Dog birthday cakes with chicken-and-pumpkin layers, chew toys engineered to flake instead of splinter, and a seasonal candy cane cookie are among more than 1,000 new products debuting this week at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, where the pet industry's biggest private trade show has taken over the show floor through Thursday.
SuperZoo, which runs from Tuesday through Thursday this week at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, is not open to the public, according to KLAS 8 News Now, which got an exclusive preview of the show floor. Reporter JC Fernandez toured the event and sampled treats from several exhibitors, finding a show floor packed with more than 1,100 exhibitors and pet professionals from around the world.
One of the standouts was Evanger's new Happy Cake for Dogs & Cats, which vice president Chelsea Sher showed off to the station. The product lets pet owners build a birthday cake for their pet using chicken-and-pumpkin cake layers, complete with a small party hat. Evanger's itself has deep roots in the industry, having been founded in 1935 by Great Dane breeder Fred Evanger in Wheeling, Illinois, according to Wag!, making it one of the oldest family-owned pet food manufacturers still operating in the country.
A Deaf Great Dane's Legacy Lives On in the Treat Aisle
Fernandez also stopped by Three Dog Bakery, sampling several of the company's treats and singling out a seasonal candy cane dog cookie as a favorite. That cookie is set to return to Three Dog Bakery shelves this holiday season, per the station's report. Kristi Ross, the company's CEO, was on hand as the brand showed off its lineup. Three Dog Bakery traces its own history back to 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri, where it was founded to craft wholesome treats for a deaf Great Dane, according to Cities South Magazine, and has since grown into a network of more than 40 retail bakery franchises nationwide.
Chew toys got their own spotlight courtesy of BetterBone, a company producing dog chews without any nylon, per the KLAS report. The company offers different chew levels for dogs and is developing new chew flavors, and its products are made with natural, plant-based ingredients. According to Chewy.com, BetterBone chews are manufactured using only non-GMO cellulose fiber and vegetable oil, an alternative designed to flake off rather than splinter during chew sessions.
Board Member Frames the Show's Scale
Dr. Micah Kohles, a board member of the World Pet Association, was interviewed on the show floor by Fernandez, according to the station's coverage. The World Pet Association itself has been running SuperZoo since 1950 out of Riverside, California, making 2026 the show's 76th year, per a YouTube account of the organization's history.
The show's footprint in Las Vegas is significant on its own. Last year's edition generated an estimated $55 million economic impact for the city and drew more than 22,000 pet industry participants across 350,000 square feet of exhibit space at Mandalay Bay, according to Pets+ Magazine. That single event is a sliver of what Las Vegas hosts overall each year: nearly 6 million convention attendees generating roughly $87.7 billion in total economic impact across 14.5 million square feet of event space citywide, according to Xibit Solutions.
Why Trade Buyers Are Watching Closely This Year
For 2026, organizers updated the New Product Showcase Awards categories to emphasize smart technology, wellness care, functional nutrition, sustainability and mobility, according to PetfoodIndustry. Those categories track with where the national pet industry is spending its money. Total U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $158 billion in 2025 and are projected to climb to $165 billion in 2026, with dog ownership now reaching 53% of U.S. households, according to the American Pet Products Association.
Consumer habits are shifting even as spending grows. A 2026 APPA Dog Report found that 65% of pet-owning U.S. households now own multiple pets, led by Gen Z and Millennial owners, though overall spending is increasingly prioritizing essential care over non-essential discretionary purchases, per the Cat Writers' Association. That tension between everyday necessity and pet-as-family-member indulgence showed up across the Mandalay Bay floor this week, from build-your-own birthday cakes to flake-resistant chews.
Heritage manufacturers also used the milestone show to mark their own anniversaries. Midwestern Pet Foods is celebrating its 100th anniversary at SuperZoo 2026 by debuting expansions to its Wholesomes line, including new sensitive stomach formulations and chewy reward treats, according to PetfoodIndustry. With more than 1,000 new products on display this year alone, the show remains a launchpad where independent pet retailers and major chains alike decide what lands on store shelves for the year ahead.
