When Diamond Pet Foods was founded in 1970 as a family business, our goal was to make nutritionally sound dog and cat food that we would be proud to serve to our own pets as well as yours. Today, 50 years later, our passion and commitment to making high quality pet food is as strong as when we started.
But many other things – pet ownership, the bond between people and their pets, and the nutrition of dogs and cats – have changed dramatically over the past five decades. Join us as we look back to see how pets’ lives have changed for the better.
The number of pet owners has doubled since the founding of Diamond Pet Foods
Obtaining accurate data on pets and pet owners in the United States is not easy. And in the 1970s, data collection on the subject was practically non-existent. The two main sources of pet demographic data today are the APPA National Pet Owners Survey, conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) since 1988, and the US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) since the early 1980s. The information is based on estimates from periodic surveys and, although the numbers do not always agree, it provides information on trends.
According to APPA data, 67% of US households, or approximately 85 million households, own a pet. That’s up from 56% of US households in 1988, the first year of the survey. In contrast, AVMA data for 2017-2018, the most recent information available, revealed that 56.8% of households have pets, or about 74.4 million households, a rate that has remained stable since 2001. AVMA data estimates the number of pet dogs and cats. at 135.2 million.
With the increase in the number of pets came an increase in spending by pet owners. According to APPA, in 1994, Americans spent about $17 billion on their pets for food, medicine, supplies, veterinary care and other services. In 2019, spending by pet owners reached $95.7 billion.
The human-animal bond has grown stronger
From working animal to pet, from roaming the streets to sleeping on their owners’ sheets, the lives of a majority of American dogs and cats have improved dramatically. The change in the way pet owners and even society relate to pets, especially dogs, began in the early 1970s. At the time, approximately 25% of American dogs were licensed to wander the streets. And in 1973, the HSUS estimated that about 20 percent of pet dogs and cats — about 13.5 million — were euthanized in animal shelters.
Today, there are very few ‘street’ dogs, and in many areas colonies of ‘community cats’ are run by volunteers. Fewer dogs and cats are being turned over to shelters and rescue groups, although the number of pets has increased. Additionally, euthanasia rates for dogs and cats in shelters fell to 8.1% and 13.6%, respectively.
Many factors have contributed to this change in the relationship between pets and their owners. In the mid-1970s, major national humanitarian, veterinary, and animal control organizations began working together on more sustainable and humane solutions to the perceived problem of pet overpopulation. The result was an initiative that not only educated pet owners about responsible ownership, which included neutering and neutering pets, but enforced responsible pet ownership through laws and regulations.
More than ever, pets are considered members of the family. In fact, a 2015 Harris Poll found that 95% of pet owners surveyed consider their pets family. The term ‘pet parent’ has become increasingly popular, alongside ‘dog mom’, ‘cat dad’ and ‘pet sitter’. There’s even a National Pet Owners Day, celebrated on the last Sunday in April.
Pet nutrition has become more scientific and specific
As the bonds between pets and their people evolve, so does the food provided to these companions. The pet food industry has come a long way since James Spratt introduced the first commercially prepared dog biscuit to England around 1860 and to the United States in 1870. The industry is actually quite young, given that dogs and cats were used as workmates and companions. animals for millennia.
The pet food industry has also become scientific in its approach to formulating diets for dogs and cats. In 1955, the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published its first Nutritional Needs of Dogs report. The report summarizes the latest research information on dog nutrition, including dog needs for energy (calories), protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Nutritional Needs of Dogs has been updated four times since then, with the most recent edition published in 2006.
The nutritional requirements of cats were originally published by the NRC in 1972 as part of the report Nutritional requirements of laboratory animals: cat, guinea pig, hamster, monkey, mouse, rat. However, in 1978 the cats received their own targeted report, which was later updated in 1986 and 2006.
The 1985 Nutritional Needs of Dogs and the 1986 Nutritional Needs of Cats have been used by the AAFCO Canine and Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittees as the basis for creating practical nutrient profiles for dog and cat food using common pet food ingredients . For what? Because many of the NRC’s minimum nutrient requirements are based on research with purified diets and/or highly bioavailable nutrient sources that are not practical to use in commercial pet foods.
Today, pet food companies use the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles to guide their food formulations. The practical application of knowledge from nutritional research has resulted in dog and cat foods that provide optimal nutrition. And these nutritional improvements have also helped extend the lifespan of our pets.
Not only are pet foods formulated to meet the nutritional needs of dogs and cats, but these diets are also designed to meet the requirements of different breeds, sizes, life stages and health conditions.
Yes, the relationship between pets and their people has come a long way since 1970. The nutrition and pet food industry has also grown and evolved. At Diamond Pet Foods, we are grateful to all pet owners who have chosen Diamond brand dog and cat foods to feed their animal companions.
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