Jack Prentice |
But our dog Jack aside, choosing a dog food is a complex
endeavor. So many choices. There are whole grocery aisles full of assorted bags
and cans. And there are as many opinions of what’s good for dogs and what’s
not. Canned food, dry food, raw food. . .arg! What’s a dog parent to do?
And that leads me to my questions. When did people start
feeding their dogs food from packages or cans instead of tossing them scraps or
letting them scavenge? When did feeding dogs get so complicated? Who invented official dog food?
It all started with a Yankee electrician from Cincinnati
named James Spratt. In 1860 he unveiled Spratt’s Patent Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes,
a combination of wheat, beetroot, vegetables, and beef blood. Then, as always
happens when someone thinks up a good idea, competitors soon followed, like Dr.
A.C. Daniels’ Medicated Dog Bread and F.H. Bennett’s Maltoid Dog Biscuits. (I
don’t know about you, but the words fibrine and maltoid do not sound appetizing
in the least.)
A British company took over Spratt’s formula and began
production in the U.S. in 1890. Several U.S. firms entered the market as well,
introducing their own biscuits formulas and dry kibble.
Canned horsemeat dog food was introduced in the United
States after World War 1. And we shouldn't leave out pet cats. The 1930s brought canned cat food, along with dry meat-meal
dog food. Pet food production was expanded in the 1950s by the adaptation of
equipment used in the production of breakfast cereals. And from there things
kept growing until they became the complicated industry that exists today.
So I guess I’m glad we have options. And as long as Purina
keeps making the chicken and rice formula, I’m happy. So is Jack’s stomach and
my carpet.
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