Canine Culinary Capers

This is a sponsored review by BlogHer and Purina.

Back in the fall Coach and I noticed that Mack was getting a little thick in the middle. Both dogs put on a little weight when the weather cools off a bit, but Mack was pushing maximum density. So we cut back on his food.

Nothing happened. He continued to get bigger. We ran him almost every day. Still nothing. We talked about thyroid issues and possible doggie eating disorders. Then one day, Coach came home and said he thought the problem was the fillers in the dog food. Well of course. Because fretting over dog food fillers is a fabulous way to spend one’s time.

I said nay nay- dogs have been eating food that smells like Play-Doh for years, and I’ve never had a fat dog before. Coach pointed out that while that may very well be true, I too had been eating food that wasn’t entirely natural, and it was catching up with me as well.

There may have been an argument which may have led to an unfortunate Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll incident involving both Mack and me. We share a fondness for artificial food fillers.

Coach began doing dog food research and made a few suggestions. I took said suggestions into consideration and then said we’d be better off just putting $20 bills in the dog food bowls and calling it a day.

Then I muttered something about spending all our money feeding cars and dogs, which would inevitably lead to me having to cook mulch for my human family. Coach missed the humor in my remark.

Honestly, we didn’t make a change. I rationalized that both dogs had reached their prime, they had a companion for life, they were gainfully employed guarding our house against hot air balloons, and they had a rock solid nap schedule. So what if one was a little thick in the middle? What did he have to prove?

And just like that, he started to slim down. We were baffled. He wasn’t running three miles a day, he wasn’t eating twigs and berries, he wasn’t doing anything differently, but he was dropping weight.

Men.

Then our neighbor came over and proceeded to tell me that Mack had been irritated at him because they hadn’t had their daily breakfast for a while.

Whaaaaa?

Oh sure. Our retired neighbor has taken quite a liking to Mack. He comes over every morning and throws ball with him. In his bathrobe.  And slippers.  WITH HIS NEWSPAPER.  Back in the fall, he took it a little far. Apparently he was cooking a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs and sharing them with Mack. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. My homeboy was putting a hurt on some pork product.

Thus the inexplicable weight gain. Well, Mack’s inexplicable weight gain anyway. It wasn’t until Mr. Retired Neighbor went to the doctor and found out his cholesterol was higher than the GDP of Peru that the early morning artery parties stopped. Then he started eating fruit and oatmeal (Mr. Retired Neighbor that is.) Mack didn’t hang with him for steel cut oats and blueberries. He’s not that kind of dog. So, much to his dismay, he lost weight.

But Coach was stuck on doggie nutrition and we ended up trying Purina Pro Plan Selects. It’s more cost-friendly than other premium dog foods that don’t contain artificial fillers. The ingredients are natural, and it comes in several flavors. Mack and Ivy prefer the Beef and Barley Formula.

Your dog might prefer the Salmon and Brown Rice Formula. Your dog is probably much more sophisticated than our dogs. Our dogs eat rocks and chase tennis balls all day. They don’t care what they put in their bodies. And frankly, I’ve never met a piece of beef I didn’t like, so I figured what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, or the dog, or whatever.

So we’ve decided to stick with Purina Pro Plan Selects because we have noticed an increase in both dogs’ energy levels, both of their coats are soft and shiny, and they are both able to play for longer periods of time.

You should see for yourself; give Pro Plan Selects a try. (Go HERE for a $3.00 coupon) 

To help you out, BlogHer and Purina are sponsoring a $100 Visa giveaway beginning today and running through May 31. You can use it to buy your pet Pro Plan Selects, or you could buy yourself some shoes and send your husband to pick up the Pro Plan Selects. You know- whatever. 

If you're still not sure about a food switch, go here and read other reviewers' experiences, AND you can enter many more times for a Visa gift card.

To be entered in the drawing, send me a comment with your e-mail address, and tell me one thing that makes your pet unique. Or you can just tell me what you had for dinner- it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you read and follow the rules carefully.

Rules:
Drawing runs from May 2, 2011 to May 31, 2011
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
     a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
     b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
     c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
     d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

See y'all!