The Science Behind Canine Athleticism

Have you ever wondered how dogs can jump so high and run so fast - what the science is behind their athleticism?

Purina Pro Plan’s video series ‘Incredible Dog Science’, featuring volleyball athlete Misty May-Treanor and canine athletes, provides some very interesting observations.

For example, if episode two's Jack Russell terrier's body was scaled to the same size as a human, his speed would be the same as somebody running a 2.6 second 100 metre dash.

The three-part series explores the physics, evolutionary advancements, and mechanics of the canine body with analysis provided by experts Dr. David Raichlen, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Brian Zanghi, Research Nutritionist at Nestle Purina, as May-Treanor competes against Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge competitors.

The first episode, Agility, analyzes the differences in velocity and trajectory between May-Treanor and competitor Schemer, a border collie, as they dart through weave poles.

Episode two, Speed, demonstrates the significant effects that body mechanics play in enabling and inhibiting mobility as May-Treanor takes on the Jack Russell terrier.

Episode three, Power, puts May-Treanor's volleyball skills to the test by focusing on activities like jumping and diving to highlight the sheer strength that propels a dog like the Belgian malinois in its movements versus a human.

While the video series is also an obvious promotion of their dog food, the insight into the mechanics of the canine body is very interesting to anyone curious about how things work, especially with their dog friends.

Kennel Clubs Join for “Meet & Compete”

In 2016, New York City will host the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship alongside the Meet & Compete event. This event is designed to allow people the opportunity to meet hundreds of different dogs; it is a joint event arranged by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Westminster Kennel Club. Meet & Compete will be held on February 13th, 2016. The event is sponsored by Purina Pro Plan. The event also focuses on responsible dog ownership.

2016 will be the seventh year the AKC holds Meet the Breeds. AKC Vice President, Gina DiNardo said, “We’re excited to be partnering again with the Westminster Kennel Club to bring the public Meet & Compete. We will have a fantastic variety of breeds at  AKC Meet the Breeds® for attendees to meet and learn about straight from the experts.” Westminster Kennel Club President, Sean W. McCarthy said, “We are combining and expanding two exciting events for Westminster Week 2016, and the dog-loving public is the winner. We have more space for AKC Meet the Breeds® and more access for all to the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. We are pleased once again to be partnering with the AKC to make it happen.”

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Large Pet Food Companies and Sustainable Practices

Mars Petcare is open about their dedication to sustainable practices. In 2010, Mars said they would only purchase fish from fisheries/fish farms that were certified as sustainable by a third party. Mars also said it would no longer use wild caught fish and would rely on fish byproducts or farmed fish. This prevents pet food sources from competing with human food sources. In the United States, Mars receives its fish products from sources approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Nestlé Purina produced a report documenting a reduction in energy and water use at several plants. Purina also reports “a traceability program addresses sustainability risk and opportunities and focuses on issues such as deforestation, overfishing, human rights, child labor, water scarcity and animal welfare.”

J.M. Smucker (Big Heart Pet Brands) is reported to regularly review its sustainability initiatives. Vice President of Corporate Communications, Maribeth Burns said, “While we continually review our sustainability initiatives throughout the Company, we have not yet formalized our focus on the pet food industry at this time.”

One challenge in the pet industry is that owners are seeking food for their pets that more closely resembles what humans eat. Global Sustainability Director for Mars Petcare, Isabelle Alvoet said, “We are going to have to educate our consumers. It’s not easy.”

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Nestlé Purina PetCare Agrees to Purchase Merrick

An agreement has been signed by Merrick Pet Care and Nestlé Purina PetCare regarding the sale of Merrick to Purina. Terms of the sale have not been published. The sale should close within months and will allow Merrick to benefit from Purina’s global resources.

Merrick produces natural and organic dog and cat food and treats. Merrick has no planned changes to management or operations due to the sale and will continue to produce high quality nutritious food. Merrick Founder, Garth Merrick said, “I believe Nestlé Purina is the right company to take what I, along with others, have built to the next level. I’m proud my name will continue to be on the door as we remain committed to making the best food for the best pets ever.”

CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare, Joe Sivewright said, “The Merrick team has built an extremely strong portfolio of natural and organic pet food and treat brands that are helping millions of pets thrive. We admire Merrick and what the team is doing to provide pets with nutritious, quality and safe food and are excited about how the Merrick brands will broaden the Purina portfolios.”

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Purina Welcomes Senior Nutritional Scientist

Purina Animal Nutrition LLC recently hired Dr. Samantha Steelman as a senior scientist at their Animal Nutrition Center. Purina produces animal feeds, supplements, pre-mixes, ingredients, and specialty technologies.

                           

Steelman has a BSc in equine science, an MSc in animal science, and a PhD in medical science. Previously, she was working as a post-doctoral research associate at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Steelman said, “Growing up with Arabian horses, I knew Purina Animal Nutrition as an iconic brand and a trusted name. I could not imagine working anywhere else. I am happy to add my knowledge and energy to the team.” In her position at Purina, Steelman leads a team that studies how nutrition impacts the health and immune systems of animals.    

Vice President of Research and Development with Purina Animal Nutrition, Dr. Cindie Luhman said, “Steelman’s experience with animals and in research will be a strong addition to the Purina Animal Nutrition Center team. Her work will support our commitment to doing what’s best for animals, our commitment to research innovation and the continuous improvement of our nutrition solutions.”                                         

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Pet Nutrition Assessment Video for Veterinarians

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) has produced a pet nutrition assessment video. This video is designed to help veterinarians conduct nutrition assessments and share this information with clients. The video was supported by Hill's Pet Nutrition Canada Inc., Procter & Gamble Pet Care, and Purina.

The CVMA is a member of the Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA). The PNA includes several veterinary organizations that provide global awareness about pet nutrition. The PNA website provides valuable resources for veterinarians and pet owners. Resources for veterinarians include nutrition assessments, communication strategies, nutritional calculators, and feeding guidelines. Pet owners can find information about understanding pet food labels, nutrition myths, and pet food safety.

   

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Purina Produces Infographic to Reduce Canine Obesity

According to Purina, approximately 95% of people with overweight dogs believe their dog is maintaining a healthy body condition. Purina has released an infographic to help owners prevent excessive weight gain in their pets.

Pet Food Industry offers some statistics regarding pet obesity:

• In 2014, 43.8 million dogs were overweight
• 42 percent of owners said they didn’t know what a “healthy weight” was for their pet
• Dog owners can end up feeding about 37-80% more food than their dog needs

READ THE ARTICLE

   

False Advertising in the Pet Food Industry! What Are You Actually Feeding Your Pet?

In May 2014 Purina filed a false advertising lawsuit against Blue Buffalo. On May 6th, 2015, Blue Buffalo admitted that a “substantial” and “material” portion of Blue Buffalo pet food contained poultry byproduct meal despite advertising that their foods never have chicken or poultry byproduct meals. According to Keith Schopp, a spokesperson for Nestlé Purina Petcare, “Only when faced with undeniable evidence from the lawsuit has Blue Buffalo admitted the truth to the court: a ‘substantial’ and ‘material’ portion of Blue Buffalo pet food sold over the past several years contained poultry byproduct meal. It is unclear to us if or when this practice stopped, or whether any Blue Buffalo pet food containing byproduct meal is still on store shelves.” Read the May 6th, 2015 hearing.

Schopp said, “Despite this admission, Blue Buffalo still has not informed consumers of the presence of poultry byproduct meal in Blue Buffalo pet food, refuses to accept responsibility for the product it sold and is instead blaming its suppliers.” The date of this quotation is unknown. On July 23, 2014, Blue Buffalo challenged the “scientific adequacy and reliability” of the laboratory tests Purina had performed on Blue Buffalo food and called it "junk science". Blue Buffalo did inform their customers about some foods containing poultry by-prodcut meal on October 14th, 2014; five months after Purina filed the lawsuit. Blue Buffalo addresses Purina’s latest allegations; “In October of last year, we informed you that a supplier of ingredients to us and many other well-known brands of pet foods had sent chicken meal to some of their customers that contained poultry by-product meal. In view of this new information, this past Wednesday, May 6, 2015 we informed the Court of our conclusion that a material amount of our dry foods manufactured with mislabeled ingredients shipped prior to May 2014 had been impacted, and requested permission to bring a claim against this former supplier and others involved for intentionally mislabeling ingredients and unjustly enriching themselves. The Court immediately granted our request.”

“Through a $50 million annual advertising campaign that flooded airwaves and pet food aisles alike, Blue Buffalo told consumers over and over, emphatically and without qualification, that its products never contain poultry byproduct meal,” said Schopp. “Blue Buffalo now claims it had no way of knowing the bags contained byproduct meal. A manufacturer is responsible for knowing what’s in its product, and a simple audit of its supply chain would have revealed what we discovered after reviewing the documentation. Blue Buffalo owes consumers an apology for all the false statements, false labels and false advertising. More than this, it is time for Blue Buffalo to be transparent with the public and prove to their ‘pet parents’ that no mislabeled product remains on shelves.”

Blue Buffalo is far from the only company to mislabel pet foods. Researchers (Isabella R Maine, Robert Atterbury, and Kin-Chow Chang) at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham recently conducted a study on the ingredients in several wet pet foods sold in the United Kingdom. Seventeen popular wet dog and cat foods were included in the study. These foods were then tested for the DNA of four different animal species. In fourteen of the tested foods chicken, bovine, and porcine DNA was found though these proteins were not listed in the ingredients. Only two of the seven foods marketed as “with beef” contained more beef than pork and chicken combined. Maine et al. want to see “Full disclosure of animal contents will (a) allow more informed choices to be made on purchases which are particularly important for pets with food allergies, (b) reduce the risk of product misinterpretation by shoppers.”

There are many articles circulating about the false advertising lawsuit, some may be found here, here, and here.

Pet Food Experts Ends Relationship with Nestlé Purina

A pet food distribution company in the United States, Pet Food Experts (PFE) is no longer affiliated with Nestlé Purina. Michael Baker of Pet Food Experts states, "this important strategic decision demonstrates our unwavering commitment to our company mission. Helping independent pet retailers win is our sole focus. Being independently owned, we have to be diligent in maximizing our resources, and I’m confident this decision will only make us stronger.”

The two companies had a business relationship that had lasted 10 years. "Nestlé Purina is an extremely professional organization and played an important role in our company’s history over the past decade. We wish them all the best in the future,” pronounces Baker. PFE’s last delivery of Nestlé Purina products will be on May 29th, 2015.

Nestlé Purina has transferred their distribution rights to Phillips Pet Food and Supplies with the first scheduled product delivery on May 18th, 2015. 

READ THE NEWS REPORT HERE

Nestle Purina Agrees to buy PetFinder

Sources in the US said earlier today that Nestle Purina has agreed to buy Petfinder, the online pet adoption website from Discovery Communications LLC.

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This would be the first major digital acquisition for Nestle and a divestiture for Discovery Communications that shows the communications company is committed to its strategy of refocusing on core assets and products. Sources say the deal will close in July but will see both Discovery and Nestle continuing activities which support Petfinder. 

While there has not yet been a reaction from the Humane and Rescue sector of the Urban Animal industry, the sector sees Petfinder as an important ally in adoption across North America. However, recent reports seem to show lower numbers of admissions and evidence of a need to re-factor sector involvement in urban municipalities.

The PetFinder acquisition by Nestle follows close on the heals of the sale of Purina's Petcare Insurance business to PetHealth a Canadian Company from Mississauga, Ontario.  

Here are online reports for your convenience:

CBS - St Louis

BloombergBusiness Week

St Louis Business Journal

The Joplin Globe

Holiday Ornaments Celebrate Relationship Between Pets and Pet Families

For 28 years, Fancy Feast celebrates the love shared between cats and their owners by releasing unique cat-inspired Annual Holiday Ornaments. 

A key conversation emerging from Summit 2012 in October was bridging the gap between pets and pet owners, celebrating pets and focusing on the joy pets bring to their families. 

The ornament reflects Fancy Feast's commitment to celebrating the love between cats and their owners. 

Fancy Feast will produce up to 19,000 ornaments, which will be available exclusively on Facebook, for the 2012 campaign. Twelve thousand of those will be given away via Fancy Feast's Facebook page and the remaining 7,000 will be sold for $3.10. 

Who's going to be selected "Best in Show"?

Canada's largest and most prestigious dog show returns to the GTA

TORONTO, March 7 /CNW/ - Experience the excitement as canine contenders from around the world vie for the grand title of Best in Show. From March 11-13, the best of the breeds will be strutting their stuff in hopes of catching a judge's eye and being awarded the prestigious title of Best in Show.

With more than $40,000 in prize money to be won, an international roster of judges and thousands of spectators, this March Break event promises to be an exciting, family-friendly show celebrating none other than man's best friend.

At over 70,000 square feet of doggie delight, there is something for everyone at The Purina National(R). New this year is the 15,000 sq. ft family-friendly PawsWay(R) Neighbourhood which offers a true celebration of all things dog! From face painting to match a family pet, to an on-site Wii station fitness challenge, The Purina National is an event that shouldn't be missed.

Whether visitors have only recently discovered a love of dogs or are tried and true pet enthusiasts, everyone can learn a thing or two at The Purina National:

Looking for a puppy? Not sure which breed you like best? The Breeders'
Village is the place to be. Families can interact with a variety of different dogs and their breeders and discover their furry companion

Vendors' Alley offers the latest in doggie gear and canine information

Get a behind-the-scene sneak peek of the beauty regimens of purebred show dogs - from the precise shaving of a Poodle to the perfectly coifed hairstyle of a Shi Tzu

Witness dogs in their best form during the exciting canine trials and Rally Obedience courses

Profits from this event benefit the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation.

WHEN: Friday, March 11 - Sunday, March 13, 2011

WHERE: International Centre, Airport Road, Mississauga, Ontario

Full schedule and information.

PLUS, be sure to follow the Purina National's Canine Ambassadors, Bugsy & Belle, as they share updates, insights and information.

@PurinaNational on Twitter or

www.facebook.com/PurinaNational.

For further information or onsite interviews with breeders, judges or competitors, contact: Jordana Wolch / Alison Dresser Environics Communications 416-969-2666/ 416-969-2668 jwolch@environicspr.com