Pet brands harness well-being

Investing in a longer life

Most pet owners are committed to ensuring that their pets live a long and healthy life. So, they want a variety of functional health and wellness benefits in the pet food and treats they purchase. With veterinary bills typically high, pet owners are looking for support in managing their pet’s health in a preventative way. This ‘spend a little to save a lot’ approach is even more appropriate now, considering the widespread unemployment and economic instability because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selling health benefits

Pet food and treat brands are responding to this consumer need by launching products that feature multiple health benefits. Gut health has the potential to have a big impact on overall pet health and wellness, and well-supported claims on the effectiveness of specific ingredients give brands the opportunity to set themselves apart in meaningful ways. In the US, Acana’s Lamb & Apple Recipe dog food highlights the fibre content of sweet potatoes to help support healthy digestion and overall gut health.

Calorie watching

Pet obesity continues to be at the forefront of pet well-being, so pet owners are now not only looking for calorie-controlled foods for themselves. In South Korea, for example, LG sells Sirius Will chewing gum for dogs which contains konjac, that is rich in dietary fibre. The weight management snack provides under 10 calories per piece and is derived from natural ingredients.

Innovative tech

Chinese electronics brand TCL has introduced the MOVETRACK Pet Tracker, taking its first step towards the pet wearables market. This device can be attached to a pet’s collar and provides real-time location tracking using technologies like GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. If Bluetooth enabled, users can create a virtual leash and receive notifications if their pets leave an editable area of up to 10 metres. An e-badge QR code is used to help others to contact the owner if they find the lost pet. If needed a LED light that can be remotely activated helps to locate a lost pet in a dark environment.

There is also increasing demand for health tech functions for pets, such as heart rate monitoring, suggested activity levels and remote diagnoses – just as there is much demand for their human counterparts.

Keeping pets calm

Mental and emotional health is fast emerging as a top health concern too, not least because of the negative psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many studies are still exploring the impact of COVID-19 on pet behaviour, there are already indications that the pandemic may also be affecting pets. This means considerable potential for products, services and solutions to monitor and manage pets’ mental health.

From the US comes VetIQ’s Hickory Smoke Flavored Soft Chews, which are said to have a calming effect on a dog’s nerves and help maintain a normal and relaxed disposition. While in South Korea, the AI-powered emotion-detecting dog collar developed by the Petpuls Lab analyses the bark sound, classifying it into 1 of the 5 categories of emotion – happy, sad, anxious, angry or relaxed.