as protein

Royal Canin is making a new type of petfood formula designed for dogs with intense allergic reactions to certain proteins, using chicken feathers as the main source of protein instead.
The new Anallergenic dog food formula was developed over 10 years for dogs that do not respond to limited-ingredient diets because it uses a new source of protein: feather meal. Royal Canin USA President Keith Levy says the feather meal is nutritious and can be made very palatable. 
"Feathers are broken down to an amino acid level and don't have much of a taste. Then we add palatizers for taste. In this case, we have to be very careful not to provoke an allergic reaction. That's why it took so long to develop this particular food. We're looking for lots of different sources of protein for our foods: hydrolyzed soy; we are currently researching worm meal as a potential protein source for some of our foods in China. I tried some kibble made with worm meal once - it tasted very good. So our approach goes way beyond feathers," he says.
Levy says one of the benefits to using feather meal is that it supports the company's efforts in sustainability. 
"Ultimately we'll have an issue with finding protein for the human food chain. By using alternative sources of protein, we're using something that would otherwise end up in a landfill," says Levy. "It's the best of both worlds: You're not competing with the human food chain, reducing waste and providing an incredibly nutritious protein."

Primal Pet Foods offers freeze-dried petfood formula coupon

Primal Pet Foods is offering a downloadable coupon for its Canine or Feline Freeze-Dried Formula that allows consumers to also support organizations that care for pets.  
CommonKindness.com is an online coupon website that donates 20 percent of its coupon redemption revenues to nonprofit organizations chosen by shoppers. Primal Pet Foods customers can designate a national organization, such as ASPCA or PAWS, or a local animal shelter as the recipient of the funds their coupon purchases generate.

Dr. Tim's petfood brand announces 2013 Iditarod dog sled race winner

Dr. Tim's petfood brand announced Mitch Seavey of Sterling, Alaska, USA, as the winner of the 2013 Iditarod dog sled race. Seavey was a member of Dr. Tim's Team Momentum, whose dogs were fed Dr. Tim's petfood.


The 2013 Iditarod winner, Mitch Seavey, and his dogs raced as a member of Dr. Tim's Team Momentum.

Seavey, at age 53, became the oldest person ever to win the dog sled race. He and his dog-sled team completed the race in nine days, seven hours and 39 minutes.

Hill’s launches new Ideal Balance natural petfood brand

Hill’s Pet Nutrition unveiled its new Hill’s Ideal Balance line of dog and cat food. The new petfood brand, which features natural ingredients, is the first new petfood brand from Hill’s since the launch of Science Diet in 1968.
The new Hill's Ideal Balance dog and cat food formulas feature:
• Fresh chicken or natural salmon as the first ingredient
• Brown rice to support healthy digestion
• Fruits and vegetables to support a healthy immune system
• No corn, wheat or soy
• Grain-free options for dogs and cats
• Dry foods made in Hill’s USA facilities
• 100 percent balanced nutrition, guaranteed or your money back
The new Ideal Balance line includes varieties developed for lifestage, size and grain-free. In addition to the dry foods, Hill’s Ideal Balance line includes 12 wet petfood varieties: six for dogs and six for cats. Protein sources such as venison, trout and salmon are offered. The new Ideal Balance petfood line is available at pet retailers and veterinarians. 

Spring Naturals donates $10,000 to animal organizations in past year

Spring Naturals brand of dog dinners and dog treats has donated more than US$10,000 to various animal organizations since debuting in the pet food market in January 2012.
As part of a partnership with Daily Kibble, Spring Naturals' Share the Love campaign allowed fans to submit their information and an animal rescue group of their choice for the chance to win one of two prize packages. Spring Naturals donated a total of more than US$3,250 worth of dog food and dog treats to the Boston Brigade, the Atlantic Bulldog Rescue and their nominees.
Launched on May 1, 2012, Spring Into Action, an ongoing campaign dedicated to honoring animal advocates and the work they do in their community, has also brought money to animal organizations. The campaign encourages users to visit Spring Naturals' Facebook page via the "Spring Into Action" tab to vote for and share the story of their favorite animal advocate. The nominee with the most votes at the end of the month is then featured on the Facebook page, and Spring Naturals also delivers US$250 worth of food and treats to the winning nominee and the animal organization of their choice. The Spring Into Action grand-prize winner will receive US$2,000 worth of dog dinners plus a US$500 cash donation to the animal rescue organization of their choice.
Along with the Spring Into Action campaign, Spring Naturals' sponsored a 2-year-old mixed breed female puppy named Spring. Spring Naturals donated a year's supply of dog food and treats, as well as the costs of the dog's initial medical care, a total value of US$1,000.
Additionally, Spring Naturals' latest effort to support animal welfare was the 12 Dogs of Christmas campaign, which brought a total of US$1,550 in donations, pet food and treats to Project Rescue Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In total, the company has worked with more than 10 animal welfare groups, shelters and rescues in the past year. 

Nestle Purina to launch new pet food for athletic dogs

Pet food manufacturer Nestle Purina is planning to launch a new pet food aimed at dogs that participate in athletic events.
The new dog food line, Purina Pro Plan Sport, will debut in the US in January, featuring products designed to support the fitness of active dogs and dogs that participate in agility or other sporting competitions.
"An increasing number of people in the US are taking part in half marathons and triathlons, and more of them want to exercise with their dogs," said Steve Crimmins, chief marketing officer for Nestle Purina Pet Care.
Although Nestle's suggested retail price of US$13.99 for 6 pounds of the Pro Plan Sport dog food is higher than the prices of its standard dog food, the company hopes the new line will drive sales and reinforce consumer loyalty.
"[Pet food] is one of the last things that customers cut back on because of the emotional attachment they have to their animal," Crimmins said. "People who participate in an active lifestyle with their dog are even more resistant to cutting back."

Kibbles 'n Bits dog food Facebook contest offers free pet food

Kibbles ‘n Bits dog food is celebrating the special bond and excitement shared between dog owners and their dogs with the “Bits of Love” Facebook contest.
Beginning January 3, 2013, through February 10, 2013, dog owners are encouraged to share how their dog shows its love at meal time. Kibbles 'n Bits Facebook fans can post a photo or video of their dog's excitement for its bowl of Kibbles 'n Bits dog food to be entered for a chance to win US$5,000 and a year's supply of Kibbles 'n Bits dog food. A daily winner will also be chosen to receive coupons for participating. 

New feeding trial created for JustFoodForDogs

Cal Poly Pomona has created a new feeding trial for JustFoodForDogs, which the pet food company says prioritizes the quality of life of the dogs involved in the feeding trail as well as still provides real-world data from the volunteer pets and pet owners.
Cal Poly Pomona's Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department helped design the method to satisfy Association of American Feed Control Officials' requirements. The study utilized volunteer dogs living normal canine lives in their own homes throughout the testing. Participants included 2 dogs of various sizes and breeds between 1 and 5 years old, who were studied throughout the 182-day feeding trial and tested three of the company's pet food recipes. AAFCO requires testing of four blood parameters, but this trial tested a complete blood cell count and chemistry panel looking at more than 25 blood parameters.
"The field method we developed takes significantly more effort than the standard industry approach, but to JustFoodForDogs it was absolutely worth it. The dogs are happy and the data is scientifically valid," said Dr. Broc Sandelin, chair of the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department.

Norway ranks as top spender on dog food in Europe

According to Euromonitor International, eight of the 10 countries that spend the most money on dog food are in located in Europe, with Norwegians ranking as number one.
People in Norway spend the equivalent of US$639 per year, per dog on pet food, which is nearly 50 percent more than second-place Switzerland. Norwegians are trading up to premium products, purchasing higher-priced organic and "diet" dog foods, which sometimes also come in costlier meal-size packages instead of larger bags.
In contrast, Euromonitor found that Vietnam spends the least on pet food, the equivalent of US$0.75 per dog, which is attributed to the fact that in poorer countries, such as this, dogs are often still fed table scraps instead of pet food. 

Veterinarian addresses common pet food myths

Because pet owners can receive misguided information on the Internet about what they should be feeding their pets, Dr. Trish Kirby, a veterinarian, is dispelling some common myths about pet food ingredients and selecting the best pet food.
Dr. Kirby says a common myth is that pet owners believe they should avoid all pet food diets that include by-products. However, she says by-products are nutrient-rich organ meats that may contain a better quality protein than other muscle meats. She says some other food by-products are vitamin E, beef bouillon and vegetable oils.
Another common belief among pet owners, Dr. Kirby says, is that corn is a filler used in cheap petfoods. She says corn actually provides protein and carbohydrates, as well as contains antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamin E, as well as essential fatty acids that keep the skin and fur healthy.
It is also not necessarily true that petfoods labeled as "natural" or "organic" are healthier. Dr. Kirby clarifies the term "natural" as meaning a petfood is free of chemically synthesized ingredients, thought she says many key micronutrients, such as some vitamins, are actually synthesized. Diets marketed as "natural" will often also say "with added vitamins, minerals and other trace elements," she says. Foods labeled as "organic," Dr. Kirby says refers to the way the food is raised and regulated by the US Department of Agriculture, whereas the term "holistic" is used solely as a marketing tool with no real regulated definition.
Additionally, Dr. Kirby cautions that raw petfood is no necessarily healthier than store-bought petfoods. Raw petfood diets, the vet says, are often times not nutritionally balanced, and so do not meet all of a pet's nutritional needs. More importantly, she says, these raw petfood diets can be contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can sicken both humans and animals.
Finally, Dr. Kirby says that pet owners should realize that no pets are the same, so it is best to consult your veterinarian about the specific nutritional needs of your pet to select the proper diet.

Royal Canin offers new pet food to relieve stress in dogs, cats

Royal Canin has introduced a new Veterinary Diet Calm pet food with three ingredients designed to help relieve stress in small dogs and cats under 33 pounds.
The Calm pet food formula combines three ingredients: L-tryptophan, the amino acid found in turkey and other meats that creates a sense of well-being by creating more serotonin; alpha-casozepine, a peptide found in the protein in milk that calms nerve receptors; and nicotinimide, also known as niacin or vitamin B3, which has the same calming effects as alpha-casozepine. Calm also has a skin complex that helps skin retain moisture, helps heal any skin trauma and helps prevent infections, along with prebiotics and extra fiber as a gastrointestinal support for more normal bowel movements. 

Cesar donates to therapy dogs in new social media campaign

Cesar brand dog food has launched the "Share a Story and Share the Love" initiative, a social media campaign to help support and spotlight therapy dogs and therapy dog organizations.
To support these exceptional therapy dogs, Cesar will donate US$100,000 to three therapy dog organizations whose services assist people in need around the US: American Humane Association's Animal Assisted Therapy programs, Intermountain Therapy Animals' Reading Education Assistance Dogs program and the Good Dog Foundation. Also as part of the campaign, dog lovers can share the inspirational online stories about therapy dogs through their personal social media communities, such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
"At Cesar, we know that a relationship with a dog can have a profound impact on every life, including people in need," said Denise Truelove, brand manager at Cesar Canine Cuisine. "From veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, to helping children learn how to read, dogs can truly transform lives. We're proud to support therapy dog organizations and help tell these dogs' stories through our new 'Share a Story and Share the Love' campaign. We encourage everyone to join us to help bring awareness to the inspiring work therapy dogs do every day."

Vitakraft to produce dog, cat food for Asian market

Vitakraft has entered into cooperation with Wanpy, a Chinese manufacturer of dog and cat treats, to expand its pet food offerings into the Asian market.
As part of the cooperation, a new pet food factory in Yantai in Shandong province is expected to begin production at the end of 2012. The newly established distribution company, Vitakraft China, will market the new range of dog and cat food, as well as continue distributing pet products from the other segments of Vitakraft to the east and southeast Asia-Pacific region.