Is Purina Pro Plan any good?

[guster girl]

Hey, all. A vet tried to make me feel badly for feeding a raw diet to Finn the other day when I was speaking with him about a couple of things. I asked him what kind of crapinabag dog food he recommended. He said Purina Pro Plan. I plan on checking it out myself, but, was wondering if anyone knew the ingredients in here or anything like that. I wish I had known at the time what gets put in that particular dog food. Anyway, thanks in advance, guys.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

This is a great site to check out...it has all the Dog Food reviews.

http://www.greatgoldens.com/reviews/dogcomp_d.htm

[guster girl]

Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, corn bran, fish meal, natural flavors, egg product, dicalcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), calcium carbonate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, riboflavin supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite. O-4455

So, the first ingredient is chicken (which means it's mostly water, am I right about that?), the next two are grains (and, those are great for dogs! *sarcasm*), the fourth one is by product meal (which is just all of the extra junk, like feet and beaks and stuff, right?), then, corn (can anyone digest that?), and, beef tallow is next (definition of tallow: " the white nearly tasteless solid rendered fat of cattle and sheep used chiefly in soap, candles, and lubricants", that sounds tasty!) two more corn products, FINALLY SOMETHING GOOD (fish meal), but, it probably isn't even the good fish with the oils (is it omega 6 or 3, i can't remember), then, flavors, egg, and, the rest is just preservatives. I can't believe a vet recommended it. Scratch that, yes I can. Money talks. I may just go up there and ask him about it. And, this is the original chicken and rice formula.

ugh.

[dukedogsmom]

Thanks so much for posting that dog food site! I've been feeding Science Diet because I thought it was so much better. It starts out with corn meal. Pro Plan starts out with chicken. I'm going back to that. I used to feed Duke that a long time ago.

[binka_nugget]

Bleck! Don't worry about vets trying to make you feel bad for feeding raw. I'm lucky I have a vet who isn't against or for it. He's neutral and is only there for information. He has shown no biases based on what he sells. Does your vet sell pro plan by any chance? Another vet we went to tried to talk us into feeding Kaedyn some expensive type of Hills food when it was clear he was doing well on raw.

[stacwase]

I used to feed Pro Plan. Now I feed Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.

When we move to the country, we're going to be raising and butchering a lot of our own meat. At that time, I imagine we might slowly switch to the raw diet.

Don't let your vet make you feel guilty. If you're carefully feeding your dog the foods he needs, then you're doing your job as a mama. If he looks shiny and healthy and has good bowel habits and is healthy, then you're doing fine!

[guster girl]

I don't know what my vet sells anymore as far as pet food. It's been awhile since I bought a bag of food from her. I know when my cat was alive, we were feeding him Purina Diabetes Management. It was no carbs or sugars, I think. I want to say she has a different kind of food, now, though. I'll look when I am there for Finn's neuter surgery (hopefully soon). I just happened to be at another vet's cuz I had some questions (they were actually more for a friend of mine). Anyway, he was the one that sold Pro Plan. I mean, he shot that out at me like it was gold. You should feed Purina Pro Plan. I'm like, geez, he must get commission. What does Julia roberts say in Pretty Woman? "Big mistake. Huge."

[guster girl]

Originally posted by stacwase

Don't let your vet make you feel guilty.

My vet's actually an advocate for the raw diet. She's the one who told me about it. But, thanks for the nice comments! I do try to do the best for my buddy.

[guster girl]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
Thanks so much for posting that dog food site! I've been feeding Science Diet because I thought it was so much better. It starts out with corn meal. Pro Plan starts out with chicken. I'm going back to that. I used to feed Duke that a long time ago.

It has chicken as the first ingredient, but, the best is when it says "chicken meal", cuz there's either no water or at least less water. When it just says chicken or beef, it's mostly water. It's not a great ingredient to start with. Science Diet really is bad, but, Pro Plan isn't a lot better. I posted the ingredients to show how crappy they were, but, hey! Pro Plan is better than a lot of the others out there!

[RubyMutt]

ProPlan is and always has been my dog food of choice.

I fed to my RB miniature schnauzer, Muffy, all 13 years of her life. Ruby has been eating it since she came to live with me almost two years ago.

I'm happy with the ingredients (and so are the pups) and I've never had a bad experience with the food. Plus, it's not super expensive like some dog foods out there (granted, there's a lot of cheaper brands, but I think it's a good price for good quality )

[guster girl]

Hey, it's all gravy. My neighbor had a dog that lived to be 20 and she fed him Pedigree for most of his life. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, though. She'll never buy anything but Pedigree, though. But, I know people that have chain smoked their entire lives and have clear lungs, but, I still advise people not to smoke, just like I still recommend different foods to people if I think there are better choices. But, adversity is what makes the world fun. And, why tons of dogs live fine off Ol' Roy. Ick.

[RubyMutt]

I disagree that it is a "bad" dog food. Different dogs have different needs. There is a huge variety of dog foods available. Not every food will be right for every dog. You need to look at your dog's needs and the ingredients in the foods There are definitely some dog foods I wouldn't feed Ruby, but I don't believe I'm doing anything harmful by feeding her ProPlan. I don't see at all how dog food compares to chain smoking I don't believe that there is any brand of dog food out there that is that much of a health hazard!

[K9soul]

I think each person should go with what they feel is best for their pets. I really personally do not feel that dog food brand necessarily has a direct impact on a dog's lifespan. I think it can definitely impact things like coat quality, energy levels, arthritic symptoms, etc., but I've never seen nor heard any evidence that showed dogs usually live longer on such and such food.

There are as many debates on what is best for a dog to eat nutritionally as there are about people. With people for instance, you have your vegetarian proponents, your food pyramid proponents, your low-carb proponents, and so on, all with documentation that their way is the most healthy way to eat. In the end, I think like people, dogs are different in what they best tolerate and thrive on, and each person just has to find what they feel their dog does the best on, and that they can afford or get ahold of.

I wouldn't really compare feeding a cheaper brand of dog food to someone smoking. I know you probably weren't really implying that, but smoking is so incredibly destructive to nearly every organ system, and I don't believe less expensive foods are destructive as much as they just may not offer as much benefit.

I suppose in the end, it is a lot like comparing the way we ourselves may eat or how people feed their children. There are many people who would totally disagree as to the best way of eating, but in the end it is something we all have our opinions and beliefs in.

The only thing I really hate to see is when someone reveals what they feed their dog and others begin calling the food "crap" and going on how they would never feed their dog that. I think if I were on the receiving end of that, I would feel accused that I did not care enough about the welfare of my dogs to feed it a "good" food. Not saying that is what is going on here, but that is where I have seen a lot of these discussions end up.

[Varga]

What does feeding your dog "raw" mean?.. Is that when you mix the food yourself? (Sorry but my English isn't always up to scratch )

Does anyone know a good website with tips and guidelines on mixing your own dog food.. perhaps with different recipes.. ?

-Varga

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by Varga
What does feeding your dog "raw" mean?.. Is that when you mix the food yourself? (Sorry but my English isn't always up to scratch )

Does anyone know a good website with tips and guidelines on mixing your own dog food.. perhaps with different recipes.. ?

-Varga

Raw feeding means feeding your dogs exactly that, raw food. It consists of raw bones, muscle meats, organs, eggs, veggies, fruits and supplements (optional).

As for mixing your own dog food, you may want to look for home-cooking information. Wolfsoul knows alot more about home cooking than I do so you may want to try pming her about it.