Apr. 26, 2024

Pro Plan Dog Food Reviews

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Top 5 Ingredients*
  1. Chicken

  2. Brewers rice

  3. Whole grain wheat

  4. Poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine)

  5. Corn gluten meal

Artificial Ingredients Yes
Contains By-products Yes
Price Range $
*Purina Pro Plan All Life Stages Chicken & Rice Formula was selected as the recipe for this ingredient list
What's good about this pet food
  • Inexpensive
What's not so good about this pet food
  • low quality meats and meat by-products
  • food coloring
  • glutens and low quality grains

Our Analysis

Purina Pro Plan dog food gets a low review for dubious quality and a number of harmful ingredients that canines cannot digest.

The first ingredient listed is fresh chicken, but because it loses eighty percent of its weight during cooking, it should be positioned lower on the list. The more probable dominant ingredient on the list is brewer’s rice, or fragmented rice leftovers from processing, which is a cheap by-product that does not have real nutritional value. The food also contains poultry by-products, which are not fit for consumption and can include anything from defective eggs to talons and beaks that contain no nutritional value and can cause digestive upset.

Additionally, Pro Plan formulas make heavy use of corn gluten meal, which has been stripped of all beneficial carbohydrates and lacks essential amino acids.

Overall, Purina Pro Plan is a dog food that contains many cheap ingredients and has very little actual nutritional value in comparison with many dog foods touted as premium, and is not recommended for most dogs.

The Word on the Street...

Most customers are only minimally satisfied with Purina Pro Plan dog food, since the majority of it’s ingredients are of dubious quality.

Customers find Pro Plan formulas do not contain the same level of nutrition as most average or high quality formulas, and may trigger allergies or digestive problems in many dogs, since it contains a number of common canine allergens and items that are not easily digested.

The grain by-products and presence of corn and largely inedible meat by-products can cause weight loss, malnutrition and vomiting in dogs that are solely fed Pro Plan as a staple diet. Dogs with sensitivities or other health problems are particularly more likely to run into trouble on this food.

The food is inexpensive, but most customers do not consider the potential health problems to be worth the savings. Overall, this is a dog food that is rated low quality by customers.

  • Peter Puck

    Purina dog food is low cost , low grade pet food. It is cheap to produce and has a high profit margin. I understand that everyone that has a pet cannot afford high grade food and am happy that many of the pets out there are rescues. In the long run , saving money buying Purina pet food will end up costing you in vet bills and it could possibly cost you your pet. I really do wish Purina would stop putting out such good commercials. People see the commercial and they are sold on Purina caring for animals and donating money to rescues and are blinded to the fact that the company is all about the dollar and only care about shareholders!!!!! They want to sell as much of what they call pet food as they can so they tug at your heartstrings and people think they care. Research the ingredients in this food !!!! It is easily done online !!!! You should be disgusted and appalled at what they can and do put in this product. As far as the ” my breeder recommended Purina ” excuse …. Of course they do , they cannot afford to feed all of the animals that they overbreed a healthy diet !!! My breeder recommended it …. how disgusting !!!! Puppy mills/breeders are not the kind of frame of reference I would use to justify what I feed my beloved pets !!!!!

  • Jockoliveson1

    I am very angry and upset – my one yr old Grt Pyr/St Bernard got so sick on Purina Pro Plan Select/Salmon had to take her to the Vet ER…bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Had to run many blood tests and urine tests..to find out it was from this food! Very Expensive bill!!! Thankfully she is fine and HEALTHY again..NEVER using this product or Purina products, again!

  • Ashley Scanlan

    I have a Pitbull, Lab Mix and a Yorkie. i switched to the Pro Plan Lamb and Rice for over a month now and all 3 love it and had no problems, and their coats look better than ever.

  • Doodlezan

    I have been feeding my golden doodles Purina Pro Plan Select Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Formula since the breeder recommended a food with no corn, wheat or soy. They have gorgeous coats, energetic dispositions, and small firm stools. I tried them on Blue Buffalo and Wellness, and they never ate with any real enthusiasm, but they love their ProPlan. The quality of this food is so good, they eat less and don’t require vitamin supplements. It is a little expensive, but not as much as some of the other foods generally recommended. My veterinarian has always been impressed by how happy, healthy and well-behaved my dogs are — and this is the third generation of dogs I’ve been feeding Purina products! However, I would definitely avoid the shredded variety.

  • Alma

    When I bought my Springer Spaniel puppy in March 2007, we started him on Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Chow. We changed him over to Adult Pro Plan at about 8 months old. He did very well on the Pro Plan Biscuits and shredded blend until September 2013. He initially refused the “cookies” and then stopped eating the shreds. He was constipated to the point of needing canned pumpkin to move his bowels. When he finally pooped, there was a cement-like plug at the start of his bowel movement and then it just turned back to normal consistency. He weighed in at 70 pounds at his healthiest (not fat). Because of his refusal to eat the dry food, I bought every type of Pro Plan canned food. He turned that down too. Purina told me that they had changed the formulation on the cookies and shreds in mid August 2013. We tried “people” food just to get him to eat and that worked for a while, but he just stopped eating on his own. We had to feed him with a turkey baster to try to bring him back to good health. Xrays and blood tests showed nothing out of the ordinary, but the first ultra sound showed an inflammation in his lower stomach, duodenum and beginning of small intestine. The meds the vet gave him helped soothe his stomach, but then he started throwing up something that looked like partially beaten egg whites. He started drooling pretty bad so we took him to the vet dentist (he weighed 38 pounds) but they couldn’t find anything wrong. They said he had pretty white teeth, no discoloration and very little tartar but recommended we take him to the vet internal medicine center. Another ultra sound showed a thickening of the stomach lining, a fine needle aspiration of the stomach was too little for pathology to do a work up on. He still weighed 38 pounds. When we took him for his Rabies shot May 28,2014, he weighed 41 pounds so we thought he had started a turn around but that was not the case. My Bailey went to the Rainbow Bridge June 2, 2014. With his safety harness, collar and jingles and leash he only weighed 27 pounds. I really miss my baby who was by my side nearly 24/7 for 7 1/2 years. He was beautiful, smart, loving and loyal. I will never have another dog because at 74 year old it would not be fair to him or me. I blame Purina ,who offered me $500 towards medical bills. I turned it down because I felt it was an insult to me and to Bailey’s memory.

  • ellie shubargo

    I been feeding my German Shepherds PRO PLAN over 20years now and I can’t say enough about how good the result have been for them their overall health is outstanding in every way….

  • Ed

    I have been feeding purina pro plan adult & shredded blend for over 25 years.I have a coonhound kennel and feed them growth formula as a pup till 1 year old then to adult formula.I have raised dozens and dozens of dogs on pro plan with no problems at all.They never refuse to eat it and dive into it.Good firm stools.Great digestability.Shiny coats.Bright energetic dogs.I can’t speak for anyone else but for my dogs pro plan is a very good dog food.

  • Karen

    I have fed my Great Danes and standard poodles Pro Plan for years. Recently this food (chicken and rice shredded blend) has been making my dogs violently ill. Vomiting and diarrhea after each feeding, poor coats, lethargy and dehydration!! Since switching to a higher quality food my dogs health has improved drastically. It took a little while for me to figure out that it was the food because I had been feeding them Pro Plan for so long. I’m not sure what Purina has changed in their formula but I am certain I will NEVER use their food again!! BEWARE… it is really bad!!

  • carol fekete

    I gave my dog Buddy Pro Plan wet food and had no problem. It is a little pricey so he didn’t get it very often. I have also used Pro Plan healthy weight dry food and had no problem with the product or dog.

  • charlie hacker

    I have rescue that was chained to a pole for 2 days in the middle of jan/ some years back;i went 2 home depot n bought bolt cutters/ shes been with me ever since/near her second b day she really didn’t care 4 anything I was trying/then I went 2 my buddies house in battle creek mich bought her a old family red nose male 4 company he feeds his dogs proplan n that’s what they both get. savory/lamb n rice. n they both get compliments everyday/energy coat teeth etc a all threw the roof/near perfect.

  • Bmax

    My 8yr old welsh terrier who has been eating different varieties of pro plan since she was a puppy, has reluctantly been eating the salmon sensitive stomach variety for the last 3 weeks…she only eats it after letting it sit all day.

    We have an appt with our vet in Monday fortunately… to check out both the mammary gland lump I found last week and the congestion, wheezing, tough breathing, and larger belly that started 2 days ago. All that to say, I’m switching from pro plan..And did so today to a more protein rich, organic food..which she ate without hesitation. She even showed her usual signs of energy that I think the pro plan and maybe the mammary lump have zapped her of. I’m just hoping that she can turn around and fully recover.

  • Annette Gladden

    We have fed Pro Plan to our dogs for over 15 years. Our poodle did great on the food for 14 years – with no health problems. We now have 2 goldendoodles who just turned 1 year old – and they have been on Pro Plan Focus for puppy since we got them. Now have them on All Seasons. They are doing great. We love Pro Plan and our vet recommends it. Perhaps folks who have trouble with it have sensitive dogs who need a special diet – or other unknown problems. Just like people – not everyone can eat the same foods.

  • Bill rogers

    My 10 year old Weimaraner was recently switched to purina pro plan . The thought was healthier all natural food . But my dog is very sick now she stopped eating food had bloody diarrea and vomiting . We started her on bland diet and took her to the vet. We are still trying to save her and hopefully will be able. I would not recommend purina products I am reading more and more people’s dogs got sick from pro plan. Be careful and stay away.

    • Jockoliveson1

      YES, EXACTLY what happened with my puppy! We ran tests, both blood work and urine to see if she had problems with her kidneys. Thank God, she is fine BUT no more PURINA PRO-PLAN!!!

  • Bruce

    Just started both my dogs on Pro Plan. They both seem to love it. The female who would never finish her meal before when I was feeding then Beneful wolfed down the Purina Pro Plan. I will keep an eye on them though in case any of the simptoms identified in this review show up.

  • Tawnie

    My dog has been on pruina pro plan shredded chicken bland for large breed since may 2012. i went to buy a bag on thursday and the picture was different on the bag and so was the kibbles and chicken chunks. well needless to say, he started vomiting, dry heaving, drooling, and having the runs for a while… we didnt think anything of it at first we thought it was just a flu or something, today is monday, we brought him into the vet and turns out that he was dehydrated and needs to stay over night, i explan all the symptoms and they are investigating it for sure…we called the pet store where we purchased the food and they still have it because we returned it and they are holding it and will testify with us because we are going to sue purina for sure, especially since there is like no good feedback about this food… i will post when hes out of the vets (hopefully)

  • Jeremy

    I changed my 8 year old lab mix to purina pro plan and she has never turned down food. She ate the first bowl and then started to vomit multiple times a day and wouldnt eat anymore. She was very active until this point and now will not eat much and barley drinks water. Took her to the vet and she has bacteria in her kidneys and they gave me some medicine for her and she is just laying around and won’t go outside. I have to carry her outside to use the restroom. Hope she pulls out of this.

    • Jeremy

      AN UPDATE : Needless to say I had to put my dog down today. I can’t say for sure if it was the food that I changed her to, but there is nothing that she got into around my house. I just find it ironic that the day I switch her food she starts vomiting profusely and stopped eating all together about 2 days after I fed her the purina pro plan shredded. After she stopped eating her health just dropped dramatically and I spent day after day at the vet trying everything we could to pull her out of this. The vet can’t say it was the food that caused this without doing tests on it (which I might have done). From all the test that were run on her they did not show any sign that she had previous problems health wise that ended up causing her health to take a turn like it did. I just know that I will never by this food again or from any company that is associated with purina.

      • saycha

        i recently had to put my dog down also, i bought a bag of pro plan sat….sunday my dog was throwing up, spent 2 says in hospital dehydrated and vomiting. they say she had a bacteria in her stomach and was not getting better….she had pro plan in the shelter and we kept her on it, but i think this bad is no good, thanks for the info

      • Laura

        I have a dog at the vet now whom has been throwing up and was on this food, can we share stories?

      • Jon

        One reason you had to put down your dog was because of the low quality meats, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, and other ingredients. A lot of these ingredients causes cancer in dogs and are not meant for dogs to consume.
        Feed a better quality food without all of the mentioned ingredients and your dog will live much longer.

  • Zeppelin

    I use the pro plan focus large Bree puppy formula on my pup. He has been on it since the day I got him at 7 weeks old. Very healthy puppy he has been to 4 different vet check ups and is doing great!

    • retropian

      I have 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks that were raised on Pro-Plan, not the shredded blend though and have done very well. The breeder recommended it and has been feeding to their dogs for years with good results. The Shredded blend, which contains soy caused digestive upset in their dogs, so I’ve never tried it with mine. My dogs have not had any digestive issues. They are very healthy and active, firm stools etc. I’m surprised to read about the problems others are reporting here.

  • Amber

    I also recently switched my dog to Purina Pro Plan for seniors 7+. He has vomited yesterday and the day before. He got into the trash afterwards, for which I scolded him, but now I am thinking there is another reason entirely. He wanted to eat something to vomit. Since then, he has consumed vast amounts of grass outside, and is now licking the carpet so that he can get sick. He’s thrown up three times already. I’m very concerned. This is highly unusual for him, as he normally does not have any problems with digestion. I am taking him off of Purina Pro Plan immediately. I would suggest others do the same.

  • Cindy J

    I am confused. I have a golden retriever that has been on Pro Plan Large breed puppy food for his entire life. He is now 7 months old. 10 days ago, I purchased a new bag of the same formula. after eating it for 5 days developed diarrhea. the Vet said she can find nothing wrong but said maybe it is bacterial and gave him a prescription. He was fine while on the medicine. Now, not even 24 hours off the medicine he has diarrhea again. could it be his food?

    • aunjel

      Yes, stop feeding the food if you are instinctually thinking its making your dog sick. It may have irreversible consequences.

      • Sherrie Cain

        We have two Brittanies. One is 8- yrs- old and the other is 5. They have been eating Purina pro Plan for most of their lives and it was reccommended by the breeder.

        The 8-yr-old just recovered from what the vet diagnosed aa pancreatitis. I thought we were going to lose her.
        She had nausea,vomiting, and diarrhea. Wouldn’t eat a bite. She got so weak she couldn’t jump up on the couch and wobbled when she sat up.
        we were at the vet with her every day for a week. Some days she had to go there twice.
        After several injections of antibiotics and pain shots, she finally came out of it. She lost over ten pounds.
        We understood that her love of people- food was the cause as it is too fatty, but now she is refusing the Purina Pro Plan and after reading these reviews, I have to believe that it was at least a contributing factor in the severe illness.

    • Dawn

      Did you ever get to the bottom of this? If not, have the vet test his stool for Clostridium difficele. It is an overgrowth of a bacteria that is normally in the intestine, but the natural balance has been disturbed. It will require a longer regimine of the proper antibiotic to correct it…

    • sherry ekelburg

      Make your dog food! Commercial dog food is poison! Or buy from the honest kitchen. Dogs may not get sick right away from it, but eventually it catches up with them

  • sonja f

    I have been feeding this food for years. I have switched foods ever so often but always end up going back. The stools r good and firm and not in huge amounts for the money when u feed more than two dogs pro plan works good. Coats are in good shape and my guys have been in good health, from puppy to senior.

  • sherry ekelburg

    My dog has all the symptoms that you mention. Diarrhea,bad gas, fur loss. She also ate her stool becuase she was always hungry. I spent over $1,000.00 for tests and medicine from this. This is low quality dog food. I make my own dog food now. I dont trust any commercial dog food any more. Even treats!This dog food is made up of mostly grains.

    • Mat

      We have fed our 5 year old greyhound PPP shredded chicken and ric formula for three years since we got her from the rescue group. Had no problems.

      But the last three bags of food she has progressively gotten worse digestive problems. We took her to the vet last week when her gas literally fumigated our entire house. He tested her stool (which has gotten steadily more muddy and loose) and it had high concentrations of bacteria.

      We too noticed that the food kibbles looked different and that the packaging had changed.

      We have halted giving her this food and will never give her another Purina product. We have used Iams/Euk in the past with our other greys and had no problems what so ever.

      Boycott Purina!

  • Fido

    Purina has another company make their food. Most likely Diamond Pet foods who make most all brands of dog food. They have a history of poor quality control and recalls. Check dogfood advisor for recalls. Large companies buy dog food companies then cheapen the ingredients and sublet out the food making process. Poor quality ingredients unfit for humans and poor quailty control.

  • Carlos

    I’m very shocked to read most of these comments. We have used Pro Plan dry dog food for the last 12 years, with three different dogs and have never had any problem, regardless of which blend we use.
    Our dogs digestive system seems to work very well, as they rarely have diarhea.
    They have never had any skin issues. We fed this to our rottweiler since he was a puppy, as well as our current two huskies with no issues what so ever.

    • sherry ekelburg

      Cross your fingers! If you love your pets, read about the ingredients.

  • lynda

    Our dogs are eating the Lamb & Rice shredded blend and are doing wonderfully. I had them on Purina One Smartblend before this and one of my dogs kept getting anal gland impactions so we tried this food on a friend’s recommendation. No problems and they love it and never leave any.

  • A

    Apparently, the Purina Pro Plan line has some huge discrepancies in quality. . . . we have a 2 month old choco lab, developed loose stools after a month of lamb/rice puppy and chick/rice puppy, after one day on the Pro Plan Professional 30/20, he is cured. Strange stuff! Highly disappointed in the puppy products, but very thankful for a good breeder that was able to set us straight!

  • Jessica

    I switched my dogs to this gradually over about a month. They were fine when their old food was still being mixed in… but once they went to just eating the Pro Plan both began having horrible diarrhea! I took the food away for 24 hours and fed them canned pumpkin and allowed them ample water. After about 12 hours they were fine. But, after 24 hours when I offered them another bowl of this food they began exhibiting the diarrhea once again. I am going back to my old food and calling Purina to complain. My dogs have never had any issues like this before. When I googled Purina Pro Plan Optihealth I found this review and many more. Apparently lots of dogs have experienced digestive upsets after eating this and now I know why!!! I am furious!

  • JohNIN

    I have used Purina Proplan Performance forever with GREAT results. No helath issues, no joint issues. My Lab could still jump up on the pickup tailgate at 12 years old and he lived to 15. All my Brittanys do great on it too, show champions with winning coats and hunt test, master hunter performance in the field. Good stuff, feed it dry once a day and always have fresh water available. The people who write these reviews have paid advertisers, just like Consumer Reports. Get my hint?

    • aunjel

      I work for an animal clinic and I feed purina and i’m telling you something is wrong with the food. If you think there is trouble with it, stop feeding it immediately. There is something wrong. I had mine tested by purina, they said there was nothing wrong with it, so i fed it again and again, vomiting for my dogs.

  • Bill W

    Wow. I can’t believe what I am reading. I have been feeding my two Rotties Purina Pro Plan for two years now “Vet recommended”. For the last couple weeks my one boy has had very bad diarrhea spraying feet from him, and excessive vomiting. I have never seen this with any dog I have owned before. After rushing him to the Vet emergency room they couldn’t find anything wrong with him except for slight dehydration. Sent me home with a $700 bill and some meds along with a diet. Fed him the diet and when slowly adding in the Pro Plan his symptoms came back again. After scheduling an appointment with my vet my other boy started having the same problems with the excessive diarrhea and vomiting. So we fit him in on the visit too. Again nothing came up in the stool samples or anything. Now on probiotics more meds and temporarily Science Diet, and along with another $400. They wouldn’t eat the Science diet For a couple days. So with noticing how the symptoms came back with the pro plan I put them on Blue concerned about not eating. Instant results. No more diarrhea. I don’t care about the cost, as long as they are ok. Just Think if so many people are having the same issue with the brand we are feeding. Why is it not red flagged and reported to vets everywhere. This way when asked about the animals diet they can instantly diagnose the symptoms.

    • M

      I realize I’m late with this reply but my experience with Pro Plan has been awful. Similar situation to yours with our pup, from 6mo-12mo he was having the same types of situations. We changed his food to a prescription I/d and he has been AMAZING. He’s putting on weight (a fair and acceptable amount), he’s no longer lethargic and there’s no mess to clean up!! If you haven’t done so already I highly suggest changing the food as I’ve ready many negative reviews regarding Pro Plan.

  • korissa

    very dissapointed with this dog food my poor husky puppy has been very sick for two weeks due to the pro plan chicken and rice puppy food. Please talk to your vet before putting any dog on this food for your animals sake.

  • Stacy

    I started my 9 year old on Proplan lamb and rice, my dog has major skin issues, and even cist one on the lower Rt. side of his neck and one under his left front arm pit. I have always had my yellow lab on Eukanuba lamb and rice, but due to the cost of almost $60.00 per. 35 lb. bag tried to find something more reasonable. My male lab was seen by a Vet. that confirmed he had an allergic reaction and was given a shot of Cortizone and anti-biotic’s as well as Benadryl tid 3x daily. The visit ended up costing me $158.00 and he seems to also have problems breathing due to his allergic response. I told my best friend who also experienced a cist in her dog’s neck. She stopped the dog food and the cist went away. Like others my dog started to have diahrrea. My dog was on the Proplan rice and lamb for about 2 months. I’m going back to Eukanuba lamb and rice.

  • Rosie

    I bought purina pro plan chicken and brown rice for my puppy. At first it was ok but then she started having diarrhea. This happened for over a week. Until recently I found out this was a 2 star food! I am never buying purina products again! Now I’m feeding her natures domain by Kirkland. 4 star dry food! So much better and healthier than this garbage food! Do not buy this crap unless you want to have a sick pet! I just hope this so called “dog food” didn’t damage pet!

  • Mike H

    Pro Plan Dry – seemed to keep the dog’s appetite at bay. Two cups instead of four. But at over $100 (Australian) per pkt . WOW

  • Christina

    We had our large dog on several other brands before Purina Pro Plan. All the others gave him pretty ugly digestive issues, but the Pro Plan has worked really well for him. He has been eating it for several years. I know its not the MOST healthy dog food on the market but it seems to work well for us and it doesnt cost us an arm and a leg.

  • Andrew

    I have a 4 month old beagle puppy. I was feeding her purina puppy chow complete. Excellant results, no problems. I have a coupon for pro plan and i buy the chicken for puppys. I gradually transisioned her over a week. Well know I have a dog with an anal gland problem, and does not want to eat. I feel that this dog food is not a good product for my puppy or and other owner who may want to switch.

  • Beverly A Peeples

    Seriously, how can you claim that pro plan is low quality food when the last 5 Westminster winners for Best in Show are fed pro plan formulas? If that is not the best “seeing is believing” example of good dog food, then i dont know what is! Oh, and I know they werenot liyng just for money because I was at the show in 2011 and i saw with my own eyes what food was in the kennel area.

    • sherry

      my dog has leaky gut syndrome from this crap!

  • Annette

    One of my English setters had black hairs turn copper colored. Another began refusing the food just after the new year. Will never feed it again.

  • Steve K

    I have Labrador Retrievers and they are working dogs that are exercised heavily and hunted often in sometimes severe weather conditions. They must stay in shape at all times.

    I used to fee Purina Pro Plan Performance when I had a training kennel, however, I kept noticing moths flying out of the bags. That was many years ago.

    Two years ago I switched my dogs over to Acana dog foog and the change is significant, especially on the CBC testing results of my 8 year old. Significant positive changes took place year to year.
    Last year I got a puppy, he was on Pro Plan Performance and had severe intestinal issues, had to put him on a special diet, finally got him over it but it took over a month.
    Several months later I hired an obediance trainer from PETCO and we talked about Pro Plan, interestingly he told me they had the same problem with moths. Told me that it was due to failure to maintain Temp control in the Processing.

    Field trial trainers swear by this stuff, primarily because its cheap and volume discounts are huge. I won’t feed it at all and will not recommend it either.

  • Loren

    We have been feeding our Doberman ProPlan shredded lamb and rice for a good 4 years, but recently she has had issues with diahrrea and vomitting… We took her to the vet 2 weeks ago once the symptoms started and had to change her diet to bland, give antibiotics, anti-diahrreals, probiotics, etc. and it cost over $700. She started to get better so I’ve been mixing dry bland and ProPlan again over the past week slowly increasing her ProPlan. Now that she is back mostl yon ProPlan she started with the vomitting and diahrrea again. So I stopped her regular food and started w/ Royal Canin bland dry and rice she was fine again. We are going to trash the remaining ProPlan food and try her on a new diet… Maybe they are having issues with their most recent lots after reading a few of these reviews from the last month?? We’re not taking any chances with our sweet baby – onto something new!

    • Paul

      This was very helpful to me. I have 3 yellow labs. One is in the hospital w/ pancreatitis likely becauce of something she ate. They have been on ProPlan for about 2 years. The 8 year old in the hospital suffered the exact same symptoms mentioned in the previous message. The other two stopped just nibble at the ProPlan – this last batch might have problems. Taking them off of this food now while considering other environmental factors.

  • Samantha

    We have been feeding our golden retriever pro plan for his entire life and he hasn’t had any problems before. Although, recently his digestive system has been all sorts of messed up. We started feeding him the shredded blend and he started having issues with gas and you could hear his stomach making noises. Just within the past week he started vomitting unocntrollably and would avoid his food. He stopped eating completely and was starting to look skeletal. So we suttee to feed him rice and he eats it like he hasn’t eaten in years. He also is able to keep it down. He stopped vomitting at first then he tried the pro plan again and threw up on the back rug. I think the pro plan is to blame for his problems because other than this he has a few issues like arthritis and just moving slower.

  • Linda Kizar

    We changed our collie puppy from Pro Plan chicken to the Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice formula because he didn’t seem interested in eating the Pro Plan chicken. We switched over gradually-taking about 2 wks to get him fully on the shredded lamb and rice formula. As soon as he was just eating the shredded lamb and rice he had diarrhea. Even after giving him Peptol Bismal for approximately 4 days, his stool was still not like it should be. We took him off of the Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice and put him on the Pro Plan shredded chicken thinking possibly he will like it better than the regular Pro Plan chicken formula. He has been on it now for approximately 2 wks and every once in awhile he spits up a mouthfull of it. Not sure if that is a problem or not. Basically I’m starting not to trust any of the shredded Pro Plan formulas. Our 11 yr old sheltie eats Nutro Lamb and Rice and is doing great. The only reason we tried Purina is because of no recalls. We didn’t want to change her being she’s doing well and is 11yrs old. We are very tempted to start our collie on it as well.

    • Annette

      Purina seems to be changing things and not for the better. My English setters were eating the chicken for a few years and doing great. Suddenly they are losing weight and my puppy has black hairs that have turned orange. Seems they want to push the upcoming Select. The company has not answered when I repeatedly asked if the corn gluten came from China. Done with the company. Champion states no ingredients (not even vitamins) are sourced from China…FWIW.

  • Mike

    I’ve been feeding the Pro Plan all life stages to two of my dogs for a little over a month until recently. One of the two dogs was vomiting every once in a while so I thought he must have got into something. The vomiting increased to every other day. I took him to he vet and $ 700.00 later we believe the vomiting was from the pro plan food! My dogs stomach simple won’t digest this formula.

  • Patricia

    I have been feeding my dog pro plan for a little bit now. It’s the only food that has little pieces of chicken in it. She was on beneful but took her off do to dry skin.

  • karen Green

    Terrible food. I have three dogs and in less than 24 hours they all had increased thirst with copious amounts of water consumption. read where someone else commented that the morsels look lik it was droppings off the floor. i agree as the pieces are all ununiformed in size. my dogs dont even go crazy to eat like normal. Will be returning.

  • shirley

    I have worked for vets for over 20 years and I used to use their recommended food,Pro Plan. i stopped using it due to higher cost issue for less product. I went back to Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice about 2 years ago and was happy with it. Now as of recent(past 1yr-6 months) i find my large dogs are having skin issues but what is also annoying is when i by the biggest bag available at a costly amt. then when i open the bag it looks like it was scraped from the bottom of the barrel. It is a lot of crumbs and not so much regular sized pieces. I now have to change my dogs food to something they can actually chew and enjoy. Its a shame when a good name brand dog food has gone bad just as bad as the rest of the manufacturers products. Guess you cant get a decent dog food anymore.

  • beth n

    Oddly enough, I have been VERY lucky with this food so far (one month). I have always been a dog food snob and because I was stuck without access to Wellness Simple Solutions ( I fed Robert Abady very successfully prior to that), I bought the Pro Plan. My 9-year-old Portuguese Water Dog is notorious for crummy tummy but did GREAT on this. I couldn’t believe it. She’s been eating it a month and her poop is actually pick-upable. The price is better, too. We’ll see if it keeps going her way…

  • amie

    I breed Akita and always fed them Pro Plan they always had great coats and good weight but I noticed one of my girls having an allergic reaction by her fur changing to red discoloration. I started then feeding Blue Buffalo and I had several vomiting loose stool unhappy dogs. I don’t know what to do, it is impossible to find a great food. Any suggestions

  • Adam A

    I have fed this to my hungarian puli for about three years of her four year life. Her weight has stayed perfect and she has had no health issues. I do supplement it with some type of protein like diced chicken, chopped beef, etc. Never had an issue and very happy with product

  • http://Dahhaddad@aol.com Debra

    I have changed my four dogs to the pro plan shredded large breed dog food. It was a gradual change over three weeks. They all are having diarrhea. This has been going on for 2 months now. I took my dogs to the vet thinking that my babies had a virus. He concluded that it had to be the change of food. That is why I am at this web site researching dog food and trying to find other feed backs from other people. I am going to stop feeding my dogs this food it is not good! I do not suggest you attemp buying this food.

  • Janice Jenkins

    I have fed my dog Proplan for 2 1/2 years now, and just this past weekend my dog had MAJOR issues. Vomiting blood- I am very afraid of this food now for my pet. Vet said to now boil food for my dog.

  • Richard Kohlhoff

    I have been using the purina pro plan chicken and rice formula for over a year and didn’t start having issues like vomiting, no energy and diarrhea till the other day. I have two dogs and both of them started having the same problem. I took them to the vet they did all the normal work ups and everything came back great well the doctor asked ” have you changed there diet?” I told him no. Well I then looked at the bag and compared it to the one from the previous month and it was different. The was a little blue box that said OPTIHEALTH. I then called up purinas vet line and asked what is different in the the ingredients the vet told me that they have made changes in the ingredients, as far as more wheat. Well 300 dollars later thank you purina. I then called them back up asking them why they use more wheat, I was told they use that as a filler. Purina told me to look at the ingredients on the bag and the first ingredient in most cases is the filler. Corn, wheat and soybean are all used as fillers. In most cases dogs tolerate wheat and is easier on there stomachs then corn. But in a lot of cases wheat depending on where it is from has issues also. I tried to find out where the wheat was coming from but no one will say anything.

  • Donna McKissack

    I have used Purina Pro Plan with older dogs without a problem previously. I started an American Bulldog 6 wk old puppy on the Large Breed Puppy formula. He immediately began having diarrhea which continued for a month until I changed his food to one without any corn or by-products. I am no longer feeding this food.

  • Lois

    I just fed my older dog Purina Pro Plan Selects Natural Salmon & Brown Rice formula and 5 hours later he became disoriented, unable to walk. Within 12 hours he was comatose, drooling and his abdomen was in spasm. He died within 24 hours. Has anyone experienced this with their pet?

  • Dee

    Out 6 year old beagle has developed a severe cough. He goes into a spell of 15 to 25 harsh rasping coughs in a row. We were feeding him Pro Plan with salmon. Could that be bothering him?

  • Toni

    I changed 3 dogs from Beneful to Purina Pro Plan and also started a new puppy on this food. ALL of them get gas, stinky gas. It has been over 2 months now and the gas is still coming. Searching for a new food now.

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More Information

Pro Plan Dog Food

Purina is a very well-known brand name among most dog owners. Each day, thousands of people across the country purchase Purina Pro Plan dog food. The commercials for Pro Plan use phrases such as “Do More”, and “Real Meat – the Pro Plan Promise”. However, is Purina Pro Plan dog food really a nutritious option for your dog’s health? Here is some information to help you to understand if Purina Pro Plan is right for your dog.

Who Makes Pro Plan?

The company who makes Pro Plan dog food is called Nestle Purina PetCare Company. The company is the result of a merger between Nestle’s “Friskies PetCare Company” and the Ralston Purina Company, which took place in December of 2001. The headquarters of Nestle Purina PetCare are currently located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Pro Plan Dog Food Recall

According to current information, Purina Pro Plan dog food is not involved in any pet food recalls, and is not listed on the FDA’s pet food recall list. Always check the latest updates to make sure that your dog’s food has not been involved in a pet food recall.

Pro Plan Reviews

Pro Plan Ingredients

Most of the Pro Plan dog food formulas contain a protein source as their first ingredient (such as chicken, beef or salmon). However, some of the other ingredients contained in many Pro Plan dog food formulas include corn gluten meal, ground wheat, animal digest, poultry by-products, salt, whole-grain corn, soybean meal and soy flour. Some of these ingredients, such as wheat, are often classified as “fillers”, and may contribute to a higher carbohydrate content than is suitable for a dog’s digestive system.

Pro Plan Allergies

There are several ingredients contained in Pro Plan dog food formulas that could cause allergic reactions in some dogs. Since many dogs are allergic to corn, ingredients such as corn and corn gluten meal could induce an allergic reaction. Soy and wheat are two other allergens that are contained in many Pro Plan dog food formulas. Since the protein sources in Pro Plan dog food aren’t very unique (chicken, beef, fish), they could cause allergic reactions in dogs that have protein-specific allergies.

Pro Plan Recipes

Pro Plan Dry Recipes:

  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Beef and Rice
  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Chicken and Rice
  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Chicken and Rice Adult 7+
  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Chicken and Rice Large Breed
  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Chicken and Rice Weight Management
  • Pro Plan Shredded Blend Lamb and Rice
  • Pro Plan Selects Puppy Turkey and Barley
  • Pro Plan Selects Natural Beef and Barley
  • Pro Plan Selects Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
  • Pro Plan Selects Natural Salmon and Brown Rice
  • Pro Plan Selects Natural Turkey and Barley
  • Pro Plan Selects Natural Beef and Brown Rice
  • Pro Plan Selects Senior Natural Turkey and Barley

Pro Plan Canned Recipes:

  • Pro Plan Canned Puppy Natural Turkey & Barley Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Entrée Classic Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Puppy Chicken & Rice Entrée Wet d
  • Pro Plan Canned Natural Beef & Brown Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Natural Salmon & Brown Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Natural Turkey & Barley Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Beef & Brown Rice Entrée Classic Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Beef & Potato Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Beef & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Beef & Vegetables Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Chicken & Potato Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Chicken & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Chicken & Vegetables Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Lamb & Vegetables Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Large Breed – Beef & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Large Breed – Chicken & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Shredded Beef, Carrots & Barley Entrée In Gravy Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Shredded Chicken, Pasta & Spinach Entrée In Gravy Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Shredded Turkey, Peas & Brown Rice Entrée In Gravy Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Turkey & Vegetables Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Sensitive Skin & Stomach – Salmon & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Weight Management – Turkey & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Weight Management – Turkey & Vegetables Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Senior Beef & Rice Entrée Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Senior Chicken & Rice Entrée – Morsels in Gravy Wet
  • Pro Plan Canned Senior Chicken & Rice Entrée Classic Wet

Pro Plan Ratings (Summary)

Customer reviews of Pro Plan dog food formulas are relatively mixed. While some dog owners report no significant problems when feeding their dogs Pro Plan, some dog owners disagree. The main complaint about Pro Plan is its inclusion of corn, wheat, soy and animal by-products. Also, many dog owners believe Pro Plan to be too expensive for a mid-grade dog food brand. Some dog owners reported that their dogs experienced diarrhea, bad gas and fur loss after being fed Purina Pro Plan dog food.

Have you fed your dog any of the Pro Plan dog food dry or canned formulas? Do you have feedback that could help other pet owners? Please share your review of Pro Plan dog food!

Ingredient List*

Pro Plan Dog Food Ingredient List

*for Purina Pro Plan All Life Stages Chicken & Rice Formula

Pro Plan Coupons

Pro Plan Coupons

More Pro Plan Coupons…

72 Responses to Pro Plan

  1. Peter Puck May 11, 2015 at 11:26 pm #

    Purina dog food is low cost , low grade pet food. It is cheap to produce and has a high profit margin. I understand that everyone that has a pet cannot afford high grade food and am happy that many of the pets out there are rescues. In the long run , saving money buying Purina pet food will end up costing you in vet bills and it could possibly cost you your pet. I really do wish Purina would stop putting out such good commercials. People see the commercial and they are sold on Purina caring for animals and donating money to rescues and are blinded to the fact that the company is all about the dollar and only care about shareholders!!!!! They want to sell as much of what they call pet food as they can so they tug at your heartstrings and people think they care. Research the ingredients in this food !!!! It is easily done online !!!! You should be disgusted and appalled at what they can and do put in this product. As far as the ” my breeder recommended Purina ” excuse …. Of course they do , they cannot afford to feed all of the animals that they overbreed a healthy diet !!! My breeder recommended it …. how disgusting !!!! Puppy mills/breeders are not the kind of frame of reference I would use to justify what I feed my beloved pets !!!!!

  2. Jockoliveson1 January 28, 2015 at 6:16 pm #

    I am very angry and upset – my one yr old Grt Pyr/St Bernard got so sick on Purina Pro Plan Select/Salmon had to take her to the Vet ER…bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Had to run many blood tests and urine tests..to find out it was from this food! Very Expensive bill!!! Thankfully she is fine and HEALTHY again..NEVER using this product or Purina products, again!

  3. Ashley Scanlan September 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm #

    I have a Pitbull, Lab Mix and a Yorkie. i switched to the Pro Plan Lamb and Rice for over a month now and all 3 love it and had no problems, and their coats look better than ever.

  4. Doodlezan August 9, 2014 at 7:20 am #

    I have been feeding my golden doodles Purina Pro Plan Select Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Formula since the breeder recommended a food with no corn, wheat or soy. They have gorgeous coats, energetic dispositions, and small firm stools. I tried them on Blue Buffalo and Wellness, and they never ate with any real enthusiasm, but they love their ProPlan. The quality of this food is so good, they eat less and don’t require vitamin supplements. It is a little expensive, but not as much as some of the other foods generally recommended. My veterinarian has always been impressed by how happy, healthy and well-behaved my dogs are — and this is the third generation of dogs I’ve been feeding Purina products! However, I would definitely avoid the shredded variety.

  5. Alma July 8, 2014 at 12:09 pm #

    When I bought my Springer Spaniel puppy in March 2007, we started him on Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Chow. We changed him over to Adult Pro Plan at about 8 months old. He did very well on the Pro Plan Biscuits and shredded blend until September 2013. He initially refused the “cookies” and then stopped eating the shreds. He was constipated to the point of needing canned pumpkin to move his bowels. When he finally pooped, there was a cement-like plug at the start of his bowel movement and then it just turned back to normal consistency. He weighed in at 70 pounds at his healthiest (not fat). Because of his refusal to eat the dry food, I bought every type of Pro Plan canned food. He turned that down too. Purina told me that they had changed the formulation on the cookies and shreds in mid August 2013. We tried “people” food just to get him to eat and that worked for a while, but he just stopped eating on his own. We had to feed him with a turkey baster to try to bring him back to good health. Xrays and blood tests showed nothing out of the ordinary, but the first ultra sound showed an inflammation in his lower stomach, duodenum and beginning of small intestine. The meds the vet gave him helped soothe his stomach, but then he started throwing up something that looked like partially beaten egg whites. He started drooling pretty bad so we took him to the vet dentist (he weighed 38 pounds) but they couldn’t find anything wrong. They said he had pretty white teeth, no discoloration and very little tartar but recommended we take him to the vet internal medicine center. Another ultra sound showed a thickening of the stomach lining, a fine needle aspiration of the stomach was too little for pathology to do a work up on. He still weighed 38 pounds. When we took him for his Rabies shot May 28,2014, he weighed 41 pounds so we thought he had started a turn around but that was not the case. My Bailey went to the Rainbow Bridge June 2, 2014. With his safety harness, collar and jingles and leash he only weighed 27 pounds. I really miss my baby who was by my side nearly 24/7 for 7 1/2 years. He was beautiful, smart, loving and loyal. I will never have another dog because at 74 year old it would not be fair to him or me. I blame Purina ,who offered me $500 towards medical bills. I turned it down because I felt it was an insult to me and to Bailey’s memory.

  6. ellie shubargo May 29, 2014 at 8:05 pm #

    I been feeding my German Shepherds PRO PLAN over 20years now and I can’t say enough about how good the result have been for them their overall health is outstanding in every way….

  7. Ed April 29, 2014 at 3:39 pm #

    I have been feeding purina pro plan adult & shredded blend for over 25 years.I have a coonhound kennel and feed them growth formula as a pup till 1 year old then to adult formula.I have raised dozens and dozens of dogs on pro plan with no problems at all.They never refuse to eat it and dive into it.Good firm stools.Great digestability.Shiny coats.Bright energetic dogs.I can’t speak for anyone else but for my dogs pro plan is a very good dog food.

  8. Karen March 11, 2014 at 10:53 am #

    I have fed my Great Danes and standard poodles Pro Plan for years. Recently this food (chicken and rice shredded blend) has been making my dogs violently ill. Vomiting and diarrhea after each feeding, poor coats, lethargy and dehydration!! Since switching to a higher quality food my dogs health has improved drastically. It took a little while for me to figure out that it was the food because I had been feeding them Pro Plan for so long. I’m not sure what Purina has changed in their formula but I am certain I will NEVER use their food again!! BEWARE… it is really bad!!

  9. carol fekete February 6, 2014 at 8:30 pm #

    I gave my dog Buddy Pro Plan wet food and had no problem. It is a little pricey so he didn’t get it very often. I have also used Pro Plan healthy weight dry food and had no problem with the product or dog.

  10. charlie hacker January 6, 2014 at 1:00 pm #

    I have rescue that was chained to a pole for 2 days in the middle of jan/ some years back;i went 2 home depot n bought bolt cutters/ shes been with me ever since/near her second b day she really didn’t care 4 anything I was trying/then I went 2 my buddies house in battle creek mich bought her a old family red nose male 4 company he feeds his dogs proplan n that’s what they both get. savory/lamb n rice. n they both get compliments everyday/energy coat teeth etc a all threw the roof/near perfect.

  11. Bmax September 21, 2013 at 11:05 pm #

    My 8yr old welsh terrier who has been eating different varieties of pro plan since she was a puppy, has reluctantly been eating the salmon sensitive stomach variety for the last 3 weeks…she only eats it after letting it sit all day.

    We have an appt with our vet in Monday fortunately… to check out both the mammary gland lump I found last week and the congestion, wheezing, tough breathing, and larger belly that started 2 days ago. All that to say, I’m switching from pro plan..And did so today to a more protein rich, organic food..which she ate without hesitation. She even showed her usual signs of energy that I think the pro plan and maybe the mammary lump have zapped her of. I’m just hoping that she can turn around and fully recover.

  12. Annette Gladden September 16, 2013 at 12:38 am #

    We have fed Pro Plan to our dogs for over 15 years. Our poodle did great on the food for 14 years – with no health problems. We now have 2 goldendoodles who just turned 1 year old – and they have been on Pro Plan Focus for puppy since we got them. Now have them on All Seasons. They are doing great. We love Pro Plan and our vet recommends it. Perhaps folks who have trouble with it have sensitive dogs who need a special diet – or other unknown problems. Just like people – not everyone can eat the same foods.

  13. Bill rogers July 10, 2013 at 7:29 pm #

    My 10 year old Weimaraner was recently switched to purina pro plan . The thought was healthier all natural food . But my dog is very sick now she stopped eating food had bloody diarrea and vomiting . We started her on bland diet and took her to the vet. We are still trying to save her and hopefully will be able. I would not recommend purina products I am reading more and more people’s dogs got sick from pro plan. Be careful and stay away.

    • Jockoliveson1 January 23, 2015 at 11:39 am #

      YES, EXACTLY what happened with my puppy! We ran tests, both blood work and urine to see if she had problems with her kidneys. Thank God, she is fine BUT no more PURINA PRO-PLAN!!!

  14. Bruce May 6, 2013 at 8:41 pm #

    Just started both my dogs on Pro Plan. They both seem to love it. The female who would never finish her meal before when I was feeding then Beneful wolfed down the Purina Pro Plan. I will keep an eye on them though in case any of the simptoms identified in this review show up.

  15. Tawnie April 15, 2013 at 7:22 pm #

    My dog has been on pruina pro plan shredded chicken bland for large breed since may 2012. i went to buy a bag on thursday and the picture was different on the bag and so was the kibbles and chicken chunks. well needless to say, he started vomiting, dry heaving, drooling, and having the runs for a while… we didnt think anything of it at first we thought it was just a flu or something, today is monday, we brought him into the vet and turns out that he was dehydrated and needs to stay over night, i explan all the symptoms and they are investigating it for sure…we called the pet store where we purchased the food and they still have it because we returned it and they are holding it and will testify with us because we are going to sue purina for sure, especially since there is like no good feedback about this food… i will post when hes out of the vets (hopefully)

  16. Jeremy April 11, 2013 at 3:23 am #

    I changed my 8 year old lab mix to purina pro plan and she has never turned down food. She ate the first bowl and then started to vomit multiple times a day and wouldnt eat anymore. She was very active until this point and now will not eat much and barley drinks water. Took her to the vet and she has bacteria in her kidneys and they gave me some medicine for her and she is just laying around and won’t go outside. I have to carry her outside to use the restroom. Hope she pulls out of this.

    • Jeremy April 13, 2013 at 2:37 am #

      AN UPDATE : Needless to say I had to put my dog down today. I can’t say for sure if it was the food that I changed her to, but there is nothing that she got into around my house. I just find it ironic that the day I switch her food she starts vomiting profusely and stopped eating all together about 2 days after I fed her the purina pro plan shredded. After she stopped eating her health just dropped dramatically and I spent day after day at the vet trying everything we could to pull her out of this. The vet can’t say it was the food that caused this without doing tests on it (which I might have done). From all the test that were run on her they did not show any sign that she had previous problems health wise that ended up causing her health to take a turn like it did. I just know that I will never by this food again or from any company that is associated with purina.

      • saycha May 10, 2013 at 12:28 am #

        i recently had to put my dog down also, i bought a bag of pro plan sat….sunday my dog was throwing up, spent 2 says in hospital dehydrated and vomiting. they say she had a bacteria in her stomach and was not getting better….she had pro plan in the shelter and we kept her on it, but i think this bad is no good, thanks for the info

      • Laura June 25, 2013 at 10:10 am #

        I have a dog at the vet now whom has been throwing up and was on this food, can we share stories?

      • Jon May 31, 2014 at 10:00 pm #

        One reason you had to put down your dog was because of the low quality meats, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, and other ingredients. A lot of these ingredients causes cancer in dogs and are not meant for dogs to consume.
        Feed a better quality food without all of the mentioned ingredients and your dog will live much longer.

  17. Zeppelin March 3, 2013 at 6:05 pm #

    I use the pro plan focus large Bree puppy formula on my pup. He has been on it since the day I got him at 7 weeks old. Very healthy puppy he has been to 4 different vet check ups and is doing great!

    • retropian April 5, 2013 at 7:21 am #

      I have 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks that were raised on Pro-Plan, not the shredded blend though and have done very well. The breeder recommended it and has been feeding to their dogs for years with good results. The Shredded blend, which contains soy caused digestive upset in their dogs, so I’ve never tried it with mine. My dogs have not had any digestive issues. They are very healthy and active, firm stools etc. I’m surprised to read about the problems others are reporting here.

  18. Amber February 24, 2013 at 6:04 pm #

    I also recently switched my dog to Purina Pro Plan for seniors 7+. He has vomited yesterday and the day before. He got into the trash afterwards, for which I scolded him, but now I am thinking there is another reason entirely. He wanted to eat something to vomit. Since then, he has consumed vast amounts of grass outside, and is now licking the carpet so that he can get sick. He’s thrown up three times already. I’m very concerned. This is highly unusual for him, as he normally does not have any problems with digestion. I am taking him off of Purina Pro Plan immediately. I would suggest others do the same.

  19. Cindy J February 12, 2013 at 3:20 pm #

    I am confused. I have a golden retriever that has been on Pro Plan Large breed puppy food for his entire life. He is now 7 months old. 10 days ago, I purchased a new bag of the same formula. after eating it for 5 days developed diarrhea. the Vet said she can find nothing wrong but said maybe it is bacterial and gave him a prescription. He was fine while on the medicine. Now, not even 24 hours off the medicine he has diarrhea again. could it be his food?

    • aunjel February 16, 2013 at 12:23 am #

      Yes, stop feeding the food if you are instinctually thinking its making your dog sick. It may have irreversible consequences.

      • Sherrie Cain August 7, 2013 at 4:15 pm #

        We have two Brittanies. One is 8- yrs- old and the other is 5. They have been eating Purina pro Plan for most of their lives and it was reccommended by the breeder.

        The 8-yr-old just recovered from what the vet diagnosed aa pancreatitis. I thought we were going to lose her.
        She had nausea,vomiting, and diarrhea. Wouldn’t eat a bite. She got so weak she couldn’t jump up on the couch and wobbled when she sat up.
        we were at the vet with her every day for a week. Some days she had to go there twice.
        After several injections of antibiotics and pain shots, she finally came out of it. She lost over ten pounds.
        We understood that her love of people- food was the cause as it is too fatty, but now she is refusing the Purina Pro Plan and after reading these reviews, I have to believe that it was at least a contributing factor in the severe illness.

    • Dawn April 12, 2013 at 10:31 am #

      Did you ever get to the bottom of this? If not, have the vet test his stool for Clostridium difficele. It is an overgrowth of a bacteria that is normally in the intestine, but the natural balance has been disturbed. It will require a longer regimine of the proper antibiotic to correct it…

    • sherry ekelburg June 25, 2013 at 9:43 pm #

      Make your dog food! Commercial dog food is poison! Or buy from the honest kitchen. Dogs may not get sick right away from it, but eventually it catches up with them

  20. sonja f February 11, 2013 at 11:46 pm #

    I have been feeding this food for years. I have switched foods ever so often but always end up going back. The stools r good and firm and not in huge amounts for the money when u feed more than two dogs pro plan works good. Coats are in good shape and my guys have been in good health, from puppy to senior.

  21. sherry ekelburg February 1, 2013 at 12:58 pm #

    My dog has all the symptoms that you mention. Diarrhea,bad gas, fur loss. She also ate her stool becuase she was always hungry. I spent over $1,000.00 for tests and medicine from this. This is low quality dog food. I make my own dog food now. I dont trust any commercial dog food any more. Even treats!This dog food is made up of mostly grains.

    • Mat June 12, 2013 at 10:18 pm #

      We have fed our 5 year old greyhound PPP shredded chicken and ric formula for three years since we got her from the rescue group. Had no problems.

      But the last three bags of food she has progressively gotten worse digestive problems. We took her to the vet last week when her gas literally fumigated our entire house. He tested her stool (which has gotten steadily more muddy and loose) and it had high concentrations of bacteria.

      We too noticed that the food kibbles looked different and that the packaging had changed.

      We have halted giving her this food and will never give her another Purina product. We have used Iams/Euk in the past with our other greys and had no problems what so ever.

      Boycott Purina!

  22. Fido December 25, 2012 at 10:04 pm #

    Purina has another company make their food. Most likely Diamond Pet foods who make most all brands of dog food. They have a history of poor quality control and recalls. Check dogfood advisor for recalls. Large companies buy dog food companies then cheapen the ingredients and sublet out the food making process. Poor quality ingredients unfit for humans and poor quailty control.

  23. Carlos December 10, 2012 at 2:12 pm #

    I’m very shocked to read most of these comments. We have used Pro Plan dry dog food for the last 12 years, with three different dogs and have never had any problem, regardless of which blend we use.
    Our dogs digestive system seems to work very well, as they rarely have diarhea.
    They have never had any skin issues. We fed this to our rottweiler since he was a puppy, as well as our current two huskies with no issues what so ever.

    • sherry ekelburg June 25, 2013 at 9:45 pm #

      Cross your fingers! If you love your pets, read about the ingredients.

  24. lynda December 9, 2012 at 6:12 pm #

    Our dogs are eating the Lamb & Rice shredded blend and are doing wonderfully. I had them on Purina One Smartblend before this and one of my dogs kept getting anal gland impactions so we tried this food on a friend’s recommendation. No problems and they love it and never leave any.

  25. A November 26, 2012 at 10:14 pm #

    Apparently, the Purina Pro Plan line has some huge discrepancies in quality. . . . we have a 2 month old choco lab, developed loose stools after a month of lamb/rice puppy and chick/rice puppy, after one day on the Pro Plan Professional 30/20, he is cured. Strange stuff! Highly disappointed in the puppy products, but very thankful for a good breeder that was able to set us straight!

  26. Jessica September 19, 2012 at 10:10 am #

    I switched my dogs to this gradually over about a month. They were fine when their old food was still being mixed in… but once they went to just eating the Pro Plan both began having horrible diarrhea! I took the food away for 24 hours and fed them canned pumpkin and allowed them ample water. After about 12 hours they were fine. But, after 24 hours when I offered them another bowl of this food they began exhibiting the diarrhea once again. I am going back to my old food and calling Purina to complain. My dogs have never had any issues like this before. When I googled Purina Pro Plan Optihealth I found this review and many more. Apparently lots of dogs have experienced digestive upsets after eating this and now I know why!!! I am furious!

  27. JohNIN August 24, 2012 at 2:40 pm #

    I have used Purina Proplan Performance forever with GREAT results. No helath issues, no joint issues. My Lab could still jump up on the pickup tailgate at 12 years old and he lived to 15. All my Brittanys do great on it too, show champions with winning coats and hunt test, master hunter performance in the field. Good stuff, feed it dry once a day and always have fresh water available. The people who write these reviews have paid advertisers, just like Consumer Reports. Get my hint?

    • aunjel February 16, 2013 at 12:30 am #

      I work for an animal clinic and I feed purina and i’m telling you something is wrong with the food. If you think there is trouble with it, stop feeding it immediately. There is something wrong. I had mine tested by purina, they said there was nothing wrong with it, so i fed it again and again, vomiting for my dogs.

  28. Bill W August 3, 2012 at 5:52 am #

    Wow. I can’t believe what I am reading. I have been feeding my two Rotties Purina Pro Plan for two years now “Vet recommended”. For the last couple weeks my one boy has had very bad diarrhea spraying feet from him, and excessive vomiting. I have never seen this with any dog I have owned before. After rushing him to the Vet emergency room they couldn’t find anything wrong with him except for slight dehydration. Sent me home with a $700 bill and some meds along with a diet. Fed him the diet and when slowly adding in the Pro Plan his symptoms came back again. After scheduling an appointment with my vet my other boy started having the same problems with the excessive diarrhea and vomiting. So we fit him in on the visit too. Again nothing came up in the stool samples or anything. Now on probiotics more meds and temporarily Science Diet, and along with another $400. They wouldn’t eat the Science diet For a couple days. So with noticing how the symptoms came back with the pro plan I put them on Blue concerned about not eating. Instant results. No more diarrhea. I don’t care about the cost, as long as they are ok. Just Think if so many people are having the same issue with the brand we are feeding. Why is it not red flagged and reported to vets everywhere. This way when asked about the animals diet they can instantly diagnose the symptoms.

    • M November 10, 2012 at 9:51 pm #

      I realize I’m late with this reply but my experience with Pro Plan has been awful. Similar situation to yours with our pup, from 6mo-12mo he was having the same types of situations. We changed his food to a prescription I/d and he has been AMAZING. He’s putting on weight (a fair and acceptable amount), he’s no longer lethargic and there’s no mess to clean up!! If you haven’t done so already I highly suggest changing the food as I’ve ready many negative reviews regarding Pro Plan.

  29. korissa July 3, 2012 at 6:18 pm #

    very dissapointed with this dog food my poor husky puppy has been very sick for two weeks due to the pro plan chicken and rice puppy food. Please talk to your vet before putting any dog on this food for your animals sake.

  30. Stacy June 25, 2012 at 1:30 am #

    I started my 9 year old on Proplan lamb and rice, my dog has major skin issues, and even cist one on the lower Rt. side of his neck and one under his left front arm pit. I have always had my yellow lab on Eukanuba lamb and rice, but due to the cost of almost $60.00 per. 35 lb. bag tried to find something more reasonable. My male lab was seen by a Vet. that confirmed he had an allergic reaction and was given a shot of Cortizone and anti-biotic’s as well as Benadryl tid 3x daily. The visit ended up costing me $158.00 and he seems to also have problems breathing due to his allergic response. I told my best friend who also experienced a cist in her dog’s neck. She stopped the dog food and the cist went away. Like others my dog started to have diahrrea. My dog was on the Proplan rice and lamb for about 2 months. I’m going back to Eukanuba lamb and rice.

  31. Rosie June 22, 2012 at 9:10 am #

    I bought purina pro plan chicken and brown rice for my puppy. At first it was ok but then she started having diarrhea. This happened for over a week. Until recently I found out this was a 2 star food! I am never buying purina products again! Now I’m feeding her natures domain by Kirkland. 4 star dry food! So much better and healthier than this garbage food! Do not buy this crap unless you want to have a sick pet! I just hope this so called “dog food” didn’t damage pet!

  32. Mike H June 14, 2012 at 4:39 am #

    Pro Plan Dry – seemed to keep the dog’s appetite at bay. Two cups instead of four. But at over $100 (Australian) per pkt . WOW

  33. Christina June 5, 2012 at 11:15 am #

    We had our large dog on several other brands before Purina Pro Plan. All the others gave him pretty ugly digestive issues, but the Pro Plan has worked really well for him. He has been eating it for several years. I know its not the MOST healthy dog food on the market but it seems to work well for us and it doesnt cost us an arm and a leg.

  34. Andrew May 22, 2012 at 8:05 pm #

    I have a 4 month old beagle puppy. I was feeding her purina puppy chow complete. Excellant results, no problems. I have a coupon for pro plan and i buy the chicken for puppys. I gradually transisioned her over a week. Well know I have a dog with an anal gland problem, and does not want to eat. I feel that this dog food is not a good product for my puppy or and other owner who may want to switch.

  35. Beverly A Peeples May 12, 2012 at 12:33 pm #

    Seriously, how can you claim that pro plan is low quality food when the last 5 Westminster winners for Best in Show are fed pro plan formulas? If that is not the best “seeing is believing” example of good dog food, then i dont know what is! Oh, and I know they werenot liyng just for money because I was at the show in 2011 and i saw with my own eyes what food was in the kennel area.

    • sherry April 4, 2013 at 10:39 am #

      my dog has leaky gut syndrome from this crap!

  36. Annette May 8, 2012 at 8:21 am #

    One of my English setters had black hairs turn copper colored. Another began refusing the food just after the new year. Will never feed it again.

  37. Steve K May 6, 2012 at 7:44 pm #

    I have Labrador Retrievers and they are working dogs that are exercised heavily and hunted often in sometimes severe weather conditions. They must stay in shape at all times.

    I used to fee Purina Pro Plan Performance when I had a training kennel, however, I kept noticing moths flying out of the bags. That was many years ago.

    Two years ago I switched my dogs over to Acana dog foog and the change is significant, especially on the CBC testing results of my 8 year old. Significant positive changes took place year to year.
    Last year I got a puppy, he was on Pro Plan Performance and had severe intestinal issues, had to put him on a special diet, finally got him over it but it took over a month.
    Several months later I hired an obediance trainer from PETCO and we talked about Pro Plan, interestingly he told me they had the same problem with moths. Told me that it was due to failure to maintain Temp control in the Processing.

    Field trial trainers swear by this stuff, primarily because its cheap and volume discounts are huge. I won’t feed it at all and will not recommend it either.

  38. Loren April 29, 2012 at 10:35 am #

    We have been feeding our Doberman ProPlan shredded lamb and rice for a good 4 years, but recently she has had issues with diahrrea and vomitting… We took her to the vet 2 weeks ago once the symptoms started and had to change her diet to bland, give antibiotics, anti-diahrreals, probiotics, etc. and it cost over $700. She started to get better so I’ve been mixing dry bland and ProPlan again over the past week slowly increasing her ProPlan. Now that she is back mostl yon ProPlan she started with the vomitting and diahrrea again. So I stopped her regular food and started w/ Royal Canin bland dry and rice she was fine again. We are going to trash the remaining ProPlan food and try her on a new diet… Maybe they are having issues with their most recent lots after reading a few of these reviews from the last month?? We’re not taking any chances with our sweet baby – onto something new!

    • Paul May 4, 2012 at 7:51 am #

      This was very helpful to me. I have 3 yellow labs. One is in the hospital w/ pancreatitis likely becauce of something she ate. They have been on ProPlan for about 2 years. The 8 year old in the hospital suffered the exact same symptoms mentioned in the previous message. The other two stopped just nibble at the ProPlan – this last batch might have problems. Taking them off of this food now while considering other environmental factors.

  39. Samantha April 23, 2012 at 10:49 pm #

    We have been feeding our golden retriever pro plan for his entire life and he hasn’t had any problems before. Although, recently his digestive system has been all sorts of messed up. We started feeding him the shredded blend and he started having issues with gas and you could hear his stomach making noises. Just within the past week he started vomitting unocntrollably and would avoid his food. He stopped eating completely and was starting to look skeletal. So we suttee to feed him rice and he eats it like he hasn’t eaten in years. He also is able to keep it down. He stopped vomitting at first then he tried the pro plan again and threw up on the back rug. I think the pro plan is to blame for his problems because other than this he has a few issues like arthritis and just moving slower.

  40. Linda Kizar April 16, 2012 at 5:27 pm #

    We changed our collie puppy from Pro Plan chicken to the Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice formula because he didn’t seem interested in eating the Pro Plan chicken. We switched over gradually-taking about 2 wks to get him fully on the shredded lamb and rice formula. As soon as he was just eating the shredded lamb and rice he had diarrhea. Even after giving him Peptol Bismal for approximately 4 days, his stool was still not like it should be. We took him off of the Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice and put him on the Pro Plan shredded chicken thinking possibly he will like it better than the regular Pro Plan chicken formula. He has been on it now for approximately 2 wks and every once in awhile he spits up a mouthfull of it. Not sure if that is a problem or not. Basically I’m starting not to trust any of the shredded Pro Plan formulas. Our 11 yr old sheltie eats Nutro Lamb and Rice and is doing great. The only reason we tried Purina is because of no recalls. We didn’t want to change her being she’s doing well and is 11yrs old. We are very tempted to start our collie on it as well.

    • Annette April 19, 2012 at 3:40 am #

      Purina seems to be changing things and not for the better. My English setters were eating the chicken for a few years and doing great. Suddenly they are losing weight and my puppy has black hairs that have turned orange. Seems they want to push the upcoming Select. The company has not answered when I repeatedly asked if the corn gluten came from China. Done with the company. Champion states no ingredients (not even vitamins) are sourced from China…FWIW.

  41. Mike March 9, 2012 at 11:17 am #

    I’ve been feeding the Pro Plan all life stages to two of my dogs for a little over a month until recently. One of the two dogs was vomiting every once in a while so I thought he must have got into something. The vomiting increased to every other day. I took him to he vet and $ 700.00 later we believe the vomiting was from the pro plan food! My dogs stomach simple won’t digest this formula.

  42. Patricia January 5, 2012 at 11:49 pm #

    I have been feeding my dog pro plan for a little bit now. It’s the only food that has little pieces of chicken in it. She was on beneful but took her off do to dry skin.

  43. karen Green December 6, 2011 at 9:09 pm #

    Terrible food. I have three dogs and in less than 24 hours they all had increased thirst with copious amounts of water consumption. read where someone else commented that the morsels look lik it was droppings off the floor. i agree as the pieces are all ununiformed in size. my dogs dont even go crazy to eat like normal. Will be returning.

  44. shirley October 19, 2011 at 7:41 pm #

    I have worked for vets for over 20 years and I used to use their recommended food,Pro Plan. i stopped using it due to higher cost issue for less product. I went back to Pro Plan shredded lamb and rice about 2 years ago and was happy with it. Now as of recent(past 1yr-6 months) i find my large dogs are having skin issues but what is also annoying is when i by the biggest bag available at a costly amt. then when i open the bag it looks like it was scraped from the bottom of the barrel. It is a lot of crumbs and not so much regular sized pieces. I now have to change my dogs food to something they can actually chew and enjoy. Its a shame when a good name brand dog food has gone bad just as bad as the rest of the manufacturers products. Guess you cant get a decent dog food anymore.

  45. beth n October 2, 2011 at 6:04 pm #

    Oddly enough, I have been VERY lucky with this food so far (one month). I have always been a dog food snob and because I was stuck without access to Wellness Simple Solutions ( I fed Robert Abady very successfully prior to that), I bought the Pro Plan. My 9-year-old Portuguese Water Dog is notorious for crummy tummy but did GREAT on this. I couldn’t believe it. She’s been eating it a month and her poop is actually pick-upable. The price is better, too. We’ll see if it keeps going her way…

  46. amie October 1, 2011 at 10:32 pm #

    I breed Akita and always fed them Pro Plan they always had great coats and good weight but I noticed one of my girls having an allergic reaction by her fur changing to red discoloration. I started then feeding Blue Buffalo and I had several vomiting loose stool unhappy dogs. I don’t know what to do, it is impossible to find a great food. Any suggestions

  47. Adam A September 19, 2011 at 9:31 am #

    I have fed this to my hungarian puli for about three years of her four year life. Her weight has stayed perfect and she has had no health issues. I do supplement it with some type of protein like diced chicken, chopped beef, etc. Never had an issue and very happy with product

  48. Debra September 16, 2011 at 8:35 pm #

    I have changed my four dogs to the pro plan shredded large breed dog food. It was a gradual change over three weeks. They all are having diarrhea. This has been going on for 2 months now. I took my dogs to the vet thinking that my babies had a virus. He concluded that it had to be the change of food. That is why I am at this web site researching dog food and trying to find other feed backs from other people. I am going to stop feeding my dogs this food it is not good! I do not suggest you attemp buying this food.

  49. Janice Jenkins August 30, 2011 at 3:34 pm #

    I have fed my dog Proplan for 2 1/2 years now, and just this past weekend my dog had MAJOR issues. Vomiting blood- I am very afraid of this food now for my pet. Vet said to now boil food for my dog.

  50. Richard Kohlhoff June 28, 2011 at 7:23 pm #

    I have been using the purina pro plan chicken and rice formula for over a year and didn’t start having issues like vomiting, no energy and diarrhea till the other day. I have two dogs and both of them started having the same problem. I took them to the vet they did all the normal work ups and everything came back great well the doctor asked ” have you changed there diet?” I told him no. Well I then looked at the bag and compared it to the one from the previous month and it was different. The was a little blue box that said OPTIHEALTH. I then called up purinas vet line and asked what is different in the the ingredients the vet told me that they have made changes in the ingredients, as far as more wheat. Well 300 dollars later thank you purina. I then called them back up asking them why they use more wheat, I was told they use that as a filler. Purina told me to look at the ingredients on the bag and the first ingredient in most cases is the filler. Corn, wheat and soybean are all used as fillers. In most cases dogs tolerate wheat and is easier on there stomachs then corn. But in a lot of cases wheat depending on where it is from has issues also. I tried to find out where the wheat was coming from but no one will say anything.

  51. Donna McKissack June 15, 2011 at 1:54 am #

    I have used Purina Pro Plan with older dogs without a problem previously. I started an American Bulldog 6 wk old puppy on the Large Breed Puppy formula. He immediately began having diarrhea which continued for a month until I changed his food to one without any corn or by-products. I am no longer feeding this food.

  52. Lois May 12, 2011 at 1:15 pm #

    I just fed my older dog Purina Pro Plan Selects Natural Salmon & Brown Rice formula and 5 hours later he became disoriented, unable to walk. Within 12 hours he was comatose, drooling and his abdomen was in spasm. He died within 24 hours. Has anyone experienced this with their pet?

  53. Dee March 27, 2011 at 11:35 pm #

    Out 6 year old beagle has developed a severe cough. He goes into a spell of 15 to 25 harsh rasping coughs in a row. We were feeding him Pro Plan with salmon. Could that be bothering him?

  54. Toni February 23, 2011 at 12:27 am #

    I changed 3 dogs from Beneful to Purina Pro Plan and also started a new puppy on this food. ALL of them get gas, stinky gas. It has been over 2 months now and the gas is still coming. Searching for a new food now.

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