Australians are spending record amounts on their pets, yet skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems and ear infections continue to rank among the most common reasons dogs need veterinary care. Pet Food Australia examines what the data shows, why nutrition deserves more attention as a daily health input, and what nearly three decades of hands-on experience with dogs has taught us about looking beyond symptoms and focusing on the whole animal.
Australians have never spent more on their pets.
There are now an estimated 31.6 million pets in Australia, including around 7.3 million dogs, and 73% of Australian households own at least one pet. Australians are estimated to spend $21.3 billion a year feeding and caring for them, with food alone accounting for $9.8 billion, or 46% of total pet expenditure.
Yet despite that investment, some of the same health problems continue to dominate veterinary claims.
PetSure’s 2025 Pet Health Monitor, based on data from around 700,000 insured pets, found that the leading reasons dogs visited the vet were:
skin conditions
gastrointestinal problems
ear infections
PetSure’s newer 2026 data shows the same pattern remains prominent, with gastrointestinal conditions, skin infections or allergies, and ear infections again occupying the top three positions for younger dogs, while skin and gastrointestinal problems remain highly ranked in older dogs.
That raises a question worth asking:
If Australians are spending more than ever trying to keep their dogs healthy, why do the same problems keep coming back?
The one thing dogs experience every day
There are many recognised causes of skin disease, digestive problems and ear infections.
Environmental allergies, parasites, genetics, infection, anatomy and other medical conditions can all play a role.
But one factor is present every single day of a dog’s life:
food.
A dog may encounter pollen seasonally. It may swim occasionally. It may require medication only at certain times.
But most dogs eat once or twice every day, year after year.
Those meals supply the raw materials the body uses for skin, coat, muscle, energy, digestion and normal physiological function.
That is why Pet Food Australia believes nutrition deserves far more attention when owners are dealing with recurring problems.
“Food does not explain every case of itching, digestive upset or ear disease,” said Pet Food Australia co-founder Lee Amiti.
“But when the same types of problems keep appearing again and again, it makes little sense to treat the one thing dogs consume every day as a minor part of the discussion.”
Australia’s pet food market is booming
The scale of the industry makes the question even more relevant.
ANZ reported in 2025 that Australia’s pet food market had grown into a $4.6 billion category, larger than national household spending on seafood, cheese or lamb.
Premium food, supplements, veterinary services, insurance and specialised pet-care products have all become part of a rapidly growing pet economy.
But greater spending does not automatically mean every dog is receiving the formulation that suits them best.
According to Amiti, owners can become overly focused on packaging, individual ingredients or ratings while overlooking the most important measure: how the dog actually responds.
“A food can look exceptional on paper and still not be the right food for the dog eating it,” Amiti said.
“The real questions are much simpler. Are the stools consistent? Is the coat healthy? Is the dog maintaining good body condition? Do they have good energy? Are they comfortable?”
Why nutrition matters to skin and coat
Healthy skin and coat rely on adequate protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and energy.
Food allergy or intolerance may also contribute to problems in some dogs, although environmental allergies, parasites and other conditions remain common causes of itching.
Pet Food Australia argues that this is exactly why diet should not be dismissed simply because it is not the only possible cause.
“When owners tell us their dog has been scratching for months or years, we do not automatically assume food is responsible,” Amiti said.
“But we do ask what the dog has been eating every day during that same period.”
Digestive problems put food directly in the spotlight
The relationship between food and gastrointestinal health is even more direct.
Ingredient composition, fat level, fibre, digestibility, portion size, sudden dietary changes and individual tolerance can all influence stool quality and digestive comfort.
PetSure itself notes that puppies may experience gastrointestinal problems as they adjust to new foods and environments.
Again, food is not the only cause. Parasites, infection, inflammatory disease, stress and scavenging may also play a role.
But when digestive problems recur, Pet Food Australia believes nutrition should be one of the first variables examined.
Ear infections may be part of a wider picture
Recurring ear infections are more complex.
Moisture, ear anatomy, yeast, bacteria and environmental allergy can all contribute.
However, recurrent ear problems may also appear alongside broader allergic skin disease, and dietary sensitivity can be relevant in some dogs.
The important point, according to Amiti, is to look at the whole animal rather than treating each symptom as completely separate.
“If a dog has recurring ear problems along with itchy skin, paw licking or digestive upset, and those signs change when the diet changes, that is information worth paying attention to,” he said.
Nearly three decades of hands-on experience
Before founding Pet Food Australia, Lee and Fiona Amiti spent around 27 years working hands-on with animals through rescue and pet care.
That experience shaped how they approached pet nutrition.
“You learn very quickly that dogs do not read labels,” Amiti said.
“They do not care what rating a food has or how impressive the marketing sounds. What matters is what happens after they eat it.”
Since launching Pet Food Australia, the company says it has received thousands of customer reports describing changes including better stools, healthier-looking coats, less scratching, improved appetite and better energy after changing food.
Those reports do not prove that diet caused the original problem, nor do they establish that one ingredient was responsible for an improvement.
But Amiti says repeated real world patterns should not be ignored.
“When similar stories arrive from different households, year after year, we think they deserve attention.”
The ingredient list is only the beginning
Pet Food Australia believes one of the biggest mistakes owners can make is judging food solely by an ingredient list.
A food can contain premium-looking ingredients and still not suit the individual dog.
Likewise, two foods can both meet nutritional standards yet produce very different real world outcomes.
“The best looking ingredient list in the world means very little if the dog eating it is not thriving,” Amiti said.
“What matters is the whole formulation, protein, fats, essential fatty acids, fibre, vitamins, minerals, energy and how well the dog actually tolerates it.”
A bigger conversation about prevention
The aim is not to suggest that food replaces veterinary care.
PetSure’s data highlights the importance of veterinary treatment and early intervention, especially when conditions are persistent, severe or recurring.
But Pet Food Australia believes the conversation should also include the everyday choices owners make before problems become serious.
Australia now has more pets, higher pet spending and more sophisticated pet products than ever before.
Yet skin, gastrointestinal and ear problems continue to affect large numbers of dogs.
For Amiti, that makes nutrition impossible to ignore.
“Australians are spending billions trying to give their dogs better lives,” he said.
“The question is whether we are spending enough time asking what is actually in the bowl and whether that food is genuinely working for the dog in front of us.”
This press release has also been published on VRITIMES