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You’re their champion. Let us be yours.
Food Recommendation Tip Sheet
High-quality, properly fed nutrition matters—for your shelter pets AND for you. Adopters trust you and look to you for guidance during the adoption process. Learn why recommending consistent nutrition is so important, and how to make your recommendation to all of your adopters.
Consistent nutrition matters F O R YO U R PE T S , I T H E L P S
F O R YO U, I T C A N L E A D T O
Keep them looking and feeling their best
Better stool quality for easier cleanup
Support healthy maintenance from muscles to
Smaller likelihood of digestive upset
coat to energy
Happier, healthier pets
Increase their chances of being adopted
The benefits of consistent nutrition continue through the adoption process, which is why Purina asks our shelter partners to make food recommendations to help their adopters and pets transition home as easily as possible. R E CO M M E N D IN G N U T RI T I O N A L CO N SIS T E N C Y H E L P S Minimize digestive upset and the
Minimize stress for the pet
messes that come with it
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Simplify feeding for the adopter
®
You’re their champion. Let us be yours.
Your recommendation matters Based on a recent survey, adopters agree you are a trustworthy source for info on pet care, including nutrition, second only to a veterinarian1. This means your recommendation truly impacts their decisions on what to feed their new pets. E XPERIEN CE PU RIN A WIT H YO U R PE TS
We want you to feel confident in recommending Purina products, so we encourage you to use them at home with your own pets.
Purina for Professionals (P4P) allows you to buy
Register at purinaforprofessionals.com
Once you see how your
select Purina food at professional pricing* and
pets thrive, you can
have it shipped directly to your home
share your confidence
*based on suggested clinic price
with adopters
Recommending Purina
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No.
IT ’S B E ST TO RECO MMEND NE W A D O P T ERS CO NTINUE FEED IN G WH AT T HEIR PE T WA S E ATIN G WHILE IN YO U R C A RE .
Be sure to distribute food recommendation cards and fill out the food each pet has been eating. Provide the recommendation card with a sample bag to help them keep nutrition consistent, starting with their first meal at home.
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No.
2
No.
WHEN M A KIN G YO U R RECO MMENDATI O N , B E CO N V ERSATI O N A L A ND A SSU RE T HE A D O P T ERS T H AT T HEIR NE W PE T H A S B EEN ENJ OY IN G A ND D O IN G WELL WIT H T HEIR PU RIN A D IE T WHILE IN YO U R C A RE .
“Dottie has been enjoying Purina® Dog Chow ® here, and is doing great!” “We believe in Purina nutrition and our pets have been doing great with Purina ONE®, including Lucky. You can find it in most grocery and big-box stores where pet food is sold.” “Purina feeds all of our adoptable pets. Maizey has been doing great and loves her Purina® Pro Plan® diet.”
Pet Welfare Purina ONE Feeding Program / ROI Assessment, June 2015
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A SK Q U E STI O NS TO G E T TO KN OW T HE A D O P T ER ’S SIT UATI O N M O RE .
“Will you continue feeding Lucky Purina ONE at home?” “Do you have other pets at home?” “What do you feed your other pets?”
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You’re their champion. Let us be yours.
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5
+
No.
No.
B E PREPA RED TO D IS CUSS T HEIR PL A NS F O R FEED IN G, E SPECIA LLY IF T HE Y H AV E OT HER PE TS AT H O ME .
KEEP T HE CO N V ERSATI O N P OSITIV E .
Switching current pets in the home to Purina will help them simplify feeding time. There are many reasons why adopters may be hesitant to switch foods (like below), so be ready to offer reassurance of your confidence in Purina products and offer to help them find answers to any questions they may have.
Adopters may say no to transitioning other pets to Purina, and may want to switch their new pet to another food once they get home. Simply remind them of the full range of Purina offerings, and encourage them to keep things consistent during the transition home.
“I’ll use the same brand of food I’m already feeding my other dog.”
“If Purina ONE isn’t right for you, Purina offers
“I never had problems with the brand I use, so there’s no reason to try something else.”
many other food options to meet your needs. We believe in their quality, and recommend transitioning to another Purina product.”
“I’ve had animals before, so I’m familiar with food brands.”
“If you plan to change Lucky to a new food, we suggest keeping him on this food for 6 weeks, just to help him settle in with you, and then transition his food responsibly.”
6
No.
WHE T HER T HE Y PL A N TO CH A N G E T HEIR OT HER PE TS TO A PU RIN A D IE T, O R SWITCH T HEIR NE W PE T TO A N OT HER F O O D A F T ER 6 WEEKS , EN CO U R AG E T HEM TO D O S O RE SP O NSIB LY.
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No.
A SSURE A D O P TERS THE Y WILL B E SU PP O R T ED T HR O U G H O U T T HEIR T R A NSITI O N H O ME .
Digestive upset and accidents can lead to pets being returned, so encouraging proper transitions can help prevent this.
Encourage adopters to opt in for Purina
“If you change Lucky’s food abruptly, it can cause dietary upset, which can lead to accidents.” “We recommend a slow food transition, increasing the amount of new food while slowly decreasing the amount of current food over the course of 7-10 days until Lucky is exclusively eating the new food.”
communications so they receive our Home Forever Home email series through Petfinder. This series helps answer the most commonly asked questions and addresses the top reasons pets are returned, helping adopters transition to life with their new pet successfully.
WE’RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU! Shelter Champions program questions
Consumer product questions
Veterinarian support
[email protected]
1.800.7PURINA
1.800.222.VETS
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