Professional Dog Food (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★☆

Professional Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.

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

The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

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

Professional Adult Chicken and Barley 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

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis26%15%NA
Dry Matter Basis29%17%46%
Calorie Weighted Basis25%35%40%

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 account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is chicken meal. 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, barley can help support more stable blood sugar levels.

The fourth ingredient is millet, a gluten-free grain 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 is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

By the way, contrary to popular belief, brewers rice has nothing to do with the process of brewing beer.

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. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

Fish meal is another high protein meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.

We are pleased to note that, unlike many fish meals, this particular item2 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 three notable exceptions…

First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

Next, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

And lastly, this food also 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%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 28% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 49% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 53%.

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

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Professional Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a moderate amount of chicken or lamb meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

Special Alert

Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.

A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been 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 analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.

In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.

To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please visit our public Disclosure and Disclaimer page.

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


05/26/2012 Last Update

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
  2. Diamond Pet Foods Customer Service, 7/7/2010 ↩
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  • Susan Kaler

    Started my Rottweilers on Professional Brand after my young female developed skin allergies. Vet suggested she may be allergic to the Wheat in her food. I chose Professional and her allergies cleared up and both produced less stools for the remaider of thier lives. Now I have a German Shepherd puppy on Professional Brand and am looking forward to his healthy, happy, long life. I purchase Professional at my local Feeders Supply.

  • Shawna

    Sounds like your pups may have a food intolerance. Barley, in some of the Professinal foods, is one of the foods that is a more common trigger for food intolerances. The longer the food is fed the worse the symptoms get too which would explain them doing well for a few weeks.

    Like Betsy said, please reconsider Puppy Chow. Goldens are prone to cancer and in my opinion should really be on a much higher quality food than puppy or dog chow. The ingredients are beyond pathetic.. I don’t mean to sound rude but there is no way in (blank) that I would buy a puppy from a breeder that feeds puppy or dog chow. That’s just asking for future problems in my opinion..

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

    Hi Anne,

    Please do some research before you decide on Puppy Chow. There are lots of budget friendly foods that are much better quality than Purina and that are made by manufacturers that you can trust. If you’d like some suggestions, let us know.

  • http://www.facebook.com/anne.conrad.71 Anne Conrad

    When we had the dog food scare a few years ago, we switched our Goldens to Innova. After a while they stopped eating it, and we tried Rachel Ray’s Healthy Weight and they did well. Still not happy with commercial, I switched again to Blue and the dogs liked it but the price went up and 2 large dogs was too expensive. I heard about Professional from a friend, and tried it. The dogs did well, for a few weeks, but now they are having very loose stools. I am getting a new Golden puppy this weekend and had planned to use Professional puppy food, but now I am not sure. I will probably stick to what the breeder has been feeding for 30 years…Purina puppy chow.

  • JellyCat

    Emeralde, there are so many better brands of food. Get something better foe your dog. It’s not hard to find something that she will love. Get trial sized bags or free sample begs before getting a big one.
    I have hard time calling Pedigree food.

  • Emeralde

    I switched from Pedigree to the Lamb and Rice formula with my Beagle/ Pointer mix and she HATES it. She ate hardly anything for 3 weeks, and lost five pounds from it when she was already lean. I have fed it to her before and she loved it. I don’t know why she hates it now, but she or my families other dogs won’t touch the stuff. Wasted $25 on a bag of this brand. Sadly I’m having to switch back to Pedigree Adult Nutrition until I can find a good alternative.

  • LabsRawesome

     Hi Mikebulldog79, what a beautiful dog! Very healthy looking.  :)

  • Mikebulldog79

    best bang 4 buck i have bullys and they love it no poop and it turns to dust in tha pin its best 4 ur money hands down

  • Stella’s new mom

    All animals deserve good food, even kitties.

  • Stella’s new mom

    We find it only at feed stores for some reason. I don’t think it is a high profit maker for pet stores, so they don’t want to carry it. Everybody seems to put profit before health whether you are human or animal.

  • Stella’s new mom

    Our English Mastiff, came from a rescue vi a puppy mill and the rescue used some cheap stuff from Costco. We put Stella on Purina prolife puppy, not cheap that is for sure and her stools were very soft and her gas could clear a room and you didn’t need to be near her. Stopped at our local feed store for bird food and started talking to one of the guys and he recomended Professional puppy for lg breeds. He new alot about it and pulled up an informational web site to give us more info. Well, thank you sir. her gas smell is getting better and we are still transing her, so her stools are very soft , but could be from antibiotic for sutcher infection from when rescue had her spayed, so we will see, but all in all we are happy, especially with price. ($32.00/35 pound bag, beats $26.00/17 pound bag)

  • Jm Currier01

    I used to give this to my Shar Pei/Doberman mix after a vet suggested it.  We found he was allergic to corn and so this worked great.  No more ear infections, skin problems or stool issues.  The price point was great considering that the quality was so much better then the junk dog food and he ate half of what he would when given the junk.  I really saw little to no increase in cost overall.  We just got a new puppy and he will start with professional.

  • Paradisep357

    I just recently started using the professional brand dog food for my Jack Russell ( Skipper ).  I was checking your locator to find where to by it.  I live in Grants Pass, Or.,  and found it for Skipper at Farmers Feed and Grain.  This location is not on your locator.  Vern helped my husband and I with this choice and was very informative about your product.  You should be proud to know you have caring and informative people looking out for your and our best intrests.  For your other readers if you can’t find professional products in a store near you check your local feed stores.  By  the way after only 3 days of using professional brand dog food Skipper has not been chewing on his feet.  That is why we switched dog food.  Not only to find something healthier but something with no corn or wheat.  Thank you,  Skipper is much happier now.

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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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