Dry Dog Food Hasn't Been Around As Long As You Might Think

Canines have been keeping humans company for many millennia, possibly as long as 40,000 years. For the vast majority of that time, domesticated dogs have survived on table scraps, bones, and leftovers, with the occasional fresh raw meat and vegetables tossed in. During the Victorian era, pet dogs and cats residing in big cities such as New York or London were sometimes fortunate enough to have their diets supplemented with horse meat — overworked horses frequently dropped dead in city streets, and their cheap meat was then sold to urban pet owners.

Of course, royalty and other wealthy individuals throughout history have always been able to feed their pets more generously. Lifelong dog lover Mary, Queen of Scots, made sure that loaves of bread were set aside each day for her pampered pooches, while Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, fed pâté de foie gras and unsalted butter to his overindulged dog.

The dry dog food (and the wet mixed with it) that is so ubiquitous today wasn't invented until after American businessman James Spratt visited London in 1860 and noticed stray dogs along the waterfront eating discarded hardtack, a saltless hard biscuit that sailors relied on for sustenance during long sea voyages. Spratt wondered if a similar dry biscuit could be created to nourish dogs.

James Spratt soon introduced the world to Spratt's Patent Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes, the first mass-produced dry dog food. The biscuits contained wheat, vegetables, beetroot, and "the dried unsalted gelatinous parts of Prairie Beef" (per The New York Times Magazine). A true entrepreneur, Spratt endorsed the idea that dogs of different ages have varying nutritional needs and created foods targeted to the different stages of an animal's life.

Spratt promoted his new biscuits to wealthy English noblemen who could afford their high price tag. In 1876, Charles Cruft joined Spratt's company and soon became the general manager, promoting the biscuits at European dog shows. (If his name sounds familiar, that's because in 1891 he founded Crufts, the world's largest international dog show, held annually in the U.K.) From there, the biscuits became wildly popular, and featured several ads promoting their health benefits.

Dog food is now big business, with pet owners debating whether expensive dog food is worth the price, and if diet can help with medical conditions such as yeast infections. No doubt Spratt would find a way to profit off it all.