The unseen animal victims of the Gulf Oil Spill are the hundreds of pets that are streaming into Gulf-area animal shelters. Pet owners, left unemployed by ripple effect of the oil spill, have been forced to give up their pets, unable to afford caring for them. Tourism and fishing industries across the Gulf states have seen widespread losses due to the oil spill. Employees and owners of hotels, restaurants, shops, fishermen, are all feeling the economic hardships, and so are their pets.
The result? Surveys completed in August showed animal shelters and rescue groups in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were reporting an increase in pets being surrendered since the oil spill first occurred on April 20, 2010.
After numerous requests came into Purina’s Pet Acquisition team, Purina decided to consider this as a disaster, as they would normally look at the aftermath of a flood or hurricane on the animal welfare community.
On August 27th, the 5th anniversary of Katrina, five trucks of Beneful Dry Dog Food, Tidy Cats litter and a variety of Purina Brand Dry Cat Food was sent to New Orleans for distribution. The appropriateness of the timing was not lost on Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO), a large organizations of volunteers, which formed after Katrina. The pet food and litter were distributed in two locations in New Orleans. ARNO hosted the distribution to 10 area shelters and rescues and the Louisiana SPCA hosted the distribution to 6 shelters and rescues.
On September 1st, three more trucks of the same brands were sent to Florida where the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society hosted the distribution to 9 shelters and rescues.
The Purina Pet Acquisition team and Adopt-a-Pet.com appreciate the collective donations by the Beneful Brand, the Tidy Cats Bloomfield Plant and the Fairburn, GA Plant for providing this much needed pet food and litter. We also greatly appreciate the extra time and effort of Audra Kamp, ORM, who wrote all orders to ensure prompt deliveries.
In total, Purina PetCare Company helped 24 Gulf-area animal welfare organizations feed 3,747 homeless dogs and cats in their care.
Purina Veterinary Diet®s “Fighting Pet Obesity” Campaign: Help Shelters and Rescue Groups Pay For Veterinary Procedures With Just a Click! Because Purina is so committed to helping homeless pets, they’ve worked with Adopt-a-Pet.com to set up a special fund to help shelters and rescue groups keep homeless pets healthy while defraying veterinary costs. They’re donating $1.00 for each person who clicks “Like” on their Facebook campaign page, 
Can we be totally frank with you? We are so impressed with the amazing things that those pet-loving people at Purina are able to do in the world. They’re constantly coming up with programs and initiatives that allow them to meet their business goals by making the world a better place for needy animals. They are truly an example of doing well by doing good. Take this piece of brilliance, for example: 
A dog’s dental health depends a lot on its breed and diet. But dogs can get gum disease from plaque on their teeth. And gum disease and tooth decay can start early in a pup’s life, so the sooner you attend to your dog’s teeth, the better.
Summer is in full swing! For many of us, that means barbecues, cookouts, beach bonfires, and other outdoor affairs. But what’s a lot of fun for humans can present dangers to our pets, so before your next big backyard bash, add these pet-safety pointers from our friends at Petcentric.com to your pre-party checklist – it just might save you a trip to the vet. The summer-party staples your pets should avoid start with the…
Our friend over at Petcentric just posted this short and sweet article on the signs your dog will use to show you and other humans their affection! They can’t pet us or give us belly rubs, but they can certainly communicate when they’re happy and how much they love us! Author Andrea explains the five signs her two dogs use to show their appreciation to her and her husband, and gives easy-to-understand examples. There’s the wag, the sniff, the lick, the sigh (that was a new one I hadn’t thought about before!), and the smile. You can read how dogs demonstrate these five signs in her 