Switching Davinia and Indiana to Purina® Pro Plan® Bright Mind™ 7+ Formula was not something I took lightly. I realized that it was no longer just about balanced Nutrition for the two of them but Nutrition that is balanced for Senior Dogs. Senior Dogs aren’t just an older version of your dog when he or she was in their adulthood. They have unique needs for their overall mind body health that sets them apart and deserves our attention.
Reducing calories or adding joint supplements to a food your dog thrived on as an adult might seem to be a solution but for senior dogs that need the right amount of joint help and cognitive help it just doesn’t work that way. Davinia and Indiana defy the odds. Sure there are more naps in their daily lives but when it comes to overall health and wellness they leave the professionals scratching their heads in confusion because they are just too healthy. No really. The front desk staff think that they are puppies and the Vet triple checks their heart sounds thinking maybe their stethoscope broke since their last appointment. If I didn’t know exactly when they were born I don’t think the Vet would believe me.
I owe it to Davinia and Indiana to provide them with a food that performs for their little bodies and ensures as much as possible that their mind body health is where is can be.
Speaking of Mind Body Health not only is BRIGHT MIND feeding their body but they have now partnered with Dognition to help you keep your dog’s mind active and engaged. Dognition Dognition games measure five dimensions: Empathy, Communication, Cunning, Memory, and Reasoning. After completing all five dimensions, Davinia will be placed into one of nine Dognition Profiles that help you understand how to best engage your dog and keep them thinking well into their old age. With Dognition it isn’t about teaching an old dog new tricks it is about helping you know how to best engage YOUR dog to keep their mind active and engaged with the activity. Through this partnership Purina Pro Plan BRIGHT MIND has made 2 Games Available for Free so that you can get started today! If you want access to all of the evaluation tools BRIGHT MIND wants to make that happen. All you need to do is TEXT 811811 with your receipt from purchasing a bag of the food at PetSmart from 3/15/2016 through 7/15/2016 and you will receive instructions on how to redeem your Full Evaluation.
I decided to check out the games to see just what we think and how Davinia and Indiana think. I realize that I probably need a helper to help with the timing of the activities and to keep the other dog entertained in another room while I work through the games with the other. I did get started and was able to complete the first half of the empathy testing with Davinia before Indiana decided to join us and honestly distracted Davinia. This next section is all about eye contact so I decided before even working through the warm up that we needed a plan B. With one dog you can absolutely do the evaluation games / tests on your own without a helper. There are no right or wrong answers with these games and no one fails the tests. Maybe that isn’t 100% true because if your dog is a lunatic and your can’t keep them calm for a few minutes at a time they do recommend you hire a trainer ASAP. Not being able to administer the games would be failing. Hopefully your senior dog is well past the stage of not being able to engage with you for a few minutes at a time!
My goal over the next few months is to take time each day to engage Davinia and Indiana in a thinking activity. Saturday at grandma and grandpa’s house doesn’t count though you could see Indiana’s mind really thinking. The girls know they are not allowed in grandma and grandpa’s bedroom but I was in there with my mom and Indiana wanted to join us. She walked in through the open door but would not pass the point of the end of the door. She stood there looking at us trying to figure out if she could stay right there and not be told to leave the room. At one point she even backed up an inch in case that was better. I think they would both benefit from a job. Davinia would be perfect to put in a big xpen type area under a tree to read with children. She loves kids and loves reading time. Indiana probably needs a more active job she has gotten away with pretending to be not the smartest puppy in the litter but she is actually extremely smart and has just been manipulating the system. I don’t think she would win any agility titles at this point but maybe they offer a seniors event?
Davinia’s 12th Birthday is only days away I feel like we should do something special or mark something off of her bucket list of her favorite things ever. I will let you know what I decide. But for dinner tonight she will be eating the food that fuels her mind body health and that food is Purina Pro Plan BRIGHT MIND.