This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterWithPets #CollectiveBias
I absolutely love New York City, and was absolutely thrilled that Purina invited me to attend the Better with Pets Summit in Brooklyn, NY.
It’s no secret that I only feed my pets the absolute best food, and with every fiber of my being I believe that that food is Purina. Pearl eats Purina Pro Plan Shredded and PopTart eats Purina Pro Plan Kitten! After my trip to St. Louis in June, I had an awakening that made me realize that big is not always bad, and one of Purina’s mottos is: “Let’s Live Big”. A company like Purina has the resources to do consistent and reliable research, they have a team of vets, and a quality assurance team that is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. The SVP of Manufacturing is an inspiring man who has a big, big heart for his dog. I know that he would only feed his dog the very best, which gives me enormous faith in Purina and its products.
The day I arrived in Brooklyn, I got to attend a beautiful rooftop party with Purina employees and other like-minded cat and dog owners. We chatted about life and our pets and we told ghost stories and marveled at the beautiful venue, The William Vale Hotel in Brooklyn. It was a great way to kick off an event. Hanging out with people who want to hear stories about your pets is like the best thing ever, since non-pet owners look at you like you have three heads when you talk about your animals.
The actual event started early with delicious Nescafe coffee and delicious breakfast at the Brooklyn Expo Center. We had the pleasure of hearing Nina Leigh Krueger, President of Nestlé Purina US speak. She told us about her furry loves and began the discussion on how pets and people can live bigger, happier lives together, which I know I believe fully in. Plus, a company with a female President? You guys, winning.
Wow! @Purina started nutrition innovation NINETY years ago – 90! I think that says something. #LetsLiveBig #ad
— Summer Len Davis (@SummerLenDavis) October 18, 2016
There was a kitten and puppy cuddle room where we could go release our stresses and get puppy kisses, and inspiring stories from other pet owners who feed their pets Purina pet food. The most inspiring thing, to me, was hearing about the Nestlé Purina employees who have pets that they love as much as their human children. These people clearly want the very best for their animals, and their dedication to creating the best pet food, putting the best pet food on store shelves, and therefore in their pets bowls, cemented my trust in Purina.
The Science and Innovative Nutrition for Pets Panel was insanely informative, so that’s what I’m going to focus my attention on today.
In November of 2015, my sweet Pop passed away and our family became the proud owners of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Sarge. He came to us extremely overweight, drank water all day long, and was unable to hold his bladder. He could hardly walk to the end of the driveway and had an udder that drug the ground when he walked. We knew he was sick and we feared diabetes. Pop had loved him by feeding him whatever he ate, and let me tell you, it wasn’t good.
Sarge went on a diet when he moved in with us and lost weight pretty rapidly, but some of his symptoms didn’t go away. We went to the vet and he was diagnosed with diabetes. He is now on a very specific diet for dogs with diabetes and looks like a different dog. One of the things discussed during that panel was the fact that nutrition can heal.
Wow.
Seriously. A pet food company that believes nutrition to heal. It’s difficult to find a doctor who believes in that philosophy, so finding a pet food company with a team of veterinarians who believe that is amazing. Dr. Ettinger is one of the leading experts in pet nutrition – he basically wrote the book on it, and even he stands behind Purina and their products. For us, nutrition to heal our animals and provide them a longer, healthier life is fundamental. When one of the panelists mentioned that they had previously called a smaller pet food company who claimed to have the best nutrition for pets, the caller asked to speak with the nutritionist on staff. The company didn’t have one. Purina has an entire staff of nutritionists and scientists whose only job is to figure out the very best in nutrition for our animals.
My absolute FAVORITE thing about Purina is its commitment to philanthropy. Hearing about the various partnerships Purina holds that benefit domestic violence victims, sick children, and sheltered pets warmed my heart.
“Flip Becker with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which recently opened the Purina Family Pet Center to allow patients to bring their pets to the hospital for visits; Nathaniel Fields, CEO of Urban Resource Institute, an organization that is committed to helping victims of domestic violence find a safe haven with their pets, and that on Oct. 12 opened the third Purina Pet Haven pet park at one of its New York-area shelters in Harlem; Dr. Brent Bauer, a Mayo Clinic researcher who discussed how pets can help the healing process for people; and Joanne Yohannan with North Shore Animal League America, an NYC-based pet shelter which offers a wide range of adoption, foster care and collaborative pet lifesaving efforts”
These people and their organizations have partnered with Purina to better the lives of pets and humans alike. We had the esteemed pleasure of putting together care packages for people who come into URI with pets. It makes me feel so good to know that my time was well spent doing something so small for someone going through a hard time. Someone I don’t even know. URI is an amazing organization and their mission fuels my fire to want to live in NYC. If I ever find myself there, you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be involved with URI in some way. Not only does Purina want to provide the best for our pets, they want to better the world in a BIG way. I can’t help but be excited about a company whose values line up with mine. Purina gets my vote, always and forever.
Make sure you follow the #LetsLiveBig hashtag to share on social media!
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