Why is IAMS dog food so expensive

Why pet food is so doggone expensive

My dog, Jumanji, loves beef pizzle also known as bully sticks. Also known as dried bull penises.

I can tolerate what they are, and even the pungent smell these things exude. Whats harder to stomach is the price tag. Each stick can cost more than $10, and my dog tears through them in a matter of minutes.

Bully sticks arent the only pricey pet products. Foods, treats, and chews can cost owners hundreds of dollars a month, even though theyre often made with byproducts of the meat and poultry industry essentially, anything thats not muscle tissue, like udders, spleens, bones, and, yes, pizzle.

These costs are hitting more people than ever before. During the pandemic, a whopping 23 million American households about one in five adopted a dog or cat. And the prices are rising, too. Pet food was roughly 12 percent more expensive at the start of this year compared to early 2020, according to the research firm NielsenIQ.

Benji Jones

Cat or dog, mutt or purebred, your pet is probably pretty expensive, and theres a reason why food and treats are such a big part of the cost. For one, byproducts arent really byproducts as you might think of them. More importantly, though, dog and cat owners have a trait that makes us especially vulnerable consumers: We are completely obsessed with our pets.

Kibble is surprisingly complex

In a strange way, kibble is like infant formula, according to Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition at New York University whos written two books on pet food: You have a product that is the entire nutrition for that animal.

Those homely brown pellets need to have the right combination of fat, protein, fiber, and nutrients to keep a pet healthy, even if it eats nothing else. (The adult equivalent might be something like Soylent.)

Kibble also needs to last for weeks or months without rotting, which requires additional ingredients. The complexity is just amazing, George Collings, a pet food consultant, told me, adding that juggling multiple supply chains and thousands of ingredients comes at a cost.

The ingredients can be pricey themselves, too even the so-called byproducts of the meat industry. While Americans might not readily eat meats like liver and pizzle, theres a market for them elsewhere, such as in Europe and China. Thats why some experts call byproducts a misnomer.

Theyre not scraps, said Jennifer Martin, an associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Theyre high-demand proteins and high-demand ingredients that the pet food industry has to compete for.

The pandemic has also boosted meat prices overall. A couple of years ago, outbreaks of Covid-19 forced meatpacking plants to close. Farms responded by euthanizing an enormous number of animals, which squeezed supply and boosted costs. Those costs trickled down to the pet food industry, said Dana Brooks, president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute, an industry trade group.

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Pet food producers also pour money into research. The goal, Nestle said, is to make a kibble thats just gamey enough that tastes bad enough so that animals love it but it doesnt smell or look so awful that people wont buy it.

Companies run sniff tests with pets to find the most palatable kibble, Martin said. They put out a few different formulations of a particular food in a large room and then unleash dozens of dogs (or a handful of cats) to see which foods they prefer. They really enjoy getting to participate in this process, Martin said.

Bully sticks, specifically, face additional challenges that impact their price such as the one rooted in biology. Only bulls have pizzles, and they only have one. Plus, manufacturers can generally only get a couple of sticks per penis, Martin said. The faltering reputation of rawhide chews has also buoyed demand for bully sticks, she said.

Pet food companies also charge a lot because ... they can

Like any good company, pet food producers know their customers well; they know that humans love their animals and will do pretty much anything for them. So another reason why pet food companies charge so much is simply because they can get away with it, Nestle said.

Companies also know that people are paying more attention to whats in pet food, perhaps, because theyre spending more time at home with their animals. Owners are increasingly opting for foods that are similar to what they might buy for themselves all-natural, non-GMO, vegan, and so on. Usually, pet food trends lag about five years behind our own, yet that gap is shrinking, Martin said. The pets dont care about anything thats on the label, but the owners do, Nestle said. Theyre not selling to the pets.

This gets at a much bigger idea: The pet food industry is, to a large extent, built on branding. If you put peanut butter in a tube and call it Kong Stuffn, you can sell it for more than a jar of Jif. They know well pay for it, Martin said. The same list of ingredients packaged by different brands of food can also cost wildly different amounts, Nestle said.

Marketing also obscures the fact that there are just a handful of major corporations behind the majority of food brands you see at the pet store. For example, Mars Petcare a subsidiary of Mars, best known for making M&Ms and Twix bars owns dozens of brands including Pedigree, Greenies, Iams, Whiskas, and Royal Canin. Nestle Purina, a subsidiary of Nestle, also has several brands to its name including Purina, Friskies, Beneful, Fancy Feast, and many others. A lack of competition within an industry can be bad for the consumer and bad for prices.

Brooks, of the Pet Food Institute, argues that the pet food industry is still highly competitive. And to that end, a raft of startups, from firms offering vegan meals to online retailers, now threatens to shake up the industry, which some analysts say could triple in size over the next decade.

Should you buy the more expensive pet food?

Remarkably, theres not much research that compares the cost of dog or cat food to the health outcomes of the animal, according to Joseph Bartges, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist at the University of Georgia. Expensive does not necessarily mean better, Bartges said in an email. There are no good studies evaluating this.

That leaves a big opportunity for the industry, Shari White, Petcos senior vice president of merchandising, told me. Id love to see more research on health outcomes, she said. (She noted that Petco consults with a team of trained nutritionists and vets, and partners with brands that carry out health-related research.)

Popular diets for dogs like grain-free, which tend to be pricier, may not be better either, Gimlets Rose Rimler reported last year for an episode of the podcast Science Vs. While some dogs do have grain allergies and its important to be mindful of them these canines have evolved with us, and theyve evolved to eat grains, she reports. (The whole episode is excellent and worth checking out.)

Theres also not much evidence that feeding table scraps to your pup on occasion is a bad idea, Bartges said, as long as you avoid foods they cant tolerate, like macadamia nuts and chocolate. (You can find a full list here.)

Absent more information, its hard to know what to buy and, as pet food author Nestle said, its easy to see why pet food companies might want to keep it that way. The appeal of the more expensive foods is to pet owners who want to do right by their pets because they love them, Nestle said. The pet couldnt possibly care.

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Why Is Freeze Dried Dog Food So Expensive

Freeze Dried Dog Food Buying Guide

Watch this before you buy Mountain House or ReadyWise freeze dried food!

Unlike dehydrated and processed foods, freeze-dried foods are not treated with heat and require no preservatives. The vitamins, minerals, and enzymes present in the original ingredients undergo fewer changes than if they were cooked or pasteurized. Freeze-dried dog food is a useful alternative to explore for those not satisfied with traditional kibble for their dogs.

What Time Will My Ebt Benefits Be Deposited

Florida food stamps benefits are available on your EBT Card by 6am EST on your scheduled deposit day. SNAP benefits deposited into your EBT Card account from the 1st to the 28th each month on a set payment schedule.

Your benefits are deposited onto your EBT card according to your case number. To find out what day your benefits will be deposited, use the the schedule below:

Once your benefits are deposited into your account, you can begin using them with your Florida EBT card to purchase eligible food items.

If you need additional help, including how to find your Florida Case Number, check out our Florida EBT Payment Schedule article.

No Artificial Flavors Preservatives Or Colors

As we explained above, it is usually a good idea to pick foods that dont contain anything unnecessary, or that dont contribute some type of value to the food. This means avoiding most foods that contain artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, or artificial colors.

Foods made with premium ingredients shouldnt need any artificial taste enhancers, and natural preservatives can be used in lieu of their artificial counterparts.

Artificial colors are likely the least useful additives of all, as your dog simply doesnt care what color his food is these colors are added to make you think the food tastes better.

Dont Miss: How To Soften Dry Dog Food

Dehydrated Or Air Dried Dog Foods

The biggest difference is that when you buy freeze-dried food, its still raw. Thats not really true of dehydrated or air-dried foods. Freeze drying may sound the same as air drying, drum drying or dehydrating. But theyre different.

The non freeze-drying technologies are similar ways of removing moisture from food but they all use heat. The manufacturers claim the food isnt technically cooked, because they use low temperatures. But it does get slightly cooked. So the structure of the food changes and there is more nutrient loss.

Most companies are very careful not to tell you what temperatures they use. They want you to think their products are raw or almost. But you can assume they use temperatures between 1400 and 180OF. So that means dehydrated or air dried food is not raw. In fact, you can slow roast a slab of pork ribs at 180o and they will come out cooked.

One selling point of heat-dried foods is that they have fewer pathogens than raw or freeze-dried foods. One air-dried food company states that they use temperatures the FDA and USDA consider a kill step.

Another company stated

Well . thats a bit confusing. But you cant have it both ways. If the food is heated enough to be a kill step, its not raw!

PRO TIP

Dehydrated foods are still much better than kibble. Theyre less processed and cooked at lower temperatures so they suffer less nutrient loss. If freeze-dried isnt in your budget, dehydrated or air-dried foods can be a decent option.

Tips For Choosing The Right Type Of Freeze Dried Dog Food For Your Pup

There are two main types of freeze dried dog food options one that has some chew or bite to it, and the other that is basically like mush.

To get right to the point, we and our dogs prefer the type that still has chew and bite in it.

The freeze dried food brands that are soupy and wet just wont appeal to a lot of dogs. However, it may appeal or be a good choice to older dogs that have difficulty chewing due to health or teeth conditions.

Quality Ingredients

Look for freeze dried food that has quality proteins as well as other important complimentary ingredients such as Omega 3 fatty acids, organ meat, fruits, and vegetables.

Try to avoid large manufacturers in favor of medium sized specialty manufacturers that put more heart, effort and love into the foods they create.

These smaller companies typically will use higher quality meats that are ethically and humanely raised.

Nutritional Profile

Make sure you choose a freeze dried food that has the proper amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates for your particular dogs needs.

In general, older dogs need less fat, while active, working dogs need more protein and carbohydrates.

Also Check: Is Little Caesars Dog Food Healthy

How Does Freeze Drying Work

Freeze drying is a form of dehydration so the food you are feeding your dog with this method is condensed and has had the moisture removed. In most cases companies sell small bags or bars of freeze dried food compared to larger amounts of kibble or frozen raw food. You usually need to add some water back to the freeze dried food to rehydrate it.

The freeze drying process includes freezing the food, lowering the pressure around the food, removing the moisture, and sealing the product. The freeze drying process acts as a preservative which is how the food can last so long once it has been freeze dried. Other preservatives are not necessary.

Can Snap Ebt Be Used For Fast Food In Florida

Yes, eligible Florida EBT Cardholders can use their food stamp benefits to purchase low-cost meals from select fast food restaurant locations.

This program is called the Restaurant Meals Program . RMP allows individuals who are homeless, elderly , or disabled, and their spouse, to use their SNAP benefits to purchase prepared meals at authorized restaurants.

Eligible authorized fast food restaurants may include McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and Pizza Hut to name a few.

Also Check: How To Make Homemade Dog Food For Kidney Failure

Read Also: Dog Food For Pomeranians

K9 Natural Beef Feast Raw Grain

K9 Natural promotes a healthy lifestyle for all our furry friends. If you choose their Beef Feast Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Foods, you can be sure you feed your dog only high-quality, natural components and wholesome, well-balanced, nutritious meals. K9 Natural makes sure to keep the food fresh and raw at all stages of its journey to your dogs stomach. Its 85% raw meat, bones, blood and organs from cage-free and well-fed livestock, enriched with fruits and vegetables for all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

KEY FEATURES:

• 100% natural and nutritious meal for dogs of all breeds, sizes, and life stages
• the recipe based on the wolfs diet enriched with vitamins and minerals required by domestic dogs
• 85% freeze-dried raw meat, crushed bones, blood, and organs from cage-free, grass-fed, and hormone-free livestock from New Zealand
• delicious meals made from only natural, high-quality, responsibly-sourced, non-GMO components
• no additives, artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, wheat, wheat gluten, corn, soy, rice, rice gluten, cereal bulking agents, peas
• promotes healthy skin and smooth, shiny coat, joint health, and the right energy levels
• crude protein: min. 35%
• crude fiber: max. 2%
• moisture: max. 8%

Viral Petition Calls For Food Stamps To Pay For Pet Food

Rachael Ray Nutrish PEAK Natural Grain-Free Freeze Dried Raw Bites Dry Dog Food | Chewy

A new petition calls for food stamp benefits to be expanded to pets.

A petition calling for food stamp benefits to be expanded to cover pet food has garnered almost 123,000 signatures.

Petition organizer Edward Johnston said the effort stems from his own experiences with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

Unfortunately, SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy pet food, leaving poor families with pets in a difficult position, said Johnston, who lives in Mississippi. I am one of those Americans. I have only been on SNAP benefits for a few months, but I have been unable to feed my little dog due to government regulations.

SNAP regulations limit what items can be purchased using the benefits. Alcohol, vitamins and medicine and hot foods are off limits, as are non-food items such as soap, paper products and household supplies. Pet foods are also on the prohibited list.

Johnston said using SNAP benefits for pets could help families who find themselves in difficult spot.

Some argue that people should not keep pets if they cannot afford them, but the fact is that an individual or familys financial status can change at any time. Should someone be forced to give up a pet theyve had for years just because they hit a financial rough patch? Or should they be able to utilize federal aid to continue feeding their pet? Johnston said.

The regulations arent likely to change anytime soon, however, according to the USDA.

Recommended Reading: Can You Use Food Stamps For Dog Food

How Common Is Salmon Poisoning In Dogs

Transmission by dog to dog contact is rare. In salmon poisoning disease, signs appear suddenly, usually 5 to 7 days after eating infected fish. In some cases, however, the onset of signs may take as long as 33 days. Signs usually continue for 7 to 10 days before culminating in death in up to 90% of untreated animals.

Kibble Contains Synthetic Nutrients

Despite having freeze-dried meat, kibble still goes through intensive processing and the nutrients that were in the food are stripped away. In order for the food to be nutritionally balanced, brands add nutrients back into the food, often using synthetic vitamin mixes. The question we need to ask is how much of these vitamins are our dogs absorbing into their system? How much is being treated as a toxin, leading to unnecessary stress on the kidneys and liver before being urinated out of a dogs system?

Because raw dog food is made up of raw, fresh foods that contain living enzymes, a dogs system can easily absorb vitamins and minerals needed to promote better health, a stronger immune system, a healthier digestive system, strong teeth and bones, and more.

Read Also: Iams Dog Food Leipsic Ohio

The Most Expensive Dog Food Brands: Are They Worth The Price

One of the biggest factors in how we choose a good dog food is the cost. The quality of less expensive dog foods often reflect the price. They are full of harmful chemical coloring, flavoring, preservatives, and other dog food ingredients to stay away from. They rarely use real meat ingredients, instead relying on nasty meat byproducts. So we know that we need to invest a little more for the health of our dogs. However, do we really need to buy the most expensive dog food brands in order to provide our pups with the best quality nutrition?

Top 10 Recommendations And Buying Guide For Freeze Dried Dog Food Raws In 2022

Consider the Following Factors Before Purchasing Your First freeze dried dog food raw.

Look up any product reviews on Google using the search bar. market place products take the top spot, right? People should be running after market place products for a reason.

We would undoubtedly choose the latter option.

With thousands of manufacturers around the world, market place functions like a third party. It might be a plus point of market place that it provides a comprehensive guide for each laptop model.

There are vivid descriptions of all the product available on consumer reports, so it becomes easy to decide.

You can, for instance, go through the guide that contains information about the best freeze dried dog food raw specifications, including their function, brand, and size.

Do you need a freeze dried dog food raw that has a specific feature? market place has your back. You can browse through the list of preferred laptops using its best search tools. Select the one that matches your key feature expectations.

Doing your own research on the freeze dried dog food raw is crucial. When buying, you might ask yourself the following questions:

Your curious mind will have come up with way more questions related to freeze dried dog food raw than what appears on this list. Thus, one way to satisfy your curiosity is to gather as much information as you can from renowned online sources.

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Rawbble Pork Recipe Review

Rawbble which is owned by Bixbi is a new brand in the freeze-dried space, but that does not mean they should be discounted. They have a particularly large range of recipes that utilize ingredients that many other brands miss.

One example of this is the above Pork recipe. Pork is a meat ingredient that is very rarely used in freeze-dried recipes.

The ingredients in the recipe are few, with the primary ingredients being Pork, Pork Liver, and Pork Bone. While Pork Bone may sound intimidating, it is not to be feared and is a natural part of a dogs diet.

There are no notable plant-based ingredients present in Rawbbles freeze-dried recipes, which could make them perfect for those dogs allergies or for dog owners who want to add their own vegetable or grain ingredients.

If youd like to learn more about the Rawbble brand, head on over to our review here.

Dr. Marty Pets is a brand that you will not find on the shelves of your local pet food store. However, you may have seen some of their famous advertisements. The brand is hugely popular thanks to its connection with Dr. Marty, and there are thousands of dog owners who are fanatics.

We recommend you check out our Dr. Marty Pets review page for more information on the Veterinarian and his brand.

A Buyers Guide For Freeze

If you are looking for the best freeze-dried dog food for your dog, you need to understand what freeze-dried dog food is and its benefits. You need to remove the moisture to create freeze-dried dog food. Otherwise, the dog food will spoil. Then, the food is frozen using a drying process that goes through multiple steps. When this drying process is complete, the dog food is bone-dry, shelf-stable, can last for years.

If you are looking for freeze-dried dog food, also understand that there are multiple types available. Even though this is one way to dehydrate dog food, not all dehydrated dog food has been freeze-dried. Therefore, just because dog food says its dehydrated does not necessarily mean that that has been freeze-dried. If the food has been dehydrated but not freeze-dried, it may not last as long as freeze-dried dog food.

There are several types of freeze-dried dog food you could encounter. For example, you may find freeze-dried dog food with high amounts of protein, freeze-dried dog food with an even ratio of fat to protein, and freeze-dried dog food with different levels of carbohydrates as well, including legumes, potatoes, and other options. Even though this dog food has been freeze-dried, it is still considered raw. Keep this in mind when you are looking for freeze-dried dog food for your puppy or adult dog.

There are several advantages you will enjoy if you decide to go with freeze-dried dog food. A few examples include:

Read Also: How To Mix Dry And Wet Dog Food

Pros Of Dehydrated Or Freeze

Considering your adorable dog, understanding the benefits of both dehydrated dog food and freeze-dried dog food will help in choosing the best:

Convenience: Both freeze-dried and dehydrated dog food are easy to feed you just need to add water and wait. They are great for packing when you are traveling with your dog.

Lightweight and Less space consumption: Both of these foods are better than kibble, since they are lightweight and are easy to store.

Longer shelf life: These foods can last for about a year . However, once they are rehydrated, they should be served promptly, and the leftovers should be refrigerated.

Nutritious: Both food types are nutritious compared to kibble. Freeze-dried dog food is the most nutritious among the three. However, you should read the nutritional analysis on the container just to be sure.

Not as messy to feed as raw: This is an advantage of both dog food types over the raw dog food. Badly cooked raw food can poison your dog if not cooked properly. To save yourself from this stress, freeze-dried or dehydrated dog food is the better option.

Why Is New York Required To Implement Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents Requirements

Why Are Freeze Dryers So Expensive and Are They Worth It?

ABAWD rules are required by the federal government. Social services districts that do not qualify for county based ABAWD waivers are required to implement ABAWD work requirements.

New York State is currently operating under a federal waiver of the ABAWD time limit in all areas of the State for the period October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2022 so no ABAWD is subject to the time limit requirement during this period.

Any food for the household, such as:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages and
• Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.

Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy:

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
• Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
• Live animals .
• Foods that are hot at the point of sale
• Any nonfood items such as:- Pet foods Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.- Hygiene items, cosmetics

Read Also: Is Pedigree Better Than Purina

The Freeze Drying Process

Freeze drying is a useful way to preserve foods for long term storage without harsh preservatives. Although the process was widely used during WWII as a way to preserve heat-sensitive biological materials, it wasnt until the 1950s and 60s that it was applied to food products for humans. Freeze-dried dog foods are a relative newcomer on the scene, first becoming commercially available within the last few decades.

Its achieved by first freezing the food, then exposing it to a low-pressure vacuum. In this process, the ice crystals go straight from a solid state to a gaseous state, bypassing liquid altogether. The process typically removes 96% to 99% of the liquid and takes between 24-48 hours to complete.