Purina Pet Foods

[Medusa]

Got this letter from my vet:

Thought you all might be interested in this. Here's what my vet's office has to say, in part:

"For the past six months our doctors have been researching the different diets on the market. They have determined that the diets manufactured by Purina are superior as nutritional therapy. For this reason, we have decided to carry and recommend the full line of Purina Veterinary Diets. We think this will benefit your pet and you in several ways:

1. Studies show that most pets prefer the taste of the Purina diets. In addition to researching the palatability, we have tested the new foods on a number of patients with excellent results. As you know, even the best diet won't do any good if the pet won't eat it. We can assist you with recommendations to help your dog or cat make the transition to the new food.

2. It is our belief that the nutritional content and effectiveness of the diets is an improvement over Hill's Prescription Diets. Many of the diets are lower in fat and there are patented formulas, specifically designed for food allergies and feline diabetes, which have proven to have advantages in managing these challenging conditions.

3. With very few exceptions the Purina diets can cost less per pound.

For these reasons, we have begun dispensing this type of therapy. We are confident that this change represents better medical practice for your pet."

Please understand that I'm not trying to talk anyone into or out of anything. I just thought that you might find it interesting what my vet's office has to say on the subject.

[Scooter's Mom]

Wow, interesting!
My vet also thinks Purina is good. She also agrees with the part about even the best food being no good if your pet won't eat it.

Thanks for the info!
Crystal

[Craftlady]

My gang (except Thumper) is on Purna, Naturals. I got a bag of Purna One Senior for Thumper (to add to a/d).
They love the Purna brand.

[catfamily]

Thanks for sharing this with us.
I accually was wondering about their catfood.If it was as nutritious as some top quality.I doubted it.But now I am happy to hear that it is.In case we need to change our food in the future.
We spend approx. 525.00 a month on catfood alone.We use Natural Balance wet and dry.They have been in super health since I've been using it.I even noticed their eyes being 100% clearer from it.
But it's expensive.
Not as bad as some...but still espensive.
Depending on how the next few years go...we may need to change.
Thanks for this great info :)

[Scooter's Mom]

We spend approx. 525.00 a month on catfood alone.We use Natural Balance wet and dry.

How many kitties does that feed?

[catmandu]

Hmm! I will have to check out the Purina Brands. The only trouble is that in Catada we dont have a lot of the newer varities of Purina that I see advertised in Cat Fancy.
Are these the Purina that the Vets are recommending or is it the Purina Advanced Formula which is about a dollar and a helf less than the premiuim brands?

[Zippy]

Really that's werid.I have heard Purina isn't good but after the posioned food who's to say what is good.I feed Blue Bluffilo and it's good to know that if i am in a pinch that at least Purina is good.

[catmandu]

True enough as Blue Buffalo which is expensive was on the bad foot list and Purina wasnt.

[Medusa]

My vet has been out of town all week taking continuing ed classes but he gets back tomorrow and I'm going to call and talk to him about this. I was relieved when the pet food tragedies occurred because I saw that Purina wasn't on the list. My old vet , who has since retired, started my cats on Purina 16 years ago; he told me that they were the best then and so I never changed foods. None of my cats have ever had a problem w/it, they gobble it up, so I saw no need to try something else. If my vet has anything to add when I talk to him, I'll be sure to post it.

[catmandu]

I Know The Cats Love The Purina One Formulas When I Get Free Bags. Maybe I Will Have To Start A Gradual Switch Over!

[steel]

My 6 cats love purina cat food & Its all i buy.I like the bonus bags but they are never around that long.Purina has many diff flavors but they are doing away with purina chefs blend cat food.Thats too bad cause its my cats favorite.I often call purina & ask them to send me a few $2.00 discount coupons.Its great cause I get 2.00 off each 18 lb bag of purina cat food i buy.Heres the toll free number.Call them mon-fri.9-4 central time or go to http://purina.com. 1-800-778-7462

[momcat]

The proper food for our loving kitty companions is often a tough choice to make. We want only the best food that will maintain good health but at the same time something that our kitties will eat. Like many who are owned by a kitty, I have to depend on my vet for advice, the only problem is that at times the recommended food isn't available in stores. This post is a great help and valuable service to our PT family! Thanks for sharing.

[Jessika]

I'm not saying this is how your vet office is ran, but I will throw this thought out there. Every vet office I've been in is sponsored by a company; whether it be Hills, Eukanuba, or Purina. Since those particular clinics are sponsored by that company, they are required to carry and promote their foods as part of the sponsorship. That doesn't necessarily mean that that particular vet recommends that type of food over another, but in some cases, they are required to do so.

That having been said, of the "grocery store" foods, I would feed my pets Purina One over the other brands carried, but I still prefer to feed them their current diet (which shall remain unnamed in this thread, because that isn't the point) because I just have better results with their current food. This doesn't mean my food is better or that Purina is bad, it just means I have better results with this particular brand. And I even astounded the vet at their last visit because of all the Aussies she sees, mine have the best looking/feeling coats, clearest eyes, etc.

But just remember, no matter what anyone says -- feed what works for you and your pets! I encourage everyone to do their own research and find out what works best for you!

[Hellow]

I found this video on the web about normal, grocery store dog & cat foods. It was a video suggesting switching over to alternitave foods. I remember this part: "Would you feed your pets somthing that you wouldnt feed your kids? Well, consider this: Normal Dog & Cat foods normally contain beef from animals killed from disease, naturally, or by roadkill. And they contain a high amount of grains which dogs & Cats cannot digest. And, did you know that normal pet food contains chicken and fish heads, and sometimes animal waste. And normal Dog & Cat food is loaded with preservatives so that the food can have an longer shelf life. Sometimes, the food sits in an 18-wheeler trailer for over an year before being shelved. And, normally these trailers have no climate control systems. Would you feed this to your kids? i didnt think so." And that is the truth. I found som Dog & Cat food definitions on the web that describes the terms listed in the ingridents. I found out that the food that i had been feeding Reggie, which was Purina Bentiful, contained all of those as the top ingridents. So, never trust the commercials. I dont feed reggie any kind of dog food anymore, i feed her raw food. I feed the BARF diet. Do an google search.

[Medusa]

All of it, interesting. As I said, I wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything, merely passing along what my vet's office has to say on the subject. Obviously, we have to do what works for us, what we think is best for our furkids and, of course, what they'll eat. If they won't eat it, the point is moot. :)

[Scooter's Mom]

Obviously, we have to do what works for us, what we think is best for our furkids and, of course, what they'll eat.

Exactly! I tried buying a really pricey food, one of the high quality ones, to feed my kitties... they refused to eat for 4 days. I went and got some regular kitty food and put out and they ate it.

[jazzcat]

My vet keeps telling me that Purina is the brand she prefers and recommends now. She told me to get Ripley Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach and it's working great for him. He stopped having stomach issues all the way around (meaning from both ends). It actually is more expensive than the Nutro I'm feeding all the other cats but it's well worth it. I would just put all my cats on it but Scout and Decker don't seem to like it as well and Jazz is so picky that she wants change frequently.