Pet-Set Snobbery

The health-food business is rapidly going to the dogs. Cats too. A growing number of nutrition-minded pet owners have started watching what they feed their furry friends. Worried that Fido has heart trouble? Serve him low- cholesterol biscuits baked by Lick Your Chops of Westport, Conn. Is Kitty overweight? Try a high-fiber, low-fat regimen from Hill's Pet Products of Topeka, Kans. At long last, people who buy fresh pasta and wheat germ no longer have to settle for plain old puppy chow.

Despite the appeal to pet-set snobbery, the premium foods do seem to make a difference. Super dog foods, for example, contain higher-quality protein and less sugar than run-of-the-mill fare. Result: animals that smell good, have shiny coats and do not excitedly jump about. Even the pet-food giants, which control most of the $6 billion industry, have started toeing the health-food line. Last year Ralston Purina introduced O.N.E., or Optimum Nutrient Effectiveness, for snooty canines. And Quaker Oats has revamped its Cycle products for young, old and overweight dogs.

Though quality comes at a price -- 30% to 40% more than regular pet foods -- proponents of the premium brands argue that the animals do not consume as much because the food is better. Some pet owners, however, suggest that the animals eat less simply because they don't like the stuff.