Rating: 
Purina Pro Plan Savor Canned Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-lowest tier rating of 2.5 stars.
The Purina Pro Plan Savor product line includes 14 canned dog foods, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef and Rice
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken and Rice
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken and Barley
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef and Vegetables
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef and Brown Rice
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Lamb and Vegetables
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Turkey and Vegetables
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken and Vegetables
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Shredded Beef and Lamb
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Shredded Beef, Carrots and Barley
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Shredded Chicken, Pasta and Spinach
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Shredded Turkey, Peas and Brown Rice
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Seared Beef, Green Beans and Brown Rice
- Pro Plan Savor Adult Seared Chicken, Julienne Carrots and Barley
Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken and Vegetables was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken and Vegetables
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Water sufficient for processing, chicken, liver, wheat gluten, carrots, turkey, meat by-product, corn starch-modified, potatoes, green beans, potassium chloride, added color, salt, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 8.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 9% | 3% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 50% | 14% | 28% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 45% | 30% | 25% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient is liver. Normally, liver can be considered a quality component. However, in this case, the source of the liver is not identified. For this reason, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The fourth ingredient is wheat gluten. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once wheat has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Compared to meat, glutens are inferior plant-based proteins low in some of the essential amino acids dogs need for life.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient is carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The sixth ingredient is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2
Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The seventh ingredient is meat by-products, slaughterhouse waste. This is what’s left of slaughtered animals after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, meat by-products are the unsavory leftovers of processing considered by many “unfit for human consumption”.
With the exception of hair, horns, teeth and hooves, this stuff can include heads, ovaries or developing fetuses.1
What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal. So, this meat can come from almost anywhere, even diseased or dying livestock.
Although meat by-products can be high in protein, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.
The eighth ingredient is corn starch, a starchy powder extracted from the endosperm found at the heart of a kernel of corn. Corn starch is most likely used here to thicken the broth into a gravy.
Corn starch isn’t a true red flag item. Yet we’ve highlighted here for those wishing to avoid corn-based ingredients.
The ninth ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
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, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?
And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.
Purina Pro Plan Savor Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Purina Pro Plan Savor canned dog food looks like a below average wet product.
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 50%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 28%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 48% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 28% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 32%.
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the wheat gluten, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Purina Pro Plan Savor dog food is a meat-based wet product using a moderate amount of meats and meat by-products as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 2.5 stars.
Not recommended.
Please note some products may have been given higher or lower ratings based upon our estimate of their total meat content.
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.
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Other spellings: Proplan
Notes and Updates
11/30/2009 Original review
07/10/2010 Review updated
05/06/2012 Review updated
01/28/2013 Review updated
01/28/2013 Last Update
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