Rating: 
Purina Dog Chow earns the Advisor’s lowest rating of one star.
Currently, the Purina Dog Chow product line includes six kibbles. Although they all appear to be designed for adult dogs, we found no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these foods on the Purina Dog Chow website.
Because Purina Puppy Chow is specially designed for younger pets, that product line is covered in a separate review.
The six adult kibbles are…
- Purina Dog Chow Complete and Balanced
- Purina Dog Chow Naturally Complete
- Purina Healthy Morsels
- Purina Little Bites
- Purina Fit and Trim
- Purina Active Senior Seven Plus
Purina Dog Chow Complete and Balanced was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Purina Dog Chow Complete and Balanced
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of vitamin E), corn gluten meal, meat and bone meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, barley, whole grain wheat, animal digest, calcium carbonate, salt, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, added color (red 40, yellow 5, blue 2, yellow 6), dl-methionine, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, niacin, vitamin a supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.1%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food 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 for sure here, 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 second item lists poultry by-product meal… a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of slaughtered poultry after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, poultry by-products are those unsavory and inedible leftovers deemed “unfit for human consumption”.
This stuff can contain almost anything… feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs… you name it.
What’s more, this item is somewhat generic. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh poultry.
The third item lists animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of “rendering”… the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.
Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this stuff could come from just about anywhere… restaurant grease, diseased cattle, slaughterhouse waste… even euthanized pets.
We do not consider generic animal fat a quality ingredient.
The fourth item is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate (the good stuff) washed out of it.
Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins low in many of the essential amino acids dogs need to sustain life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.
The fifth ingredient is meat and bone meal… a dry “rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents”.2
Meat and bone meal has a lower digestibility than most other meat meals.
Scientists believe this decreased protein quality may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.3
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.
Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.
The sixth 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.
The seventh ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a useful by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.
Soybean meal contains 48% protein. However, compared to meat, this is an inferior plant-based protein. So, we must allow for this boosting effect as we judge the meat content of this food.
The eighth ingredient is 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 ninth ingredient is wheat… a cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn. And like other grains, wheat can be subject to the same problems and shortcomings.
Animal digest is a chemically hydrolyzed concoction of unspecified body parts… from unspecified animals. Animal digest is usually sprayed onto the surface of a dry kibble to improve its taste.
We’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any dog food.
Coloring is used to make the product more appealing to you… not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?
On the other hand…
We’re pleased to see this food lists 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.
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 evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Next, garlic oil may be a controversial item. We say “may be” here because we are not certain of the oil’s chemical relationship to raw garlic itself.
In rare cases, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.4
Most of the professional literature we surveyed did not provide any conclusive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Lastly, this Purina Dog Chow product also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Purina Dog Chow… the Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Purina Dog Chow appears to be a below-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 24%, a fat level of 11% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 57%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 27% and an average fat level of 11%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate portion size of 54% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Low fat. And above-average carbs… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Yet when you consider the plant-based protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a limited amount of meat.
What’s worse, it’s difficult to ignore the presence of so many Red Flag items.
Bottom line?
Purina Dog Chow is primarily a grain-based kibble using only a modest amount of assorted by-product meals as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand one star.
Not 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.
Notes and Updates
12/20/2009 Original review
07/29/2010 Review updated
- White, S., Update on food allergy in the dog and cat, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
- Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
- Shirley RB and Parsons CM, , Effect of Ash Content on Protein Quality of Meat and Bone Meal, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Poultry Science, 2001 80: 626-632 ↩
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.