The Bowl Truth - Purina

#AD - This is a paid partnership with Purina

Purina recently invited us to an exciting event in London to give an interesting insight into what goes on behind the the scenes and also dispel some myths that might be out there at the moment about dogs' diets. You've probably seen Purina before if you own a pet as they have a range of pet foods available and have over 125 years of experience in creating pet food.

Behind the Scenes

When you buy your dog’s food, it is often bought online or in the pet store. You never really get to see what happens in the factories, before the packet of food is put on the shelf. As part of the Purina event, we had a lady named Gemma demonstrate to us how some of the food is made. Gemma is part of the Purina Consumer Care team and has a lot a knowledge on the production process. She explained their emphasis on using quality ingredients such as protein, grains, minerals, vitamins
and vegetables to name a few. They also spoke to us about the 1400 quality checks that take place before it reaches pets bowls. These quality control checks are set with the help of 500 nutritionists, veterinarians, behaviourists and food scientists that Purina employ! We thought it was nice that every new employee at Purina gets the chance to spend some time in one of their factories getting a hands-on experience of how their food is made. We're sure the boys would like to spend some time in the factory, maybe as their chief taste testers - get writing your CV's boys!

There's Something for Every Dog

Sometimes it is hard to know what is best for your dog. One type of food might be good for one dog but may not work as well for another. It was interesting to learn more about some of the benefits of certain ingredients and what consists of a balanced diet. Purina vet, Libby, spoke to us and explained that the grains that are used in Purina's food are good sources of fibre, proteins and B- vitamins and when grains are properly prepared, provide lasting energy - don't forget to allow your dog to burn off this energy with plenty of exercise. It is important for dogs to eat a balanced diet and Libby also explained that dog a high protein diet doesn’t always mean better nutrition for your dog. Protein level is definitely one of the key things to look out for when choosing a pet food, but most important is making sure that the level of protein meets the specific needs of your dog. When proteins are consumed in excess, the body doesn’t have the capacity to store them so the excess protein will not be used to create more muscle mass and will probably end up in urine or faeces, it needs to be balanced with calcium. We also learnt that high protein is not recommended for older dogs as it contains a lot of potassium. This is all information that the general public would not know, so therefore Purina provide a range of different food for dogs which takes into consideration their age, breed and other factors.

Check up time!

With all this talk about food, we are sure the boys were feeling hungry and wanting some treats, but
it is important to keep your dog healthy, with a balanced diet. Treats are a great way to reward your
dog but must be kept within moderation. A tip we learnt at the Purina event was treats shouldn’t
represent more than 15% of your dog’s daily food intake (always check feeding guidelines on packaging). Apart from when you take your dog to the vets, people don't often take their dogs for a health check-up, which is a perfect way to see if your dog is in tip top condition. Purina had a vet check station with Purina vet, Ellie on hand to share some tips for us to look after our pooches. Jacob and

Bruno both had a check-up with Ellie (who was delighted as she also owns a miniature Dachshund).
She checked over their teeth, gums, heart rate and body condition score. Fortunately, the boys had a
clean bill of health, but Ellie still shared with us ways to keep them in this condition. A common
problem for a lot of dogs in gum disease. The main way to prevent this is to brush your dog’s teeth
every day. Did you know that as little as 1% of dog owners manage to brush their dog’s teeth! We do
brush Jacob and Bruno's teeth, but do need to get better at doing it daily.

At the end of the day...

It can be difficult to really know what is best to feed your dog and without the help of professionals, you can be left wondering if you are making the right decision. Being at the Purina event did give us more of an insight into what goes on behind the scenes, what some of the ingredients they use are good for and how to keep our boys healthy. We would always recommend speaking to a professional/nutritionist if you are unsure on what is best for your dog. 

Thank you Purina for inviting us along, we learnt a lot! Oh, thank you also for the delicious cup cakes that we were able to enjoy.

Thanks all for reading.

Oli, Jay, Jacob and Bruno

Disclosure: We were invited to the Purina event as part of a paid partnership with them. We're sharing
what we learned from the event as part of that partnership, however of course you know your dog best and should research their health and nutrition appropriately.