As a dog parent, you want to make sure you’re feeding your pup the best food formulas possible. That’s why we’ve made this guide. 

There are key components in dog food to look at when considering what’s best for your pup, such as ingredients, quality, and methods used to make it. 

How does Purina Pro Plan compare to Sundays for Dogs? 

This guide examines everything you need to know about each plan so you can make the best decision for your pup. Read on to learn more. 

When we refer to Purina Pro Plan dog food, we’re actually referring to a variety of different foods for dogs of all ages. 

For instance, there’s a Purina Pro Plan Sport, Savor Classic Turkey, Savor Adult Shredded Blend, Focus Puppy, Sensitive Skin & Stomach, and much more. 

Each of these foods falls under the Pro Plan. There are wet foods, canned foods, grain-free foods, and dry dog foods — it’s truly an extensive brand, but extensive doesn’t necessarily mean high-quality. 

If you’re considering a specific type of food under Purina Pro Plan, take a look at our in-depth dog food comparisons here. 

However, this guide takes a closer look at the Purina Pro Plan as a whole.

When it comes to dog food, ingredients are the most important factor to consider, especially the first ingredient. Some major dog food brands include ingredients that act as fillers and don’t provide optimal levels of protein or outstanding nutrition. 

For instance, corn and soy help make your dog feel full faster without adding any real, high-quality nutrition to their diets. 

These filler ingredients increase your dog’s caloric intake without giving them the nutrients they need to thrive throughout their whole body. 

What ingredients can you find in the Purina Pro Plan? Well, a couple of the ingredients you’ll find in Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice include:

Unfortunately, Purina’s other formulas aren’t so “natural” either, and include a range of ingredients that may not be the best for your pup. For instance, in their Sport All Life Stages Performance Dry Dog Food, Purina includes ingredients like corn gluten meal, brewer’s rice, whole grain corn, and corn germ meal that can each act as filler ingredients while also causing discomfort with your dog’s stomach if they’re gluten-sensitive. 

Not only are these ingredients included, they’re listed in the top three ingredients. Instead of getting the nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and protein your pup needs, they’re receiving mostly filler. 

In addition to fillers, Purina includes a ton of synthetic additives in their dog food. Synthetic ingredients are any ingredients that are man-made. 

Any dog food with synthetic ingredients cannot be considered “natural dog food” or “organic dog food.” 

In other words, Purina Pro Plan dog foods are not all-natural, despite what they may advertise on the packaging. 

“Natural” isn’t the only important term to look for on the ingredient list. You should also consider human-grade versus feed-grade ingredients. 

Human-grade dog food is dog food made up to human food standards. To put it simply, human-grade dog food is food that’s safe for you, too. Some dog foods contain ingredients that are only feed-grade. Feed-grade ingredients are unfit for human consumption, and are typically mixed of by-products ranging from animal by-products to milling by-products. 

Meat is another essential part of your dog’s diet. Unfortunately, Purina’s dog food contains by-product meals, which can contain what are often considered “extra” parts of the animal in addition to the “main” meat. 

If you see any ingredients labeled as “meat meals” or “meat by-products,” this can include eyeballs, feathers, hair, claws, bones, and more. 

Purina dog food also contains chicken as a main ingredient in many of their recipes, which is one of the top five dog food allergies. 

Dog food is only as good as how it’s processed. When it comes to human food, it’s critical to make sure our food isn’t heavily processed, or we lose the nutrients and goodness of it. The same principles apply to our dog’s food.

One of the most popular processing methods for dog food is known as “extrusion” or “heat extrusion.”

Extrusion is the process of using extreme temperatures and high pressure to manufacture and process dry dog food, kill bacteria, increase shelf life, and give dog food its characteristic kibble-y texture. 

While these may not seem that bad, extrusion unfortunately also kills the nutrient content of your dog’s food. 

Purina uses this extreme heat method to process their dry dog food, rendering their chicken and rice to no more than empty building blocks for kibble. 

For Purina’s wet dog food, they use extrusion processes along with high levels of sodium and sugar to preserve the food and extend shelf life. 

Excess salt can be harmful for your pup and can endanger their nutrition and health. Be sure to stick to dry dog food with low sodium levels to keep your pup happy and healthy.

Sundays for Dogs is a family-owned company with dog food formulated by vets. 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 compares.

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, clean ingredients to support holistic health, from healthy skin to a strong immune system. 

We include USDA Beef, Beef Liver, and Beef Bone — real meat with real, dense nutrients like quality protein, vitamin B12, and folate. 

We also include a range of whole fruits, whole vegetables, healthy fatty acids, and oils to supply your pup with important nutrients like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, calcium, and vitamin K. Each ingredient we include serves a specific purpose — see for yourself here in our ingredients page. You won’t find any filler ingredients or meals, like poultry or fish meal, ever. 

With food that serves a purpose, we make sure every bite makes a difference and promotes good overall wellbeing because we know first-hand that you want the best for your pup.

Instead of using high heat, Sundays uses a gentle air-drying method to make our dog food. 

This preserves nutrient content and gently turns our food into deliciously snackable food with a flavor that tastes like treats, all while retaining the rich ingredients your pup needs to thrive. 

The type of food you serve your pup matters, too. While some dogs may have a taste for wet dog food, this isn’t the best option. 

Wet dog food can contain high levels of sodium and preservatives that can harm your dog’s health and lead to an imbalance in nutrition. 

When we compare the Purina Pro Plan with Sundays for Dogs, we have to consider the ingredients used, the methods used, and what type of dog food each offers. 

The Purina Pro Plan uses 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 an excellent 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 furry best friend. Our food is suitable for large breeds and small breeds alike, and is tailored to their needs.

Plus, Sundays uses gentle air-drying to retain all the nutrients possible in your dog’s food recipes. 

Sources:

How to Read a Dog Food Label | AKC 

The Facts About Natural Dog Food | AKC 

“Human-Grade” | AAFCO 

Effects of drying temperature and time of a canine diet extruded with a 4 or 8 mm die on physical and nutritional quality indicators | Research Gate

Salt | American College of Veterinary Pharmacists