# Purina Rules!



## Ilovemydoglala (Dec 22, 2006)

My dog Lala loves this food and its very healthy!Does anyone else have any dogs that eat purina?


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## ilovemychihuahua (Oct 8, 2006)

NO. My dog eats Pedigree.


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## Allie (Dec 22, 2006)

*Toally!!!*

My dog is on Purina too!


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## britishbandit (Dec 11, 2006)

Glad it's working well for you, I however would never feed it to my dogs.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

I don't and won't feed Dog Chow, but I do feed Pro Plan (which is Purina's top line) and also consider Purina ONE to be decent IMHO.


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## Hailey (Dec 13, 2006)

Back in the day I fed one of my sibes Pro Plan, she has since passed, the 3 dogs I have now are all on Wellness.


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## MyKara (Dec 20, 2006)

I tried pro plan ,chicken soup, pedigree,Fromms,and Eagle,he hated all of it. Reese is on wellness and he loves it.


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## all4thedogs (Sep 25, 2006)

No, I do not feed nor recommend Purina brand. I personally feel it is full of fillers, and over priced for the ingredients it has.

I feed Canidae, California Natural, and Raw


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## nrhareiner (Dec 6, 2006)

Nop if I was going to feed that I would put my dogs in the barn and call them horses. My horses do not even get corn which is what the majority of purina dog chow and feeds are.

My dogs get Nutro and one soon to be 2 get raw.

Heidi


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## Tamara (Dec 6, 2006)

Purina is a massive company more interested in profit than you dog's health. Try the smaller more specialist brands and support the dog foods where they are really working towards healthier diets. I found that if you ring these quality food people up they are more than willing to send free samples and do a taste test. I am sure your dog will much prefer one of these.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

mine were on Canidae for almost 5 mo and they went to....well, you know.....they are back on Pur. One and they looke great.....their coats are back to glossy and full, their weight is great, their energy level is much better then on Canidae and so i think i'll stay w/ it till i can afford the Pro Plan Select at $42 a 33lb bag.......then i'll give it a try......

i will not feed anything less than Purina One, however......i agree the rest is crap.....


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## cujo3269 (Dec 21, 2006)

I am currently using Purina, but after reading some of these posts i think i might switch in the near future.


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## ebony923 (Dec 8, 2006)

Purina Sucks... 

It is LOADED with Ingredients to avoid.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

That link gives you a list of ingredients that should be avoided in dog food.
Even Pro Plan has bad ingredients in it. What type specifically are you feeding. 

Purina ONE (Nestle) - http://forums.dogfoodproject.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=32057&an=0&page=0#Post32057

Purina Pro Plan (Nestle) - http://forums.dogfoodproject.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=32034&an=0&page=0#Post32034

Purina Dog Chow / Puppy Chow (Nestle) - http://forums.dogfoodproject.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=32023&an=0&page=0#Post32023

Yeah so I wouldnt recomend it at all... o and also.. my friends dog used to have seizures and the moment she was taken off this kind of food she stopped having seizures and also my other friends dog had cancer and wasn't supposed to live more than two months.. and this was said over 6 months ago
and she's still alive, and no tumors because she was taken off the food.

Yeah so rethink Purina brand


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

ebony923 said:


> Yeah so I wouldnt recomend it at all... o and also.. my friends dog used to have seizures and the moment she was taken off this kind of food she stopped having seizures and also my other friends dog had cancer and wasn't supposed to live more than two months.. and this was said over 6 months ago
> and she's still alive, and no tumors because she was taken off the food.


I wouldn't think one anecdotal incident is any kind of good indicator that a brand of food caused the sickness. But it is interesting that the dog is miraculously cured. Besides switching foods, has anything else changed in the dog's life that may have helped her ailments? Medication or treatments?


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## ebony923 (Dec 8, 2006)

No Nothing was changed no medical things nothing except their food change... the one that had tumors she would get the tumors removed but they would always grow back but now they havent sense they switched food from purina type food to better foods.


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## LoveLilly (Oct 25, 2006)

I did have my puppy on the ProPlan puppy formula small breed & she appeared very healthy except for the itching. I did need to switch as it does have alot of fillers that she was allergic to and itched all the time. She is now on a part homemade and part hypoallergenic brand from Eukaneuba which I can only get from the vet and it has no fillers. 

Now I have used Purina for my cats and when I switched my oldest one (11 1/2 years) to the Purina Indoor Formula he just flourished.

I know that you will hear alot of people swear by certain foods but I think your pets reaction and overall healthy look is the tell tale sign.


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## tessa_s212 (Jun 16, 2006)

ebony923 said:


> No Nothing was changed no medical things nothing except their food change... the one that had tumors she would get the tumors removed but they would always grow back but now they havent sense they switched food from purina type food to better foods.


I am the owner of the dogs ebony is speaking of.

My dog that has seizures has never taken medication for them. They were not consistant, sometimes they would come twice a month, sometimes not for two months at a time, therefor, she was never put on any medication. But, the minute I switched her off of the horrible purina off brand that she used to eat, she stopped having the seizures. She has been since on Nutro NC and now Chicken Soup, and for almost over 9 months, her seizures have not returned. But, I will tell you that a long time ago when I forgot to buy her a new bag of food, and she was forced to be fed the offbrand purina that the rest of my dogs ate, within a week she was having seizures again, and this time massive ones. 

The other dog, our cancer girl, was diagnosed with cancer about 2 years ago, I believe. After many surgeries to remove the tumors that continued to grow, and the fact that this dog also has horrid ulcers, our vet only gave our dog two months to live. It has been not only those two months, but at least half a year. At this news, I knew I wasn't just going to accept the fact that this dog was going to die. I did my research, and we quickly changed this dog to Chicken Soup, a food that not only lacked the ingredients that were only encouraging the tumors to grow, but also would not upset her ulcers. She has been tumor free ever since. And so long as no one slips up and gives this dog any human foods that she is not allowed to have, her ulcers also remain under control.

It shocks me that so many people find it surprising what an important role a dog's diet plays into its health, and what a good diet can do for a dog that is already unhealthy. But, after my experiences, and hearing only more experiences like my own thank to these wonderful online forums, I am confident in my knowledge that this is a bad food, and I would never feed anything of poor quality ever again.


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## LabLady101 (Jul 5, 2006)

This is one of my posts from another thread, but I think it certainly continues to apply here:

"Anything can happen no matter what you feed. All anyone can ever do is feed the food their dog does best on- no matter what it is. If only more people would understand that dogs can still get cancer and die at a young age eating Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, etc...but then, I suppose, of course, it would not be blamed on the food. Nope, only foods like Dog Chow get the honor of being blamed for such tragedies. Just doesn't make sense to me! Did it ever occur to anyone that a tragedy happened simply because a dog just happened to be born with a bad set of genetics? Or worse yet, there was a smoker in the home? Some one once told me "cancer is an equal opportunity killer" and I totally agree. Sure, food does make a difference in the health of your dog, but if something like cancer is going to happen there is no way to say for certain that it was the food that caused it. I'm more inclined to believe that genetics and environmental factors play more of a role in that area than food ever will."


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## tessa_s212 (Jun 16, 2006)

LabLady101 said:


> This is one of my posts from another thread, but I think it certainly continues to apply here:
> 
> "Anything can happen no matter what you feed. All anyone can ever do is feed the food their dog does best on- no matter what it is. If only more people would understand that dogs can still get cancer and die at a young age eating Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, etc...but then, I suppose, of course, it would not be blamed on the food. Nope, only foods like Dog Chow get the honor of being blamed for such tragedies. Just doesn't make sense to me! Did it ever occur to anyone that a tragedy happened simply because a dog just happened to be born with a bad set of genetics? Or worse yet, there was a smoker in the home? Some one once told me "cancer is an equal opportunity killer" and I totally agree. Sure, food does make a difference in the health of your dog, but if something like cancer is going to happen there is no way to say for certain that it was the food that caused it. I'm more inclined to believe that genetics and environmental factors play more of a role in that area than food ever will."


If you ate healthy your entire life, but still ended up with health issues, you wouldn't blame it on your eating, would you? Of course not, because you'd know that you did your best to eat right so that you could be healthy later on in life. But, if the reverse is true, if you did not eat healthy, certainly your health problems could be partially due to your unhealthy eating habits, correct?

You can apply the same logic to what and how you feed your dog. Yes, of course, no matter how high quality food a dog is fed, they can still come up with health problems. But that is beside the point. My point was that a high quality food helped my dogs tremendously. Take from it what you will.

I never stated that it was the food that caused my girl's cancer. The only thing I did state for certain is that its GONE. Tumors have NOT come back. Did the food cause her cancer? No, probably not alone. Did being fed such an unhealthy food for so long probably play a role, if even a minor one? Yes, of course. And, because of the fact that the tumors stopped growing once put on a healthy food, proves to me that it played a larger role than one might think.


I have never understood the logic behind not wanting to feed your dog only the best in hopes that it can lead a long, happy, and *healthy* life. Will all dogs develop health problems if fed a poor quality food. Perhaps not. But why risk the chance? I wouldn't with any child of mine, and I wouldn't with any dog of mine either.


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## Keno's Mom (Nov 20, 2006)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Purina is one of the worse foods to feed! There are many, far better dog foods out there. We use Kirkland (from Costco) - its made by the Diamond company which is better quality food. 

I would not feed my dog or cats any of Purina's foods - its all junk IMO. In fact, Iams used to be good (for both) but they've changed over the last few years and the quality has gone down. I will be switching to Royal Cain for our cats.


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## luvmyshihtzus (Dec 18, 2006)

*Science Diet works for my 2 pups*

I have my dogs on Science Diet, and they just love it! It was my vet who suggested it, and I'll never put them on anything else.


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## tessa_s212 (Jun 16, 2006)

luvmyshihtzus said:


> I have my dogs on Science Diet, and they just love it! It was my vet who suggested it, and I'll never put them on anything else.


I recently joined a veterinarian tech myspace group, and this is what someone had to say:



> I'm a tech student and we get discounts on Hills. We also had a purina spokesman come in and buy us all pizza so we would listen to him talk about their food.
> ....but I do feel like they try to sway our opinions sometimes.


It is a common known fact that vets do NOT get nutritional training in school. And, what trainign or "knowledge" about dog food they do learn in vet school is only through representatives like the vet tech student mentioned above. And, those representatives don't care about your dog's health. They care about making hte company more money.

Just as vets are NOT dog trainers and taking dog training advice from a vet will come back to bite you in the butt, the same goes for food. Vets are not nutritionists and many merely promote the bad foods because they get discounts and are paid to. If you feed your dog Science Diet, THEY get more money.


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## Keno's Mom (Nov 20, 2006)

Almost all the vets I've been to (in any state) have SD on the shelves. My cats HATED SD - would not touch it. There are better quality foods out there.

I agree, the vets push it only cause they get discount to sell it - doesn't mean its all that great 

I'm sure if Purina company or the company that markets Ol' Roy (WalMart brand) would do the same, you'd see those foods in vets office - IMO both are one the bottom of the list for quality foods!


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

i will still stay w/ Pur. One (as this is the one that my dogs have done the best on) until such time that i can afford the Pro Plan Select (which is right up there w/ your Canidae, Wellness, Eagle Pak and all those others).....but, unfortunately, $42 for a 33 lb bag (which would last my 4 about 2 wks) just isn't in the budget......that would be like me feeding my family Porterhouse 3 nights a wk.....


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

No offense meant here, but I worked at a store that sold Pro Plan, and I saw the ingredients, and I have to say, it's not right up there with Canidae and the others as far as quality of ingredients, unless they came out with some special line that got rid of the brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, unspecified animal fat, and medadione. I actually don't care for Wellness either lol...

I do understand though, that these foods are more expensive in some places, for some reason. I can get a 40lb bag of Canidae here for $35, while in other places, it's a lot more. If it were that expensive for me, I wouldn't be able to buy it either lmao...


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## Keno's Mom (Nov 20, 2006)

I know several breeders of cats had their cats on Pro Plan and it ruined the coats - made them really dry.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

Keno's Mom said:


> I know several breeders of cats had their cats on Pro Plan and it ruined the coats - made them really dry.


but this is what happened to my dogs when they were put on Canidae....their coats got crappy, their energy level was down, and they had to eat 2x as much to maintain their weight....plus they went to pooping 3-5 times a day instead of the 2x on Pur. One.....even my vet was appalled at their condition after 4-5 mo on Canidae.....i still maintain, feed what works best for your dog(s)


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## Snowshoe (Nov 17, 2006)

I've never had my pup on anything but Fromm's Puppy Gold and Fromm's Four Star Nutritionals. 

For the most part, I really like Fromm's ingredient list. Plus, my pup has a sensitive tummy, and I'm not going to switch from what works. 

I've never tried Purina on my dog, but my breeder said that the last time she had her dogs on Purina, their coats became coarser and more brittle. 

Obviously, shiny coats aren't the breed standard for my pup, but the food she's on has kept her coat in what is correct for her breed. 

My breeder also said that Iams turned her dogs coats' red due to the food coloring. As most keeshonden are gray, red coats can easily disqualify a dog if you are attempting to show. 

Fromm's has no food coloring. 

She told me that she knew what worked best for her dogs, and what fooods I should stick with, and I've had great results with her advice. 

However, if my breeder had told me to feed Purina because that's what worked best for her, that's what my pup would be on. Its really about what works best for your dogs.


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## Pitbull (Sep 24, 2006)

I recommend Timberwolf Organics..its one of the best foods on the market..the ingredients are the proof!
I also feed raw though...

Good dog food is expensive...but in my opinion its worth it..and alot of times, they actually do have deals..the pet food store across the street here has deals on Wellness, which is a really good food as well...at certain times a bag will cost as much as the same bag of Iams..now THAT is a deal...

I pay 75 dollars for a 33lb bag of timberwolf organics. Is that expensive? Heck yeah, and I'm a student that's on a loan right now..I'm broke, but thank GOD and knock on wood, my dogs don't see the vet except for yearly checkup! *thank you LORD!*

When I first got my pittie, she was on IAMS *the ex owners had her on it*..she smelled awful..her coat was gross...matte...her breath smelled terrible...her ears were dirty...her eyes weren't clear and had discharge..as soon as I switched her over, the changes started to occur...diet is extremely important!


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## MagicToller (Jan 4, 2007)

All of the big name dog food companies (except for their premium food lines - and even then you need to be careful), are garbage. It's all marketing - even Science Diet is terrible. Just look at the first ingredient: Corn Glutton Meal. 

I feed Bluebuffalo, plus two raw feedings a week.

Try to switch off the stuff later on. Look for a dog food that doesn't have as much corn, soy, and byproducts as the bigboys. It's ALL marketing. Try to see through that, it will mean a dog with a healthier diet and possibly improve the quality of life.


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## Pitbull (Sep 24, 2006)

Excellent post MagicToller


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## atldoglover (Nov 8, 2006)

To answer the OP's question- No, I did not feed Raven Purina. She was on Pro Plan when I got her, but I changed her to Eukanuba (Lamb and Rice). Now for my new puppies, I am really looking at Canidae All Stages.


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## DKaiser (Jan 26, 2007)

I have tried my Dalmation (now 5) on Eukanuba, Iams, Nutra and all of which gave him bladder stones. I now feed him Purina One chicken and rice and he has not had any stones since. This food doesn't have any type of beef by product in it. Now I have a Yellow Lab (3) and a beagle (1) who are all on purina one. They have and are doing great on it!


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

I fed my dogs Pedigree for years and yes, they "looked" great, however, infection after infection, that at the time I had no idea was food related... I then switched them to Solid Gold Wolf King and WOW! Their coats were amazing, their energy levels went through the roof and suprise suprise... the yeast infections stopped!
Now I feed raw and again their coats are amazing, incredible engery and their teeth look like puppy teeth. Not to mention still no "useless" vet visits!!!!
What you feed has a huge bearing on your dogs health and appearance, just because they seem to be doing great on purina or pedigree or Ol'Roy for that matter, doesnt mean they could be better


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## karenrem (Mar 28, 2007)

every one is talking about purina pro plan not being good for a dogs coat. I have a bernese mountain dog and he is only fed pro plan and his coat is awsom. For those who are not experienced with the berner, his coat is his shinning glory


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

Pitbull said:


> I pay 75 dollars for a 33lb bag of timberwolf organics.


This is an old post, so I don't know if you're still paying that much, but you can pay much less if you go through Timberwolf's website and they have free shipping. Prices for the different formulas vary, but Ocean Blue is $52.65 for 33 lb, Southwest Chicken & Herbs is also $52.65, Wild and Natural is $55.85... you get the idea.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

DKaiser said:


> I have tried my Dalmation (now 5) on Eukanuba, Iams, Nutra and all of which gave him bladder stones. I now feed him Purina One chicken and rice and he has not had any stones since. This food doesn't have any type of beef by product in it. Now I have a Yellow Lab (3) and a beagle (1) who are all on purina one. They have and are doing great on it!


i had always fed my dogs Purina products....when i got Tipper and then Lacey i put them on Iams and Eukanuba (respectively) and they did crappy....now, i know that they are crappy foods to begin w/ but at the time the were the "best" along w/ SD.....well, needless to say, i put them back on Purina One and they have done fantastic.....their coats (all 4 of my dogs) are great; shiny, clean, bouncy, etc., their energy is outstanding, and they have gone to the vets for their regular things (vaccines, s/n, hip x-rays for the HD, etc.) and for one problem when Lacey put a hole in the roof of her mouth from a stick.....we tried Canidae and their coats went to (well, you know), their energy level dropped, i had to feed 2-3x the amount just to keep weight on them, and they were pooping 2x as much a day.....vet saw their coats and that was the first time i have ever had a vet "chastise" me for the condition of my dogs.....they are back, forever, w/ the Pur. One as far as i'm concerned.....


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## Weebles (Feb 12, 2007)

Cheetah said:


> No offense meant here, but I worked at a store that sold Pro Plan, and I saw the ingredients, and I have to say, it's not right up there with Canidae and the others as far as quality of ingredients, unless they came out with some special line that got rid of the brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, unspecified animal fat, and medadione. I actually don't care for Wellness either lol...
> 
> I do understand though, that these foods are more expensive in some places, for some reason. I can get a 40lb bag of Canidae here for $35, while in other places, it's a lot more. If it were that expensive for me, I wouldn't be able to buy it either lmao...


I think that poster may be talking about Pro Plan Selects which IS a high quality food. It's (I think) a newer food that has similar ingredients to the ones like Canidae but is made by Purina - it's not the same as the regular Pro Plan. It is pretty expensive though. My dog has been eating this for about a month now, and his coat is very shiny and he still has a ton of energy. Plus, he tends to have a sensitive tummy and this is the first non-prescription food that he has done well on.


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## squirt1968 (Feb 19, 2007)

I switche my pup to wellness 3 weeks ago. She still has not acquired a taste for it She begs for food takes me to the fridge. By night she eats the wellness. How long is it normally before a dog accepts the new food? She was shedding badly and that has stopped, will take awhile before she has a pretty tail again.


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## alexnpeteysmom (Mar 26, 2007)

My dogs eat Purina Little Bites Indoor Complete and are very healthy dogs. My vet is always impressed withe their shiny coats, beautiful teeth, and healthy body weights. (especially with their teeth, since chihuahuas are so prone to bad teeth.)

They also get Pedigree canned once a day, but not as a main meal. They get 1/2 can at dinner time (so about 1/4 can each) along with their kibble.

I tried switching them to Nutro, but even a very gradual switch made them violently ill. We'll be sticking with Purina. I donated the rest of the bag to a local rescue.

Oh one product form Purina that I would not recommend is Kibbles N Bits. I bought it once becuase it was on sale and we only fed one feeding (50/50 old to new.) The dogs threw up and had diarrhea for a whole day. It was so bad that I threw out the whole bag. 

ALSO, in light of the canned food recall, where it was found that the wheat gluten was contaminated, I would never feed my dog a food with wheat in it. Keep in mind that the wheat in the dry could be the very same wheat the poisoned so many dogs in the canned.


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

yuck..... not something that I would ever feed my dogs.... there are so many options out there of better quality foods with better quality ingredients..... I am a big proponent of feed what works for your dog .... 
but if I found out one of my puppies was eating purina I think I would pitch a fit..... I very clearly give my puppy people a list of acceptable dog foods and they must choose off the list that I give them..... (speaking of which I better get my new list together) but there isn't a purina product on that list..... 

S


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

Weebles said:


> I think that poster may be talking about Pro Plan Selects which IS a high quality food. It's (I think) a newer food that has similar ingredients to the ones like Canidae but is made by Purina - it's not the same as the regular Pro Plan. It is pretty expensive though.


It's VERY overpriced compared to foods with similar (and better) ingredients. Canidae is about $25 for 33 pounds. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul is $29.99 for 35 pounds. Pro Plan Select is $46.99 for 33 pounds. 

Turkey, brewers rice, pearled barley, chicken meal (natural source of glucosamine), *corn gluten meal*, oat meal, *animal fat* preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), dried egg product, fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), pea fiber, dried beet pulp, fish oil, natural flavor, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium carbonate, dried tomatoes, blueberry pomace, dried sweet potatoes, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, *menadione sodium bisulfite complex *(source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. 

I wouldn't feed it because of the bolded ingredients. Purina is getting closer, but still missing the mark at making a holistic food.


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## Captbob (Feb 2, 2007)

luvntzus said:


> It's VERY overpriced compared to foods with similar (and better) ingredients. Canidae is about $25 for 33 pounds. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul is $29.99 for 35 pounds. Pro Plan Select is $46.99 for 33 pounds.
> 
> Turkey, brewers rice, pearled barley, chicken meal (natural source of glucosamine), *corn gluten meal*, oat meal, *animal fat* preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), dried egg product, fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), pea fiber, dried beet pulp, fish oil, natural flavor, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium carbonate, dried tomatoes, blueberry pomace, dried sweet potatoes, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, *menadione sodium bisulfite complex *(source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.
> 
> I wouldn't feed it because of the bolded ingredients. Purina is getting closer, but still missing the mark at making a holistic food.


That money goes to the *very expensive* TV and magazine advertisements.....


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## RoxyD (Mar 28, 2007)

My bloodhound Roxy is on Purina dog chow, seems like she likes it. But now i am nervous because all the things people have said about it. I do notice that she sheads alot, like you can pull the furr off her and she doesnt mind, could this be from the dog food?


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## Captbob (Feb 2, 2007)

Maybe we should start a thread on how good it would be to feed yourself McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts every day....


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## Amitiel (Mar 27, 2007)

ok, *question* - I have a large breed dog that has problems with . . . . loose stools (to be polite) - I have tried several different brands and for now IAMS, dry is working the best, just no lamb. I am (thanks so much guys) looking at other better foods (hated IAMS anyway - smells bad & other things). How likely will he be to take to one of the bison products with his sensitivity to lamb?


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

You could try venison, chicken/turkey or even rabbit based food as well. Whatever you decide to do just do it slowly. Timberwolf Organics has some good kibble products/BARF mixers you could check out their website and see if any would work for you....I had to take my dog off Iams, mega ear infections.


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## Bumper (Mar 28, 2007)

Purina...I won't feed it to anything, not dogs, cats or horses. Their feeds (all animal varieties) are very outdated when it comes to nutrition. They made a big deal out of Strategy horse feed but it's nothing but the leftovers on the floor of the feed mill, someone had the bright idea to mix it up into a pellet and put it in a bag.  

Bumper


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## GreyhoundGirl (May 23, 2007)

I would never feed Purina. I tried for a while and it dried my dog's coat out, gave her terrible dandruff, she lost a lot of wieght, her stools were awful, she had no energy...  I would not reccomend Purina.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

My dogs eat Eukanuba medium breed lamb and rice; I usually like something 'higher' end (although this retails at 50$ a 40lb bag), but I get it at a discount at the clinic I work at, and with only one income currently (mine) my hubby and I need to 'save' as much as we can!!! We can also put it on our 'tab' if necessary there...


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## sillylilykitty (Mar 11, 2007)

I would never feed Purina. I am having a hard time getting my friend convinced to want to change her cats food from Purina to something better (I chose Chicken Soup because it's the cheapest good food). But Purina cat chow, they get it for less than $12 for a 18lb bag


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I used to feed it but Snoopy never had alot of energy and his coat didn't look that good. But now that I am in the process of switching to canidae he has load s of more energy and he sheds less!


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

Chloes on Chicken Soup... i love it! its been great for her. shes got a ton of energy (well, that part i could do without, shes a freak of nature now) and shes gained a lot of weight on it that she needed. she was sooooo skinny from her HOD, and she was about 40lbs when we put her on it... shes not even done with her first bag yet (we bought the really big bag, she eats about 3cups a day) and shes already up over 50lbs. YAY. i would never feed purina anything...not even their "top" line. its not that "top" IMHO


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

Ilovemydoglala said:


> My dog Lala loves this food and its very healthy!Does anyone else have any dogs that eat purina?



I fed Purina ONE for a few months ...
Almost a year ago, I lost a magnificent GSD who was literally poetry in motion, intelligent, fiercely loyal, a true companion. She was a very rare mix of German working/show plus Am. show lines. This bitch was a remarkable specimen of the breed conformation wise, and had the temperament needed for real work. She once carried out a formal "bark & hold" with no training at all at the age of 8 months, in a real life situation. I know, this is getting OT. But I was intending to breed her to a German import police S&R dog who did time at Ground Zero. She had so much to live for until we bought a bag of Purina ONE in Dec. 05. My dogs had always been healthy, but I had a few come down with colitis, we had some problems with excessive nervousness/anxiety, and Kyra, my GSD started sprouting lumps. One on her neck, the other on her rear leg. Her beautiful coat was now very greasy  Also, all the dog's teeth were accumulating tartar at an astonishing rate. Nothing I did made a dent on the tartar - it was though it was coming from the INSIDE of the tooth. When I made the connection between the food and the health problems, my Beagles got well again, but my Shepherd just continued to go downhill with the diarrhea, vomiting, weightloss that the Vet could not explain. She had an elevated BUN in Aug & Oct of '06, but we just didn't know WHY. It wasn't at levels indicating renal failure, but something was going on. I had her on antacids on a daily basis, just to keep her from having projectile diarrhea ... she also became incontinant towards the end. We were supposed to have her bloodwork done again last November, but she never made it. She was down to about 45lbs and was getting so blindly aggressive and her persopnality was completely inside out. She mauled one of my Beagles, one she had always been ultra submissive to, and had to be put down.
Since then, I've heard similar stories regarding Purina products, namely, Pro Plan. I have a Beagle breeder friend using Pro Plan and her dogs look like $***. They're overweight, no pigment, constant eye stains, rotted teeth, doggy odor.
Every time I see a bag of Purina ONE I think of what it did to Kyra and I have the compulsion to haul it of the shelf and tear the bag to shreds, all the while screaming that it killed my dog  There is nothing you can say (directed at the OP) that redeems this product in my eyes. Even if you say they do make higher end products, just the fact that the vast majority of their foods are such pure garbage with sorbitol, artificial colors, soy, wheat, corn gluten - I wouldn't even bother supporting a company that makes a product like Beneful or the worst dog food ever produced (far worse than Ol' Roy), Mainstay. 

I miss ya, Kyra ...


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## LighthouseNewfoundlands (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Purina Rules! - I don't think so!*

I know I'm new to this forum, however, I am not new to Purina. In fact, I would consider myself an expert.

Consumer Affairs interviewed me for a story they did on Purina. I have invested at least 250 hours in dog food researching after all the recalls. 

If any of you want to read the story, go to
www.consumeraffairs.com and look up the "Newfoundland's Breeder Despair," article. It was written several months ago, so you might have to do a search.

I will NEVER feed Purina . . . I had a deformed litter, just to mention one problem, and looking back, I feel blessed my Newfoundlands didn't die from that food.

Nestle' owns Purina. Purina also make Ol Roy. Would you feed your dogs Ol Roy? 

Just my OWN tragic experience. Never again. 

If anyone would like to e-mail me privately, feel free.


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

> This is one of my posts from another thread, but I think it certainly continues to apply here:
> 
> "Anything can happen no matter what you feed. All anyone can ever do is feed the food their dog does best on- no matter what it is. If only more people would understand that dogs can still get cancer and die at a young age eating Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, etc...but then, I suppose, of course, it would not be blamed on the food. Nope, only foods like Dog Chow get the honor of being blamed for such tragedies. Just doesn't make sense to me! Did it ever occur to anyone that a tragedy happened simply because a dog just happened to be born with a bad set of genetics?


 I'm sorry, I have to respectfully but wholeheartedly disagree with you on this! You're correct in the aspect that genetics plays the foremost role in determening the health of the dog, and no brand of food is going to switch off bad genes. You can feed anything, and that dog is still going to come down with cancer, bloat, epilepsy. 
I have fed dozens of commercial foods, most of which were holistic. I would say my dogs did well on most fo these foods, however we had one holistic food (Back to Basics) and two non hoilistic (Eukanuba & Purina ONE) cause MAJOR problems that these dogs were NOT NOT NOT genetically predisposed to!!!!! When I problem crops up suddenly and ends abrubtly after a food is introduced/taken away, well then, its the food thats causing it. So yeah, I'm going to blame the food. We had hundreds of foods literally killing dogs several months back, and I firmly believe there are more dry foods that were not recalled but are causing serious illness in dogs. I mentioned Eukanuba was causing incontanince in my dogs - a friend of mine had the same problems as I did with that food, one of my puppy buyers reported the same thing, and now my cousin't dog on Iams has protein in his urine. She is so stubborn, she refuses to believe its the food. Well, it is. Also have a neighbor whose daughter feeds their Lab Eukanuba - he's lost weight, poor coat, bladder problems ... I am seriously considering negating my puppy health guarantee should the buyer feed Iams/Euk due to the pattern of urinary issues its causing. 
I'm sorry, but I can't be convinced Purina is decent. If food was causing a problem, I'd blame it no matter what the brand. Its not that foods like Dog Chow are the only ones to be blamed for problems. I have 10 dogs who do well on almost anything (but thrive on raw, lol) and foods such as Purina have caused their health to go down the toilet. Once I took them off, with the exception of one dog, all their problems cleared up. I have talked to breeders whose dogs were getting histiocytomas (sp?) constantly on Purina products, due to the tallow (which is essentially beef based lard) causing the overly oily skin to form these oversized pimples. I am hearing breeders complain about mysterious deaths of pups and dogs of all ages on certain Purina formulas. Check the internet, I know of at least one Newfie breeder and one Bichon breeder who are currently blaming Purina for the sudden mysterious deaths of their dogs in the past several months. I personally know quite a few show breeders who were swearing by it but switched in the past year due to poor performance ...


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## Occy (Oct 3, 2007)

I feed pro plan - have for years - also feed purina ONE when I cant afford the pro plan which isnt very often luckily


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

theres a lot of foods out there i wont feed, anything marked with purina is out of the question. i think a lot of people need to learn whats in their dog food, and learn exatly WHAT it IS. learn the difference between, chicken-chicken byproduct- chicken meal...etc. its not all the same.


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## Occy (Oct 3, 2007)

as ive said in other threads im looking into new foods all the time with my gsd because of his many immune mediated issues - hmm should i blame his food for those? - if only timberwolf was available in australia


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

If your dog has a genetic predisposition for cancer, epilepsy or whatever illness or condition, no food will prevent these. If your dog comes from a line which has no incidences of these diseases or conditions, then can we safely say if your dog gets cancer or whatever, that it is caused by the food you are feeding? That, I would think, would be difficult to answer as you have to consider environmental factors, even the water your dog drinks as it comes from different sources in different areas. However, I believe quality food gives a dog a chance at a high quality of life in terms of overall health and vitality. Dogs have been fed Purina for years but since the dog has become more of a part of our family as opposed to a piece of property, more effort has been put in creating holistic dog foods which purport to promote both physical and mental health of our four-legged family members. I do not feed my dog PUrina because I believe it's full of cheap fillers and colours. I don't think I would like to eat food full of fillers and colours; think about how you feel when you eat processed food full of artificial flavours or colours. Why do you think there are more obese people nowadays than in earlier days? Because there are more of these convenient processed foods with chemicals that our bodies don't know what to do with so they store them as fat. I would think that dogs, as carnivores, would feel the same way when fed cheap fillers and colours. Many foods like Purina's Beneful, colour their food to make it look healthful and some of the so-called meat is just stuff coloured to look like meat. My sister-in-law changed her labs from Eukanuba to Wellness and there is a huge difference in their coat and their body condition. Their coats are shinier, they look trim and not bloated and their eyes are brighter. The one lab has epilepsy and he has some behavioural problems but that's because he's from a pet store (i.e. puppy mill). I just think it's logical to feed your dog, as a member of your family, the best food you can afford and available.


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## Mad4Dogs (Jul 31, 2007)

Sadie is on Pro Plan too!


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## EXBCMC (Jul 7, 2007)

tirluc said:


> but this is what happened to my dogs when they were put on Canidae....their coats got crappy, their energy level was down, and they had to eat 2x as much to maintain their weight....plus they went to pooping 3-5 times a day instead of the 2x on Pur. One.....even my vet was appalled at their condition after 4-5 mo on Canidae.....i still maintain, feed what works best for your dog(s)


I realize this post has gone on forever and I've done my best to read them all. One just caught my eye. MY DOG is on Canidae, for perhaps two months now and she pooooooops many times per day too. Any comments as to why? I'm happy with the food, but we have 3 large dogs and the trash company is about to surcharge me for the amount of waste! I'm happy with theri coat etc, but they do poop.


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## Leanie (Sep 28, 2007)

Ilovemydoglala said:


> My dog Lala loves this food and its very healthy!Does anyone else have any dogs that eat purina?


Mine couldn't handle it, she threw up about 11 times after eating it and we had to rush her to the vet at midnight! Changed her food and she never did that again. She also had diarrhea from it to.


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## EXBCMC (Jul 7, 2007)

Leanie said:


> Mine couldn't handle it, she threw up about 11 times after eating it and we had to rush her to the vet at midnight! Changed her food and she never did that again. She also had diarrhea from it to.


I'm wondering, did you switch brands gradually? From what I "understand," and I'm new to all this, you must switch foods slowly or that'll upset there systems. Just a thought.


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

EXBCMC said:


> I realize this post has gone on forever and I've done my best to read them all. One just caught my eye. MY DOG is on Canidae, for perhaps two months now and she pooooooops many times per day too. Any comments as to why? I'm happy with the food, but we have 3 large dogs and the trash company is about to surcharge me for the amount of waste! I'm happy with theri coat etc, but they do poop.


The answer is that not every dog is going to do the same on each food. My two are on Canidae and they both poop twice per day (sometimes once). Not every dog is going to have the same results. Their bodies are all different, just like ours.


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## 007Dogs (Aug 22, 2007)

First let me start off by saying there are TWO PURINA'S. The one owned by Nestle, that makes the Purina products you will find at Petsmart and other pet food outlets. The only Nestle based food sold under the Purina name at Wal-Mart and grocery stores is the Purina One. 

I do feed Pro Plan and have for a long time. I have top ranked show dogs who do well on it. They are in good condition, with muscle tone, great coats and happy personalities. Is it the food or just good breeding, not sure. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They are also supplimented with raw chicken or turkey. 

If you attend a dog show in the USA, and ask handlers what they feed their top show dogs you will find most to answer ProPlan, next would probably be Eukanuba or BilJac. I think having dogs live a healthy life of 18 years would not make me consider changing foods. I have fed Canidae with out success. I have fed Timberwolf, just because I won a big basket full samples at a dog show.(I liked the food, but not easy to get in my area) I have fed Wellness, when I lived in an area where I could get it. If my dogs would eat it, I would gladly switch back to Premium Edge Chicken and Rice also made by a subdivision of Diamond. As for the ProPlan Selects I was not impressed enought to make the switch. I think out of all the formulas, the ProPlan sensitive skin has the best ingrediants. I have tried the High Proformance, but find that it tends to burn out my dogs coats. I think everyone needs to just pick the food that best works for there dogs and budget. There are times when I have 3 different brands of food here, if something I am feeding is not working for a particular dog, I change it.


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## Pawper (Dec 28, 2007)

How do ya'll feel about his whole feeding raw thing? I have to admit Ive done my research and it has left me nothing more then CONFUSED

I consider myself well educated on dog food and dog food ingrediants, which is good, which is not good, what ingrediants are bad and what ingrediants are desirable, but the RAW DEBATE has my head spinning.....I can see both sides! Anyone have any lgiht they can shed on the issue?


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

Pawper said:


> How do ya'll feel about his whole feeding raw thing? I have to admit Ive done my research and it has left me nothing more then CONFUSED
> 
> I consider myself well educated on dog food and dog food ingrediants, which is good, which is not good, what ingrediants are bad and what ingrediants are desirable, but the RAW DEBATE has my head spinning.....I can see both sides! Anyone have any lgiht they can shed on the issue?


there are a multitude of threads about raw feeding on this board if you do a search.... i have been feeding raw for over 7 years and while there is a great deal of misinformation around regarding pathogens... there are some very knowledgeable people on this board who have been feeding raw for a long time. 
I am surprised considering your leanings toward naturopathy and holistic vets and such that you don't feed raw. 
s


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I do think certain Purina foods are better than, say, Ol' Roy or store brand foods....and I guarantee you that your average dog owner is not staying up late reading about proper dog nutrition, they just buy whatever looks the shiniest or is the cheapest. 

For instance, my grandma used to buy that nasty semi-moist "burger" food from Sam's Club. It was the most appealing to her and her dog liked it. It's not cheap, but she didn't care---it looked yummy! She also said that he needed it because he was old and his teeth were bad. Her dog had constant ear infections and smelled bad. He was overweight and had potty issues. But you couldn't tell her a thing about dog nutrition----"he likes that brand" she'd say. 

Her dog had a stroke, and while he was at the vet's office recovering (she couldn't take him home because she wasn't strong enough to lift him), they fed him Dog Chow Senior, and sent him home with orders to feed him that brand, moistened, no more burger stuff. He actually improved quite a bit, and lived a decent life for a few more months. She actually let him go for far too long and he was suffering near the end, but that's another topic. I think the improved diet helped him some. It wasn't much improved, but it was better than that burger stuff. 

Another story---a low-income friend of the family fell on harder times than usual, and they could not afford to buy dog or cat food, not even the store brand they had been feeding them. They only had one small dog and one cat, and it should not have cost more than $5.00 a month to feed them store brand......that's what happens when you marry a good-for-nothing gambler---but I digress. Anyway, my mom bought them some pet food, Pedigree for the dog, and Cat Chow for the cat, and the dog's health improved dramatically (well, the cat improved, too). Her coat improved, her teeth were noticably cleaner, and she smelled better. Just after a couple of weeks of eating the Pedigree. Sadly, they went back to the store brand when the bag of Pedigree ran out, and the poor dog's health went back to "normal". The friend dumped the husband, and the dog eats better now, this incident was quite a few years ago. I know Pedigree isn't a Purina brand, but I consider it to be about the same quality as Dog Chow.

The point is, you could certainly do worse than the higher-end Purina feeds. Even regular Dog Chow is better than the lower-end alternatives. They aren't anything I personally would feed my dogs, but aren't too awful, all things considered. I regularly recommend Purina One to friends who have no inclination to travel to buy their pet food. Some people never leave town, and it would be hard to convince them to drive an hour just to buy decent dog food.


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## digimom (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, now, I'm totally confused on the whole subject. Currently Brandy (5 yrs) is on Iams Naturals and new puppy (home today) came with Science Diet Puppy. I was thinking of going over to Iam's puppy, but after reading some of the Dog Food Forum posts, I've gone back and forth to thinking about getting Candidea (sp?) for both or Wellness. I can get both "locally", but not at regular hangouts, it would be a special trip to get their food if I went with these other two brands. 

My parents have always fed Purina Pro to the dogs and all except one 1yr old stray (died of cancer) have lived long lives (lived on farm). My parents never give heart worm meds and after 33 years of dogs, they have never had a dog die of this either. I do give my dogs heart worm meds.

I guess I'll just have to weed my way through different dog foods (slowly adding to each serving over 2 weeks) to see what they would like most and what would seem to do best for them. There are just too many way on the right and way on the left of this issue and both sides of the issue make good reasonings for their side. The only thing I won't do is raw diet. I barely have time to cook for myself and family, let alone the dogs too.

This has been interesting discussion and I hope to learn more.

Thanks,
Karen


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## PittieLover (Feb 23, 2009)

I have a APBT that has been on Ol'roy complete nutrition dog food most of his adult life...He has never had a problem with it and he is 5yrs old..He looks terrific.Nice Shiny coat good muscle ton and has lots of energy! I'm not saying its that good of dog food but it hasn't been bad for him either..Everyone that see's him says he's a great looking healthy dog. There is one thing tho that I do notice, but don't know if it has anything to do with Ol'roy..He does shed very bad, but other then that he's a happy, healthy APBT.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

I tried to feed purina but couldn't for an extended period because Hallie's coat got greasy and she got bad tear stains. Also while on purina her anal gland issue (common in beagles) flared up worse than it had ever been. if you can feed it then good but if you can't then it's no biggie


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