TikTok Users vs. Purina Pet Food

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TikTok Users vs. Purina

It was a case of twenty first century public relations for the team at Purina, who were forced to respond to a growing number of social media users, mainly on TikTok, who have gone viral claiming that dogs and cats are getting sick from eating Purina products.

On January 5th, Purina released a statement that read in part: “Please beware of online rumors claiming there are issues with Purina products – these false statements may be creating unnecessary stress for pet parents. There are no health or safety issues with any of our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence.”

@rachelfusaro

🚨What you need to know👇 ✔️ Over 40 pet parents have reported a sick pet after eating Purina (dogs & cats, mostly PPP) ✔️ Some with multipl... See more

At this time, the FDA has not issued any statement or recall on the product. It’s looking like it may be a a few isolated cases, or pet parents attributing sickness to the wrong cause. If that is the case, it just goes to show the power of social media in creating a frenzy and possibly creating more harm than good.

We’ll keep an eye on the story to see how it develops.

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Pets May Lower Incidence of Dementia

A new study published in the journal JAMA Open Network found that pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among individuals living alone.

The study of 7,945 participants 50 years and older only showed improvement in individuals who lived alone - a demographic that reached reached nearly 28 percent of all U.S. households in 2020.

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Dog Days are Over

A massive study of dog aging and longevity is likely to lose funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), leaving thousands of canine participants and their owners in the lurch. The Dog Aging Project has been collecting data on the health, cognition, and genetics of about 50,000 dogs, as well as testing a drug that may extend their lifespan. The project aims to uncover the secrets of aging in dogs and humans alike.

Despite the project’s achievements and potential, it received low scores on its grant renewal application, putting it outside the cutoff for funding. The organizers are scrambling to find alternative sources of money and appealing to the public for support.

The project’s fate highlights the challenges of conducting large-scale, long-term research on aging in animals. Many scientists and dog lovers are hoping the project can survive and continue to shed light on the biology of aging.

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Pawsitive Change: When Homeless Shelters Go Pet-Friendly

A generous donor has enabled RedRover to offer grants to homeless shelters that want to become pet-friendly. Because pets are family, and family sticks together.

The Problem: Many homeless people have pets, but most shelters don’t allow them. This forces people to choose between a roof over their head or their furry companion. And we all know who wins that contest.

The Solution: RedRover’s Safe Housing grants can provide up to $100,000 to help shelters in the U.S. build, renovate, and supply pet-friendly facilities. This way, homeless people and their pets can stay together and access supportive services. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

The Impact: RedRover’s Safe Housing program has already helped domestic violence shelters and animal shelters across the U.S. Now, they are expanding their reach to homeless shelters, hoping to create a more compassionate world for people and animals. 🐶🐱🐰

 😴 
The AVMA Burnout Study

Two ongoing studies from Cornell University are seeking to understand and improve the wellbeing and performance of veterinary professionals and practices.

Participants can benefit from attending free workshops to learn skills and tools to reduce burnout and increase profitability, and completing short surveys to provide valuable data and feedback.

The deadline to register for both studies has been extended to January 23, 2024. This is a great opportunity to gain insight and help advance the veterinary profession.

If you are an independent practice leader, a veterinary technician, or a practice owner who employs veterinary technicians, don’t miss this chance to participate in these important studies. Sign up today and make a difference for yourself and your practice!

Click the links for more:

• Burnout Study

• Technician Study

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught out eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom:

People are demanding human-quality health care for their pets—and it’s leading to new treatments [Yahoo!]

How the Smithsonian National Zoo Cares for Animals With Impairments [National Zoo]

Volunteers work to bring pet care to rural areas with veterinary shortages [CBS]

Eliminating in-person VCPR requirement for telemedicine, proposed midlevel position discussed at information forum [AVMA]

Neuroscientists find that animals replay incidentally encoded episodic memories [Medical Xpress]

Australia’s first pet census [The Guardian]

Hound and NAVC Partner on recruiting, relief, and retention software [Hound]

The best pet tech at CES [CNET]