# Purina One vs Other Foods



## Scamp (May 24, 2007)

Okay, so my dogs used to eat Canidae and now they eat Purina One. I know that Purina One is not the best of foods, but it seems like ever since my boston/pug mix started eating it, his acne on his head cleared up. 
I was just wondering, should I switch back to Canidae or is Purina One okay to feed.
I am looking for a good quality food that will not burn a whole in my pocket.

Thank You


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## reverend_maynard (Aug 4, 2007)

If it's the only one that does not give your dog acne, then I'd stick with it. However, I probably would try going back to see if the acne returns as well. If it does, maybe try a different brand, like chicken soup.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

This is a great site with lots of info on dog food. It doesn't have the "star" ratings like some other sites, but IMO, allows you to make a better choice for YOUR dog.

ETA: After looking at the Purina One ingredients, I would not feed it unless it was absolutely the only one my dog would eat. "poultry by-product meal", "animal fat", "animal digest"! A good rule of thumb is that if the specific animal is not listed, it can and almost certainly does contain some surprising animals in it. The same with by-product. There's no rule that says by-product has to be only made up the grossest, least digestible slaughter leftovers there are, but by law it can be, which means it probably is. Don't be fooled when the first ingredient is "chicken" or "beef". Those terms refer to the natural, wet form. All the other ingredients are dried. Since they are listed in order by weight the chicken is heavy when it goes in, but 75% of the weight is water.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

* hands a bag of pototoe chips- same thing but you will survive.. Does that tell you what I think?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

> I would stick with Purina One. All this talk about so called "premium" foods is a gimmick to sell higher priced foods that is not good for all dogs, in my honest opinion.


And you're entitled to that opinion.

Purina One is not the worst out there and some dogs do very well on it. A dog who has skin or allergy issues and is doing well on it should probably not be switched.

My daughter, at my urging, put her miniature schnauzer on Canidae but ended up switching to Proplan Salmon and Rice for sensitive skin and stomachs. She says he's doing better on it and I believe her, so I keep an 8# bag here for him in an air-tight container for his visits.

For the record, though, I paid a lot more for it than I do for Canidae.


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## QKid (Apr 5, 2008)

Use what you know works for your dog. If Purina One works, use it.

I don't think anyone should start going into Dog Food Wars here, because when it comes down to it, people are always going to rep what works for their dog, and not all dogs are the same. How much you pay for it is irrelevant and is sometimes used as a scapegoat (You feed your dog that cheap stuff.. you must not care about him, etc.). If Purina cost more than Innova, would you think of Innova as a cheap brand, and say that people who buy it don't really care for their animal? Or would you still buy it, because it works for your dog? If you'd still buy whatever works, then you get my point. If you just want to buy the highest priced food, you have been unfortunately convinced that something has to cost a lot to work. Not true.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Punia One isn't awful. I recommend it to friends who can't go out of town for their dog food---it's the best you can get in town. Personally, I'm not comfortable with the corn gluten meal, especially since it's the 4th ingredient. And Toby is allergic to corn anyway, and since the 3rd ingredient is corn, along with the gluten being next on the list, it's out of the question for me. Dogs need meat and good-quality carbs, not grain fractions. And, since the first ingredient is "chicken" (or beef or lamb)(mostly moisture), not "chicken meal" (moisture removed), there's not much meat in it at all. I'm also not happy with the "poultry by-product meal" being #5 on the list. Plus, it costs just about the same per pound as Chicken Soup or Canidae, which list meat sources as the first 4 ingredients. In short----Purina One isn't terrible, but I can do better for the same price.


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## flashthebasset (Apr 9, 2008)

If it works for you, stick with it. A dog with acne, that is interesting! I have never heard of that before. I have my dog on Iams, recommended by the vet. He was eating kibbles and chunks when I rescued him and was told it causes allergies in dogs. His coat has gotten much shinier since the switch.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

flashthebasset said:


> If it works for you, stick with it. A dog with acne, that is interesting! I have never heard of that before. I have my dog on Iams, recommended by the vet. He was eating kibbles and chunks when I rescued him and was told it causes allergies in dogs. His coat has gotten much shinier since the switch.


a specific food isnt going to CAUSE allergies in dogs. any dog can have allergies to any ingredients at any point in life. allergies can develop, but its not like "food X causes all dogs to have allergies, and food Y doesnt" it doesnt work that way.


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## flashthebasset (Apr 9, 2008)

correct, excuse my wording. Apparently there must be some ingredient in it they are linking to allergic reactions.


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## Two Labs Mom (Apr 10, 2008)

We alternate between Canidae and Wellness after doing a lot of research on the gunk that goes into dog food. From what I read, any 'meal' is actually more desirable because it means that the water is gone. So chicken meal contains more chicken than just plain 'chicken' and so forth. 

www.dogfoodanalysis.com has a lot of great information that I found surprising too. We used this site to help us choose our dogs' food. There are a few others that were good but unfortunately I didn't save them ... if I find them, I'll post them. They said basically the same thing that this site did though.

We learned that the ingredients that most give dogs trouble with allergies, skin problems, digestive trouble, etc. were corn, gluten and soy. Canidae and Wellness contain neither and our dogs are doing great on them. Both dogs came to us with dull coats. Our female lab was also too skinny. Our male was fed Life's Abundance (a pyramid scheme thing) and the girl was fed Eukanuba Large Breed puppy. Within a couple of weeks of the switch to Canidae, both looked and behaved like new dogs. 

Anyway ... this is just what is working for us. Take a cruise through this dog food website though. It's a fascinating read.


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## MyDog M*A*S*H (Mar 30, 2008)

*Purina one is not a good choice. Yes I also hear a lot of "my dogs are doing fine on that food" I think of it as you are eating McDonalds everyday. I know people who eat like that and say "I never go to the doctor" then I ask when they last had a physical and they say "never" that tells me that some would just rather not know so you are not going to change their minds.*


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

is it a good food? no it is not. i dont care whos dog does well on it, the answer is no it isnt a good food. all of the formulas have corn and gluten in them, both thikngs are not good for dogs, and they almost always in the top 3 ingredients. why do some dogs do well on these kinds of foods? i have no idea, but i highly doubt that every dog who does "well" on it actually is doing well on it. i also think that all of those dogs would do well on a number of good foods as well, but people want what is cheap and easy. and even if you dont notice a problem now, these foods just do not give an aging dog the nutrition he needs. ive heard every excuse in the book as to why owners feel the need to continue feeding this junk even with all the information out there, but none of them are good enough.

i would put the dog back on canidae to see if the acne comes back. if it doesnt, i would stay with canidae. it is a simple good food, and it is very affordable. if it comes back, then look at the ingrediants of canidae and compare it to other good brands (innova, evo, blue buffalo, chicken soup, merricks, california natural, great life, etc) and find a brand that has different things in it. you can also try different canidae formulas. if you are on the one with chicken and turkey, then switch to one that just has chikcen, or just lamb. usually with allergies, the simplest food is the best. some of the better foods, like innova, might have too much stuff in it andthe dog just cant deal.


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