Hi crazy4cats — not sure if you’re responding to me or to the original poster, Charles, but I very much appreciate your input and your taking the time to comment. I’m glad that the Purina products work well for your dog but, just for me, I don’t like what Purina puts into its dog foods, based on my observation of the ingredients within several of their products.
Just looking at the ingredients for the ProPlan Beef & Rice, as you are suggesting: first problem is that it is filled with grains and glutens, which I am trying to not feed my dog. In addition, there are a few other questionable ingredients. Here are six I wouldn’t be comfortable feeding my dog: Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat, Whole Grain Corn, Dried Beet Pulp.
I’m not a veterinary nutritionist but, again, just for me, and all the research I’ve done, and all the dog foods I’ve tried for my last and current dogs, I do not feel that corn is a necessary ingredient for dogs, it is even controversial among people and websites who discuss and research dog foods, including Dog Food Advisor, and in this product there are two different kinds. Also, it is beyond me why a dog would need Soybean Meal — and, by the way, Corn and Soy are the two top GMO crops in the world (if you care about giving your dog GMO-produced ingredients or not). Dried Beet Pulp is a filler, and is highly questionable, again including here on Dog Food Advisor. “Animal Fat” — what kind of animal(s) are they referring to? They need to be more specific — some of the animals they are using might be (a) offensive, you might be surprised what animals they’re taking the fat from, and/or (b) an animal that your dog might be allergic to.
But the most offensive to me is the Poultry By-Product Meal. ANYTHING from the chicken or turkey that is not used to make what is sold commercially (e.g., leg, thigh, breast pieces, skin) can be used in by-product meal, including feathers claws, and beaks, all ground down, and I don’t even want to take a chance with giving my dog such unknown and questionable ingredients.
For sure, the Sensitive Skin Salmon formula is light years better than the beef one, although it is filled with grains — which, again, may work just right for some people’s dogs, but not for mine. It also has the mysterious “animal fat,” brewer’s dried yeast which, like dried beet pulp, is a questionable filler, and, for heaven’s sake, what is “canola meal”..? Canola is a controversial ingredient and is also one of the biggest GMO crops.
Forgive me playing devil’s advocate here — especially given that you took time out of your day to make a contribution to this thread — but I know there are at least a few others who will be coming here looking for info about legume-free dog food and will also be interested in grain-free products, as I am, and I just want to make sure that people are able to see both sides of the coin and are able to make informed decisions about which products to buy — or not to buy — their dogs.
