Ralston Purina began as an animal feed company in the 1890s. In 1898, Purina Chow was introduced as the first commercially produced pet food. Over the next 50 years, the company entered the international market and opened manufacturing facilities in various countries. The company continued to introduce other products and expand its business interests. There were several ownership changes throughout the years.
Nestlé acquired Ralston Purina in 2001 for $10.3 billion to become Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world.
Nestlé is a multinational company that owns a wide range of brands ranging from pet food to cosmetics and health devices. Nestle is known for its candy portfolio but also owns Perrier, Carnation, Lean Cuisine, Haagen-Dazs, Alpo, Fancy Feast and Purina.
In its annual report, Nestle Purina Pet Care reported annual sales for 2022 as US$19.385 billion.
For our Purina Pro Plan dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
Purina Pro Plan Puppy Dry Dog Food Review
Score: 1.6/10
Package Ingredients For Pro Plan Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Recipe: Chicken, rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, whole grain corn, corn germ meal, dried yeast, fish meal, dried egg product, natural flavor, fish oil, soybean oil, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, mono and dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], l-lysine monohydrochloride, vitamins [vitamin e supplement, niacin (vitamin B-3), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), vitamin b-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), folic acid (vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin (vitamin B-7)], dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, garlic oil
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Development Puppy dry food is considered a very high-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 31% as calculated which is excessive. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used or they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Seed Oils: Some of these recipes contain sunflower and soybean oil, which are highly processed and inflammatory oils. Seed oil is an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Plant Protein: Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Puppy Dry dog food line:
Ultra-Processed: This line loses significant points as an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops in the top 5 ingredients, including corn and canola. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs ingredient safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Menadione: Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that is not required in dog food. It may be linked to immune system dysfunction, oxidative damage to cells, liver toxicity, and allergic reactions.
Benefits
There’s one benefit of this line of dog food:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that Pro Plan Puppy Dry dog food contains probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials Dry Dog Food Review
Score: 0.9/10
Package Ingredients For Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials Shredded Blend Salmon And Rice Dry Recipe: Salmon, rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, soybean meal, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, corn gluten meal, barley, oat meal, dried egg product, fish meal, dried beet pulp, natural flavor, glycerin, wheat bran, calcium carbonate, soybean oil, salt, mono and dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, minerals [zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], vitamins [vitamin E supplement, niacin (vitamin b-3), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), vitamin b-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), folic acid (vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin (vitamin B-7)], choline chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C), dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, garlic oil
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Complete Essentials dry food is considered a very high-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used or they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain soybean oil, which is a highly processed and inflammatory oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Plant Protein: Plant proteins are used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Complete Essentials Dry dog food line:
Ultra-Processed: On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant points as an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops in the top 5 ingredients that include corn and soybean meal. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs ingredient safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Contains Menadione: Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that is not required in dog food. It may be linked to immune system dysfunction, oxidative damage to cells, liver toxicity, and allergic reactions.
Benefits
There’s one benefit of this line of dog food:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that the line contains probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Sport Dry Dog Food Review
Score: 2/10
Package Ingredients For Purina Pro Plan All Ages Sport Small Bites 27/17 Lamb & Rice Formula Dry: Lamb, rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (source of glucosamine), whole grain wheat, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, oat meal, barley, dried beet pulp, fish meal (source of glucosamine), natural flavor, dried egg product, fish oil, calcium carbonate, mono and dicalcium phosphate, soybean oil, salt, potassium chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride, vitamins [vitamin E supplement, niacin (vitamin b-3), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), vitamin b-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), folic acid (vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin (vitamin B-7)], choline chloride, minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C), dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, garlic oil.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Sport Dry dog food is considered a very high-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 31% as calculated which is excessive. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients. Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain soybean oil, which is a highly processed and inflammatory oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Plant Protein: Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Sugar: Sugar is often used to increase the palatability or as a preservative or humectant. It is a low quality ingredient that can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Sport Dry dog food line:
Ultra-Processed: This line loses significant ingredient safety points as an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops in the top 5 ingredients that include corn gluten meal. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Menadione: Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that is not required in dog food. It may be linked to immune system dysfunction, oxidative damage to cells, liver toxicity, and allergic reactions.
Benefits
There’s one benefit to this line:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that Pro Plan Sport Dry dog food contains probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Specialized Dry Dog Food Review
Score: 1.4/10
Package Ingredients For Pro Plan Specialized Calm & Balanced Chicken & Rice Formula Recipe: Chicken, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, rice, corn gluten meal, barley, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, oat meal, dried egg product, dried beet pulp, fish oil, natural flavor, L-Arginine, calcium carbonate, fish meal, mono and dicalcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, vitamins [vitamin E supplement, niacin (vitamin B-3), vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), folic acid (vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin (vitamin B-7)], choline chloride, minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], L-lysine monohydrochloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C), dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, garlic oil.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Specialized Dry dog food is considered a very high-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 37% as calculated which is excessive. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients. Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal proteins are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain soybean and sunflower oil, which are highly processed and inflammatory oils. They are inexpensive alternatives to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Plant Protein: Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Sugar: Sugar is used in pet food to increase the palatability or as a preservative or humectant. It is a low quality ingredient that can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with the Pro Plan Specialized line:
Ultra-Processed: This line loses significant points as an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops in the top 5 ingredients that include corn gluten meal. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Menadione: Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that is not required in dog food. It may be linked to immune system dysfunction, oxidative damage to cells, liver toxicity, and allergic reactions.
Benefits
There’s one benefit in this line of dog food:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that Pro Plan Specialized contains probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Senior Dry Dog Food Review
Score: 1.1/10
Package Ingredients For Pro Plan Adult 7+ Bright Mind Chicken & Rice Formula Recipe: Chicken, poultry by-product meal, rice, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, corn germ meal, vegetable oil (source of medium-chain triglycerides), pearled barley, fish meal, dried egg product, fish oil, natural flavor, l-arginine, soybean oil, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, vitamins [vitamin E supplement, niacin (vitamin B-3), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), folic A (vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin (vitamin B-7)], mono and dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C), dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, garlic oil.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Senior Dry dog food is considered a very high-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 38% as calculated which is excessive. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients.Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain soybean or sunflower oil, which are highly processed and inflammatory oils. Seed oils are inexpensive alternatives to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Plant Protein: Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Sugar: Sugar is used in pet food to increase the palatability or as a preservative or humectant. It is a low quality ingredient that can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Senior Dry dog food line:
Ultra-Processed: This line loses significant ingredient safety points as an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops in the top 5 ingredients that include corn, soybean and canola. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Menadione: Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K that is not required in dog food. It may be linked to immune system dysfunction, oxidative damage to cells, liver toxicity, and allergic reactions.
Benefits
There’s ome benefit of this line of dog food:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that Pro Plan Senior Dry dog food contains probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Development Puppy Wet Dog Food Review
Score: 6/10
Package Ingredients For Pro Plan Puppy Chicken & Rice Entree Classic Recipe: Chicken, liver, meat-by-products, water, salmon, rice, minerals, guar gum, salt, carrageenan, choline chloride, vitamins
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Development Puppy Wet dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 17% as calculated on a dry matter basis, which is high for a wet dog food. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used.and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Development Puppy Wet dog food line:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
Carrageenan: Carrageenan is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Canned Review
Score: 5.6/10
Package Ingredients for Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials Lamb and Vegetables Entree Recipe: Water, lamb, liver, wheat gluten, chicken, meat by-products, carrots, corn starch-modified, potatoes, green beans, minerals, tricalcium phosphate, salt, vitamins, choline chloride.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Complete Essentials Wet dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 19% on a dry matter basis, which is high for a wet dog food. equirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal proteins are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Complete Essentials Wet dog food:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO Ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops, including corn starch and potatoes. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Carrageenan: Carrageenan is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Focus Wet Dog Food Review
Score: 4.5/10
Package Ingredients for Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Recipe: Water sufficient for processing, salmon, rice, fish, potato protein, corn oil, carrots, inulin, potassium chloride, carrageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, niacin, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, potassium iodide, folic acid, vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin, sodium selenite.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Focus Wet dog food is considered a moderate-risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 25% on a dry matter basis … which is quite high to see in a wet dog food. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Seed Oil: Some of these recipes contain corn oil, which is a highly processed and inflammatory oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Focus Wet dog food line:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMO ingredients: Recipes in this line contain known GMO crops, in one case in the top 5 ingredients, including corn and potatoes. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Carrageenan: Carrageenan is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs food safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Purina Pro Plan Savor Wet Dog Food Review
Score: 6.2/10
Package Ingredients for Pro Plan Savor Grain Free Adult Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe: Turkey, water sufficient for processing, liver, meat by-products, chicken, sweet potatoes, guar gum, potassium chloride, salt, carrageenan, calcium carbonate, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, choline chloride, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, folic acid, vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, sodium selenite.
Using our evaluation criteria, Pro Plan Savor Wet dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 25% on a dry matter basis, which is high to see in a wet dog food. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Unnamed Animal Protein: Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used, and they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Pro Plan Savor Wet dog food line:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
Carrageenan: Carrageenan is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Is Purina Pro Plan A Good Dog Food?
When evaluating ingredient quality and safety, all 5 lines of Purina Pro Plan dry dog foods are considered very high risk according to our evaluation criteria. The canned foods score better and are considered moderate risk because they are less processed and have lower carbohydrate content, even though the carbohydrate levels are still higher than expected in wet dog foods.
The dry foods are especially troubling because 28/32 recipes score 0/10 for ingredient safety. The Pro Plan Specialized line is marketed to dogs with specific issues such as sensitive stomach or weight management needs, and yet their ingredients are high in pesticides and GMOs that can affect sensitive digestive systems. Rice is used which is a concern as it can be contaminated with arsenic that is linked to chronic health issues. Regarding ingredient quality, Purina Pro Plan lines use inflammatory seed oils like soybean and sunflower oil, and glycerin which is a sugar that dogs don’t need. These recipes have unnamed animal protein like fish oil, fish meal and poultry byproduct, which make it difficult to know the source or quality of these ingredients.
Purina Pro Plan scores lower than many other dry and canned foods on the market. Overall, there are other dog foods with lower carbohydrates that are lower risk alternatives.
There is no information on the Purina website about the sourcing or quality of ingredients.
Purina makes their food at their own plants, and most of the Pro Plan recipes contain probiotics (with guaranteed CFUs), but there are additional concerns with the food and marketing. These don’t affect the Purina Pro Plan dog food reviews score, but they’re worth mentioning:
Ingredient Splitting: This is a technique of splitting ingredients into sub-categories to move certain ingredients higher or lower on the ingredient list. This is often used to disguise the amount of lower quality ingredients in the food, such as corn, potatoes or peas, and moves desirable ingredients, like proteins, higher.
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: It’s also worth noting that Purina Pro Plan does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish: These foods don’t specify whether fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.
PURINA DOG FOOD RECALLS
Purina has had a number of recalls.
02/2023: Recall of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL for potentially elevated Vitamin D.
12/2022: Recall of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets for mislabelling.
03/2016: Voluntary recall of Pro Plan Savory Meals and Beneful for inadequate vitamins and minerals.
08/2013: Recall of Purina ONE Beyond for possible salmonella risk.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
