Purina Young Veterinarians offers interactive courses on pet nutrition, employability, and entrepreneurship to better prepare students for real-world practice. Part of the Nestlé Youth initiative, this program helps you build skills for a future in the pet care industry.
If you want to discover more: Nestlé needs YOUth | Nestlé Global
Explore a range of courses designed to deepen your understanding of pet nutrition, entrepreneurship and employability to learn how to support pets’ well-being and enrich your career development.
“We are a big family, and I am a part of the family who came from the Purina programme!”
“Today, I directly collaborate with leading veterinary experts across Europe - the same people I once learned from.”
“It was a year that shaped me as an expert, communicator, and mentor.”
“Getting into the programme changed everything… It gave me clarity, confidence and showed me what is really possible in this profession.”
“All these experiences allowed me to broaden my knowledge, better understand the challenges of nutrition, and feel more prepared for clinical practice.”
Beyond education, our program celebrates impactful initiatives and real-world experiences from markets across the globe. From student-led projects and sponsorships to immersive visits like Amiens and local community actions, discover how young veterinarians are making a difference.
In July 2025, for the very first time ever, 14 enthusiastic veterinary students visited our Purina Pet Care Center in Amiens. This visit offered a remarkable opportunity for the Purina student representatives, and other invited students as well, to engage directly with our cutting-edge facilities and learn from our dedicated team of experts. The feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive, as this enriching experience not only deepened their academic knowledge but also inspired them to recognize the vital role they will play in the future of veterinary medicine.
As part of the PURINA Young Vets program, which is part of Nestlé Needs Youth's vision, we have created an extremely ambitious 🤩🎓🩺 veterinary student ambassador program with PRO PLAN:
37 French veterinary student ambassadors, representing 23 veterinary schools and spread throughout France but also in 10 European countries, are leading a PRO PLAN network for French veterinary students!
-they proudly wear our brand colors, trust it and communicate it on Instagram and Tiktok 🤳 social networks
-they host events to make the brand known in their schools for the start of the school year, Halloween, Advent, spring and summer festivals... 🕺
-they flock their outfits with our logo 🏀🏉
-they organize technical webinars with preconceived ideas in nutrition and the basics of pet food regulations 👩 🏫
-they have created an Instagram discussion group where PROPLAN brand ambassadors exchange daily and create a close-knit team across school and country 🥇 differences.
Cédric Lacroix is a veterinary student, PRO PLAN ambassador in Madrid, and he has just won in 1h12 (i.e. 3min 27 sec per km) the Madrid half-marathon which was run this Sunday (with 260 m of elevation gain....)
He is a young man who, to achieve his dream of becoming a veterinarian, left France and went to study in Madrid while pursuing his career as a high-level sportsman!
His modesty, his talent and his perseverance command admiration;
All the PROPLAN vet student ambassadors are amazed: work, perseverance and the search for perfection are the values found in my veterinary colleagues.
We were able to welcome 7 of our PRO PLAN ambassadors, student vets from ENVA (Maisons-Alfort), ENVT (Toulouse) and even Bucharest and Cluj (Romania). They were delighted to finally meet and share their enthusiasm! 🎉🎀🥳
Our ambassadors are the drivers of the PRO PLAN brand awareness among future practitioners in France; They take their role to heart and multiply initiatives in their schools 👍
The other 30 were retained for exams or revisions in their respective schools. But some are running on tiktok, follow them to find out about the news of PROPLAN in their schools! 👉💻
Présentation de certains de vos ambassadeurs Proplan !!🩺🐾 Montage et... | TikTok
My name is Giorgia, and I am a veterinarian graduated from the University of Turin. From the very beginning of my academic journey, I developed a strong interest in animal nutrition, which led me to pursue several externships across Europe with a focus on pet nutrition.
In 2024, I had the honour of being selected as a winner of the Purina/FVE Grant, an experience that truly marked a turning point in my professional path. This opportunity allowed me to develop my first independent research project, representing a fundamental step in my growth as a young veterinarian and researcher.
Thanks to Purina, I also had the chance to attend the Purina Symposium, where I discovered a reality that goes far beyond pet food. Purina represents research, innovation, continuous education, and real support for the veterinary community, notably through the resources offered by the Purina Institute.
I am deeply grateful to Purina for believing in young veterinarians, investing in our potential, and supporting the next generation of professionals. For me, Purina is not just a pet food brand, but a true partner in veterinary education and scientific progress.
Purina PRO PLAN recently hosted its first-ever European Veterinary Students Symposium 2025, a landmark event titled "Where Science Meets Passion".
It attracted over 700 registered students from across Europe, with key opinion leaders from both Purina and external organizations speaking on a wide range of fascinating topics: nutrition, covering nutritional differences and similarities between humans and pets, as well as common myths in this area, sustainability, the human–pet bond, and students’ future career paths.
Exciting milestone for Purina Pro Plan!
On December 4th, 2025, we hosted our first-ever seminar with 1st-year Veterinary Medicine students at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome.
Here’s what made this event special:
✅ 40 students engaged in 2 hours of interactive sessions
✅ 4 faculty members & researchers joined us (recent applicants to the PURINA GLOBAL GRANT program)
✅ Topics covered: History & Innovation, Vet Ranges, Hydration Focus, Human Allergies, Purina Institute insights, and VET ADVISOR field activities with Valentina Machelli
✅ Outstanding feedback: 4.6 engagement rate and 4.84 “good to know” score
This was more than a seminar—it was the first step in building strong connections with a growing faculty. We’re thrilled to keep inspiring the next generation of veterinary professionals! 🐾
#PurinaProPlan #VeterinaryMedicine #Innovation #YoungVet2026 #PurinaInstitute
🐾 As part of our partnership with the training section for Veterinary Assistants (ASV) at the Alfort Veterinary School, sessions with ASV students are continuing.
On Friday, December 12th 2025, class 691 had the opportunity to attend the second day of the nutrition program, titled “Choosing a maintenance Diet.”
It was a great occasion to explore the importance of personalized nutritional advice—not only in selecting the right food but also in determining the correct quantity to feed—as well as understanding the characteristics of diets based on the animal’s specific needs 🐾.
Would like to discover more about Purina Commitments, click here: Home Page | Purina EU
