Pro Plan Dog Food Review
Purina Pro Plan is a popular dog food in Australia, affordable, and easy to get hold of.
But why?
Is it because it’s a good dog food, or because the price attracts buyers who haven’t considered what it’s made from?
Let’s take a look at both a standard Adult Pro Plan formula, and also the Sensitive Skin & Stomach range which you may find ironic if you read this review in full!
Purina Pro Plan review
Lots of people don’t read the ingredients of the products they buy, but if you do then you’ll find chicken meal and chicken listed as the first ingredient.
That’s good right?
Well, yes, it definitely is considering your dog will benefit the most from meat in their diet.
“Chicken meal” is a dry pre-cooked powder form of chicken, and “chicken” is some form of chicken as we’re more used to it – wet, with lots of moisture which actually gets cooked off when it’s made into a kibble.
We’re told the chicken is 34% of the formula, which tells us the rest of the ingredients will be the remaining 66%…. (well not quite, because once the moisture in the chicken is cooked off it skews this ratio).
However, Pro Plan looks okay so far, but then we need to consider the other main ingredients.
These are brewers rice, whole grain wheat, oats, and barley.
You’ll note these are all grains, which aren’t ideal for your dog, and these grains will certainly outweigh the chicken ingredient which we read first. It’s not the last of the grains either, because after animal fat (of which we aren’t told what animal(s)), comes wheat gluten.
I really don’t like to see wheat in a dog food. The reason – I find it problematic, and a cause of bad or itchy skin, itchy ears, and weight gain over time (dogs struggle to digest grains). It’s not surprising when your dog would literally never eat wheat in the wild.
But hey, if you find your dog starts getting itchy on regular Pro Plan, Purina have a solution for you – Sensitive Skin & Stomach!
I wonder how many Aussie dog owners make that switch, not realising the original formula was probably the cause in the first place?
The benefit of the grain-cocktail in Pro Plan is simple – cheaper to make, cheaper to sell, and cheap stuff sells more.
Fair enough, the 28% protein in Pro Plan (Adult Medium Breed formula) is actually above average, as is 16% fat. Some of the protein will come from grains, and wheat gluten, but it’s the chicken your dog will benefit from the most.
If Purina Pro Plan is the best dog food you can afford, I highly recommend feeding some tasty raw meats, offal, or raw meaty bones as well, or even healthy table scraps like eggs, tuna, or some veggies.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach
It’s worth covering Sensitive Skin & Stomach in this review because I can tell you why it works – and it may not be the reason you expect.
Here are the main ingredients:
Salmon & mackerel (34%); brewers rice; wholegrain sorghum; oats; animal fat (source of omega-6 fatty acids); animal digest;
You’ll note the first ingredient is salmon & mackerel, and the reason for this is chicken is considered one of the main causes of dietary intolerance (allergies/sensitivity) in dogs.
However, you may be surprised to learn chicken isn’t what I consider the most common cause of reactions in dogs.
I consider the most common cause of dietary sensitivities in dogs to be wheat (or other cheap grain ingredients).
You’ll note wheat isn’t in the Sensitive Skin & Stomach recipe either, and this might be the real reason your dog was reacting to their previous formula – regular Pro Plan or otherwise (have a read of the ingredients!)
By the way, it’s not an allergy if your dog shouldn’t eat it in the first place – which is the case for wheat and other grains. It’s a dietary sensitivity, because they shouldn’t eat it anyway.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the Australian Pro Plan website:
Like humans, dogs can be born with or develop an intolerance to food later in life. Common food allergens include chicken and beef protein, soy, wheat and corn. When digested, they cause the immune system to react. Signs of an intolerance or sensitivity can include vomiting, diarrhoea, paw chewing and skin rashes.
Pay attention to the words develop an intolerance to food later in life, which you should read as their previous diet caused the condition to develop.
Also, apart from mentioning chicken and beef, they state dogs can react to soy, wheat, and corn.
Doesn’t that make you wonder why they use wheat and other grains in their regular Pro Plan recipes?
Where to buy?
Purina Pro Plan is easy to buy in Australia at many retailers or supermarkets.
Ingredients
The ingredients of Purina Pro Plan (PRO PLAN Adult Medium Breed Chicken Dry Dog Food):
Chicken meal and Chicken (34%); brewers rice; whole grain wheat; oats; barley; animal fat; wheat gluten; animal digest; beet pulp; minerals, vitamins, amino acids (including calcium, phosphorous, sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, iodine, aluminosilicate, vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, choline, folic acid); fish oil (source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids) and natural antioxidants; dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product
Typical Analysis
The as fed analysis of Purina Pro Plan (PRO PLAN Adult Medium Breed Chicken Dry Dog Food):
| Protein | 28% |
| Fat | 16% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 3% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 38% |
It looks like this review is from 2022? The packaging has been updated for Pro Plan and they now also include a percentage for the main chicken meal ingredient, which I think is great. I think personally 3.9 is quite a harsh rating for pro plan adult which currently has 34% chicken meal, 28% protein and 16% fat. Royal canin when I look on the website it’s hard to find the information, though based on Petbarn it appears it has a slightly lower protein and fat percentage, as well as not identifying the exact type of ‘poultry protein’ or the percentage of it in the food. My dogs get the puppy pro plan chicken medium breed as part of a varied diet and it has 37% chicken meal/chicken mix. I think based on the above, pro plan actually probably deserves a better rating than royal canin, yet royal canin currently has the higher rating.
Any thoughts, or have you heard about anything in Australia in relation to reports of dogs getting very sick in the US on this food? I think people are reporting other brands too. But no official recall as yet…maybe they don’t know they actual cause as yet????
This is a review of Purina one, can’t find it, so I’ll post it here for the lols.
You can tell Purina is made from quality ingredients just by looking at it, it’s not crumbly or overly powdered like some of the cheaper brands and smells a lot more appealing too. My cat loved this food so Ill probably buy it again when it’s on special as it is quite a bit more expensive than my usual brand, but worth the extra price.
Ran out of things to look at, while at a friends house Alan gave me the idea to look up reviews, I can learn some stuff and just generally lol at every good review Purina gets, facepalms included.
Wish I could look at the ingredients, they don’t appear to want to show them.
Wtf spelling haha. FARBALL FLOVOUR
Purina Pro Plan have up graded all their Pro Plan formula’s & they’re called Opti????? this formula above is called Adult OptiLife now & has NO yellow corn, NO corn gluten meal, beef and/or lamb tallow, these ingredients have been replaced with Dehydrated Chicken, Barley and Oats, whole grain wheat, then it starts going back down hill, animal fat, bran, soybean protein, the OptiDigest Digestion & OptiRestore Sensitive Skin has a bit only a bit better ingredients….
At least their making an effort to be better, of course it’s because sales have dropped but still!
Dogs will be healthier on these new ones either way.
Yes when you go to Pet Barn the Purina Pro Plan bags don’t get touched cause I go weekly I noticed the same 2 bags Pro Plan Sensitive Digestion still sitting there but the Puppy Sensitive skin/stomach is always gone but that could just the shop assistant telling the person this is good for dogs with diarrhea or if their puppy is scratching, cause there’s so many better kibbles Purina would be noticing business dropping….. in America Purina have worse ingredients our Pro Plan was up graded probably like you said no one wants to pay $35 x 2 kilos of crap.
Thank you very much for your help and concern. I certainly won’t give him any more Purina. Home cooked food seems like the best option for the time being, at least until he’s fully recovered.
Hi Petra, I have a 6 year old cavoodle with a sensitive stomach. Due to advice given he has been fed Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice since very young. Over the past year he has suffered bouts of bleeding accompanied by a temperature. Diagnosed as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. I am at a total loss to work out where he picks it up. Do you think it could be caused by the dried dog food? It was represented to me as “top of the range” and suitable for sensitive stomachs and allergies.
Hi Margaret sounds like your dog has food sensitivities & an ingredient is irritating his intestinal tract…When I rescued my boy he was having the same problems at first I thought he had Parvo….Patch has been diagnosed thru biopsies to have IBD & skin allergies.. Freshly cooked balanced diet is the best for these dogs….or a gluten free hydrolysed kibble like “Meals for Mutts” or “Ziwi Peak” wet tin or Air Dried if you don’t want to cook & freeze meals, I feed kibble for breakfast & a cooked meal that has been thawed over night in the fridge for dinner….This way Patch isn’t eating kibble all the time & his stomach/bowel has a break from kibble & he gets some freshly cooked meals…
Hi Margaret, this can certainly be caused by diet. Pro Plan may be top of the range as far as Purina products go, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good product. Given the severity of this condition I’d stop feeding Pro Plan immediately. Switch to one of the foods on the best rated list, perhaps something like Ziwipeak or K9 Natural for the short term instead of a kibble, or investigate home made diets. If the condition continues make sure you keep your vet involved.
Hi, I have just been reading up on your reviews. We have a one year old cavoodle whose breeder is DETERMINED that raw is best. Unfortunately, feeding just raw chicken necks doesn’t agree with our dog’s stomach, very loose, watery stools so on vets advice has been put on Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Tuna. It has sorted out his stomach problems but needs encouragement to eat it. Having read your reviews we are going to try Ivory Coat Lamb and Kangaroo. What are your thoughts on the Purina Pro Plan salmon and tuna? Thanks
Although I know it’s super late and it probably won’t get seen by Petra since it’s not a disqus comment but hell that breeder sucked, who wouldn’t explain what raw fed actually is to someone whose new to it?
I’ve read a lot of comments and stories of people changing to raw necks or raw wings and thighs only and than having severe problems from it.
Raw isn’t just one type of meat, it’s several with pulverised veges and fruits, yoghurt/kefir, olive or fish oils, vitamin powders for dogs if necessary, bones and you get the idea, you can’t not tell people this it’s a very dangerous thing to do.
Hi Petra, my thoughts on Purina are very very negative and I’d suggest your vet does a little more investigation into what they’re recommending. Sorry, that probably sounds very radical, but I’m not a big fan of the Purina company and their products.
I’d say try the Ivory Coat as a base diet and supplement it with the chicken necks.
why are you so concerned that wheat causes allergies in animals? I thought that gluten sensitivity was only recognised in irish terriers and english setters? almost all other dogs don’t suffer with gluten issues or have you some different reference ?
Andrew
Hi Andrew, wheat is one of the prime causes of allergies in dogs. Not always from the grain itself, but also from mites found in such an inclusion. I’ve known many dogs to have skin irritations that have cleared up when wheat has been removed from the diet, particularly with staffies who are most prone.