PurePro Dog Food Review

If I’m honest I find PurePro dog food difficult to review. Dogs are closer to their carnivorous ancestors than they are to us as omnivores, so a dog food high in protein and fat from animal sources has to be a good thing, right?

Well perhaps, but perhaps not. You’ll have to read our PurePro dog food review and decide for yourself.

PurePro dog food is very high in protein, and very high in fat, and using our method of calculating carbs we estimate the food to be 6% carbs. In terms of Australian dry foods that’s ground-breaking, and it’s amazing it can be bound into a kibble.

For our PurePro dog food review we’ll take a pragmatic look at the ingredients and composition, but request you give us feedback in the comments if you feed this food. How have you found it?

PurePro dog food review

What the marketing says

PurePro is marketed as a “high performance dog food”, with “double the protein and double the fat” (based on some average metric?). The PurePro website claims the food is “the most nutrient dense dog food on the Australian market”, “suitable for dogs of all ages”.

They say PurePro is an “ideal feed” for growing pups, pregnant or whelping bitches, active or working dogs and greyhounds”. We also find the food is “97% from Australian ingredients”.

PurePro Dog Food Review

This all sounds very good, but we also note no mention of AAFCO compliance or any form of standard. The analysis doesn’t seem to be guaranteed, merely a “nutritional table”. These are hallmarks of a rural outback “feed” product, but with any luck PurePro will address these issues as the product matures.

PurePro Dog Food Review
PurePro Dog Food Review – Nutritional Table rather than Guaranteed Analysis

There’s a few other ominous signs which we’ll cover in the next section, and these are worth taking note if you feed PurePro dog food.

What the ingredients really say

PurePro dog food is targeted at working or performance dogs, hence the high protein and fat. They use three protein-dense fish ingredients, plus a heavy dose of salmon oil for the fat content. We find fish meal, finfish meal, and fish hyrolysate (in simple terms – liquid fish meal), all of which are very high in protein and assuming a relatively decent quality should contain vital nutrients.

A concern with fish meal (especially in such quantities) is the use of antioxidants which are used to prevent the fish going rank. These antioxidants can be natural or artificial, and we must assume the latter if not specified (i.e. BHT, BHA, or Propyl Gallate).

We find antioxidants listed last on the ingredients, and it’s possible these are added in addition to any already added to the fish meal. Again, the point still stands that this is ambiguous and assumed to be artificial.

PurePro Dog Food Review

The use of a standard vitamin and mineral pack isn’t a sign of quality in a dog food, and neither is tallow.

Fibre at 0.1% is worryingly low and should probably sit between 2% and 4%. The ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 doesn’t conform to the recommended 2.6:1 to 26:1.

These aren’t good signs unfortunately, and it really shows PurePro dog food isn’t properly formulated.

Wheat bran is one of the leading causes of food sensitivities in dogs, with some tell-tale symptoms being itchy skin, runny eyes, scratching, dull coat. That said, it would appear there is little wheat bran in PurePro.

A final note is the absence of a guaranteed analysis. Given PurePro dog food doesn’t state the use of any standards, the protein and fat may be absolute maximums, meaning the formula may not be as expected.

Summary of PurePro dog food

It’s been a rather negative review unfortunately, but to end on a positive note it could well be the amount of fish meal (assuming a decent quality) can work very well for a working dog or performance dog (such as greyhounds).

If you decide to feed PurePro dog food then keep in mind it doesn’t appear to conform to a standard such as AAFCO, and if fed as a sole diet may not meet minimum nutritional guidelines. Lack of fibre, for example, may prove problematic over time if no other foods (commercial/fresh/raw) are included in the dog’s diet.

Where to buy PurePro dog food

PurePro dog food is available from independent retailers or direct from PurePro Feeds.

Ingredients of PurePro dog food

Ingredients of PurePro working dog food as of September 2021:

Fishmeal, Finfish meal, Fish hydrolysate, Salmon oil, Meat meal, Blood meal, Poultry meal, Lupin kernel meal, Wheat bran, Tallow, Vitamins and Minerals, Antioxidants.

Guaranteed(?) analysis of PurePro dog food

Analysis of PurePro working dog food as of September 2021:

Protein44%
Fat32%
Crude Fibre0.1%
Carbohydrates *6% (uncertain estimate)
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.

PurePro dog food recalls

PurePro dog food is new to the market at the time of review, and as such there are no known recalls at the current time. If you have had any issues with PurePro dog food please let us know.

Previous recalls:

  • None.

Calling Aussie pet lovers – join the mailing list!

5 Total Score
PurePro Dog Food Review

Needs refinement and consideration

8 Comments
  1. This dog food (pure pro) has made my dogs eyes water , itchiness of the eyes , wheezing and bloating this dog food has killed not but one but two of my dogs in the 2 months we have giving it to them .

  2. Unfortunately Pure Pro is no longer available due to supply chain issues with the manufacturer. Such a shame as it was my dogs favourite kibble. I have an English Staffy who is super energetic, doesn’t want to eat a huge amount, and has some skin conditions. Pure Pro was perfect for him. Having a high caloric density (from protein and fats rather than cheap carbs) meant only half a normal kibble serve kept him running all day, the salmon oil was fantastic for his allergies and coat shine, and best of all he loved it.

  3. I have American Akitas. I used to feed Blackhawk but after a change in ingredients I went to Royal Canin E48, then they stopped supply to a retail buyer.
    I then come across PurePro and I am so glad I did. Such great quality and maintains their weight. My dogs also love it. Highly recommend.

  4. I’ve been feeding Pure Pro to my young Dutch Shepherd mixed with Raw for several months now after trying and failing to find a dry food that he maintained weight on. At one stage he was eating 3 cups of dry and 1kg of raw and still loosing weight. I switched him to Pure Pro and he maintains weight beautifully and has a fantastic coat. My friend who has racing sled dogs switched at the same time and has seen an increase in his dogs performance (more endurance and better recovery after a race as well as being able to build and maintian muscle mass while racing) on Pure Pro. His fussy eaters now eat their food with enthusiasm.

  5. I have been trying to change over to this food for months (yes, months!). Every time i start to introduce it the dogs get incredibly loose stools, i’m finding it such a painful process to change them over. I totally agree with the extra fibre being needed. A friend has had great success on her elderly dog though, mentioning that she seems less arthritic, wanting to play more etc. It has it’s merits, the dogs absolutely love the taste but i’m hating cleaning their bums every time they go outside. I would love to see the formula improved a bit, I’d love to be able to support an aussie company.

  6. I have tried a free sample of this food on my dogs. My fussy Toy poodle enjoyed it. I have contemplated alot of thought into this food because I am always looking for the very best for my dogs. 97% Australian ingredients is attractive to me. What concerns me is the exremely high protein and and fat content and considering I add a fair amount of raw meat to my dogs diets , I’m unsure of the effects of such high protein on their bodies. The lack of AAFCO compliance concerns me(not advertised on the pack if it is compliant) and the wheat bran is a turn off for me as I have an English Pointer who does best on grain free. I am also concerned about the antioxidants (I have concerns about BHA and BHT amongst others) and you have mentioned this in the review as well. It’s also a very expensive food and I understand you would feed less compared to others, but I haven’t been able to afford to purchase a bag to truly trial the dogs on yet, but the above concerns I have mentioned have stopped me too. We desperately need good quality Australian
    made and owned pet food in our country, so hats off to a new brand giving it a go. I think l will just keep watching to see what happens with this brand of food as they grow, before I jump on board, if I do.

    • Balanced Life have made a new kibble Open Paddock, that will eventually be selling in all Woolworths stores I hope. It’s Australia owned and made locally in Howlong. It’s also made primarily with Australian ingredients, as much as is possible. Since it’ll be a supermarket food it’ll be cheaper, but I still think the quality is not bad, it will also contain air dried meat pieces.

      https://openpaddockpet.com.au/

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