Using pet food as medicine

What is functional?

Functional feed ingredients and specialist formulations have been increasingly used in the pet food sector for the past twenty years. This is in response to a need, fuelled by consumers and retailers, for a more ‘natural’ basis for maintaining health and avoiding disease in our pets.

There is no doubt that correct feeding is essential for maintaining good health in all animals. However, can we define pet foods and supplements as ‘medicine’ in the modern world? That’s a tricky one – especially for product registration around the world. For complete diets, formulating to address specific problems, such as obesity, is typically well accepted as it is generally based on diluting caloric supply. However, diets claiming to assist with arthritis, liver disease, pain control, neurological support, anti-anxiety, skin and gut health can be a different proposition.

A grey area

Increasingly, functional feed ingredients and specialist diets fall into a grey area, whereby they may not always be restricted to nutrient supply function, creating some issues in their definition and regulation in certain countries. Some regions have zootechnical categories to cover this but not all, so care is needed when developing products to ensure registration is possible. It is common for consumers to consider ‘natural ingredients’ to be essentially safe, but this is not necessarily the case. Many powerful drugs were originally derived from plant extracts. And while there are various plant extracts with a useful, non-nutrient function that have a wealth of efficacy and safety data behind them, some do not and should be avoided.

Take care

In short, it is advisable to consider carefully what claims are being made for the inclusion of feed ingredients that go beyond basic nutrient supply and are straying into the pharmaceutical arena. Ensuring inclusion rates are correct and that any contraindications or safety aspects are considered is essential during the product development process. It is also vital to be informed on any legal implications that may arise from misuse and take care to label packaging accordingly. It may be worth engaging a regulatory specialist during the initial stages of product development to guard against any nasty surprises when you come to register the product in the chosen market.