Purina Pro Plan BRIGHT MIND

Denali, my 12-year-old Chihuahua

When your beloved pup gets to a certain age, preservation and quality of life truly become top of mind.

Denali, my sweet teacup chihuahua (who weighs 20lbs and most certainly isn’t a teacup like his papers say) is now 12 years old. Seems like just yesterday I got the Miami-born pup who now happily lives in Texas.

I decided to try putting Denali on Purina® Pro Plan® Bright Mind® Adult 7+, which is specifically for dogs over 7 years of age. Pro Plan contains a proprietary blend of brain-supporting nutrients along with enhanced botanical oils that have been shown to promote alertness and mental sharpness in older dogs, with claims of visible results within 30 days.

So…I gave it 30 days (the hardest part was feeding our dogs two separate foods) and noticed a huge difference. For starters, I realized that feeding a two-year-old bulldog the same food as a 12-year-old chihuahua just didn’t make sense. Sure, it was super convenient come dinner time, but one was a puppy and still growing, and the other was slowing down – they had completely different health and dietary needs, just like humans often do.

It took about two weeks for Denali to be happy with his new food – I don’t know if it was adjusting to the taste or the fact that Hank (our bulldog) was getting served a different meal – but once he settled into his food, I noticed he was a lot more alert and much more energetic. We can even say he started being feisty again. It’s nice to see my baby with a little more bounce, and even better, I feel like I’m being a better mom simply by paying close attention to his food.

Like human ingredient labels, the first ingredients listed are the ones in highest concentration, and I love that Bright Mind has high-quality protein, which includes chicken as the first ingredient. Granted, my dog will eat anything, but it needs to be things I can pronounce to ensure he is eating healthy stuff.

I love that this food promotes alertness and mental sharpness but my favorite thing is that it has an omega-3 fatty acid (EPA) and glucosamine that help support joint health and mobility, which is the first thing I notice to start to deteriorate as dogs age. 

What about you? Do you feel like a bad doggy parent if you don’t pay super close attention to their diet? I honestly never thought it was that big of a deal until I noticed this drastic change. My dog is still a major pain in the butt, but I hope this food and closer attention to his care helps him stay around as long as possible!

*This post was part of The Blonde Side’s involvement with being a Women’s Health Magazine Action Hero, but all content above is true and owned by me.*