Ella, a Labrador Retriever living in Westchester, N.Y, poses by a bag of her freeze dried food called Grandma Lucy’s Artisan. Freeze dried dog and cat foods are part of a growing trend toward premium pet products with limited ingredients. (Katherine Cook via AP)Imagine a warm, fragrant entree of oven-baked chicken with whole-grain brown rice, steamed yellow squash and pan-wilted spinach.
Or slow-roasted leg of lamb with pearl barley, broccoli and crispy whole-wheat croutons with cheddar cheese.
Those aren’t offerings at a tony French bistro. They’re on the menu at Chef K9’s Doggy Bistro and Cafe in Pompano Beach, Fla., which customizes meals for your dog and sends them to you.
The subscription-based company is just one of dozens that offer canine and feline foods that go well beyond run-of-the-mill supermarket chow.
According to Packaged Facts, a researcher in Rockville, Md., the premium pet-food sector accounted for nearly half of the $26 billion U.S. pet-food market in 2013. Apparently, we want our pets to have not only a spot on the sofa but a figurative spot at the dinner table too.