The American Pet Products Association recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. To commemorate the diamond anniversary, Pet Age has compiled a video of some of APPA’s biggest milestones over the past 60 years.

Source: Happy 60th Anniversary, APPA!

Mars Petcare and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) recently awarded $100,000 in grants to three cities as part of their Better Cities for Pets grant program.

The Better Cities for Pets program is intended to improve life for people and pets through the funding of city-wide programs. Applicants were encouraged to submit proposals for programs designed to make their communities more pet friendly. Nearly 50 applications were received from which the following recipients were selected.

Large City Winner ($50,000)

Fort Worth, TX

The city of Fort Worth has proposed a local implementation of the national “Pets for Life,” pet wellness program. Pets for Life provides resources to support pets in under-served communities, including those who live in areas lacking veterinary services. Under the program, Fort Worth will use its funding to provide free services such as vaccinations, microchipping, spaying and neutering, and other services. The city anticipates that 700 pets will receive care within the program’s first year.

Medium City Winner ($30,000)

Richmond, VA

The city of Richmond has proposed a local therapy animal program in collaboration with Pet Partners, a national non-profit organization focused on improving human health and wellness through animal-assisted therapies. The program will attempt to boost the number of therapy animals teams available within the community.

Small City Winner ($20,000)

Hallandale Beach, FL

The city of Hallandale Beach has proposed the development and deployment of a responsible pet ownership campaign. Following research that indicates that education can promote the health and safety of pets, their owners, and their communities, the campaign will focus on preparing potential owners for pet ownership.

“This is the first year of our grant program, and we are blown away by the response. We received nearly 50 applications from cities across the country that proposed impactful ways to make their communities more pet-friendly. We are humbled by this response and wanted to find a way to support all of the applicant cities to join the Better Cities for Pets movement.”

— Jam Stewart, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Mars Petcare

For more information about the Better Cities for Pets program, including ways to propose a program for your city, visit the Better Cities for Pets website.

Source: Mars Petcare issues $100,000 in grants to improve lives of pets and humans

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) recently announced that Nature’s Variety, makers of natural, wholesome pet food has become an official supporter of HABRI and its research into the health benefits of the human-animal bond.

“At Nature’s Variety, we believe in the power of pure, real nutrition to keep beloved pets healthy and happy. The human-animal bond is so central to our mission to give pets everything they need for a long and happy life with us. Supporting research into the human health benefits of pets is a perfect complement to our mission. We support better health for people and pets together.”

— Reed Howlett, CEO, Nature’s Variety

Source: Nature’s Variety Supports HABRI

Mars Petcare recently kicked off a massive new canine health study that is expected to reveal connections between pet behavior, activity, and health.

The study, known as the Pet Insight Project, is one of the largest technology-facilitated studies of pet health and will involve the study of over 200,000 dogs over the course of three years. The study will employ the Whistle pet tracker to collect activity and behavioral data from dogs. That data will then be combined with data collected about the dog’s health and analyzed using machine learning-based techniques. The hope is that behavior and activity data can be used to predict changes in pets’ health and allow owners to have advanced warning of those health issues.

“Innovative projects like Pet Insight Project are exactly what this industry needs to drive care forward. Technology and big data are powerful tools that could radically alter how we deliver veterinary care. This notion of transforming veterinary medicine is the driving force behind NAVC’s Veterinary Innovation Council and the Veterinary Innovation Summit, and resonates strongly with our Summit attendees working hard to transform pet health.”

— Tom Bohn, CEO, NAVC

Source: Mars Petcare launches tech-enabled Pet Insight Project

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), 2017 broke new records for pet spending in the United States.

Last year, Americans spent over $69 billion on pets, an increase of 4% over 2016’s $66 billion. Of that, pet food sales continue to account for the biggest portion, with over $29 billion spent. Veterinary care represented the second biggest portion at over $17 billion and is the fastest growing segment, having grown 7% in the past year.

“It’s incredible to not only see growth for the pet industry in general, but to experience growth across all categories — with the exception of ‘live animal purchases’ which remained the same. Talk to any pet owner and they’ll tell you how difficult it is to put a dollar limit on what they’d spend to give their loyal companion a happy life, and it’s this outlook that continues to drive growth.”

— Bob Vetere, President & CEO, APPA

Source: US pet owners spent most ever on pets in 2017