#Purina’s Mighty Dog brand quietly discontinued after 48 years

Mighty Dog has been quietly put down.

The 48-year-old dog-food label — whose “pure beef” ad campaign in the 1970s featured a freshly opened can getting seared with a red-hot cattle brand — has quietly been discontinued by its owner Nestle Purina, The Post has learned.

“All our Mighty Dog products have unfortunately been discontinued based on a decline in consumer demand,” Purina spokeswoman Emily Goldkamp said in a statement. The label stopped production in December, she confirmed, adding that the company does not typically “announce discontinuations.”

Pooch owners began to notice a scarcity among purveyors earlier this year, posting their frustrations on Reddit.

“My dog is a finicky eater and only really likes the Mighty Dog pulled chicken,” one customer wrote. “Previously I’ve bought this in bulk but recently it, along with any other Mighty Dog flavors, have been sold out everywhere aside from price-gouging 3rd market sellers.”

Packs of two dozen, 5.5-ounce cans of beef were being offered on eBay Friday for as much as $89.89, more than double the normal price. On Amazon, sellers were asking for as much as $129.48 for the same 24-can package. Mighty Dog is no longer available on Walmart.com, Target.com or Chewy.com.

Mighty Dog was introduced in 1973 by Carnation — best known for its evaporated milk line — and was acquired by Purina in 1985, which subsequently bankrolled years of TV ads featuring a flying superhero terrier in a cape.

It has landed in the same pet cemetery as Chuck Wagon, another legacy brand from Purina whose signature ads in the 1970s featured a miniature, horse-drawn wagon charging out of a dog-food bag. 

Their demise comes amid a growing trend towards bespoke pet food brands that tout organic and human-grade ingredients like quinoa, broccoli and sweet potatoes. Some new, gourmet dog-food brands like FreshPet and The Farmer’s Dog require refrigeration, while subscription brands like NomNomNow even offer to analyze pets’ stool to determine the best combination of ingredients.