Alternative pet diets: who’s trying them and why?

With many diets offering great pet nutrition solutions, regional markets display different demands. In a PETS International survey conducted in partnership with Yummypets, more than 600 pet parents from France, Canada, the US, the UK and Belgium share what they prefer to feed their pets when it comes to alternative diets.

Raw appeals to younger owners

The survey inquired about 5 types of diets: biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) or raw, homemade, fresh, frozen and dehydrated.

Only a quarter of all respondents had fed their companion animals BARF or raw pet food in the last 6 months, with Canadians accounting for 29%, followed by British (27%), French (25%) and American (20%) pet owners.

The younger generation (18–26 years) is the most open to making the shift to raw, with 4 out of 10 having fed their cats or dogs this type of food in the past 6 months. Pet parents aged 27–42 also seem quite open to a raw diet – 33% had given their pet this kind of food.

On the other hand, the older generations are less receptive to the raw food diet: only 10% of pet parents over the age of 59 have fed their companion animals the BARF diet.

Homemade food

Around half of respondents have tried homemade food (48%). According to the survey, UK consumers are by far the most likely to feed their dogs homemade pet food (63%).

French, Canadians and Belgians don’t find this type of diet as appealing, and most wouldn’t consider homemade food an option for their dogs or cats.

Pet parents aged 18 to 42 are more receptive to trying this type of diet for their pets (over 50%).

Fresh, dehydrated and frozen

Most respondents (55%) admitted to feeding their dogs and cats dehydrated food in the last 6 months. As many as 73% of Belgian pet parents had provided their animals with this diet, followed by Canadian (57%) and French (54%) pet owners.

More than half of the pet parents (52%) admitted to feeding their animals fresh food. Pet parents in France (59%) find this diet more appealing, while those in the UK (34%) are less interested.

Frozen pet food seemed to be the least popular, with only 14% of respondents having tried it in the past 6 months. Canadians were the most likely to opt for this diet (21%), in contrast to French (8%) and Belgian (9%) pet owners.

Perceived nutritional value

Almost half of respondents (46%) agree that raw food could provide all the nutrients cats and dogs need. Less than a fifth (18%) disagree, out of which a marginal 4% strongly disagree. This acceptance is considerably higher among British pet owners (55%), followed by French (37%) and Belgian (33%) pet parents.

When it comes to homemade pet food, 6 out of 10 respondents agree that this diet is better for their pets’ health than commercial pet food. On the other hand, 9% disagree with this statement.

Regarding the difference in opinion between countries, this statement was supported by 62% of French pet owners, while only 51% of Belgians agree. 1 out of 10 pet parents in Belgium don’t believe that homemade pet food is better than commercial food.

39% of pet parents consider alternative diets to be the best diets to provide immunity. However, wet food is preferred for other benefits, such as energy, weight management, digestive health or joint care.