Brayden Willard

Project

Presentation

Progress Log

Capstone Essay

Brayden Willard

Ferrari

English

April 16, 2020

Pet Food

The bark of a dog, the purr of a cat, the tweet of a bird. Pets provide a comfort and warm welcome when people come home from a hard day or just need some company. They are amazing to work with and are a big part of my family. I got my interest in animals at a young age because I grew up with them. I was born into a household with four cats and all of my other close relatives either had dogs or cats. So being around them showed me how kind and fun they are to have. For my Capstone project, I will make pet treats, combining my love for animals and for cooking. I started cooking around age 10, and have loved it ever since. Food is one of my favorite things in the world. I love eating certain food that makes my mouth burst with different flavors. I love cooking for others, and now want to try making food for animals.

For my project I will be creating a recipe based on my research and interviewees comments. I plan to write an exact amount of each ingredient and write a detailed recipe that anyone can follow. After creating the recipe I will make the treats, follow each instruction carefully and test the treats on my and my aunt's pets. I will repeatedly test the treats until our pets love them. I will also be taking pictures and videos for the final product. I will also be creating the packaging to learn how a pet food business might work. I will make my own logo and brand name for the packaging decoration. Finally I will price it and add on the required nutrition label as if it were a real product for sale.

Dogs and their Nutritional Needs

There are three different types of commercially produced dog food: dry, wet and semi moist (“Dog”). High quality food is the best but is usually the most expensive (LIera) because of all the nutrients. For dog food to be healthy it has to be full of protein and be made out of food that dogs are not allergic to. Some of the main ingredients for dog food are corn, wheat, barley, rice, or soy meal (“Dog”). However dogs can also eat meat which has to be cooked (Liera). Dogs don’t have as good of taste buds as humans so they will like more food groups. Dogs love chicken because of the meaty flavor that their ancestors used to eat. Dogs also like the taste of fruit, berries and peanut butter (“Macaulay”). Dogs need certain food requirements to stay healthy. Fats and proteins are their main energy source. Their basic requirements for being healthy are water, vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals (LIera). Fruit also provides many essential vitamins, minerals and fiber (“Cat and Dog Nutrition”).

Feeding your dog too much or too little can be very bad for their health. By feeding your dog too little or giving them poor nutrition, it can lead to allergies, digestive issues and other health risks. Raw diets can also be dangerous because it may contain bad bacteria and parasites that can be harmful to dogs(“Cat and Dog Nutrition.”). Feeding your dog the right amount is so important throughout dogs' lives. You are supposed to feed your dog once to twice a day (LIera). Puppies grow best if they remain at a suitable weight without becoming obese. But if you are feeding them too little will result in poor growth and lack of energy (“Dog”). Dogs can be very energetic creatures. Sometimes they just like to play, but they can also be used for work like pulling sleds. Dogs that work require extra nutrients because of the energy they use(”Dog”).

Cats and their Nutritional Needs

Cats need certain foods and minerals to survive. Cats need clean, fresh water, meat and/or meat byproducts, poultry and/or poultry byproducts, grain and/or grain byproducts, fish meal, fiber sources, milk products (Feeding your Cat), vegetables or plant (“Cat”) and vitamin and mineral supplements are optional (Feeding your Cat). Many cats eat commercially produced cat food. The two types of cat food are dry and semi-moist food. Dry food is about 6 to 10 percent water. Dry food is a mixture of ingredients, and then dried into bite sized pieces. Semi-moist food made up of 35% water. Semi moist can be the most appealing to cats diets(Feeding your Cat).

Cats have certain food groups that they should stay away from. Seafood may be bad for your cat due to allergies(Feeding your Cat). Cats can also get sick from preservatives in our food. Their food can also go bad because, the longer dry food is stored the less effective the vitamins and nutrients will be (Feeding your Cat). You should also stay away from potatoes because of the lack of nutrients. Cats have a certain flavour they are attracted to which is because of their hunting instincts. Cats' instinct is to eat animal products such as meat (“Feeding”). Cats also eat the flesh and skin off animals due to their hunting instincts (“Cat”). There are many different breeds of cats all over the world, but they all require similar vitamins and minerals. As cats evolved they started to consume high protein and moderate fat. Cats need certain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids to maintain a healthy lifestyle. To meet those needs pet owners have to buy healthy food and healthy treats (“Feeding”). Cats have certain minerals and liquids that can be harmful to them. Some seafood is bad for your cats because of hazardous chemicals that the fish have been exposed to (“Feeding”). There are a few different diseases and affects due to malnourishment or bad food. Pica, a malnourishment issue, where the cat needs more vegetables or leafy protein. Cats can also get diabetes if their food has an unbalanced amount of nutrients(“Cat”).

Feeding your cat is important because you have to make sure they eat enough, but do not overeat. Feeding your cats depends on different factors which are the cats age and the type of food. Different brands have a certain amount of nutrients. You have to feed your cat a certain amount of nutrients so more healthy food requires smaller servings. Another factor you should include is scheduled feeding time, so your cats know when they get food (“How Much”). Cats shouldn’t eat food that is not for them, but some food that we can both have are fish, meats, grains and milk (“Feeding”). The main reason pets cannot eat human food is because of the preservatives our food has to make it stay good for longer(Robbie). Most cats are indoor cats and do not burn that many calories. Cats cannot overeat because indoor cats (house cats) cannot burn the extra energy (“Cat”). If you feed them more food than they Exercise they will quickly become overweight.

Marketing

There are many things you should think about before selling your goods. To successfully sell your products you should figure out how much it will cost you to purchase, produce and sell your product(“All about Marketing”). Some popular ingredients and their prices are: Peanut butter 0.43$, Pumpkin 0.35$, Egg 0.41$, Whole grain flour 0.51$ and Rice 0.10$. Profit is the number one thing that you should think about for your business. Because if you are losing money your business will close. First you should know your base profit before you market your produce. Then you should make sure you are selling you’re product for more than the base cost(“All about Marketing”). There are many strategies for pricing your products. Before you start pricing your products you should study the pricing of your competitors. Some of the strategies include Penetration pricing, Premium pricing, price bundling and new customer pricing. Penetration pricing is where you start off low to try and beat other prices. Premium pricing is a way that you can sell your product to people who want the best quality. Price bundling is where you can offer a higher price but for more than one package. New customer pricing is where you try to get people to come back for lower prices over time(“All about Marketing”).

There are many aspects to creating the packaging for your product. You want to make sure the packaging is neat and clean for it to look official. However you should still keep the packaging original, making it your own because people are attracted to originality designs(“Packaging Design). Some of the basic design tips that I will be following in my creation process are: Keeping it honest, keeping the font really simple and using green concepts like no plastic and composting packaging(“Packaging Design).

The logo is one of the most important parts of your company. The logo is the thing people know your company as (“Nick”). There are a few things you should keep in mind when designing your logo. You want to make your logo connect with people, so people want to buy your product. You want to choose the right wording and word style for your logo to make it look neat. Many logos stand out because they accurately represent the company. Once you have a logo keep tweaking it before finally keeping it (“Nick”). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all food including pet food that is manufactured. They have to make sure the pet food is “safe to eat, made in sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances and truthfully labeled.” The FDA makes sure that the pet food only has necessary ingredients and is safely produced. The packaging also has to have a label which includes: “proper identification of the product, net quantity statement, name and place of business of the manufacturer or distributor, and proper listing of all the ingredients in the product in order from most to least, based on weight.”(“Pet Food.”).

Animal nutrition is a complex topic and making food for pets requires knowledge and care. Pica which is a malnourishment issue where the cat needs more vegetables or leafy foods. I also learned about a marketing strategy called penetration pricing where you start off with low prices so people buy your product. I was surprised about some of the ingredients that cats eat or may be allergic to. I found out some cats are allergic to seafood. Some foods that are good for them are rice and whole wheat flour.Marketing was the field I found the most about. I learnt about many different strategies called: Penetration Pricing where you start with low prices, Premium Pricing is where you sell your food to people who want the best quality, price bundling where you sell your goods in bulk and New customer pricing where it gets cheaper the longer they buy your food.

I have learnt so much about cat and dog nutrition. I will be using all that information to create the best possible recipe and treats that cats and dogs love. For the marketing info I will use it to create my packaging. It will help me in creating attractive packaging and smart pricing.

I will use the FDA website to create a realistic nutrition label. This will help because it will enhance my packaging making it look more official.

Works Cited

“All about Marketing”. Free Management Library,

https://managementhelp.org/marketing/index.htm Accessed, April, 21, 2020

Carson, Nick and David Airey. “Logo Design: Everything you need to know.” Creative Bloq,

https://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/pro-guide-logo-design-21221. Accessed 4, 24, 2020.

“Cat”. ​Britannica Inc, November 21, 2019,

https://www.britannica.com/animal/cat/Cats-as-pets​, Accessed February 9, 2020

“Cat and Dog Nutrition.” Banfield Pet Hospital. Banfield Pet Hospital, June 24, 2014,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7201RKAuuGM​. March 1, 2020

”Dog”. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc, March 12, 2020, ​https://www.britannica.com/animal/dog​,

Accessed April 02, 2020.

”Feeding your Cat.” College of Veterinary Medicine, July, 2017,

​https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-cent

er/health-information/feline-health-topics/feeding-your-cat​. Accessed April, 6.

“How Much Should I Feed My Cat.” Catster,

https://www.catster.com/cat-food/how-much-should-i-feed-my-cat

Accessed 4, 24, 2020

LiIera, Ryan and Cheryl Yuill. “Nutrition-General Guideline for Dogs.” ​VCA Ink. 2​ 019,

https://vcahospitals.com/contact-us​t. Accesed Jan 30, 2020

Macaulay, Robbie. Personal Interview. April 25, 2020.

“Packaging Design: Top 16 tips for Great Eye-Catching Packaging design.”Persona Design,

December 3 2010, https://www.personadesign.ie/packaging-design-top-16-tips-for-great-eye-catching-packaging-design/. Accessed April 22, 2020

“Pet Food.” U.S. FOOD & DRUG administration, June, 4, 2019,

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-food-feeds/pet-food. Accessed April 26,

2020.