St. Louis, Missouri -
Nestle Purina PetCare is offering a service allowing dog owners to
customize food for their pets.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the new Just Right
by Purina service allows customers to formulate dog food based on specific
characteristics of their dog — age, breed and activity level. St. Louis-based
Purina is a unit of Switzerland-based Nestle.
Purina makes the Beneful, Apo and Dog Chow brands. It says
it is the first major pet food maker to produce a personalized dog food in the
U.S.
Purina began sales in March as a testing phase. The product
launched nationwide Oct. 28.
"So far people have responded well to it," said
Brian Lester, director of marketing for Just Right by Purina. "As you look
at the many other categories that consumers are in, there are more and more
customized features that are being offered every day."
Customers log in at JustRightPetFood.com and enter
information that begins with the dog's name. Users are asked protein preference
with options that include chicken, salmon and lamb.
Pet owners are asked if their dog has dry skin, whether its
coat is shiny, and whether the dog is over- or underweight. In fact, a photo of
the dog can be put on the personalized bag if the owner chooses.
It doesn't come cheap — the price is higher than Purina's
standard dog food. A 6-pound bag is $24.99; a 12-pound bag is $37.99.
Lester said Purina is deciding whether to make a similar
offering for cats.
