Ready-made diets for dogs are available in different forms. There are dry granulated food, pates, canned food. They differ in composition. As a rule, each manufacturer produces all types of feed. Today you can see many brands in the market. But which one should you choose? Dog walkers often get lost. After all, you want to buy the best dry dog food so as not to harm the health of the animals. Purina food is considered to be quite advertised. All companies praise their products. But is Purina really a good nutrition? This article will tell you about this.
Manufacturer
The manufacturer of Purina One is the American company Nestle Purina PetCare Company. The history of this brand dates back to 1829: the company’s founder, Joel Spiller, first traded grain, then built the second steam mill in the UK, and a little later, having organized the first joint-stock company, began producing specialized food for animals. Initially food was produced exclusively for dogs, but in the 1950s. a version of soft canned food for cats was developed. The Spillers Nutrition Center and a unit to study feeding and behavior in domestic animals were created.
A lot of specialists are involved in the work: veterinarians, zoopsychologists, nutritionists. All products undergo strict veterinary control and are safe for consumption not only by animals, but also by humans.
Features of Purina food
First, let's talk about the manufacturer. The company that produces these pet products has been on the market for over a hundred years. During this time, the company changed its name more than once, experiencing mergers and acquisitions by larger corporations. Currently, Purina is one of Nestle's brands. It all started back in 1894, when a company called Robinson-Danforth arose in America.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the company changed its name to Ralston Purina and began active industrial production of animal feed. The company's owners quickly realized that this industry was becoming increasingly popular among dog and cat breeders, so they began working hard to improve the technology. Already in 1931, a research center was opened that studied the characteristics of pet food. Purina continues to maintain this scientific approach to this day, collaborating with scientists, veterinarians and technologists.
At the end of the twentieth century, Nestle and Purina merged. As a result, the world learned about a company that declared caring for pets as the principle of its activities. Today, the Nestle corporation has several brands that produce food for cats and kittens: One, Pro Plan, Friskies.
Each type of food is designed for the characteristics of a certain type of pet, taking into account the breed and age. The company produces both dry food and canned food. There are also medicinal foods that receive good reviews from veterinarians. If your pet is on a special diet, then one of the Purina foods will come to the rescue.
Range
Now let's look at the Purina One range (Purina Van). It's wide enough.
2 options for kittens: with chicken and carrots (wet), and with chicken and whole grains (dry). Fiber in the composition improves the health of the digestive system, protein promotes the development of muscles and skeletal bones. The composition contains amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Babies aged 6 to 12 weeks can be fed 1-4 bags of wet food per day, older kittens (up to 52 weeks) - up to 6 bags.
For adults (up to 11 years of age), the following options are offered:
Canned food: with beef and carrots; with chicken and carrots (for sensitive digestion and for animals that are not allowed outside the house); with chicken and green beans (for spayed and neutered individuals).
Dry:
- high in chicken content;
- with a high beef content (for castrated and sterilized);
- high in chicken and whole grains;
- high in beef and whole grains;
- with turkey and rice (for gentle digestion);
- with turkey and grains;
- with salmon and wheat (for a capricious stomach);
- with beef and wheat (for cats that have undergone sterilization);
- with chicken meat and whole grains (to remove excess hair from the stomach and maintain a beautiful coat);
- with Actilea formula (on three components: prebiotics, yeast and antioxidants to improve immunity).
Do not give cold or hot food to animals. Canned food from the refrigerator must be heated, but the food should not burn the cat’s mouth. Keep an eye on that. so that the drinking bowl is always filled with clean, fresh water (purified using a household filter or distilled).
For cats over 11 years of age, only one option is offered: dry granules with a high Omega-6 content, a double immune protection formula, and an optimal balance of proteins and fats.
Reviews about food
Due to the widespread availability of Purina dog food, reviews about it can be found on any pet forum. Most of it comes down to the fact that this is normal food, without harsh negative and extremely enthusiastic opinions. There are also reviews in which breeders complain about the quality of food, which has caused the deterioration in the health of their dogs.
Let's look at some of the most striking reviews about Purina food:
Stas, dachshund owner:
“I’ve been buying Purina for my dog for a long time. I like that the food is available at any pet store, and you can buy it on the way home. The dog eats food with pleasure, with health, pah-pah, everything seems to be in order.”
Oksana Pavlovna, spaniel breeder:
“My dog eats natural food, but when I’m too lazy to cook, I buy her Purina in bags. He eats both cheeks and always licks the bowl. The only downside we can say is that the food smells very strongly - the dog itself “smells” the food after eating. Otherwise, food is just food.”
Evgeniy, pug owner:
“There was a moment when I decided to save money and bought Purina Van food for my Bon at the nearest supermarket. I won’t do this again, and I don’t advise you: the dog was vomiting on every corner, and in addition, she was overtaken by monstrous diarrhea. The veterinarian told us not to reinvent the wheel and return to our previous diet. Since then there has been a very negative attitude towards Purina.”
If we talk about the opinion of experts, then the reviews from veterinarians about Purina dog food are all similar: this is not a very high-quality food, which is popular only because of the price. Doctors do not recommend these diets for daily nutrition, as this may affect your pet's health.
Compound
Components of Purina One (Purina Van):
- meat and meat ingredients (chicken, beef, poultry);
- fish and processed fish products;
- wheat, soy flour, corn, wheat and corn gluten;
- animal, fish and chicken fat;
- vegetable protein extracts;
- dried chicory root, dried beet pulp, carrots, beans;
- natural flavoring additive;
- yeast;
- antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, preservatives.
Price for Purina Van food
You can now view the current price of food and buy it right here:
The entire range of feed is sold at approximately the same price in all retail chains. Dry food is offered in packages of 0.6 and 1 kg, and wet food - in bags of 0.1 kg, designed for one meal. Prices for Purina Van dry food are within 200 rubles for a 600 gram pack, and about 330 rubles for 1.5 kg. Pouches are all sold at the same price, regardless of taste, and their price is about 25-30 rubles.
As you can see, the prices are very affordable. However, our site is inclined to classify this food as an economy class food, and recommends owners to improve the quality of their pet’s diet at the first opportunity!
Advantages and disadvantages
- Purina One food (Purina Van) is popular and is sold not only in specialized stores with goods for cats, but also in many supermarkets.
- This food is inexpensive and can be purchased on an ongoing basis by many members of the middle class.
- It contains meat and fish products, vegetables, and a vitamin and mineral complex.
- Sugar is found in wet canned food: not only in packages for adults, but also for children. This is not just an undesirable, but a harmful component: it contains a lot of calories, but no minerals or vitamins. Added to enhance taste.
- Components not specified. For example, wet kitten food uses a thickener, but what kind is unknown. There is no information not only on the package, but also on the website. Also, the fats, oils, processed plant products, and antioxidants used are not indicated. The official website says that the flavors and antioxidants used comply with the requirements of Russian legislation and are safe for animals, but why there are no names on the packages is a mystery.
- The proportions are not specified: the packs only list the components, and how much of this or that ingredient is added is a closely guarded secret.
- It contains vegetable protein, which is much less digestible than animal protein, as well as corn and wheat (and they are not good for animals).
- There is meat and fish, but there is little of it, firstly, and secondly, the quality of the raw materials is low. Vague formulations like “processed products” and “dry protein” do not inspire confidence.
- There are very few minerals and vitamins.
Purina One food contains a certain amount of dyes: small, as the manufacturer assures, and is approved for use not only in the Russian Federation, but also in EU countries.
Get acquainted with interesting cat breeds with the help of our encyclopedia: Scottish Straight, Balinese, LaPerm.
Guaranteed content
The pack of Purina Van dog food also contains information about the guaranteed nutrient content:
- Proteins - 28% (normal);
- Fats - 18% (within normal limits);
- Ash content - 8% (sufficient);
- Fiber - 2% (content below normal).
By and large, if you believe what is written, then this food is capable of maintaining the dog’s strength at the proper level, but let’s find out exactly what each ingredient on the list means.
Protein
A dog needs meat for normal and complete nutrition - it is the source of protein for the animal. However, the first place in the food composition is poultry protein - a not very useful component obtained as a result of deep processing of carcasses. In fact, apart from the protein itself, this substance contains nothing and does not carry any additional beneficial properties. It is often used as a way to increase protein content.
Chicken is another source of animal protein. In principle, it’s not bad that it’s in the food at all. But it should be remembered that this formulation can hide not only meat, but also other parts of the carcass - after all, in fact, all the bones, skin, legs and entrails were also once “chicken”. This name of the ingredient usually indicates the low quality of the raw materials.
Fats
Animal and fish oil are indicated as a source of lipids in Purina Van food for dogs. Animal fat is raw material from cattle and pigs, essentially lard that is not useful in higher-quality production. Low grade and low benefits make this nutrient an undesirable “guest” in any animal feed.
Fish oil is a very useful substance that contains polyunsaturated acids for dogs, which are natural antioxidants. However, the fact that this component is the penultimate one on the list negates all the beneficial properties - it is simply not enough to meet the dog’s needs.
Carbohydrates
The guaranteed analysis does not indicate carbohydrate content. The simplest mathematical calculation shows us that the feed contains about 30-35% carbohydrates. This is a lot, especially considering the sources of this substance, and there are as many as 7 of them! And these are all grains, in one form or another (cereals, flour, etc.). Wheat, corn, malt, soy - all this is not absorbed in dogs’ bodies and is excreted almost unchanged. We can say that these are just fillers that reduce the cost of products.
Additional components
Beet pulp is added to Purina dog food to provide the body with plant fiber. This is useful as it improves the functioning of the digestive tract and especially the intestines. Fiber from vegetables was apparently added for the same purpose.
Glycerin and propylene glycol are substances that prevent food from caking and drying out. In fact, they are preservatives in a sense. The main danger of propylene glycol is that it can lead to diabetes with constant use. Both of these components cannot be considered good additives to dog food.
Flavor is a not-so-healthy ingredient in Purina One dog food designed to improve the taste and smell of the food. This encourages more active eating, but there are a few questions. What does this additive consist of, and most importantly, why is it needed: do animals not eat this food without it?
Vitamins and minerals are undoubtedly useful substances, but here we are talking about some kind of ready-made set, added for availability. There are no fruits, vegetables, or herbs designed to saturate the dog with natural vitamins and minerals.
Antioxidants are useful substances that prevent the aging of the body. A good component in any form. However, a small amount negates all the benefits.
To summarize, we can say that this food is not complete and complete. It is simply physically incapable of keeping the body healthy if fed to a dog for a long time.
Cat Chow
The peculiarity of cat show food from Purina is that it contains many natural ingredients. Its composition is meat, herbs, vegetables. All this helps to ensure healthy digestion for the cat, as well as strengthen its natural immunity.
Herbs included in the composition are rosemary, spinach, parsley, chicory. This unique composition can reduce the smell from the cat litter box.
The cat show range of food includes food for adult cats, for cats that have been sterilized, for kittens, as well as special food that prevents the appearance of hairballs and food that protects the urinary system.
Purina Veterinary Diets
Scientists and veterinarians have developed a special food for domestic cats, which has the following unique differences:
- low fat content;
- high fiber content;
- low calorie content;
- high protein ratio;
- excellent taste.
In addition, Purina Veterinary Diets has in its line various supplements used in the treatment of animals with diabetes, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, kidney failure, and urinary tract diseases.
