Spreading the message on pet nutrition(2)

Responsible and disease preventive feeding is crucial for good pet health, said Su. About 80 percent of the dogs above three years old often suffer from dental calculus. An introduction of a dental chew would help save the dog from being subject to painful dental cleaning, he said. "Prevention is better than the actual medical treatment," said Su.

As the world second-largest country in terms of the number of registered pets only after the US, China represents a huge opportunity for Mars, a market it entered 20 years ago.

The number of pets in China has increased nearly 900 percent to 120 million with in a decade since 2003. According to global market research firm Euromonitor International's forecast, the pet food market is expected to grow to $821 million in 2017 from $585 million in 2014.

The total value of pet products will climb to $1.214 trillion from $856 million during the same period, it said.

The pet market has maintained an annual growth rate of 30 percent, and the potential is huge in China. While about 62 percent of the US families own pets, the number is only 12 percent in first-tier cities in China.

Mars has taken a dominant share of China's pet food category, with about 45.4 percent market share in 2013, ahead of Nestle SA's 14.9 percent and NoryPet (Shanghai) Co Ltd's 5.6 percent, according to Euromonitor.

Mars dog food brand Pedigree accounts for one-third of the dog food consumption in China, and it has seen strong growth, said Su.

Demand for both adult and infant dog and cat pet food is growing rapidly, at a speed much higher than the food retailing industry on average.

Online distribution channels have also created more growth opportunities for Mars Petcare due to the deep penetration of cellphones among Chinese consumers.

Mars has teamed up with leading e-commerce platforms like Tmall, JD.com and Yihaodian and Amazon.cn, realizing growth rates four times over that gained from offline channels. The data collected from the online retailers have also helped Mars better understand consumers, Su said.

Though a private company, Mars is focusing more on how it can implement its vision of balanced nutrition for pets in China, rather than growing market share, said Su.

"I learned the importance of building ecosystems to make Petcare thrive. It takes time and patience, commitment and concerted effort to work with all the stakeholders and trade partners, but I find it rewarding," he said.

Su said much of his market understanding comes from his own love for pets.

"My brother is a pet owner and a dog lover, and I have enjoyed the happiness of a pet along with him. But it was only after I joined the pet care industry that I realized how much pets can enrich the lives of its owners."