[Bloodusmc]

What you guys think about this brand "purina puppy chow"

My puppy is a 3 month old german shepherd pitbull mix.

Ingredients
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, pearled barley, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), beet pulp, animal digest, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, DL-Methionine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin supplements (A, E, B-12, D-3), manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, garlic oil, pyridoxine

 

[BlackPuppy]

I don't like the idea of feeding a growing puppy all the corn and soybean meal and barley. That's a lot of grain. Also, when you see "by-product", that's not a good thing.

For a little more money you can buy a better food. For a lot more money, you can buy a very good food. Go to a pet store and start looking at lables. Avoid anything with corn, and look for foods that list a meat meal first. (Meal is okay.) If you have questions, come back and ask.

 

[Taylor]

If you have a costco near you go and buy a bag of the Kirkland Adult Dogfood. If you have a Tractor Supply near you, go buy the 4health brand dogfood. THey are inexpensive and will give you much better results. They are good foods that are very affordable.

 

[Samba]

Here is a review of the Purina product.

Dog Food Reviews - Purina Puppy Chow - Powered by ReviewPost

I don't know of anyone who would recommend this food. Also, when purchasing a puppy food, I would buy a large breed puppy formula. There are many, many better choices for your little pup!

 

[GSD Fan]

I recommend Blue Buffalo, especially if you cannot afford the super high great dog food like Orijen and Wellness. Blue Buffalo is easier to find and isn't as high. It's also a good dog food, 4 star dog food according to Dog Food Analysis.

 

[ChancetheGSD]

I agree with BlackPuppy though to be a little more clear, you want a NAMED meat meal. Not "meat meal" or "meat and bone meal". Both are poor ingredients. Look for things like "turkey meal", "chicken meal", "duck meal", ect preferably as the first couple of ingredients.

 

[ChancetheGSD]

If they're looking for something roughly in the Purina price range, Blue Buffalo is going to be too expensive. 4Health, Kirkland Signature, Chicken Soup for the Dog, things like that would be a much better fit price wise. Though if they're willing to put out the money, there are plenty of other really good brands to recommend.

And I know some people will disagree with me but in a money pinch I'd personally be willing to feed Petsmars brand, Authority. Some of their formulas aren't too bad especially considering you can buy 30lb bags for only $34!

Authority Puppy Lamb Formula
Lamb, Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Wheat, Wheat Germ Meal, Oat Groats, Rice Bran, Dried Egg Product, Beef Tallow (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Meal, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine. Vitamin and Mineral Supplements (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Ascorbic Acid), Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, D Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement).

Could always supplement with some cheap cuts of meats and eggs to give your dog a higher meat intake too and balance out the grain levels a little better.

 

[GROVEBEAUTY]

We use Solid Gold or Avoderm. They are a little more, but you will find that the puppy will eat a lot less. You will need to switch slowly to the new food, no matter what you choose. I look at this way - the money you spend now for food will offset the money you don't spend later on vet bills.

 

[clearcreekranch]

Authority from Petsmart is a good food as is Exclusive from Sam's Club for the price range. I have also fed Exceed from the feed store and is in the same price range. If you are going to go with Purina, you need to look at some of their higher end stuff, not grocery store level. These are adequate foods for someone on a budget.

 

[Pattycakes]

I fed Authority to my last GSD and she did really well on it as a puppy and as an adult. Only later in life did I change her food to Nature's Recipe.

 

[ChristenHolden]

I feed my kids Diamond NATURALS. Its with tax 30.50$ for 40 pounds from tractor supply. Its a 3* on one review site and a 4* on another. Its not the best but its a lot better than anything walmart or something like that has. You want to lisen to the good folks on hear they helepd me so much when I swiched from what I thought was a great food. Kibbles and Bits. How wrong I was. They eat less, poo less, coats are better and the 3 over weight dogs are looking much much better. I'm sure you will find a great food that meets your needs and won't break the bank eather.

 

[Emoore]

4Health from Tractor Supply and Kirkland Signature from CostCo are FAR better foods than Authority and are in the same price range.

 

[KZoppa]

we JUST got away from purina puppy chow. Shasta kept getting sick on it. I would avoid it all together. stay away from purina brands if you can. We're feeding the 4Health from tractor supply and she's not been sick anymore. unfortunately they dont have a large breed puppy food in the 4health but they have the large breed dog chow in 4health. you dont necessarily have to feed puppy chow if you dont want to. purina has been having some issues with their formula and their customer service is a waste of call time. if you can spend a little more, you can get a better quality food and not have to feed as much if they're getting what they need from it.

 

[allexblake]

Ginger was on puppy chow when we got her at 8 wks. Upon reading this forum and joining we immediatly transitioned her to Wellness. We did alot of research and found out anything Purina, kibbles and bits, Iams and generally anything on the same isle at the big pet stores are not good for you dog. (Generally the food isles toward the front of the store are the worst foods). Btw, Wellness is no more expensive than BB which has had recalls and I have read online that many dogs have gotten sick from BB.

 

[novarobin]

You have gotten some good answers about the food itself so far.
I just wanted to add this -
If you do switch, do a gradual switch. I do 1/4 new food, 3/4 old for 3-4 days, 1/2 and 1/2 for 3-4 days, 3/4 new, 1/4 old for 3-4 days, then all new and have been successful.
Doing a quick switch of foods can sometimes cause some nasty stomach issues, aka diarrhea.

 

[LaRen616]

My GSD Sinister was on Purina when I got him from his breeders I changed it and put him on Solid Gold Wolf Cub.

I recommend Solid Gold Wolf Cub (until your dog turns a year old) and Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy food

 

[crboggs]

We have Dexter on the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. Its primarily chicken and rice although it does have some meal in it.

His poops are fine and he's doing great at 4 months old. He's a little skinny but I'm ok with that at his age. The weight can come later once his joints and good and ready for it.

After reading some of these threads I'll probably investigate some other foods. But we've been happy with the Purina Pro Plan line for our labs and now Dex.

 

[Myamom]

Here are some good websites to help you do your research:

DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend

The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Pet Food information, manufacturers, products, ingredients, cat, dog, pet food.

 

[FG167]

We have Dexter on the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. Its primarily chicken and rice although it does have some meal in it.

His poops are fine and he's doing great at 4 months old. He's a little skinny but I'm ok with that at his age. The weight can come later once his joints and good and ready for it.

After reading some of these threads I'll probably investigate some other foods. But we've been happy with the Purina Pro Plan line for our labs and now Dex.

I know quite a few reputable lab breeders that feed Purina Pro Plan Selects and say that their particular lines do best on that food.

I feed higher end, better quality food (I rotate, right now we're doing Nature's Variety Prairie, just switched from Holistic Selects, Innova before that etc) but I also believe that some dogs do better on what might be considered lower end. Feed what works.

 

[Jax's Mom]

I know quite a few reputable lab breeders that feed Purina Pro Plan Selects and say that their particular lines do best on that food.

I'm not sure about the States but many breeders in Canada are sponsored by Purina and get the food relatively inexpensively. Can't blame them for liking it
I've fed the Kirkland foods from Costco for years and have no complaints. I've tried some of the super expensive kibbles and have seen no noticeable difference in the dogs. It seems to be the best quality/price balance.
I must say I'm pretty impressed with everyone's constructive responses... Quite a bit different from what I was expecting when I saw the thread title