Pet food is typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets. It is usually specific to the type of pet (such as dog food or cat food).

Industry

Cat and dog food sales exceeded £1.4 billion in the United Kingdom and US$14.3 billion in the United States in 2005. In 2006 the value of the UK pet food market rose to just over £1.6 billion. The leading exporters of pet food for 2004 were France ($993 million), United States ($786 million) and Netherland ($511 million). while the leading importers were Japan ($718 million), Germany ($617 million) and the UK ($563 million).

In 2007, global sales of cat and dog food totaled US$ 45.12 billion, a growth of 4.9% from the previous year.

Fish food

Bird food

main: Bird food Bird food are used both in birdfeeders and to feed pet birds. It typically consist of a variety of seeds. Not all birds eat seeds. Suet (beef or mutton fat) is recommended for insect-eating birds like nuthatches and woodpeckers.What to Feed Birds Nectar (essentially sugar water) attracts hummingbirds.

Cat food

main: Cat food Cats are obligate carnivores, though most commercial cat food contains both animal and plant material supplemented with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Cat food is formulated to address the specific nutritional requirements of cats, in particular containing the amino acid taurine, as cats cannot thrive on taurine-deficient food.

Dog food

main: Dog food There are many different recommendations on what diet is best for dogs. Some people argue that dogs have thrived off of leftovers and scraps from their human owners for thousands of years and that commercial dog foods (which have only been available for the past century) contain poor-quality meats, additives, and other ingredients dogs should not ingest, or that commercial dog food is not nutritionally sufficient for their dogs. Most store-bought pet food comes in either dry form, also known as kibble, or wet canned form.

Raw feeding

main: Raw feeding Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs and cats a diet primarily of uncooked meat and bones. Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of an animal in the wild is its most ideal diet and try to mimic a similar diet for their domestic companion. They are commonly opposed to commercial pet foods, which they consider poor substitutes for raw feed. Opponents believe that the risk of foodborne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meats would outweigh the purported benefits and that no scientific studies have been done to support the numerous beneficial claims.

Labeling and regulation

In the United States, all pet food is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It is further regulated at the state level. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) establishes standards on which states base their feed laws and regulations, but of itself, it has no regulatory authority.