The Unlikely History of Commercial Pet Food

Commercial pet foods were invented for convenience and profit, not for the health of dogs and cats. Fortunately, the more recent movement back to fresh, raw foods is gaining momentum.

As you walk through the pet food aisles, you’ll see quite a few canned and dry foods for your dog or cat. Most advertisers would have you believe that this is how your pet is supposed to be fed, and we are often told that raw, fresh diets are a new fad. Interestingly, that’s not quite the case.

In fact, the history of fresh, raw diets for pets dates back to the initial domestication of cats and dogs 16,000 years ago, while the history of kibble only dates back to 1956.

Here is a brief timeline of commercial pet foods:

• Before the 1920s: Most dogs and cats have been fed fresh “human” food in the form of table scraps or even freshly prepared meals. As far back as 2000 BCE, we have recipes for raw dog meals made with fresh meat, bones, barley, and milk.
• 1920s: The first generation of canned pet food hit the market. Ken-L-Ration, taking advantage of the low cost of horse meat, developed the first canned dog food and started the industry we still see today.
• 1940: During World War II, both meat and aluminum were rationed, but the demand for convenient pet foods remained high. Lured by the high margins on pet food, grain companies began creating dry pet food from leftover by-products and grain.
• 1956: The first commercial kibble was invented, using a process called “extrusion”. Still used today, this process pushes dough through a high-pressure, high-temperature extruder to form kibble. During this process, food is sterilized, artificially preserved, and nutrients are broken down. But since it’s cheap to produce pet food this way, most manufacturers have embraced it and touted it as the most convenient way to feed dogs and cats.
• Today: Although commercial pet foods remain popular, it is important to note that the only reason they were invented was for the convenience and profit of the manufacturers, and not for the health and well-being of dogs and cats. Today, 70 years after the invention of kibble, and with the advent of online ordering, as well as the introduction of nutritional science into pet food formulation, the circle is complete. Feeding fresh, raw pet foods, which domestic dogs and cats have eaten during thousands of years ago, is now almost as convenient as kibble and canned food.

The unlikely story of commercial pet food first appeared on Animal Wellness Magazine.

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