Purina does not participate in any invasive research that causes injury, illness or disease or that results in euthanasia of dogs or cats. At Purina, we are pet lovers, and we are strongly against any form of cruelty to pets. We only conduct those procedures that are appropriate for use with pet dogs and cats and that are consistent with excellence in veterinary care.
Purina maintains Pet Care Development Centres to better understand the natural preferences, nutritional needs and related behaviours of dogs and cats. All our pets have names, are given individual attention, and are treated with respect and affection by a well-trained and caring staff. Socialization and daily interaction are part of our enrichment programs, which include training, group play and access to toys.
Studies conducted by or for Purina contribute knowledge that leads to improvements in the health and welfare of dogs and cats throughout the world. We conduct only those procedures that are appropriate for use with pet dogs and cats and that are consistent with excellence in veterinary care.
In compliance with both European legislation and national legislation, all our studies are assessed by an Ethical Committee. The membership of this Committee includes individuals who have expert knowledge of the care and welfare of animals and can also provide an independent view. They are given the opportunity to question any element of our studies.
We do not participate in any invasive research that causes injury, illness or disease or that results in euthanasia of dogs or cats.
So, how do we test our products?
Once our products are carefully formulated and developed according to our requirements and we have ensured they have a good nutritional profile, we rely only on feeding studies to better understand a pet's nutritional needs and their enjoyment of healthy food choices.
How do we do it? We give the foods to our experts;, our cats or dogs in our pet care centres where we develop our products, and we look at two major parameters in dogs and a third one in cats.
- The first parameter is faecal consistency to ensure the digestive tolerance of the product.
- The second parameter is digestibility. The digestibility of a product is the quantity of nutrients retained by the body. It is safely assessed by the difference between the nutrient content of the food and that of the faeces.
- The third and last parameter we measure for all dry cat products is the urine pH to assess the likelihood of urinary stone formation, and to help reduce the risk of occurrence.
Apart from these tests, we also conduct tests in consumers’ homes to understand if the product is well received by the pet and that the consumer is happy with the product too.
We invite you to see in the video below how our cats and dogs at our pet care centre live and know more about our welfare programme.