Mary Foster
Americans spend a lot of money on pet food. This year, people will spend $38 billion dollars on pet food and treats. This is more than last year when they spent $36.9 billion dollars on pet food.
On average, pet owners in this country spend about $300 per year on their pets’ food.
Even though over 40% of pet owners spend more than double the average price on their pets’ food, they generally do so because their veterinarians prescribe a special diet to improve digestive and urinary health.
These prescription diets may contain healthy ingredients that are good and safe for dogs but are not inherently better than cheaper foods.
In fact, prescription diets are only slightly more nutritious (about 15 percent) than the cheapest dog foods.
The statistics on pet food spending demonstrate that people love their pets and want to give them what they need so they can live a longer and healthier life.
Some owners take this responsibility very seriously and spend large amounts of money on their dogs’ health.
But, if you have a dog with no health problems, many of the foods sold in pet stores are not healthy or needed.
Many people who feed their dogs “human food” believe they are doing what is best for their pets.
However, according to veterinary professionals, this is actually one of the worst things you can do for your dog.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states that foods not created specifically for pets can lead to malnutrition and possibly death.
Pet food store owners say that many of the people who shop in their stores are looking for the best option for their dog’s health.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit think that the prescription-only status misleads consumers into believing that there are drugs in the food to justify their labels. But they don’t contain any ingredients that you can’t also find in other foods.
The plaintiffs also claim that the factors listed in some of these foods are equivalent to the human factors found in prescription drugs.
These ingredients include calcium carbonate, cod liver oil, copper sulfate, and others.
They say that pet owners believe their pets have a health problem and that they should be fed prescription-only food because it is designed for medical purposes and has a higher nutritional value.