A therapeutic diet is formulated to meet a pet's specific needs and is designed to combat or prevent diseases. The diet should comprise an optimum combination of carbohydrates, minerals, proteins, fats, vitamins, and water. Proper nutrition helps prevent infection among dogs and maintain their build, simultaneously allowing them to perform daily activities. Dog food manufacturers have been introducing products suitable for every stage of a dog’s life. Several of these products provide hypoallergenic nutrition, whereas other formulations are produced for controlling health conditions such as kidney and heart-related diseases, gastrointestinal issues, dental care, weight control, liver disease, and orthopedic conditions. Diets formulated to treat kidney disease are low in phosphorus and have moderate levels of proteins. A few therapeutic diets for skin disease contain proteins broken down into small pieces that are less likely to stimulate the immune response in dogs after consumption. Therefore, a therapeutic diet plays an important role in maintaining a dog’s health.
Countries, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have registered a significant number of COVID-19 patients across Middle East and Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has become the most significant challenge in the region. Reduced imports due to disruptions in Middle East and Africa trade increased the shortages of medical supplies and other goods, resulting in a considerable price increase. The therapeutic dog food market in the pandemic is showing decline in growth due to closed supermarkets/hypermarkets where therapeutic dog food is sold. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the therapeutic dog food market.
With the new advancements and technologies, vendors can attract new customers and expand their footprints in emerging markets. This factor is likely to drive the Middle East and Africa therapeutic dog food market. Similar to humans, animals too suffer from chronic diseases. Arthritis, chronic kidney disease, cancer, hepatitis and other liver diseases, skin allergies, and diabetes are commonly detected chronic diseases in pets. Cancer is increasingly widespread in companion and farm animals. According to the veterinary cancer society, the disease is a leading cause of death in 47% of dogs, especially dogs of age >10 years. Further, as per the Pet Cancer Facts and Figures, one in four dogs develop cancer in their lifetime. The Arthritis Foundation says ~20% of all adult dogs suffer from arthritis. Such growth in prevalence of chronic medical conditions has become a major concern among dog owners, which underlines the demand for proper care and diet. Thus, with the elevating prevalence of chronic medical conditions in dogs, pet food companies are focusing on producing advanced therapeutic and functional food products to help dog owners maintain the overall health of their pets.