Every dog parent wants their pup to eat the best diet possible. But how do you know for sure that your dog’s food is nutritious?

Quality ingredients and balanced nutrients are crucial for every dog’s well-being. But cooking methods, storage, and manufacturing can transform a healthy dog food recipe into processed junk. Don’t worry – we’ll teach you how to spot the differences. 

That said, is Purina Pro Plan a good dog food? Let’s review the pros and cons of this pet food together. We’ll also see how Pro Plan stacks up against Sundays for Dogs. 

Purina Pro Plan

Purina Pro Plan isn’t a singular dog food recipe. Pro Plan is a line by Purina with 175+ different dog and cat food recipes. For instance, there’s Purina Pro Plan Sport for athletes, Pro Plan Senior Complete for dogs older than 7, and Pro Plan Puppy for growing pups. 

Each recipe falls under the Purina Pro Plan umbrella. The line includes wet food, kibble, grain-free recipes, and treats. It’s an extensive brand, but extensive doesn’t necessarily mean high-quality. 

Today, we’ll dive deep into the ingredients and production process of Purina dog food. You can also compare Purina Pro Plan (and other brands) to Sundays’ dog food with our free dog food comparison tool. 

We’ll specifically focus on the Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice dry dog food formula. 

Ingredients

When comparing dog food, ingredients are a key indicator of quality – especially the first ingredient on the label. What ingredients can you find in Purina Pro Plan? Here’s what’s listed on the label: 

• Salmon, rice, barley, canola meal, oat meal, fish meal, salmon meal, beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, dried yeast, natural flavor, sunflower oil, fish oil, dried chicory root, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride. 
• VITAMINS [Vitamin E supplement, niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid (Vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), biotin (Vitamin B-7), Vitamin D-3 supplement], taurine. 
• MINERALS [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], DL-Methionine, choline chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vitamin C).

Protein

Though salmon is the first ingredient in this formula, read further down the label and you’ll see it includes meat meals. Salmon is a great protein source for dogs with sensitive skin and stomachs. The ingredients that follow are what concern us.

Fish meal and salmon meal are the 7th and 9th ingredients, respectively.  Any kind of “meal” ingredient is merely a by-product of the ingredient. If you see any ingredients labeled as “meat meals” or “meat by-products,” they can include eyeballs, feathers, hair, claws, bones, and more. 

Dogs benefit most from real meat and quality protein in their diet. But ingredients like these are low-quality fillers that can cause digestive discomfort for dogs. 

Sketchy Ingredients

Meal ingredients aside, the label also lists 21 synthetic ingredients. It can be difficult for dogs to absorb synthetic vitamins and minerals. Their bodies can tell between synthetic replicas and true nutrients, so they often don’t absorb the artificial version at all. 

If you choose Purina Pro Plan’s recipe, beware of sketchy ingredients. “Natural flavor” and “animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols” don’t instill much confidence. What kind of animal is the fat from? Where is the natural flavor sourced? Just a few things to think about. 

How is Purina dog food made?

Dog food is only as good as how it’s processed. When human food is over-processed, the ingredients lose their natural nutrition. The same principles apply to our dog’s food.

One of the most popular processing methods for kibble and dry dog food is known as “extrusion” or “hot extrusion.”

Extrusion is the process of using extreme temperatures and high pressure to manufacture dry dog food. This intense cooking method kills bacteria, increases shelf life, and gives dry food its characteristic kibble-y texture. 

Breakfast cereal is made via the same process. While these may not seem that bad, extrusion unfortunately also kills the nutrient content of your dog’s food. 

Purina Pro Plan uses this extreme heat method to process their dry dog food, rendering their formulas with empty calories. Synthetic vitamins and minerals are added to make up for lost nutrients, but as a potential health risk to your pup.

Sundays for Dogs

Sundays for Dogs is a family-owned, vet-owned business that makes 100% human-grade dog food recipes. When it comes to your pup, every bite counts — that’s why we put the good stuff in our recipe. Let’s see how Sundays stacks up against  Purina dog food.

Ingredients 

Here at Sundays for Dogs, we’re passionate about our ingredients. Our dog food is all-natural, human-grade, free of synthetics and artificial ingredients, free of fillers, and full of whole food ingredients to support holistic health, from healthy skin to a strong immune system. 

Real meat is the first ingredient in every Sundays’ dog food recipe. Take your pick from All-Natural Chicken, USDA Beef, and All-Natural Turkey. Each bite has real meat with naturally dense nutrients like quality protein, vitamin B12, and folate. 

Sundays’ dog food also has real fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fatty acids to supply your pup with important nutrients like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, calcium, and vitamin K. 

You won’t find any filler ingredients or meat meals in Sundays’ recipes. With food that serves a purpose, we make sure every bite makes a difference and promotes good health for your dog. 

How is Sundays’ dog food made?

Instead of intense heat and pressure, Sundays uses a gentle air-drying method to make our dog food. 

This preserves the nutrient content of each whole food ingredient and gently turns our recipe into delicious dog food with a flavor that tastes like treats, all while retaining the rich ingredients your pup needs to thrive. 

Which is Better?

When we compare Purina Pro Plan with Sundays for Dogs, we have to consider the ingredients, cooking methods, and what each dog food has to offer.

The Purina dog food has feed-grade ingredients that contain synthetics and preservatives. They also use high-heat processing methods that kill nutrients and decrease the quality of the “good” ingredients they try to include. 

Sundays for Dogs offers a healthier, more nutritious alternative. With all-natural, human-grade ingredients, no fillers, preservatives, or synthetic ingredients, a range of whole fruits and vegetables, and much more, there’s no better food for your dog.

Sundays’ dog food is suitable for large breeds and small breeds alike, and is tailored to their needs. It’s also AAFCO-approved as complete and balanced food for dogs of all life stages. Plus, Sundays uses gentle air-drying to retain all the nutrients possible in your dog’s food recipes. 

Still not convinced? Try Sundays for Dogs and get a customized two-week meal plan just for your pup. See what your dog thinks compared to their current food. We think they’ll taste the difference – dogs chose Sundays versus traditional dog food 39-0 in a third-party taste test.