Leave it to Purina founder William H. Danforth, and his son Donald Danforth Sr., to start something that would forever influence pet nutrition and care.
The year was 1926. Calvin Coolidge was in the White House, the St. Louis Cardinals were winning their first World Series Championship against the New York Yankees, and something really special was happening near Gray Summit, Missouri, just an hour away from Purina Petcare Company’s St. Louis headquarters.
Donald Danforth, who joined Purina in the early 1920s, embraced science and technology and began convincing his father the company needed to build a facility to scientifically prove the quality and efficacy of its products in an emerging area of interest, canine nutrition. William H. Danforth, who always welcomed a dare, agreed, and in 1926, the Purina Dog Care Center was established. It’s goal was to determine the best tasting and highest quality nutrition ration for dogs through non-invasive and science-backed feeding studies.
The concept was simple, the potential profound:
- Use quality ingredients to create a nutritionally complete and balanced food for dogs, who had previously forged for food or eaten table scraps.
- Maintain a detailed record of feeding history for every dog to understand the impacts of quality nutrition on overall health and longevity.
- Provide excellent care and a clean and comfortable environment with regular grooming, exercise, and a dedicated team of caregivers.
The Purina Dog Care Kennel, now known as Purina FarmsTM, was the first of many Purina PetCare firsts, paving the way for an entire industry of commercial pet food to be created. It was pioneering work that established a legacy inspired by Mr. Danforth’s original values known as the “Four Talls”: Stand Tall with Integrity; Smile Tall with Passion; Think Tall with Expertise; and Live Tall with Performance.
Purina added a Fifth Tall in 2009 – Create Tall with Innovation and Agility.
“We’re proud that today Purina associates embrace the same core values as our founder as part of our culture and DNA,” says Nina Leigh Krueger, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company President and Chief Executive Officer. “Mr. Danforth’s pioneering spirit and values have carried on in our pet care business for a century, with The Five Talls guiding everything we do in our ambition to help dogs and cats live longer, healthier and happier lives.”
A century after the first feeding studies at Gray Summit, Purina continues to focus on science-based solutions at its state-of-the-art global Pet Care Centers – including one located in Northwest Missouri, which have led to the development of countless product innovations in pet nutrition and, more recently, technology-based pet care solutions.
Sheri Smithey, PhD, Senior Vice President of Global PetCare Research & Development at Nestlé Purina PetCare, leads a team of scientists, researchers and innovators who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of pet nutrition and care.
“Each project we create begins with one simple word: Imagine,” Smithey says. “We bring science to life – from managing obesity and brain changes in aging pets, to the launch of Purina® Pro Plan® LiveClear® – the first cat food shown to reduce allergens in cat hair and dander.”
Smithey’s team of nutritional and behavioral experts spends countless hours working to understand how pets feel, think and move. Specific nutritional research focus areas include advancing brain health, transforming heart health, neutralizing allergens, promoting gastrointestinal health, extending a healthy life, exploring molecular nutrition and managing a healthy weight.
“I’m fortunate to lead an incredible team guided by science and dedicated to creating the future our pets deserve,” Smithey says. “Purina started this journey in 1926. We know there are many discoveries yet to be made, so we’ll keep dreaming and working to make those dreams a reality.”
The establishment of Purina’s first pet nutrition and care center paid immediate dividends with the launch of Purina Dog Chow Checkers.
Here are some of the many Purina “firsts” that followed over the next 100 years:
1933 – Admiral Richard Byrd selects Dog Chow for Antarctic expedition
When preparing for his famous trip to the Antarctic and South Pole regions, Admiral Richard E. Byrd said he needed a dog ration to keep his 150 Siberian Huskies in good condition for almost two straight years in harsh conditions. Byrd said the very lives of his men depended on those Huskies and, after a thorough investigation of options, he selected Purina Dog Chow Checkers to meet the needs of his dogs. Upon his return in 1935, Byrd said Dog Chow was the finest ration he had ever used. Byrd also named a mountain after William H. Danforth in tribute.
1956 – Purina revolutionizes pet food industry with extrusion technology
Purina Dog Chow becomes the first pet food made using pressure-processed extrusion technology. The new “puffed” product creates an expanded dry kibble with superior nutrition, digestibility and palatability. Purina factories and fleet of extruders can’t make enough product, and the new “Eager Eater” Purina Dog Chow is actually rationed to a growing nation of consumers. Purina also expands distribution to grocery stores and becomes the nation’s leading brand of dog food by 1958. Purina® Cat Chow® debuts in 1962. In 1963, Purina is the first to acknowledge that puppies need additional protein and nutrients in their food and launches new Purina® Puppy Chow®.
1986 – Purina Pro Plan® brand launches
Purina develops an innovative process that makes it possible to use real meat as the number one ingredient in kibble and introduces the Purina Pro Plan brand. Backed by nutritionists, veterinarians and scientists, Pro Plan becomes the choice of sporting dog and show champions with “nutrition that performs”, and a range of product offerings that would eventually grow to more than 140 targeted life-changing formulas today.
1987 – Purina begins its landmark 14-year life span study in dogs
Purina researchers monitor the health of 48 Labrador Retrievers throughout their lives during which half the dogs are fed 25 percent less (lean-fed) than their full-fed (control) littermates. The peer-reviewed results published in 2002, show that when dogs are fed to a lean body condition from puppyhood onward, lean-fed dogs lived better, for longer. The median life span of the lean-fed Labrador Retrievers was extended an average of 1.8 years (15 percent). In addition, maintaining optimal body condition throughout life can delay the onset, and reduce the severity, of osteoarthritis in dogs. Lean dogs also showed delayed onset of other chronic and age-related diseases. As a result, Purina adjusted the feeding guidelines for its products to reduce recommended consumption amounts. This shift was later adopted by the broader pet food industry.
1998- Purina Veterinary Diets introduces first hydrolyzed protein diet
Through use of hydrolyzed protein, new Purina® Veterinary Diets HA Hydrolized®-Hypoallergenic Canine Formula brings relief to dogs with food allergies.
1999 – Purina establishes the world’s first and only Canine Reference Family DNA Distribution Center, providing assistance to top researchers mapping the canine genome
2004 - Purina is the first to apply molecular-level nutrition to a therapeutic diet
Purina® Veterinary Diets JM-Joint Mobility® Canine Formula is introduced to nutritionally manage dogs with joint conditions.
2007 – Purina offers the first probiotic nutritional supplement
Purina® Veterinary Diets FortiFlora® featuring the active ingredient Enterococcus faecium SF68® is introduced to rave reviews from veterinarians who recommend the supplement to promote a healthy immune system and assist in management of pets with diarrhea.
2010 – Purina launches Pro Plan Adult 7+ Bright Mind® to promote alertness and mental sharpness in senior dogs
Purina research on nutrition and aging led to the launch of Pro Plan Adult 7+ Bright Mind, made with brain supporting nutrients that contain a proprietary blend of DHA and EPA, antioxidants, B vitamins and arginine for cognitive health in senior dogs.
2010 – Purina Event Center grand opening
On August 18, 2010, Purina unveils the 84,000-square-foot Purina Event Center near Gray Summit, Missouri. The grand opening features six Westminster Best in Show winners walking the red carpet to showcase the first full-service indoor facility designed to accommodate the largest dog and cat shows and performance events. The Event Center features a 45,000-square-foot Great Hall, an RV lot, a hospitality and banquet center, and 150 grooming stations.
Coincidentally, the Purina Event Center is located on the same footprint as the 1926 Purina Dog Care Center – the Danforths’ vision and wisdom coming full circle for pets and the people who love them.
Purina firsts and innovations continue – from Tidy Cats® Lightweight litter in 2013 to Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements Calming Care in 2019 that helps support dogs with anxious behaviors to LiveClear in 2020 – the first-of-its-kind food that reduces the major allergen in cat hair and dander by an average of 47 percent starting in the third week of daily feeding.
“The vision and values of our founder, Mr. Danforth, combined with the support and investment of Nestlé have been instrumental in our relentless pursuit of innovation in pet nutrition and care over the past 100 years,” Krueger says. “We also know Mr. Danforth was never satisfied with what had been achieved. Instead, he posed the question: “What Next?” That’s the mindset that inspires our 11,000 Purina U.S. associates and will help us deliver meaningful innovations for our pets for the next 100 years.”
