Tag Archives: Purina

The survey says…

Posted on June 23, 2025 | Leave a comment

A new UK survey conducted on behalf of Purina has revealed what previous studies have shown, that the human-animal bond is important and that society benefits from our supportive relationship with animals.

Over two-thirds of pet owners feel a stronger bond with their pets than their family and friends.

Top ten ways the human-pet bond helps people feel better

10. Coping with Break-Ups 
For 32% of pet owners, the bond with their pets has been instrumental in helping them navigate the emotional turmoil of a break-up.

9. Support Through Health Conditions 
Approximately 42% of pet owners have found emotional support through their pets while dealing with health challenges.

8. Navigating Interpersonal Conflicts 
Pets serve as a source of comfort during interpersonal conflicts, helping 44% of owners cope with emotional stress.

7. Snuggling for Comfort 
46% find comfort in snuggling with their pets, providing emotional warmth and support.

6. Bringing Smiles 
49% reported that their pets bring joy into their lives and make them smile.

5. Alleviating Loneliness 
For 52% of pet owners, the presence of their pets significantly reduces feelings of loneliness, providing companionship and love.

4. Joyful Greetings 
A warm greeting at the door from a pet can bring joy, as experienced by 52% of pet owners.

3. Distraction from Worries 
Pets help their owners take their minds off things, with 54% of pet owners benefiting from this comforting distraction.

2. Uplifting Spirits When Feeling Low 
The companionship of pets provides comfort for 59% of owners when they are feeling low, helping to brighten their mood.

1. Support During Sadness and Life Changes 
61% of pet owners asked find solace in their pets during moments of sadness or significant life changes, including after a tough day at work.

Source: Nestle UK

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Reading labels

Posted on May 29, 2025 | 1 comment

As you’ve probably read in this blog before, I’m a self-confessed Science Geek. I like the details. So, it should come as no surprise that label reading is part of my routine as a dedicated Dog Mum and pet professional.

This week has provided some good food for thought – the importance of reading labels.

First up is Sox’s Vitamin B supplement, Cobalazorb. When the latest box arrived, it was immediately noticeable that the packaging had changed:

There were differences that could be alarming for us. I have been managing Sox’s inflammatory bowel disease for years now and this supplement is vital since his malfunctioning gut does not digest all the goodness from food as it should. I emailed the company, ADM Australia PTY Ltd.

I have just received a new pack of Cobalazorb for my dog, who has chronic enteropathy.  This pack prominently promotes that the product has a chicken flavour and also does not state that the capsule is a vegetable capsule – only “capsule.”

I’ve compared it to the previous pack, which states a flavouring but with no specific type and a vegetable capsule.

Given his sensitivities, I wanted to check that there have been no ingredient changes to the original product and that this is a change in packaging only. 

Great news! The company responded the same day with this reply:

Thanks for reaching out.

I can confirm that only the packaging has changed for Cobalazorb, everything else remains the same as before. The flavouring is still artificial chicken (no actual chicken) and the capsules are vegetarian, so OK to use in dogs and cats with allergies and sensitivities.

Please reach out should you have any further questions.

At this point, I was winning. That was until the delivery the next day of our latest 12 kg bag of Purina Pro Plan Gastrointestinal kibble, our mainstay dog food. Only this time, the bag came with a prominent label announcing “Coming Soon, New Look and Formula.”

New formula…and when you turn over that label there’s a reminder that new foods should be transitioned over 10 days.

I emailed Purina to ask what the formula changes will be, explaining that I am using this food for Sox’s chronic enteropathy (IBD). It took them 2 days to reply, “We have reached out to our wider team regarding your questions about the formula changes and we’ll get back in touch with you as soon as possible.“

This reply doesn’t fill me with great confidence and history shows that whenever pet food companies change formulations, it is usually so they can reduce the cost of ingredients while improving profit margin. Decreasing cost of production often means decreasing the quality of the ingredients. Dog food is a big business.

Time will tell if I am going to need to find another food for Sox, and how long I will wait for a definitive reply from Purina.

I encourage all my clients to read labels – you’d be surprised how often products formulations are changed – a change in packaging is often a good reason to check the label.

P.S. A big shout out of thanks to ADM for such fabulous customer service (plus for not changing the formula of a valued supplement)

Kathleen Crisley is Fear-Free certified dog massage therapist and canine fitness trainer. She has a particular passion for working with dogs and their families to ensure injury prevention and quality of life. She specialises in working with anxious and emotionally damaged dogs. Her mobile practice, The Balanced Dog, is based in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Purina Dog Chow honors PTSD service dogs

Posted on September 14, 2023 | Leave a comment

In honor of Service Dog Awareness Month, Purina Dog Chow is joining forces with actor and singer Anthony Ramos to celebrate the finalists of this year’s Dog Chow Visible Impact Award, which recognizes the remarkable impact service dogs have on the lives of military veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ongoing research shows most veterans with trained service dogs show lower symptoms of PTSD and reduced depression compared to more traditional clinical care for PTSD alone.

From now through October 13, 2023, dog lovers are invited to help select the 2023 Visible Impact Award winner by voting on the selected finalists at DogChow.com/service. For every vote, Dog Chow will donate $5 to the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans (ASDPMV), up to $75,000, to help train more PTSD service dogs. The winning service dog’s veteran will receive a $10,000 cash prize and $25,000 for the organization that trained the service dog.

“Partnering with Dog Chow for this year’s Service Dog Salute program is a privilege beyond words. The unwavering loyalty and support that service dogs provide to our military veterans is nothing short of remarkable,” said Ramos. “I am honored to help shine a light on the powerful impact service dogs have on the lives of those who served our country.”

Visible Impact Award Finalists This year’s Visible Impact Award Finalists include:

  • Huey/Operation Freedom Paws–helps U.S. Army veteran Ramon by detecting migraines and dizzy spells before they happen
  • Eagle/K9s for Warriors–helps U.S. Navy veteran Joe by providing standing pressure therapy “hugs” to reduce anxiety and create a sense of security
  • Phelan/Tails of Valor, Paws of Honor–helps stop U.S. Army veteran Harold’s night terrors and can detect and de-escalate when Harold begins to feel anxious or angry
  • Maverick/K9 Partners for Patriots–helps U.S. Air Force veteran Wendy by jumping on her lap when she starts to get anxious and helps prevent panic episodes
  • Bobby/Pawsitive Teams–helps U.S. Navy veteran Sondra mitigate her anxiety and hyper vigilance by walking lightly in front of her and scanning the environment to ease Sondra’s mind

A PTSD service dog’s Impact

Roughly 3.5 million military veterans suffer from PTSD, and while service dogs have been demonstrated to reduce the severity of PTSD, only 1% of those in need who seek a service dog receive one each year. Dog Chow has been on a mission to help, donating more than $1M to service dog organizations since the start of the Service Dog Salute in 2018. These donations help support the care and training of more service dogs for veterans with PTSD at no cost to the veterans.

To vote for the Visible Impact Award winner and for more information about Dog Chow’s support of our nation’s veterans, visit DogChow.com/service.

Source: Petfoodindustry.com

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Purina’s pets and people survey

Posted on July 19, 2018 | 1 comment

It turns out dogs are more than just man and woman’s best friend. They are also counselors, confidants, bunk mates, stress relievers, and overwhelmingly viewed as part of the family, according to the 2018 Pets and People Survey by Just Right® by Purina®.

The brand’s survey of more than 1,000 dog owners revealed fascinating details about the unique relationship and unbreakable bond people share with their dogs.

Purina owner survey

Among the key findings:

  • 95 percent view their dog as part of the family,
  • 62 percent said their dog helps them de-stress after a long day at work, and
  • 55 percent believe their dog provides emotional comfort after receiving bad news.

The survey also found dogs have helped 15 percent of men gain the attention of the opposite sex, while half of all women surveyed said they preferred time with their dog over time with their partner and/or other family members. Among Millennials age 18 to 34 years old, 56 percent said they have purchased birthday cakes for their dogs, and 77 percent said they feed their dogs before they feed themselves.

“Having dogs myself, I know firsthand that the emotional connection between dog owners and their pets runs deep,” said Julia Pitlyk, brand manager for Just Right by Purina. “We conducted this survey to learn more about what exactly the owner-dog relationship looks like and while each relationship provides that deep connection, the results really support our belief that every dog is unique – some may be confidants while others are effective wingmen.”

About the Survey

Research Now SSI conducted an online survey on behalf of Just Right by Purina among adults ages 18+ who are dog owners and have some responsibility over the well-being of their pet. A total of 1,010 responses were collected between March 26 and March 29, 2018. The online surveys are not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Source:  PR newswire

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Can puppies fix boredom?

Posted on March 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

SoulPancake and Puppy Chow teamed up to share the #PowerofPuppies at a preschool, retirement home, and a gym to transform an otherwise ordinary day. For every video view, Puppy Chow by Purina will donate one pound of Puppy Chow Natural to Rescue Bank® (up to 500,000 pounds or until April 23, 2016).

Shelter animals need all the support we can give them – every day across America, shelters  need to dish up thousands of meals.

Thank you!

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Can people make their pets happy?

Posted on February 8, 2015 | 1 comment

Researchers from Nestlé Purina Petcare are conducting some of the first studies of their kind into how external stimuli can generate joyful emotions in dogs.

While scientific evidence demonstrates that owning a pet can help lower people’s blood pressure, and reduce anxiety and depression, less is known about whether human contact has a similarly beneficial effect on animals’ emotional wellbeing.
A technique being used in this research is thermal imaging:  as blood flow changes to a part of the body, the temperature will also change.

Photo courtesy of Nestle Purina

Photo courtesy of Nestle Purina

Researchers use a thermal camera to measure these temperature fluctuations in pets’ eyes, ears and paw pads.

“Scientists have known for years how to evaluate negative states such as stress and anxiety in animals,” said Ragen T.S. McGowan, Nestlé Purina Petcare behaviour scientist. “Less is known about how to measure positive states such as happiness or excitement.”

“Thermal imaging has been widely used in animal welfare studies, to assess inflammation in racehorses, for example, or to see how certain conditions affect livestock’s stress levels,” she continued.

“This is one of the first times it being used to measure positive responses in pets.”

Source:  Nestlé Purina media release

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Sheltering people and pets from domestic violence

Posted on November 5, 2014 | 1 comment

In the late 1990s, Dr Frank Ascione from Utah State University published some scary statistics:  48 percent of domestic violence victims will stay in an abusive situation because they fear leaving their pets behind.

In New York City in 2013, the Urban Resource Institute teamed up with sponsorship from Purina to launch a pilot program:  People and Animals Living Safely (PALS).  PALS is a co-sheltering program that allows pets to escape domestic violence and remain with their owners in pet-friendly apartments.  A first for New York City, it’s been remarkably successful.  The apartments are always full.

So this year, the program was expanded to include a dog park and play area for the sheltered animals.  Aptly called the Purina Play Haven and Dog Park, this park, full of enrichment activities, was designed by a professional architect.

In these videos on YouTube, have a look at the dog park and hear about how this program fills a need for those unfortunate enough to have become the victims of domestic violence.

Sometimes ‘big corporate’ money can be used for a higher purpose!

Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand

 

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A new diving dog world record

Posted on October 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Congratulations to Vhoebe, a Belgian Malinois, who broke the world record for dock diving at an incredible 32 feet, 3 inches.

Vhoebe’s world record jump happened on Saturday, 6th October 2012 at the 15th Annual Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge.

Vhoebe, who lives in San Diego with her guardian, practices five to six times per week.  She’s very fit!

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The search for Toto

Posted on June 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Peach Theatre Company in cooperation with radio station More FM and Purina are looking for a dog to play Toto in the upcoming production of the Wizard of Oz which will be performed in Auckland this  September.

The producers are open-minded and will consider dogs other than the Cairn Terrier, who featured as the original Toto in the film.   If you think your dog has star quality, then fill out the entry form here.

Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand

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