Dog food has become 40% more expensive since 2020, research finds

New research by veterinarians.com reveals that dry dog food has risen by 41% in cost compared to 2020.

Within the dry dog food category, Purina ONE Plus 16.5 lb. Healthy Puppy Formula High Protein Natural Dry Puppy Food saw the largest price hike of 143% compared to 2020. 

Royal Canin’s 30 lb. Medium Breed Adult Dry Dog Food posted the biggest increase by dollar amount, now costing $43.99 (€‎40.75) more than 3 years ago. Purina Pro Plan dry dog food followed by an average price increase of $24.92 (€‎23) since 2020.

Wet food 

According to the figures, wet dog food went up by an average of 50% compared to 2020. Pedigree’s12-pack of 13.2-ounce canned Adult Wet Dog Food (chicken and rice flavor) went up 207% compared to 2020.

In terms of the largest dollar increase, Nutro’s 36-count variety pack of 3.5-ounce trays of Adult Natural Grain Free wet dog food (gravy beef, lamb, chicken and turkey) is now $35.35 (€32.74) more expensive. 

According to the data, Cesar Home Delights wet dog food (chicken and vegetable) recorded the lowest price increase per pack at $15.54 (€14.39).

Impact on consumers 

The cost of ingredients is one of the causes to blame for the price increase, especially because they are heavily impacted by factors such as drought and transportation costs.

A veterinarians.com survey of 1,000 US pet parents concluded that 55% of respondents said they had to cancel subscriptions for pet food on sites such as Amazon and Chewy. 

Due to inflation in pet food, 24% of pet parents were considering rehoming their pets.

Data from NielsenIQ from January to March 2023 showed that dog food sales across the US amounted to $23.9M (€22.1M). The figure marked a 15.5% increase from Q1 in 2022.