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Do Extreme Workouts Have You and Your Pooch Dog Tired?

Purina Introduces a Breakthrough Performance Bar to Replace Energy
5/3/2004

St. Louis, Mo. (May 3, 2004) –If your pet is your exercise partner, there's something you should know: periods of rigorous exercise, such as running, swimming and hunting, can impact performance and endurance in dogs. People have the option of energy and supplement bars and now dogs do too. Purina nutrition scientists have developed the Purina® Pro Plan® brand Performance Bar – a breakthrough nutritional supplement for active dogs to promote peak performance, endurance and reduce recovery time.

Studies show that dogs can deplete their energy stores, known as glycogen, during an intense workout. By speeding the replenishment of glycogen, the Pro Plan Performance Bar helps an active and hardworking dog recover faster and perform at its best.

"Whether you take your dog for long runs in the park or hunting for the weekend, glycogen replacement in the Pro Plan Performance Bar can help improve your dog's response to a high-energy workout," says Purina Nutrition Scientist Arleigh Reynolds, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVN. "The bar is formulated to enable nearly complete glycogen repletion within 24 hours, which allows your dog to snap back from rigorous exercise faster."

Lasting Energy to Keep Going and Going...

The Pro Plan Performance Bar builds on the nutrients a dog already receives in a complete and balanced diet to improve his response to a high-energy workout. It benefits active dogs by:

• helping to reduce recovery time;
• providing rapidly available energy during exercise and promoting recovery between periods of exercise;
• promoting endurance; and
• providing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help support healthy muscles.

Unwrapping the Science

There is a 30-minute window immediately following exercise during which the transport of glucose, the sugar that converts to glycogen, into the muscle occurs at a very rapid rate.¹ After this window has expired, the rate of glucose transport into the muscle slows significantly, leading to a decrease in the rate of glycogen replenishment.

Maltodextrin, the primary ingredient in the Pro Plan Performance Bar, is believed to be the most efficient carbohydrate source to support glycogen repletion and optimize muscle performance in active and hardworking dogs.

Putting it to Practice

A dog should be given a ½ Pro Plan Performance Bar per 50 pounds of body weight at the onset of exercise, ½ bar per 50 pounds of body weight every 45 to 60 minutes during exercise, and one bar per 50 pounds of body weight within 20 minutes of finishing exercise, optimally within 10 minutes.

"Implementing the bar into your athletic dog's diet follows the same practice as when you eat an energy-rich nutrition bar to supplement your workout," says Reynolds. "If your dog enjoys intense activities with you as much as three times a week, the Pro Plan Performance Bar can help your dog reach optimum performance."

The 2-ounce Purina Pro Plan Performance Bars are available in pet specialty stores, farm and feed outlets and select sporting dog catalogs for a suggested retail price of $1.59. For more information, please visit www.proplanperformancebar.com.

1 Wakshlag JJ, Sneddon K, Otis AM, et al. The effects of post-exercise supplements on skeletal muscle glycogen repletion. A manuscript submitted to the American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2003.

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