Rating: 
Purina Pro Plan Selects canned dog food gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Purina Pro Plan Selects product line lists five canned dog foods… four designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (puppies).
- Pro Plan Selects Natural Turkey and Barley Entree
- Pro Plan Selects Natural Beef and Brown Rice Entree
- Pro Plan Selects Natural Salmon and Brown Rice Entree
- Pro Plan Selects Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Entree
- Pro Plan Selects Puppy Natural Turkey and Barley Entree
Pro Plan Selects Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Entree Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Purina Pro Plan Selects Natural Chicken & Brown Rice
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, poultry broth, turkey, liver, brown rice, oat meal, carrots, potatoes, potassium chloride, guar gum, salt, egg product, tomatoes, blueberry pomace, carrageenan, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, calcium phosphate, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food includes 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 second ingredient is poultry broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
The third ingredient is turkey. Like chicken, turkey is considered a quality meat ingredient.
The fourth item is liver. Normally, liver can be considered a quality component. However, in this case, the source of the liver is not identified. Because it is anonymous, this liver could come from almost anywhere.
For this reason, it is impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The fifth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient. It’s a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The sixth ingredient is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is (unlike many other grains) mostly gluten-free.
The next item lists carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The eighth ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
Guar gum is a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
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.
We note the minerals 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 Selects Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Purina Pro Plan Selects appears to be an above-average canned dog food.
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 36%, a fat level of 27% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 28%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 37% and an average fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 29% for the full product line.
Below average protein. Above average fat. And average carbs… as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.
Although this is certainly a good canned dog food, we would have preferred Purina included chelated minerals… especially when you consider the higher price of this “select” product.
Bottom line?
Purina Pro Plan Selects is primarily a meat-based canned dog food using a moderate amount of poultry or salmon as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may wish to visit our review of Purina Pro Plan Selects Dry Dog Food.
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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Other spellings: Proplan
Notes and Updates
12/03/2009 Original review
07/12/2010 Review updated
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.