Why do people say that purina is bad?

Question

I was just wondering, why do people keep saying that purina is bad for your dog???? My german shepherd has been on it for a good 15 years, never had any health issues, or anything. Im not tryin to be rude, but why is everybody saying its soo bad? Our last dog lived to be about 16 1/2 years. Please no rude comments.

Answer 1

I don't know.  I feed my dog Purina indoor complete for small dogs and he loves it.  I trust Purina more than I do IAMS.

Answer 2

It's all about the ingredients.  

Answer 3

I used to feed Purina also, and had no problems with it.  My vet actually says it is not as bad as people try to make it out to be.  The only reason I don;t feed it anymore is that I have 3 dogs, all in different food stages( puppy, adult, and senior, so I switched to something I could feed them all, and no it is not Canidae!)  I will say that my oldest dog is 13 and a half and ate Purina up until about 6 months ago.  If Purina works for you, use it.  

Answer 4

Purina contains a lot of fillers that really don't belong in a dog's diet.  Corn, corn gluten, soybean meal, brewer's rice.  

Plus there are unspecified meat sources...."animal fat" and "meat meal".  When it doesn't specify a source (chicken, lamb, beef, pork, etc.) the meat could come from ANY mammal, including the rendered remains of roadkill and euthanized dogs and cats from shelters.  

So what you've got is a low meat content, and what meat actually exists in the food is of questionable quality.  Dogs are carnivores, and weren't meant to eat a grain-heavy diet.  Some grains are alright, but corn, soybeans and "brewers rice" (which is basically the leftover waste products of beer brewing) are NOT healthy grains for dogs.  

There is also artificial coloring in the food, which is totally unnecessary.  Why add more chemicals?  

I'm basing this on the regular Dog Chow, but even the higher end products contain many of the same questionable ingredients.  

You may have had luck, so far, feeding Purina.  Obviously people's dogs aren't dropping dead like flies from eating this food, but a lot of dogs do have problems with it.  Your current dog does fine, but it doesn't mean your luck won't change one day when you get a dog with food allergies or skin problems.  Lots of dogs have allergies to corn, soy and wheat.  Some allergies are severe, some less so.  

I had a Boxer who ate Dog Chow until she was 5, and I started doing some research.  Like you, I thought she was "just fine" and didn't see any reason to change.  Healthy as a horse, she was.  But I switched to a high quality food and I noticed a HUGE difference...stuff I'd figured was normal for a dog changed drastically.  Shiny, glossy, super-soft coat.  She almost completely stopped shedding.  Her "doggy odor" completely disappeared.  Bad breath went away.  Her poops were smaller and more compact (better for bowel health and easier to pick up!)  

Later, I ended up with a job at an animal hospital, and by and large it was easy to tell the dogs who ate a premium food.  Soft, glossy coats and NO doggy odor.  Everyone else smelled like a DOG and their owners just figured it was normal.  Some dogs even had hot spots, seborrhea and constant anal gland issues....spent a lot of money on ointments and having the glands expressed, when a simple change in diet could have helped immensely.  

There are dog foods out there with all human-grade ingredients.  Foods with no grains.  Foods with simple carbohydrates (like sweet potatoes) instead of grains.  Foods with no chemical additives.  Foods that may cost a bit more to buy, but you end up feeding LESS because they are so nutrient-dense.  

Some of them are harder to find, but brands like Blue Buffalo, Avoderm and Nature's Choice are available at Petsmart.  The way I see it, if there are better foods available, why not feed the best you can afford?  

Just because the dog is "doing fine" doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.  I know people who appear totally healthy on a diet consisting of mostly pizza, pepsi and chocolate cupcakes....but it doesn't mean they wouldn't feel better if they started eating healthier :).  

If you want to try a better food, check out this site and try to find a 4-6 star dog food that's in your budget.  

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...

ADD:  You're kidding, right??  

NO, You're not generally supposed to change a dog's diet ABRUPTLY.  Meaning switch the food OVERNIGHT.  And you're not supposed to buy "whatever's on sale" and constantly switch brands.  It can cause stomach upset, but that's about the worst it will do.  

But it IS perfectly fine to switch foods GRADUALLY....start off feeding 1/4 old food, 3/4 new food and very slowly change over to the new food.  

http://www.ehow.com/how_2020381_switch-d...

What do you think happens when dog food makers discontinue a product, or change the formula?  What about people who adopt dogs from shelters or rescues do?  If the shelter feeds Ol' Roy because that's what was donated that month, and the owner wants to feed Canidae....guess what....THEY CHANGE THE DIET.  

What about when dogs develop health problems and need to eat a special diet, such as a low-protein diet for kidney problems.  Oh, I guess they CHANGE FOODS.  

It's a purely ridiculous notion that you can't change brands of dog food simply because you have fed it for a long time.  

My rescue dog was fed a diet of Pedigree before I got her, and she had bad skin issues and was very underweight.  She has a grain intolerance and I had to switch foods on her *gasp* THREE TIMES to find one that worked best for her.   She had NO problems changing dog foods and now she is gaining weight with a smooth, glossy coat.  

Perhaps check your information a little better before you send snippy personal messages, too (and if you've got the courage to send them, have the courage to recieve them as well).  

I said nothing rude to you in my original answer, in fact I was making every effort to be factual and polite.  Where was I being rude?  Because I said it might be "luck" that you haven't had a dog with food allergies?  Not being rude, just factual.  My rescue girl is the 4th dog I've owned and my first with food allergies.  Luck of the draw, and I had to find a suitable food for her.  Simple as that.

Answer 5

Yes Purina will keep your dog alive. Here is the difference though, feeding Purina would be like feeding your dog McDonalds everyday. Could you survuve off of it? Sure. But would you be healthy as some one who ate a very healthy diet of lean protein, fruit, vegetables? No. That is why so many of us feed our dogs good quality food.  My dog cant choose his own food,so it is up to me to choose the healthiest food I can for him.

Purina and the like contain are very poor quality ingrediants. A lot of filler and coloring. I dont see the point in feeding my dog a corn based diet if a dogs body gets no nutrition from it. Dogs with touchy stomachs, coat/skin conditions, ear infections, and other chronic health isssues see a lot of health improvement on better foods.

You can also change a dogs diet with very little issues if you do it gradually. Done right it wont cause any health issues. I'm not judging you for feeding Purina at all. I just choose to feed a better qualty food because I can and my dogs are much healthier on it. I also choose to tell others the benefits of a healthy diet, not to pressure people or to be rude. Just to show them the difference and what their options are

Answer 6

I feel that Purina is "bad" because I've had personal experience with it.  I used to feed my dogs Purina products.  From that, I've had overweight dogs with ear infections, allergies, urinary tract problems, dull coats and eyes, and more.  Since switching to premium foods (about 5-6 years ago) I've been more and more impressed with the results.  I've saved money on food (it's more per bag, but they eat less, so I spend LESS on dog food every month), I've saved money on vet bills, and since switching to California Naturals (about a year ago?) my 12 year old dog acts like a puppy again.  I thought my dogs were fine on Purina, too, until I tried something better.  You go ahead and keep your dog on Purina if you choose, I'm never, ever going back to that junk for my dogs.  

Answer 7

Because it's the truth! Do you know what ingredients they put into commercial dog food like Purina? That also includes, every single brand of food sold in Grocery Stores and stores like Walmart! Read this article and it will tell you! It's disgusting, and I would never feed commercial dog food garbage to my dog. Judge for yourself!

http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook....

ADD: Marissa! You just sent me an email and don't allow people to respond, so I will respond to you here. I sent you an article that lists all the garbage, they put into foods like Purina. You said that you don't believe a word of it, and that you trust Purina. To be honest with you, I don't care what you believe. You can believe whatever you want! The truth is the truth and the truth hurts! It's your choice, if you want to feed your dog "Road Kill"! Your dog is going to be the one, who is going to suffer the long term effects eventually. Your dog is the one I feel sorry for, because it's owner(YOU) doesn't care enough, about what you put into your dogs body, to educate yourself on the facts. It's your dog I really feel sorry for, because he has no other choice than to eat the garbage you feed him. Here is another article that proves, that commercial dog food is garbage.

http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/pet_foods...

I for one love my dogs enough, that I care what goes into their bodies and I'm going to feed them, the best and healthiest food I can! In case you want to know what I feed my dogs, I feed them Canidae All Life Stages! Again, it's your decision, but it's your dogs health and life, you are putting at risk and messing with!

At least I have written proof to back up what I say! Do me a favor! Why don't you E-Mail me again, with written proof that Purina and all those other garbage foods, will not harm your dog and are great for a dog's health! I wish you luck finding that kind of information! Backup what you say! If you want to argue about it, great. I love a good argument, especially when I know I'm right and I can also back it up with proof! Have A Nice Day!!!

ADD: Who told you that you should not change a dogs food? If you switch them gradually, then there is no problem! If you are feeding you dog, c**p like Purina, then the first thing you should do is change it's food, to something that is higher quality and that actually has ingredients in it, that are healthy and good for a dog to eat. Every owner (YOU), should know that! Obviously you are misinformed, and have not educated yourself about proper nutrition for dogs, because at this point, you don't know that!

ADD: Marissa! In your profile, you say that you are considered the vet of the family. If you give this kind of advise about what dog food to feed their dogs, it scares me to think what kind of advice you give to people about other health issues with their dogs. Be careful what advise you give to people about their dogs, because if you give the wrong advice to someone, you may end up killing their dog, by giving the wrong advise. Be sure and back up what you say with facts, or don't say anything at all.

Answer 8

why whats wrong with it? don't worry honey i feed the pro plan to my puppies and they turn out to be big healthy dogs with plenty of bone so it can't be that bad, yes it is expensive but worth it for a good quality food

Answer 9

Purina, in so far as I am concerned, isn't a bad food. They do, however, do a premium feed and a less good quality one which as far as mid range feeds go is better than most.

I don't personally feed Purina but don't consider it bad.

A lot of people feel that any commercial feed is bad for dogs and advocated raw / home cooked etc. perhaps these are the people who are "down" on Purina. My personal opinion is, if it works for your dog and your dog is fit, healthy and thriving on it then great. And dry complete diets do this for many dogs some of which are less good quality than Purina.

I personally feed home cooked food to 2 of my dogs, and a dry complete to the other and some of my friends who are "raw is best fiends" think I am totally wrong but hey, my dogs are fit, healthy and thriving so the proof of the pudding......... so to speak!