Technology / Innovation



UPG is committed to developing technologies and innovative solutions…for pet owners and their pets. Pet owners continually seek new or improved products to enhance their relationship with their pets.  In this large and growing industry, UPG is focused on growth through diverse strategies to help pet owners meet their needs.  We develop better products through many business partners, and use our world class sales, marketing and logistics organizations to bring these products to market.

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UPG has created Centers of Excellence around the world where multi-disciplined teams of scientists have developed revolutionary new products, improved existing products, integrated existing innovative technologies from acquired companies, and used licensed technologies to develop new products through cross-company efforts. Here is a sampling of some of UPG’s technology and innovations:


bio-spiraBIO-Spira , containing several newly discovered patented and patent pending species of the actual nitrifying bacteria found in closed, freshwater aquatic systems is "biological filtration" in a bottle. It literally works overnight to prevent fish loss due to ammonia and nitrite toxicity. Discovered, isolated and cultured by Marineland Labs, BIO-Spira is the result of 10+ years of molecular biological research to identify and commercially produce the bacteria responsible for nitrification in aquaria. The discovery of BIO-Spira by Dr. Timothy Hovanec, Chief Science Officer of Marineland Labs, and his team has been well-documented and collaborated by other leading scientists around the world and viewed as a revolutionary product that has improved aquarium care.

nature's miracleNature’s Miracle, stain and odor remover products, was started by Joe Weiss in 1981. Joe, who had owned a chemical company, was selling a product to pre-schools and nurseries that helped eliminate the miserable job of cleaning vomit from your hands. Joe soon discovered that the same product, with minor formula modifications, was great on removing tough to get at pet stains & oders from carpets, a problem that many pet owners had but no one offered a solution. The liquid enzyme-based formula that was great at removing organic stains like urine. Within a few years, Joe’s ideas skyrocketed to create the leading pet stain and odor remover formula, Nature’s Miracle. UPG acquired Nature’s Miracle and Joe’s formula, and successfully expanded the brand to new product categories.


lifeguardLifeguard products contain HaloShield, a revolutionary new non-antibiotic agent that demonstrates effectiveness against a wide range of infectious diseases that the can occur in both fresh and saltwater environments – bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic. Each formulation is safe and effective and can be used as a therapeutic treatment or preventative in aquariums. Lifeguard was co-developed by Marineland, Tetra, Instant Ocean, and Jungle Labs using licensed technology from Vanson HaloSource. It was the result of more that six years of extensive clinical research and evaluation in academic and industrial agriculture.


dogDingo Rawhide Chews were invented as a solution to create a more appealing rawhide chew. With the advent of modern soft food diets, chews have played a greater role in ensuring that dogs get effective teeth cleaning and gum conditioning. 

The basic rawhide bone worked well for many years, but about 40% of dogs do not find it appealing. Dingo chews was an idea to improve the rawhide chew after making a special two-in-one chew. This unique chew consisted of rawhide on the outside and REAL MEAT jerky on the inside.



dingoDogs love the chew because of the jerky inside and need the chew for healthy teeth. In 1997, Dingo Brand, LLC was granted a US Patent for the single most logical improvement on the rawhide dog chew in 30 years. Dingo was acquired by UPG and has grown rapidly since then while introducing a wide assortment of flanker products.