Purina Puppy Chow was purchased by a member of my household for our latest addition; a little female mini dachshund. My daughter fell in love with this puppy and since she had been looking for a female to mate with her male in the future, this little gal came home with us! My daughter named her Anna Belle.
My daughter decided to feed Purina Puppy Chow in beef flavor, which she found in the pet section at our local Walmart for Anna Belle. One of her concerns was the price factor. Purina Puppy Chow fit into her budget.
Why She Chose Purina Puppy Chow
Purina Puppy Chow is made from real beef, vegetables and added vitamins. It also contains antioxidants to help build a healthy immune system. The advertising on the package is quite appealing and makes one think this is a great puppy food with very healthy ingredients (read ingredient labels to see how much truth is actually in the advertising). This formula comes in several sizes ranging from 3 lb. bags to 37.5 lb. bags.
Purina Puppy Chow, beef flavor comes in bite-size morsels that are easy for your puppy to bite in to, chew and also digest. It has small brown bone size pieces and light colored brown round circles. Anna Belle didn’t have any trouble eating this formula and no upsets were reported.
I found all the basic information that I needed about the food on the package. It contained nutritional information, feeding guidelines, information on the importance of veterinary care, as well as their website address and toll free number (which I will post at bottom of review).
Nutritional Information:
Analysis:
Crude Protein (Min): 27%
Crude Fat (Min): 12%
Crude fiber (Max): 4%
Moisture (Max): 14%
Linoleic Acid (Min): 1.5%
Calcium (Min): 1.1%
Phosphorus (MIn): .9%
Iron (Min): 200 mg/kg
Ingredients:
Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, chicken by-product, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vit. E), brewers rice, beef and bone meal, beef, sugar, pearled barley, animal digest, dicalcium phosphate, sorbitol, salt, tricalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid, potasium cholride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried carrots, dried peas, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, DL= Methionline, added color, glyceryl monostearate, xinc sulfate, vitamine supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), ferrous sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, brewers dried yeast, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione, sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vit. K activity), calcium iodate, and sodium selenite.
I do think that some of the fillers like corn gluton meal and some of the by-products could be reduced but found these fillers in other brands as well that you will find on the grocery store shelf or at mass merchandisers like Target, Kmart and Walmart. I did discuss the ingredients of this puppy food with my daughter. We had used a higher quality puppy food for our other dachshund, and he thrived on it (Diamond Puppy Food). I talked her into switching brands whenever this bag ran dry.
While this puppy food does have some healthy ingredients, it also has some unhealthy or undesirable ingredients too. Ground yellow corn is the main ingredient and this is mainly a filler. It also contains by-products.
Anna Belle accepted Purina Puppy Chow right away, so I have to believe that it had a good flavor. She became so obsessed with having her own bowl of food that she became “defensive” and started taking a stance against the other dog in the house whenever it was her turn to eat. It didn’t matter that the other dog had his own bowl of food a few feet away…she was going to make sure that he didn’t touch any of hers!
Feeding Instructions
You will find a guideline on the back of the package to advise you of the proper amount to feed and number of servings per day for your dog depending on the size, age and weight of your dog. It is recommended that you feed your puppy the puppy formula until age 2. Puppies need more nutrition and should be fed more often than an adult dog.
Other Helpful Information
Purina Puppy Chow can also be used to wean your puppy onto solid foods. For weaning puppies moisten the puppy food morsels with water. You will only need to use about one part water to three parts of food. Warm water is accepted by the puppy more often than cold water since the milk from it’s mother is also warm.
For best results store your puppy food in a cool and dry place. Keeping it in an air-tight container will preserve the freshness.
Purina Puppy Chow can be found at all major grocery store chains as well as convenience stores and mass marketing stores.
For more information visit the Purina Puppy Chow website at www.puppychow.com or call 1-800-7PURINA weekdays between 9 am and 4 pm.
Final Word
Always read the ingredient labels on your pet’s food. If it contains a lot of fillers, by-products or animal digest, look for a better quality of food! My opinion of Purina Puppy Chow is that it is an “average” puppy food. You can do better, and then again, you can do worse!
