Professional Dog Food (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★☆

Professional Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.

The Professional product line includes seven dry dog foods. Five meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance, one for growth (Large Breed Puppy) and one for all life stages (Puppy).

  • Professional Adult Lamb and Rice
  • Professional Adult Chicken and Rice
  • Professional Active Chicken and Rice
  • Professional Adult Chicken and Barley
  • Professional Puppy Chicken and Barley
  • Professional Senior Chicken and Barley
  • Professional Large Breed Puppy Chicken and Barley
  • Professional Adult Rice and Chicken Low Fat (3 stars)

Professional Adult Chicken and Barley Formula dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Professional Adult Dog Chicken and Barley

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

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

Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, millet, brewers rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, Yucca schidigera extract, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food lists chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.

Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.

Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third ingredient lists barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.

The fourth ingredient is millet… gluten-free grains harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber… as well as other essential minerals.

The fifth ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.

This is an inexpensive cereal grain by-product and not considered a quality ingredient.

However, we note none of the other products in the line contain this inferior grade of rice.

The sixth ingredient lists 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 seventh ingredient is 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. Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber.

However, we find it unusual to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before they are consumed.

Fish meal is another high protein meat concentrate.

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. The term “fish” does little to properly describe this ingredient. What species? What parts?

Fish meal is commonly made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.

We are pleased to note that, unlike many fish meals, this particular item1 appears to be ethoxyquin-free.

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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions…

First, we find no evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.

And finally, this food contains 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.

Professional Dog food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Professional 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 an estimated carbohydrate content of 46%.

Excluding the lower-rated Low Fat Formula, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate proportion of 47% for the overall product line.

Average protein. Average fat. And average carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.

With no evidence of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

In addition, it’s important to acknowledge here the absence of any critical Red Flag items.

Bottom line?

Professional Dog Food is primarily a grain-based kibble using a significant amount of chicken or lamb meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.

Highly 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 a specific health benefit 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.

  1. Diamond Pet Foods Customer Service, 8/16/2010 ↩
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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  • Ken

    All right, I buy the CAT version of this stuff (I have cats), but I will throw in my comments for the sake of all you doggy lovers. (The cat food version is remarkably similar).

    I think of pet food in three categories….elite (i.e. Orijen), acceptable (i.e. this product) and junk (i.e. what you find in grocery stores).

    Professional has proven fine for my cats and I sometimes also feed them Orijen for variety. I never feed them anything less that the quality of this product.

    Diamond (who makes Professional) also makes the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul product, and I have also used it, and it is of the same quality level as Professional.

    Bottom line, cost effective, reasonable-quality product.  Way better than the corn-based junk, not as good as the elite stuff, but seems fine.

    Cats love it too, and have glossy coats, bright eyes, and lots of energy. (Too much in fact. Maybe I should try something worse. Just kidding).

    So, if you are on a budget, but still want good quality, this stuff is for your dog. (Or cat).

    And say, why is there no cat version of this website?

    Meow. (Sorry)

  • Mikel

    I feed my dog Professional and have so far been happy with the quality of the product. My only question is why can’t I find it in more stores? I have to drive a number of miles to purchase this dog food as the pet stores nearer to me does not carry this brand.

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  • MattMan

    I fed my American bulldog Purina the first two years of his life. When I bought my pitbull the breeder feed all they’re dogs Professional. Now I feed both of em this and my bulldogs coat became incredibly soft. I recommend it to all. Great food for the money. Both dogs get the eye snot, don’t know if that’s the food or not, never heard about that

  • Andrea

    I acquired 2 GSD pups from the same breeder and she used Professionals Chicken & Barley for all of her dogs. I must say that I have been happy with the puppy formula. Both of my pups are in great health, perfect weight, and we haven’t had any hotspots, diarrhea, etc. The price is decent but in my area the puppy formula has to be special ordered. My breeder had the same problem.

  • Murphy

    I vomited and had loose stools while eating Iams and Hills Science Diet Large Breed Puppy dry food my first 6 months. My mom transitioned me slowly from each of those puppy brands and then put me on Professional Large Puppy dry dog food and I stopped being sick. I’m now 2 years old and a healthy happy Lab!

  • Bob K

    Krista – What were the dogs eating previolusly what brand and formula? Which formula from Professional did you go to? How did you do the transition from the old dog food to the new food? If you switch from a Beef and corn based food to a chicken and rice based food without transitioning for at least a week or better 2 weeks you may very well experience loose stools.

  • krista johnson

    I foster dogs and this dog gave all four dogs very loose stool and a lot of it . I will be switching their food

  • george orange

    I saw no reviews here, so I thought I would post one, i switched my airedales to professional at around ten yrs old, I had fed them duralife their entire life, I didnt know how bad it was, also like most people, I am not rich and it was cheap but not ol roy cheap. about 14 bucks a 40 pound bag. the professional was 28, so it was about double what i used to spend, but omg, they ate less, crapped less and they used to be gassy and it was so bad it would literally clear the house if they came near you and did release it. they were much more active and healthier, getting around easier, i feel that feeding them that junk dog food, shortened their lives and they always seemed to break out with skin problems, that stopped completely after switching to professional, after reading an article in mother earth news about solid gold dog food, and no corn no soy and no wheat, well they dont sell solid gold here so that was the cheapest one that I could find that held to the same standards as solid gold as I far as I could tell. But my dogs have recently got eye snot, I just read another article from solid gold that the dog food could cause that, hmmmmm.

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