Pet Food and Nutrition

After the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the middle class in the 19th century, domesticated dogs and cats started to be kept by families with extra money rather than being used primarily as working animals. In or around 1860, the businessman James Spratt created the first commercially manufactured pet food in England. Spratt created the first dog biscuit after observing dogs being fed leftover biscuits from a ship. It was made of a mixture of wheat meals, vegetables, beets, and cattle blood. Spratt's business endeavour was a success because it satisfied a fresh market need and sold to English country gentlemen who owned sports dogs.