It’s no secret that I love my pets. I’m always up for learning new innovations in the pet care industry. One of my favorite pet events each year is the Purina Better with Pets summit. They bring in leading researchers from around the country to discuss nutrition, new developments in pet research and charitable work. We also learn fun facts like “65% of US Households take more pictures of their dog than their significant other.” I know that’s true in our household! Although the 2016 summit focused on all these topics, some facts from the nutrition focus surprised me. Here’s what you need to know about pet nutrition.
What You Need to Know About Pet Nutrition
1. There is very little difference in human and pet food manufacturing factories, says Shaun Kennedy, the former director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense and the Associate Director for the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety. All pet food factories must follow the USDA standard regulatory requirements set for pet food and most go above and beyond. To become a supplier for Purina a company must agree to pre-checks and onsite visits before and during the vendor relationship. Products are lab tested before entering the Nestle Purina factory and if they do not meet safety standards, are not used. It takes six to nine months before a supplier can be approved.
2. Almost all recalls pose no problems to human and animal health, Shaun Kennedy states. He adds, “Most are done for proactive reasons which is why there are so many recalls lately.” There are three classes of recalls and each has a different purpose. If there is a recall, you can contact your vet and the pet food company for advice.
Class 1 recalls are a threat to human and animals.
Class 2 recalls (such as the voluntary one Purina had recently) are done for a technical violation. These are usually voluntary and are usually done because of a reason such as a nutrient imbalance.
Class 3 recalls are labeling problems.
3. Animals can have taste preferences, says Steve Hannah, the Director of Molecular Nutrition for the Nestle Purina Research Center. “Get a small amount of different flavors and textures and see which one they prefer,” he recommends. They can also have problems with digestability and allergies. It’s important to talk to your vet to make the decision on purchasing the best pet food for your pet. With the research and innovations in pet care available, there are now many customized formulas available.
4. Many pet diseases can be treated with proper diet, says Steve Ettinger, founder of the Berkeley Veterinary Medical Group and the best known veterinary author in the world. Of all animals brought to an animal hospital, 52% to 55% are overweight. Lisa M. Freeman, a professor in Pet Nutrition from Tuft Cummings, agrees. She says 1 in 10 cats are prone to heart disease as they get older. She believes in treating pets with acute and chronic diseases with specialized nutrition. Purina has recently concluded a 14 year study on dogs (and is now doing one on cats) on molecular nutrition. The link between muscle mass and thickness on skin and how long a cat will live has been scientifically proven. The new Purina Pro Plan Prime for cats has been studied and found it can help cats live one year longer! I’m thrilled with this innovation and love that my cats will be able to stay as furry family members longer than before.
The Urban Resource Institute and Purina:
Although it is not nutrition related, I have to share one of my favorite things about Purina. It’s their work with the Urban Resource Institute in New York City and domestic violence victims. Did you know that 48% of all people in a domestic violence situation will not leave because they cannot take their pets? The URI and Purina are working to change this by opening shelters where families can come and bring their pets with them. This is a ground breaking research study and is showing how having the family pet with them can make their lives better. We packed pet care boxes for the shelter and it brought tears to my eyes when Nathaniel Fields, the president and CEO, stopped to thank us for including personalized notes. “You don’t know how much it means to people to receive a note from a stranger wishing them well,” he said.
I left the summit inspired as usual and with a new view on pet nutrition. If you’d like to learn more or share how your pets help you live bigger lives together, use the #LetsLiveBig hashtag on social media.
What questions do you have about advancements in pet research?
I have 2 dogs that have different food preferences The only good thing about it is that they wont eat each others food.
I don’t really have any particular questions about pet research but I feel like Class 1 stuff are horrible. Those are results from half-hearted researches and tests.
How wonderful that the CEO stopped in. I think it’s wonderful that you participated in getting those boxes together!
These are all a great information and I’m so glad that you share this with us
There is great info info here! Pet nutrition is very important and we should care about what we feed them
I learned so much from this post! Thanks for explaining the recalls. It’s always alarming when pet food companies do that.
Squuueeeee those furbabies. Adorable! I have always followed nutrition for my pets, especially since my 12-year-old boxer, who I got at 6 months old, had super sensitive stomach and I had to be mindful of what I fed her. Now that she is a senior dog her nutritional needs have changed a bit.
My dog is 11 now and honestly, it’s only been in the last couple of years I really took a deep look at his nutrition. This is really great info for me!
This is really helpful! These facts are very important for every pet owner to know and understand. Thank you so much for sharing!
We have two rescue dogs and this post is spot on! Nutritional needs for your dogs are just as important as those for your kids! Great info!!
What a good post and information. i’m so glad that you share this with us
Beautiful post about the nutrition. I love to have pets.
Pet nutrition is so important. My kids need to read this the next time they try feeding our cat..
This is very informative! I don’t know much about about pet nutrition but it’s great to know these facts! Thank you for sharing!
I didn’t know pets had allergies, too! We’re still learning with our puppy, but so far he loves Purina!
I am glad to learn that pet food is regulated as strictly as human food. Our pets are family and deserve the same standards.
A lot of great info on pets! Sometimes we dont think about how imprtant their nutrition is too.
Ooo good to know for when we get pets. We told the kids we would when we get into our new house!
Our adopted dog has lost a TON of weight since he came to us, mostly due to him not being overfed. Just like with people, nutrition is huge for animals.
A lot of wonderful information here. I have two cats of my own. I’m always looking out for them. Actually we may have added a third cat too. 🙂
Love the tips! We have a huge family of Fur-babies and we are always looking out for their nutrition and also check for recalls.
It’s good to know you can correct a lot of pet illnesses with a healthy diet. I definitely have to make sure our pets keep eating healthy food.
Having good nutrition for our pets is just as important as for ourselves. Sadly I know some people who live in less then swell conditions because finding good homes with the pets has been too difficult. 🙁
Thanks so much for sharing all this great information. I didn’t know about it!
Oh my gosh are these pets super cute! That chihuahua is too cute! My little Chiweenie loves Beneful.
Pet nutrition is so important, i am always doing what I can to help improve my pets health and make sure they get what they need. We love Purina!
Thank you for sharing these facts with us. It’s great that Purina is working on opening shelters so domestic violence victims can bring their pets.
I’m so glad that the standards are similar in human and pet food manufacturing factories. Our pets are family and we want them to be healthy.
My dog ate Purina his whole life. He was a happy and healthy dog. I would definitely use it again if we got another dog.
Wow, I love how much Purina is doing to educate owners and work to better the lives of our pets. I would imagine a well balanced diet is just as important for an animal as it is a human.
These are some great tips. I had no idea about all the different recalls.
I had no idea what the different recalls were. Thanks for the info. Purina is the only brand of pet food I will buy.
I feed my Dogs Purina food. My older dog has allergies and I never had a problem with Purina. These are such cute photos.
We try to feed our pet wholesome food; we also add in a little vegetables, such as green beans or peas for some extra fiber to help keep our dog feeling full.
I had no idea how important pets are viewed within a situation of a relationship with domestic violence – wow!
I have never heard of recalls on pet food. That is so scary. It was interesting to know pet’s, like humans, can improve their health with a proper diet.
Thanks so much for sharing all this great information. I didn’t know there were different types of food recalls.
These are great tips. Proper pet nutrition is so much more than just throwing any old food at your pet.
We just got a dog again and this is one of the biggest things that we have looked at in detail because our last dog had some many allergies it kid of woke us up!
This is a great post. I never thought about people not leaving a bad situation due to not being able to bring their pets.