is purina a good dog food?

Question

we got the purina trim and fit for my beagle and i was wondering also if they tested on animals like iams did?

Answer 1

Purina is made with feed grade ingredients, which means anything condemned from human consumption is fair game for Purina. Purina also uses high amounts of grains and carbohydrates which are not necessary for canines. Pet food sold at grocery stores are typically very low quality, contain lots of fillers, and are made with feed grade ingredients (Iams is no exception to this and Science Diet isn't very good either, especially not for the money you shell out for it). Look for a high quality pet food at a pet supply store (small and independent stores usually have better healthy food selections than large box stores). Some examples of human grade dog foods that use minimal amounts of grain include: Wellness, California Natural, Natural Balance, Atremis, Merrick, Nature's Variety, Innova, Canidae, and Back to Basics. These foods cost more than grocery store foods, however, you feed less of high quality foods because they don't have all the filler grains (which also means there's less to pick up in the backyard) and your dog's health will benefit from hiqh quality foods over time.

Answer 2

I have no idea how they would test their foods, but here is a guide I found a while ago to see what is a high quality food for dogs.

How to grade your dog's food:

Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer’s rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D <70 = F

I couldn't get the ingredients for Purina trim and fit, but I did find these:

Purina Beneful / Score 17 = F
Purina Dog / Score 62 = F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 = F
Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 = F

Answer 3

Purina is pretty low on the ladder of dog foods. Purina foods contain alot of filler, inferior ingredients, and dyes, among other things your dog doesn't need.

Here's some information on choosing a high qualtiy dog food.

Nothing you find at a grocery store is going to be a good food. High quality foods can be found at large pet store chains, or online. A couple of foods I like are Innova, Innova Evo and Cannidae.

There are other high quality dog foods. Here's how to spot them:

A high quality food will have little or no fillers such as corn, wheat or soy. These aren't very digestable for dogs, and are common food related allergens. Since you were seeing corn meal in the first few ingredients, those are not high quality foods. Foods list ingredients by content, with the ingredient it contains most of at the top.

A high quality food will not contain BHT, BHA or Ethoxyquin, these are all chemical preservatives that have been linked to cancer.

A high quality food will not contain by-products of any kind. Meat meals are ok as long as the source of the meat is listed, such as Chicken Meal.

A high quality diet should have meat as at least the first ingredient., and be made from human grade ingredients. Foods that don't use human grade ingredients often get their ingredients from less than desirable sources, such as meat from animals that were diseased, or euthanized.

There is another diet option other than dog food. Some people choose to feed a raw diet. This involves feeding the dog raw meaty bones and organ meat. However it is not as simple as throwing a couple chicken bones in a bowl everyday. If you wish to feed this type of diet, do lots and lots of research first. Switching to this diet without knowing what your doing can lead to nutritional problems for your dog. I'll give you some links as a starting point in research if you are interested in this type of diet.

http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm.........

http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/diets.htm...

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.....

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html.....

http://www.rawdogranch.com

What's Really In Pet Food
http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359&m...

Answer 4

They don't test on animals but the quality is very poor. Their food contains high amounts of fillers which are not good. For low budgets I recommend maxximum Nutrition from Walmart, medium budgets Canidae, and larger budgets Innova Evo. Keep in mind with a better quality food you don't need to feed as much so a bag of the same size will last twice as long.

Answer 5

No not at all. Purina and others have meat by products, which you should always stay away from. That means they contain dog and other unwanted parts of other animals. Not a good idea. Try going natural with human grade ingredients like Innova or Solid Gold.

Answer 6

Purina is a low grade food (but is cheap), there are many better foods out there to choose from these days. You need to choose a food that is not chucked full of fillers. Our vet has told us recently that Royal Canin is their choice and is replacing Science Diet on their shelves. There are plenty of choices with Royal Canin to fit all kids of dog diets and sizes.

Answer 7

Im Not Sure About The Testing But The Dogs Love It....We Fed Our Bulldog With It As It Was Recomended By Top Dog Experts !

Answer 8

I use Royal Canin as it is breed selective.. They make different types of dog food for different breeds.. Each breed has different nutritional needs.. Google Royal Canin and look for yourself, not to mention the ingredients are well balanced and suitable for dogs. They don`t add a lot of fillers and corn which can cause large bulky stools.

Answer 9

You can check out Peta.com fro more info and caringconsumer.com on animal testing .

Answer 10

I only use Purina with my pets and their was never an issue with this brand, in a dry food as far as I know.
With my animals it's hard to change because they are very picky!
Hope this helps.
Denise Stuart
Coldwell Banker