Dog treats are (too) expensive
Some dog treats cost more than caviar, while others are poor quality and contain little meat, an expert has found.
Phil Tripp, publisher of Urban Animal magazine in Australia, said the makers and marketers of dog treats
preyed on pet owners who wanted to spoil their pooches.”People are absolutely
stunned when they realise the cost of these snacks,” Tripp said. “The number one
reason is marketing. Millions are spent advertising to pet owners on television,
radio, billboards, bus shelters, and print advertisements.”
Increase in pet food
The dog
food industry in Australia is worth $800 million a
year. Tripp said sales of premium pet food had rocketed in the past decade. The
Herald Sun visited a major supermarket and bought a single 20g pig’s ear dog
treat for AUS$1.98, or $99 a kg (€59/kg). The dog treat was more expensive than
caviar at the same supermarket which came in at $91 a kilogram (€54/kg).
Unnecessary additives
Tripp said some
brands of popular
dog treats contain very little meat, instead containing grain fillers, colouring and preservatives. He
said pet food makers were not required to list ingredients on
their packaging. “There are three potential problems – sugar, salt and the preservatives
and colouring. Why do you need colouring agents for dogs? They
deal in taste, not appearance.”
