Purina Pro

[StaceyW]

Anyone know anything about this food? I know there have been lots of food discussions but dont remember anything about this one. Our vet says it is good and doesnt feel there is any reason to buy anything more $$.

[Yvonne N]

Thank you for this information. Do you mind sharing with me what you feed? I see a lot of owners speaking about Taste Of The Wild...I was just wondering. Thank you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I personally just switched Jack to Orijen Fresh Fish about 2 weeks ago, on the advice of his immunology specialist, who is an expert on canine nutrition; this is our first experience with a totally grain free food. I was previously using Nature's Variety Prairie Salmon & Brown Rice, and Fromm Four Star Salmon a la Veg.
Orijen was chosen as the best dog food by the Whole Dog Journal, whose advice I don't always agree with, but in this case, they picked a winner. The bags are vacuum sealed, much different then any other food I've seen...they "inflate" when you open them. This means that there are no storage mites, which is one of Jack's allergens. It has a very high protein content, designed to be "biologically appropriate." The food is made in Canada, with all the ingredients being purchased locally...the fish, the fruit, everything, and the first five ingredients are named fish meals and whole fish. All of this comes at a price...the food costs $48 for a 15 lb bag, although there is another "flavor" which is $38 for 15 lbs.
But this is not the only good quality food available, by a long shot. TOTW, Innova, Fromm, Solid Gold, NV, Canidae, there are a lot of them. I also give Jack fresh foods... eggs, various kinds of fish, chicken, and lima beans, which is the only veggie he'll eat! There are lots of options for feeding your dog a nutritious, healthy diet, without breaking the bank... and we discuss them all in the Food Group. Come and join us there!

[Sue Robin F]

I feed my dogs Purino Pro for sensitive stomach and skin. It is like a miracle food for my dogs and for many other people I have talked to. It has a 100 rating by customers on a site. My dog had a colitis type condition. I tried the most expensive foods and nothing worked.I put him on Purino Pro for sensitive skin and stomach and it was an instant cure.My dogs also love the taste. It is a salmon based food. I also had 2 friends who had the same experience.
I went to a seminar by a Vet nutritionist ... who would not recommend a particular brand, but when questioned as to what she feed her dogs, it was Purina Pro. Also my own Vet who is owner of a huge animal hospital gives it to his dogs. i think if you read the ingredients ... it does not have junk in it .... at least in the one for sensitive skin and stomach. i can find the link of customers who love it, if you want

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sue, we have all the ingredients. You can read them here: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?pro...

The food contains menadione, as mentioned above, may contain ethoxyquin, and contains brewers rice, which is a by-product, usually considered as "junk". It contains ingredients imported from outside sources.
I don't know what site you are referring to, but I would be willing to bet it is sponsored by the Purina company. Terms like "miracle food" are usually a big red flag, as food does not work miracles, and these are the kinds of terms usually used in sales pitches.
Many of us have researched these issues very deeply, using only independent sources, including my Food Group co-administrator, Lynne, whose dog died from the poisoned food of the 2007 recalls. Many people recommended that food, too. Facts are facts, and the only recommendations or information that anyone should use to make decisions are found in independent research...not recommendations that are anecdotal, or come from anyone who makes a profit if you believe them. I fed Nutro for 19 years, my last dog lived to be 16 and was very healthy, and Jack seemed to be doing well on it. Yet, when I learned what I know now, I stopped using it. As has been mentioned here many times, most vets do not have a good background in canine nutrition, and they receive commission from the dog food companies. I am glad your dog is doing well on it, and we all have to make these choices for ourselves, but there are many salmon based foods that do not contain harmful ingredients or imported ingredients, and would work just as well for you. I personally would not take the risk of using Purina products, but all I can do is present the facts.

[Sue Robin F]

I used the word 'miracle' for me .... no one said it in a sales pitch. I had rescued Moses when he was 16 months old and from the first day i had him he had bad diarrhea every day. The first day I got him, it was all over my car. I tried different things, including cooking home made diets.
I have had multiple dogs for 42 years. I never had such a serious chronic stomach condition with any unless they were very ill. My hands ached from the constant cleaning. Therefore, when this food stopped his diarrhea totally and he had well formed BM's, and less of them .... to me it was like a miracle.

[Sue Robin F]

I do not disagree with you. Years ago, one of my dogs , a Golden Retriever,was part of an independent research project having to do with diets and longevity. That Golden lived until she was17 years old.

[20xlhzzaoccks]

When I got my dog Steve, I didn't know anything about food and my vet suggested Purina Pro Plan. I have since learned that most vets don't really know much about good nutrition and many of them seem to have a connection with Science Diet which does not contain good ingreedients. Steve was always really itchy on it and had diarrhea frequently. After all the great advice I have gotten here on Doodle Kisses, I am currently feeding him Taste of the Wild Bison and Venison and he is doing great in it. It and it seems to be the only thing that doesn't cause him diarrhea. I have tried other premium foods like California Natural and Fromms but they don't seem to sit well with him and cause loose stools.

[Sue Robin F]

Yes, i agree with you that most Vets do not know much about nutrition. However, the Vet I spoke about ... that was all she did ... she was a Vet nutritionist .... studied nutrition as her speciality..... made special diets for animals.
I had no choice, at one point my dog's colitis caused him to bleed really bad rectally. He was having constant diarhea accidents on my rug. I had him on all sorts of expensive organic foods. When I put him on Pro Plan for sensitive skin and stomach all his elimination problems cleared up. To me it was like a miracle. I had a friend who's dog also had colitis really bad and the Sensitive stomach pro plan also worked for her.
Here is a link where 23 of 23 customer reviews had good success with it.
http://www.petco.com/product/9858/Pro-Plan-Extra-Care-Sensitive-Ski...
I do not know about the other Pro Plan varieties, but this has been wonderful for my dogs

[Sue Robin F]

It is a salmon based food

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Again, I am not telling anyone to go against their vet's instructions, and we each have to choose for ourselves. I cannot explain why a vet who studied nutrition would recommend a food that contains animal digest, unspecified animal fats (from rendering plants) and other by-products. I know how hard it is to have a dog with a chronic illness, and I don't blame you for making the choice you did. If at any point you would like some info on what else is out there that would work for your dog, I would happy to explore the options with you.
The link above, however, is from a commercial website (Petco's) with customer reviews. There is no science involved there, and we don't know what these people were feeding prior to Pro Plan. If it was something like Ol' Roy, the Pro Plan is definitely an improvement. For every product that is unhealthy, you can find lay people who will tell you how great it is. To make a proper choice when buying any product, you need to use independent, fact-based sources.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I feed Taste of the Wild. My parents have since jumped on board for their dogs. And my sister is switching to TOTW also. We all get together so often, we thought it would be good to have the dogs on one food. My Peri and Taquito just love it.

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Just to confirm: TOTW, not good for large breed puppies, yes?

(Which is a shame, since Angel likes TOTW better than Orijen...and it's cheaper.)