Pro Pac Dog Food (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★½☆

Pro Pac Dog Food gets the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars.

The Pro Pac Dog Food product line lists fourteen kibbles… seven designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, four for growth and three for adult maintenance.

  • Pro Pac Adult Chunk
  • Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk
  • Pro Pac Small Breed Adult
  • Pro Pac Small Breed Puppy
  • Pro Pac Large Breed Adult
  • Pro Pac Large Breed Puppy
  • Pro Pac Large Breed Senior
  • Pro Pac Performance Puppy
  • Pro Pac Adult Lamb Meal and Rice
  • Pro Pac Puppy Lamb Meal and Rice
  • Pro Pac High Performance Dog Food
  • Pro Pac Adult Chicken Meal and Rice
  • Pro Pac Senior Chicken Meal and Rice
  • Pro Pac Low Fat Rice and Chicken Meal (1 star)

Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 29% | Fat = 17% | Carbs = 46%

Ingredients: Chicken meal, ground yellow corn, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), rice flour, dried beet pulp, natural flavoring, flaxseed, yeast culture, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dl-methionine hydroxy analogue, l-lysine, vitamin E supplement, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), vitamin A acetate, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), folic acid, manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, calcium iodate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, magnesium proteinate, copper proteinate

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The second ingredient is corn. Now, contrary to what you may have heard, corn isn’t necessarily a bad ingredient.

On the other hand, although there’s no way to know from the list entry itself, the corn used in making many pet foods can be similar to the kind used to make feed for livestock.

And that can sometimes be problematic.

What’s more, corn is commonly linked to canine food allergies1.

For these reasons, we rarely consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The third ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The fourth item is rice flour. Rice flour is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a good gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.

The fifth ingredient is dried beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

The eighth ingredient is yeast culture . Although yeast culture is high in B-vitamins and protein, it may also be used as a probiotic to aid in digestion.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions…

First, other than yeast culture, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.

And lastly, this food does contain chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Pro Pac Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Pro Pac Dog Food appears to be an above-average kibble.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.

Due to its unusually low 16% protein and 6% fat content (is this a misprint?), the Low Fat formula’s apparently limited meat content compels us to downgrade the product’s rating to our lowest category.

Excluding the Low Fat recipe, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 17%.

Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 46% for the overall product line.

Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

All in all, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.

We really like Pro Pac. Frankly, we’re surprised to see this brand so harshly judged by other reviewers.

However, it’s unfortunate the company chose to include rice gluten meal in three of its recipes. For without this plant-based protein booster (and adding probiotics), we’d have been compelled to overlook the corn and award this product a higher rating.

Bottom line?

Pro Pac Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a notable amount of chicken or lamb meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 3.5 stars.

Recommended.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Other spellings: Propac

Notes and Updates

05/16/2010 Original review
11/07/2010 Review updated
04/06/2011 Upgraded from 3 to 3.5 stars (availability of half stars)

  1. White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • http://www.petfooddirect.co.nz/ Liam @ Buy Dog food Online

    Yes Sportmix and Pro Pac are both very good foods and the problem, ironically, that their lower price actually puts people off. In the pet food world it’s the heavy marketing that often seems to win at the expense of the quality of the food. That is until people see the results they get. That’s why a website such as this is so valuable.

  • Petrus delassio

    I highly recommend Pro Pac. My dogs mood is up and he has become more energetic. Simply one of the best mid-line dog food available.

  • melissa

    Sandi-

    I have fed the Pro Pac adult mini chunks in my rotation and all the dogs seemed to love it-to the point that I fed it longer than normal as part of the regime. I would have no problem rotating back at some point in time. The adult mini chunks is something like 535 kcals per cup, so you do have to monitor the amounts.

  • sandi

    Recently returned to feeding Pro Pac Senior, as my four dogs who eat regular dog food were tired of what I was feeding, and previously they liked Pro pac Senior. I have two other dachsies that require a colitis and one a pancreatitis type of feeding program.

    They enjoy the Pro Pac, and one of them actually has less gas.

  • Gordon

    Sapphire – Just another input if I may. First, your feeding regime is similar to mine. I currently feed raw every 2nd morning (Although I’m about to increase that) and good grade kibble (Albeit with fat content become rancid I suspect, but that’s another story), and another great topper for kibble (especially if you’re wanting to save money on not having to buy extra dog food by way of canned, is to use a rich in probiotics yoghurt with low fat (The kind that’s even better than Nestle and Yoplait) in bigger tubs so you can have some and also use some for topping your dog’s kibble from time to time. It works a treat and adds palatability and adds extra health to good kibble. My dogs absolutely love it.

  • Sapphire

    Thanks for the replies.

    He is eating meals of raw meat (beef ,chicken or turkey) at mornings just the meat alone witout kibble.

    In the night he gets a rotation of the regular kirkland chicken adult or the puppy formula but both of them are too large for him to chew so I have to break them in smaller pieces with a kitchen hammer since they don’t sell the small breed formula here.

    He don’t want to eat the kibble alone so I mix the it wit cottage cheese, sardines or a bit of canned science diet food, since here in Honduras is the only canned dog food I can find that doesn’t have meat-by products.

    He is a show dog so he needs a food wit high protein to maintain his long coat.

    But with the pro pac sample I got he eat it alone fine.

  • melissa

    The Mini Chunk are very small kibble-Its actually flat and square, not round, but small nonetheless and “thin” so even a toothless dog could manage to chew it. I feed one Diamond Small breed puppy(for extra calories) and those nuggets are some of the tiniest I have seen, but are round and therefore a bit “harder”-however, again, even the smallest dog should be able to chew it.

    If your poodle has difficulty chewing these, I would suggest having its teeth/mouth examined for issues.

  • Jonathan

    I just went and squeezed the bags, and the Mini-Chunk and the Small Breed Adult are both flat, round pieces. As far as I could tell, they are the same size. But yes, this is a decent food. Sapphire, what are you currently feeding your poodle?

  • Kyle

    Mini chunk and Small Breed are different shapes but they are both small. The puppy formula is 30/20 protein/fat content, so her liking it may be due to the increased meat taste. Either way, it’s a decent food.

  • Sapphire

    Someone knows if there’s a kibble size difference between the adult mini chuck, small breed adult and small breed puppy?

    My toy poodle who weights 8 pounds likes really small pieces and dislikes chewing hard or medium kibble.

    I got a sample of the puppy one and he likes it but it seems he thinks they are treats.

  • Jonathan

    Cathy, the “chemical” part was wrong because I thought they were using propylene glycol. My bad there. Otherwise, I stand by my statement. That food is 44% carbs, and who knows how much of the protein in it comes from the corn gluten meal. That’s no different for the “shredded bits”, either. Their advertising is obviously misleading when well-meaning people think that it’s actually made with shredded bits of chicken. I assure you there is precious little chicken meat in the food. There is far more poultry by-product meal and corn gluten meal.

    Also, my original post was meant to be funny. Guess you missed that. When I make statements like that, there is truth to them (apart from, in this case, one error, so I give you that), but I word them as such because it’s fun. Ya buzz kill. :-P

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    Jonathan – Um, after your comment, it’s prudent that somebody quote Purina’s website! So that readers can make an informed decision that isn’t based on emotional rhetoric. I’ve never before looked at the Purina website, but curiosity prevailed after reading your comments that the ProPlan shredded pieces aren’t meat and “are nothing but carb-nuggets kept “moist” with chemicals.”
    Exaggerated comments aren’t helpful. Substandard ingredients in dog food don’t need embellishment. It weakens the argument when so many holes can be poked in statements that are made as if they are factual. Why make false statements? Truth is best.

  • Jonathan

    Um, Cathy, you are quoting Purina’s site? really? lol.

    I know they contain meat, but not in any greater volume than the rest of the kibbles in the bag. Those “other ingredient”… what do you suppose they are? The “shredded bits” are the same thing as the rest of the kibble, they just have glycerin added to keep them “moist”. (so, yeah, I retract the part about “chemicals”) There is precious little chicken in this food. Here is the current ingredients list (Mike, this food may need an update, as they have changed the formula)

    Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, whole grain corn, soy flakes, soybean meal, fish meal, animal digest, glycerin, dried egg product, wheat bran, vitamins, minerals, synthetic k, etc.

    Crude Protein (Min) 26.0 %
    Crude Fat (Min) 16.0 %
    Crude Fiber (Max) 3.0 %
    Moisture (Max) 12.0 %

    There is far more “bad” then there is “good” in the ingredient list. Out of even the first TEN ingredients, there is 8 red-flags. And comparing it to Pro Pac is no contest. If I can get someone to feed their dog Pro Pac instead of Pro Plan, then I’m a happy guy. It’s like the difference between eating a Big Mac and fries or having a grilled chicken salad from Wendy’s with light dressing. One is obviously better than the other.

  • ShamelessRawFoodie

    As an advocate of REAL FOOD and species-appropriate nutrition, I would not feed my dog either ProPac or Purina Pro Plan. But to be fair in responding to Shawn, since we aren’t vets or manufacturers of commercial dog pellets. . .

    Jonathan – Are you certain of Pro Plan that “those “shredded chunks” are nothing but carb-nuggets kept “moist” with chemicals.” and “It’s not meat.” ??

    The Purina Pro Plan website has this information that indicates the shredded pieces DO contain meat:
    Are the shredded pieces made with real meat?
    Yes. Depending on the formula, the shredded pieces contain either real chicken, beef or lamb, plus additional ingredients
    http://www.proplan.com/products/detail/shreddedblend.aspx

  • Jonathan

    Shawn, those “shredded chunks” are nothing but carb-nuggets kept “moist” with chemicals. It’s not meat. And it’s nothing you want your dog eating. So, no, Pro Pac does not contain that. But it is a very good food for the money.

  • shawn cupp

    Does the Pro Pac Chunk contain shredded meet chunks like Pro Plan? thanks

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Daphne… From the limited information provided here it would be impossible for anyone to advise you properly on the size of your dog’s serving. I’d suggest you follow the package’s instructions or contact the manufacturer for more information. Wish I could be more help.

  • Daphne

    The pet shop gave me large adult breed Pro Pac even though I told him my GSD is 5 months old and the Pitbul 10 months. Is it okay to feed them only 200g per day, I don’t fell comfortable. Please advise.

  • melissa

    Beasto-

    I have no problem recc the Pro Pac- I am feeding the mini chunk which is all life stages-the youngest eating it is a cocker spaniel puppy and the oldest is a 15 yr old poodle.

  • ed

    I would. That breed could use the Performance Puppy. It is also much cheaper than RC.

  • Beasto

    I have a 3 month old APBT, I got him 4KG Royal Canin maxi junior and he finished it in less than a month, not to mention that i cooked for him in-between and its too expensive too, i got him another pack of Royal Canin 17KG, BUT i was wondering weather to switch to ProPac Puppy food in the future, I NEED YOUR HELP GUYS ?

  • melissa

    Right now, the majority of my possee are eating Pro Pac, and a few are eating Canidae, one eats Wellness Super Mix 5 WHite fish and potatoe. So far, so good.

  • Antonio

    Melissa, your right about Sportsmix, it’s not a 5-star food for sure, I tried it before I actually tried Pro Pac, and discovered I was having to feed wayyy too much of it just to keep maintenance weight, therefore it caused the dog to drop stools too often, I was seeing upwards of 4-5 stools per day in the yard. The sportsmix would be a decent comparison to something say like Dog Chow, Science Diet type foods. But I would suggest sticking w/ the Pro Pac if it’s readily available in your area.

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