# Purina EN?



## mellotune (Mar 11, 2007)

Does anyone have experience with Purina EN dry food? How is it? Thanks!


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

You probably won't find a lot of Purina fans here. There are better foods out there for not much more money.

What you will find is statements like, "My dog ate Brand X dog food for 12 years and never grew a second head!"

There are plenty of lists of very good food on this forum as well as some info about how to evaluate foods that you're considering.


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## mellotune (Mar 11, 2007)

Well, I am asking because I've to put my dog in boarding next month when I travel out of the country. They said they will be feeding her Purina EN. I've never heard of that before! (This boarding place is owned by several vets, it's in the same building as the clinic.)


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I'm not familiar with EN, either. Any chance they meant Purina One?

It seems odd that they would choose the food. Boarding kennels that I've used have me bring in my dog's food.

I'm pretty sure they don't want to deal with what happens with some dogs when thier diet is abruptly changed.

Also, in light of recent developments, nobody is chosing my dog's food but me.


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## ericsfox (Apr 9, 2007)

Hello Mellotune, I agree with RonE you should not abruptly change a dogs food especially when boarding. I own a boarding kennel and I encourage my customers to bring their own food for the simple fact that while boarding a dogs regular routine is changed. Changing food on top of the change in suroundings and different people caring for your dog is asking for stomach upset. The last thing he/she needs is to deal with is a sudden change in diet. If I were you I would insist on bringing my own food. If they still insist on feeding their food I would look elsewhere for boarding services. Good luck Eric S. Fox, Owner, Willorill Kennels


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

RonE said:


> I'm not familiar with EN, either. Any chance they meant Purina One?


No, EN is one of Purina's prescription diets for conditions like IBD. I'm not usually a fan of Purina, but I did feed canned EN to my dog two different occasions when he had diarrhea. The ingredients were surprisingly good and very simple, what I remember is beef, rice, and coconut oil. That was for the canned food; I'm not familiar with the ingredients in the kibble.

Almost ALL boarding facilities have a food that they use unless the dog's owner brings a different food. I would imagine EN was chosen because it's a basic, simple food and also because it's common for a dog's system to be upset when they're stressed- like when they're boarded. So it seems to me a very good choice to feed boarding dogs.


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## dogtorj (Jul 24, 2006)

I use the Purina E/N canned on a regular basis for dogs with acute inflammatory bowel conditions. They absolutely love it, which is always a great sign. 

However, I do NOT carry nor recommend the E/N dry food due to the corn and corn gluten meal. Corn will be the next big topic of discussion once we've gotten the wheat out of the pet foods. Much of the corn they are using in pet foods is the GMO junk that they have deemed unfit for human consumption (e.g. Starlink/CRY9C)...the same corn that the US has been battling the E.U. and other countries about accepting to feed their livestock. This is _not_ what we want to be feeding our dogs and cats.


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## mellotune (Mar 11, 2007)

Thanks for all the help! It seems the best option is to bring our own food!


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## Messykat (Mar 2, 2008)

I found this googling for something else and just wanted to weigh in.

Like someone said, the canned is A+. In fact, we're dealing with tummy upset again and I'm getting a few new cans tomorrow!

The dry? Well, I noticed the ingredients weren't listed so I googled it and let's just say Ole Roy is better - seriously! I was shocked. I intend to point this out to my vet.


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## bebedechocolate (Feb 28, 2008)

Purina EN is a prescription diet that is commonly used for digestive issues like a previous poster said. The ingredients are not bad, especially the canned version. It is meant to be bland and easy on the digestive system. If you can provide your own food I would, just so your dog isn't stressed by all the changes. However it's not going to hurt him if he ends up eating some of it.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

How are those ingredients "not bad"?? Brewers rice is the FIRST ingredient, thats the lowest, cheapest, form of rice. its got pracitcally no nutritional value. the next two ingredients are corn. if this is supposed to be a "highly digestable" food, then why in the world is there corn in it? corn is one of the LEAST digestible ingredients found in dogfood. and animal digest.... really?

Edit to add: Animal Digest is a fancy way of saying "Animal Digest. Means manure. Someone has collected the manure from another animal and put it in the pet food your are feeding your pet. "


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## bebedechocolate (Feb 28, 2008)

GreatDaneMom said:


> How are those ingredients "not bad"?? Brewers rice is the FIRST ingredient, thats the lowest, cheapest, form of rice. its got pracitcally no nutritional value. the next two ingredients are corn. if this is supposed to be a "highly digestable" food, then why in the world is there corn in it? corn is one of the LEAST digestible ingredients found in dogfood. and animal digest.... really?
> 
> Edit to add: Animal Digest is a fancy way of saying "Animal Digest. Means manure. Someone has collected the manure from another animal and put it in the pet food your are feeding your pet. "


I never said it was a great food. I also said that the canned was better. No need to jump all over me and reply with all caps which is the equivalent of online yelling. I get the point that it's not a great food and that the ingredients aren't great either.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

When did i yell? the caps were to exaggerate a word. IF I REPLIED TO YOU IN ALL CAPS, THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE, THEN I WOULD BE YELLING.... but i didnt. and i didnt "jump all over you" im simply sharing some education. a lot of people dont know what certain ingredients listed really are, and how nutritious, or in this case, non-nutritious some ingredients are. ive stood in petsmart, petco, pet supplies plus, etc. for hours at a time trying to help people with selecting food. explaining how to pick foods, what to look for, what to avoid. by saying, and i will quote this...




bebedechocolate said:


> The ingredients are not bad, especially the canned version.


people will say "oh, thats not bad?" and think animal digest is a great ingredient! dont get upset that someone didnt agree. i just wondered how you thought that those were "not bad" ingredients


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Hi,
Where you will be kenneling your dog is it a vet facility? If not I don't understand how they could be feeding E/N to just any dog. It's a prescription diet that only can be prescribed by a vet. I would be a little concerned that a kennel is diagnosing a dog that is just being kenneled with them. I am with everyone else if this is not a vet facility bring your own food.

Oops didn't see the post stating that it was a vet facility. If this is your regular vet then I would trust their decision.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

agility collie mom said:


> If this is your regular vet then I would trust their decision.


really? _My_ vet feeds the boarding dogs Purina Dog Chow. Needless to say, I bring their own food, or Toby would be hairless by the time I got back  . Most vets know nothing about dog nutrition. I always bring a kitty litter pail full of my brand of dog food whenever I board my dogs.


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## bebedechocolate (Feb 28, 2008)

Thanks for the clarification. It's hard to read responses the right way sometimes online.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

bebedechocolate said:


> Thanks for the clarification. It's hard to read responses the right way sometimes online.


anytime!...oh and i agree with Willowy, i dont take my vets opinion on nutrition either. i know a heck of a lot more about it than he does, but it doesnt make him a bad vet. there arent many that DO know.


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## tedcurt (Apr 25, 2008)

Hello All,

I found this forum by searching on "Purina EN" dry dog food, to see if I could find a supplier that is less expensive than my vet who has put my 13 yr old Westie on it because he has pancreatitis and other digestive system problems.
However, after reading this thread, I get the feeling there are better alternatives out there. Any ideas? My Westie absolutely will not eat canned, so I need to get kibble. He loves the EN, which is why I was looking to stick with it, as he has turned his nose up to other foods since last fall. He has become a very picky eater.
I would prefer to find a local supplier rather than order long distance, so I need a brand that is readily available in southwest Ohio.
(Don't ask for much, do I?  )
Thanks for any help!

Ted


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## jrlately (Apr 16, 2009)

Purina EN is from Purina's veterinary line. It is fed to dogs with gastromic problems. It is a very mild food that is easy on the stomach. I was prescribed a bag from my vet when my puppy could not get rid of his loose stools. . It helped my puppy reset his stomach. It is used a lot by vet boarders because it can be fed to dogs on other foods without upsetting thier stomach.


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## HersheyBear (Dec 13, 2008)

luvntzus said:


> No, EN is one of Purina's prescription diets for conditions like IBD. I'm not usually a fan of Purina, but I did feed canned EN to my dog two different occasions when he had diarrhea. The ingredients were surprisingly good and very simple, what I remember is beef, rice, and coconut oil. That was for the canned food; I'm not familiar with the ingredients in the kibble.
> 
> Almost ALL boarding facilities have a food that they use unless the dog's owner brings a different food. I would imagine EN was chosen because it's a basic, simple food and also because it's common for a dog's system to be upset when they're stressed- like when they're boarded. So it seems to me a very good choice to feed boarding dogs.


Yup, most vets that board will use a bland food as their "default" food, like Eukaneuba Low-Residue, or Hill's prescription i/d.


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## nac1089 (Jan 18, 2009)

I work at one of the Petsmart Petshotel boarding facilities. We provide SD, but strongly encourage customer's to bring their own food so their stomachs don't get upset. Those poor dogs are stressed enough already. Changing their food drastically wouldn't help, although some dogs do fine with the change.


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