‘Nutritionally Complete’ Plant-Based Wet Dog Food Aims to Feed Good Dogs Good Food

A new wet dog food brand aims to keep pups and the planet healthy with sustainable, plant-based pet food even the pickiest dogs will love.

Dogs are so forgiving. So understanding. So unflappable in their commitments to their humans. But what if they knew we fed them the cheapest of the cheap? The slaughterhouse floor scraps. The fillers, the artificial ingredients, the worst of the worst? Would they still love us then? A new plant-based dog food brand, The Pack, aims to help us give our pets the quality food they deserve.

The London-based brand says it is one of the first company in the world to create a wet dog food made solely from plants. Unlike cats, who are carnivores, dogs are omnivores, and research shows they can thrive on meat-free diets. 

The Pack’s new range comes in fish, chicken, or beef flavors developed by food scientists, pet nutritionists, and pet food technologists. 

Healthy pet food, made from plants

Even for pet owners not interested in converting their pets to a fully vegan diet, The Pack says its plant-based wet food offers a healthy complement to any dog’s diet.

Founded by Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel—the co-founders of the Vevolution festival and platform—The Pack is out to disrupt the toxic pet food industry. According to Clarkson and Nadel, the pet food industry is a leading producer of carbon dioxide, producing more than 64 million tons of GHGs annually. 

“We’ve focused on dog food specifically because domestic dogs are natural omnivores, just like their pet parents, and we think they deserve a better diet,”  Clarkson and Nadel said in a statement. “They’ve evolved over thousands of years to digest plant-based foods and receive all the nutrients they need without meat.”

The founders say they spent years developing the food following the National Research Council and European Pet Food Industry guidelines to ensure nutritionally complete food. 

“This means that dog owners can either mix The Pack food with their pooches’ regular kibble, as a flexi-dogian option, or offer it as their sole wet food of choice, for a completely plant-based diet,” Clarkson and Nadel say.

A good (doggie!) investment

The Pack has already secured investments from footballer Chris Smalling and Bosh chefs Henry Firth and Ian Theasby.

The start-up has also received the support of well-respected vet and television personality, Rory Cowlam (Rory The Vet).

“I’m very impressed by the rigorous research that The Pack has put into its food’s nutritional profile and production,” Cowlam said. “Their awesome animal nutrition team has covered every dietary requirement for dogs. Pet parents can rest assured that including these plant-based meals in their dog’s diet will offer nourishing variety that will help promote a good gut microbiome.”

The Pack’s success builds on a small but growing shift happening in the pet food sector. In the U.S., Bay Area startup Wild Earth raised $23 million in its most recent funding round, which includes investments from Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban, actor Paul Wesley, VegInvest, Big Idea Ventures, and Bitburger Ventures. 

“Entire factory farms are running to feed our pets, and it just makes no sense to make little brown balls of protein if we can make it with plants,” founder Ryan Bethencourt recently told CNBC.

The global organic and natural pet food market was valued at $22.8 billion last year and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6 percent over the next five years.

All images courtesy of The Pack.

Correction: an earlier version of this article misstated that The Pack is the first vegan wet dog food brand. This is not the case, there are at least three other brands. We regret the error.