Would you buy a gourmet dog food?

[TerryBPP]

I am thinking of starting a new business specializing in luxury items for pets. I am not sure if gourmet dog foods have a market. Would like some input.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

None for us; when we want to treat our dog my wife either cooks up a meal for her (rice or buckwheat + carrots and ground turkey meat, all organic) or we boil up a pile of broccoli or cauliflower (she loves that stuff).

Of course, I don't know a whole lot of people who would go through that effort. Most would rather just spend the money.

[RickM]

I wouldn't but there's a huge audience for things of this nature. I have seen a few gourmet pet companies on TV already.

[gaijinda]

Wanna make a buck? Land is cheap, and there is a lot of it down there. Pet cemetary. A high end one.

Hit them with the burial fees and mini headstone. Treat the grieving parties with respect and a good phone manner. Cut the DVMs in on the deal for referrals. Plenty of benches, keep the grass cut, plant a few trees and plenty of flowers. Many pooches and kittys to the acre..

You will be farting through silk in no time.. (i.e. in the money)

[TerryBPP]

gaijinda, great idea!

[goat]

Flint river is an organic dog food and I have seen frozen fresh meat products offered in pet stores, so yes there is a market.
California natural is another.
We cook mostly for the dogs too.
Bedding, wool doggy traveling blankets ect. might be easier to avoid health inspectors if they do that kind of thing with dog food.
Also check out "three dog bakery" I think they have a web site a true success story I think they sell franchises!

[arcsine]

I think an angle that no one has worked out but I think it crucial is that dogs are carnivors and feeding them a diet comprising mostly grain and veggies does not work out the best for them. Dogs have no built in mechanism to digest wheat or rice and it can lead to some serious GI issues. One has to think that a dogs diet in the wild would be animals and rodents and the veggies they would get would be whatever is in the animals gut. If you can find a way of getting folks to feed their dogs uncooked meat supplemented with some veggies/etc you would be doing well. Our great danes are on a raw food diet (as are many danes we knows of) and are doing well (including one that was having horrible food allergies all her life).

[island911]

I believe that Vietnamese markets have dog as gourmet food.

oh wait. . that's not what ya meant.

Seriously, it already is a big industry. . . .w/ a huge market. Ask any Veterinarian.

[widebody911]

I guess if Social Security doesn't pan out when I get to that age...

[juanbenae]

what thom,, will you feed the animals your arms and legs?

[911pcars]

I refuse to spend more on dog food than I would for regular people food. But then again, I'm not a dog owner. How does it taste compared with regular, run-of-the mill dog food? Wet or dry?

People spend big bucks on their pets. The parents of my young daughter's friend spent $75 on vet bills and meds to nurse their pet hamster to health (overnight stay). The $8 pet died a week later.

My sister-in-law has their deceased dog's fur coat laying on their hallway table.

Pet cemetaries are a ground-breaking industry.

Sorry,
Sherwood

[red-beard]

No dogs are present, but the Cat will not eat wet food. There is _something_ about friggen Meow Mix. Every cat I have ever exposed to it loves it and then generally refuses to eat other cat food, even the expensive wet kind.

Find out the secret ingrediant and you'll make a mint...

[TerryBPP]

Thanks for all the input guys.

[tabs]

Who do you think all those flavors of Pet food are to impress...your pet... guess again....it's to impress the little old lady that just adores Fluffy...and maybe some old folks trying to subsist on Social Security.

[TerryBPP]

Tabs, exactly.

[gaijinda]

Guests at my house have been known to praise my "pate"..

Only joking heh, heh, heh....

(Or am I joking??)

[Decolliber]

I think the market for gourmet dog food would be very small. A much bigger market exists for dog foods that claim superior nutritional benefits. Most dog food is supposedly made form waste products. I feed both my dogs Innova, an expensive food that a kennel owner told me is better for them (has garlic and other vegies). I feed my German shepard Science Diet for sensitive skin (also expensive).
I also give my dogs supplements: fish oil, garlic powder (for fleas & tics), vinegar (also fleas & tics), arthramine (for bones) and lipderm (for skin). Maybe an all in one liquid to add to food would be marketable, since some dogs dont like pills, and you would not have to keep a collection of different additives. And it should have a top that would allow you to measure out a standard daily dose without getting your hands messy. I would definitley buy a liquid additive that has all the things I want for the dogs.
And for the cat, a catnip patch.

[widebody911]

I find it funny when people say "my [cat|dog|kid] won't eat ____________"

Unless you've placed some sort of inorganic matter (ie iron shavings), some wood, or pure fecal matter in front of them, when they get hungry enough, they'll eat it.

[TerryBPP]

Decolliber, gourmet was just a general term. I would be including holistic and specialized nutritional foods at the owners request.

[Decolliber]

Originally posted by widebody911
I find it funny when people say "my [cat|dog|kid] won't eat ____________"

Unless you've placed some sort of inorganic matter (ie iron shavings), some wood, or pure fecal matter in front of them, when they get hungry enough, they'll eat it.

You must not have children !!!
And most dogs like to eat fecal matter. Deer droppings provide my dogs with many a tasty treat.