Dog and cat food producer prices hit record highs in August, driven primarily by increases in canned and wet food products, with year-over-year inflation rising to 1.6% compared to 1.3% previously.
- Dog and cat food producer prices reached record levels in August according to the Producer Price Index
- Canned and wet pet food, especially for dogs, has been the biggest driver of price increases since August 2024
- Year-over-year pet food inflation increased to 1.6% from 1.3%, showing accelerating price growth
- Cat food prices have risen 39.3% since 2019, compared with 32.3% for dog food
- The January increase of 1.0% was the largest since March 2023 and more than three times the average December-to-January change since 1986
Dog and cat food prices at the producer level were mostly stable in July and August, with only small changes in dry dog food in July and dry cat food in August, according to John Gibbons, president of Pet Business Professor, who tracks monthly U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the pet industry. The Producer Price Index (PPI) figures for both months were reported as of September.
In his latest report, the Other Pet Food PPI saw the biggest changes compared with the previous month, Gibbons said, as prices rose in both July and August and are up 1.1% compared with 2025.
Retail pet food prices, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose in July but fell in August. However, year-over-year inflation increased to 1.6% from 1.3%, Gibbons said.
Pricing trends over 24 months
Retail price changes usually mirror the Dog/Cat Food PPI but lag slightly, Gibbons said. Retail prices peaked in May 2023, then fluctuated. They rose from January to March 2026 and set a new record, which was broken in July.
The Dog/Cat Food PPI stayed stable until January, when it rose to set a new record, which it surpassed in August, Gibbons said.
In the Other Pet Food PPI, prices peaked at 36.9% in February 2023. In August, they were roughly equal to December 2021 levels.
Canned, wet food drives increases
Canned and wet food, especially for dogs, has been the biggest driver of the PPI increase since August 2024, Gibbons said.
In a typical year, a significant price increase begins in May and lasts about two months before prices stabilize, according to Gibbons. There has been no true spring increase since 2022. Dog and cat food prices rose only 1.5% from March 2023 to December 2025, a 33-month period of stability.
The 1.0% increase in January was more than three times larger than the average December-to-January increase since 1986, Gibbons said. It was also the largest increase since March 2023. All segments rose in January, with canned and wet food leading the increase, especially for cats.
Since 2019, cat food prices have risen 39.3%, compared with 32.3% for dog food, Gibbons said.
After the January increase, prices were essentially stable from February through August, marking another year without a May or spring price increase, according to Gibbons.
