As pet owners strive to improve their own diet, efforts often extend to their pets.
As they make New Year’s resolutions to improve their own health, many pet owners also are focusing on making sure their pets eat healthier foods in the year ahead. In a trend toward the humanization of pet foods, they are seeking high-quality, nutritious foods modeled after their own human dieteary preferences, such as holistic foods that provide fewer chemicals, additives and undesirable ingredients.
This trend, with its focus on raw pet foods from the freezer and freeze-dried pet products off shelves, has accelerated in the past few years, thus drastically altering the face of the pet food industry.
Ryan Baynes has been at the center of the evolving pet food industry for 15 years at Olsen’s Grain Inc., a family-owned business in Northern Arizona since 1979. A top retail supplier of pet, livestock and wild bird feeds, Olsen’s now has five locations, starting with the original store in Chino Valley and expanding with stores in Dewey, Prescott, Flagstaff and Clarkdale in the Verde Valley.
“It always has been the trend that whatever you see in the human food industry finds its way into the pet food industry,” said Baynes, who works primarily out of the store headquarters in Chino Valley. “It’s about getting away from the ultra-processed foods and getting into the raw food. We are really seeing a trend in raw food; it’s been around a long time, but in the last couple of years the growth has really gone crazy.”
Raw pet food needs to be kept in freezers, while freeze-dried pet food refers to a specific process where raw food is frozen and then dehydrated to remove all moisture. The resulting product has a stable shelf life and needs to be rehydrated before feeding to your pet.
These natural pet products are all made in the United States and manufactured out of state, such as in California or Texas, and meet U.S. protocols for raw safety, Baynes noted.
In addition to being more palatable for pets, raw natural foods are more easily digested and a better match for the predatory eating habits of animals in the wild.
The need for additional freezer space has seen a redesign inside some pet supply stores to accommodate these new demands for raw foods.
“The freezer section in all five stores really expanded, and we had to buy more freezers,” Baynes confirmed. “The really big push is for more brands of raw pet food and bone broth for dogs and cats. That’s what customers have been asking for.”
Kathy Barnes, manager of the Chino Valley Olsen’s Grain, which has long been known for its focus on livestock feed and supplies, said her store has added six new freezers, bringing the total to seven.
“Just this year, it’s really taken off,” she said. “We’re just now getting on board.
Frozen is definitely something that’s doing very well. We go through so much of it – we sell through it.”
These changes can be seen in pet supply stores across Arizona, including inside Preskitt’s Pawz N Clawz, a 4-year-old business in downtown Prescott.
“We have a freezer full of frozen, human-grade raw food and we sell out every week,” explained Sandy Haffner, the storeowner. “It’s more than a trend. It’s us educating our people on why they should feed human food rather than dry food to a dog.”
The bottom line is that it’s about combatting some alarming statistics that show a marked increase in obesity and resulting illnesses, especially cancer, among pets in the U.S.
“I’ve helped a lot of people in the community,” said Haffner. “We’ve saved a lot of dogs and cats from euthanasia by helping people transition into healthier lifestyles for their pets,” she added, noting that it is encouraging to her to see more customers who are more educated about pet health.
Other pet stores across the state, including in Apache Junction in the Valley, have also seen an increase in customer demand for healthier pet foods.
At The Stock Shop in Apache Junction, staff member Valerie Taylor said she has seen an “evolving” trend in the use of raw and freeze-dried pet food in the last year and a half.
Freeze-dried pet food can be used as “toppers” on kibble or given straight to a dog.
“It has more probiotics and different flavors,” Taylor added. “It gives pets something to look forward to in terms of breakfast and dinner.”
Local customer Mary McKinnis recently bought a 14-ounce bag of Primal freeze-dried beef nuggets for her two small dogs. She noted that freeze-dried pet food is easier to store and can be served to dogs in little bricks or broken up, hydrated and put on top of kibble portions.
Raw foods also are miracle workers in terms of improvement in pet health, she said. “We had a sheltie named Sparkle who had mammary cancer. A holistic vet said to use raw food, Ashwagandha and mushroom powder. She lived six more years and was 15 ½ when she passed, so we’re pretty big believers in raw food.”
Raw and freeze-dried pet foods are minimally processed and not exposed to the high temperatures routinely used in large commercial factories, Baynes said. “Kibble is cooked at high temperatures and the nutrients are lost,” he continued. “They slap a vitamin package on at the end.”
Freezer stored raw and freeze-dried pet food may be more expensive than conventional kibble and wet pet foods, but can be affordable, especially for smaller pets.
“Feeding larger dogs can be prohibitively expensive,” Baynes said. “I tell people, just include some raw in your dog’s diet; just replace one meal a week,” as even one raw meal a week could see noticeable improvements in an animal’s skin, coat and energy level, he says.
He also notes that customers should carefully read the ingredient panel on the raw food packages before buying. For example, Primal brand sells a scoop-and-serve raw lamb formula in a 4-pound bag that thaws in minutes. It is 20% produce and supplements, “without antibiotics, steroids or added hormones,” with “no corn, wheat, soy, lentil or legumes,” but with “naturally derived vitamins and minerals,” and is priced at about $19.99.
Commonly included in the ingredient panel of raw pet foods are the primary ingredients of animal proteins, including duck, beef, chicken and fish. “It’s a completely balanced diet,” Haffner said. “Meat, bone and organs are the most important ingredients for dogs and cats.”
It is important to know that while dogs and cats both feed on flesh, they digest the food differently. Dogs are facultative carnivores, animals that can eat both meat and plant matter, similar to omnivores. They lean toward a carnivorous diet, but can also derive nutrition from plant sources.
Cats are obligate carnivores, animals that must eat meat to survive and cannot properly digest plants, says Haffner. Cats don’t have the digestive enzymes needed to break down plant matter on a daily basis, nor do their bodies need it, she says.
“When the body can’t use the food, it creates health problems,” she added. “So, yes they can break it down, but it’s a struggle and not without consequences that we see come from it. They should be fed animal proteins to achieve optimal health.”
Some vegetables commonly included in natural pet foods, which are fine for dogs, are broccoli, carrots, celery, leafy greens, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and spinach. Some manufacturers suggest that cats can eat vegetables in moderation, but they should be no more than 10% of their diet.
Experts agree, keeping well informed is essential if a pet owner wants to ensure the longest, happiest and healthiest life for their pets. The same can be said for humans. FBN
By Betsey Bruner, FBN
Photo courtesy of Olsen’s Grain: Ryan Baynes, who has worked at Olsen’s Grain for 15 years, stands next to a freezer at the Flagstaff store, where he was doing some training. New freezers have had to be added at many pet stores to accommodate the increasing demand for raw pet foods, which need to be kept frozen.