# Why does Purina get such a bad rap?



## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Consider your sources.


zpayne said:


> Every pet store employee


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## kiki2 (Nov 4, 2021)

We switched over to Purina Pro-Plan when Maddie was diagnosed with very early stage Kidney disease at the age of 10 1/2 years. I have to say the change in food made a difference in her energy level and the kidney levels went back to normal range within a couple of months. Was it the food? Could it have been an error on part of the lab testing in the beginning? I'll never know but I no longer look at Purina like I used to. Seems fine to me but some of the experienced breeders on here may chime in, and I hope they do! I'm learning so much from this site even though we've raised 3 amazing Goldens!! Always room for growth and understanding!! 🧡


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

This is one of Purina's experts. He is a little sharper than most pet store employees.
A very good friend of mine has known Dr Reynolds for many years. We get answers from the Dr. whenever there is a discussion on nutrition, supplements, etc.


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## zpayne (Nov 23, 2020)

SRW said:


> This is one of Purina's experts. He is a little sharper than most pet store employees.
> A very good friend of mine has known Dr Reynolds for many years. We get answers from the Dr. whenever there is a discussion on nutrition, supplements, etc.


Great videos...thank you! I agree, and never said store employees were right or wrong, just curious why it always seemed Purina was on the "no-go" list. I do appreciate all this information and value the science-based research vs. anything else.


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

As someone that used to work for a family-owned, small, “boutique” pet store, we had constant trainings from pet food brands such as Orijen, Petcurean, The Honest Kitchen, Stella & Chewy’s, etc. All of the trainings went on and on about how Purina and other similar brands (Royal Canin, Science Diet) have terrible ingredients that dogs don’t need, such as corn and wheat, and actually have very little meat in their formulas. They would say it’s much better for your dog to eat whole food ingredients that aren’t over processed, even better if the ingredients are “human grade.” The movie Pet Fooled was also spoken about often. I would assume that is what other pet store employees are told as well and are parroting.


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## zpayne (Nov 23, 2020)

Pytheis said:


> As someone that used to work for a family-owned, small, “boutique” pet store, we had constant trainings from pet food brands such as Orijen, Petcurean, The Honest Kitchen, Stella & Chewy’s, etc. All of the trainings went on and on about how Purina and other similar brands (Royal Canin, Science Diet) have terrible ingredients that dogs don’t need, such as corn and wheat, and actually have very little meat in their formulas. They would say it’s much better for your dog to eat whole food ingredients that aren’t over processed, even better if the ingredients are “human grade.” The movie Pet Fooled was also spoken about often. I would assume that is what other pet store employees are told as well and are parroting.


I wonder why you were educated so much on those other brands? Maybe it was a higher profit margin? I have a gripe with saying ingredients aren’t good. Purina Pro Plan uses whole meat as its first ingredient, and omits corn, soy, etc. I’m no expert, but I can put the basics together and see PPP isn’t a crummy food by any stretch.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I think because Purina (nestle) is also behind some relatively cruddy brands of dog foods as well, purina as a whole gets a bad reputation.


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

zpayne said:


> I wonder why you were educated so much on those other brands? Maybe it was a higher profit margin? I have a gripe with saying ingredients aren’t good. Purina Pro Plan uses whole meat as its first ingredient, and omits corn, soy, etc. I’m no expert, but I can put the basics together and see PPP isn’t a crummy food by any stretch.


This store refuses to even allow the brands I mentioned be sold there. We had regular trainings from other brands simply because we didn’t sell Purina, Science Diet, or Royal Canin. The store doesn’t allow any product from any company be sold that has corn, wheat, or soy in it, and it also won’t sell any products that come from China. Purina Pro Plan is lumped together with all the other definitely more crummy versions of foods they sell.


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## zpayne (Nov 23, 2020)

Pytheis said:


> This store refuses to even allow the brands I mentioned be sold there. We had regular trainings from other brands simply because we didn’t sell Purina, Science Diet, or Royal Canin. The store doesn’t allow any product from any company be sold that has corn, wheat, or soy in it, and it also won’t sell any products that come from China. Purina Pro Plan is lumped together with all the other definitely more crummy versions of foods they sell.


I think that is part of the bias. Purina Puppy Chow? I'd rather feed my dog cardboard. But like everything, there is good, better, best, and it's up to the consumer to do what they think is right for them and their pet!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Pet food stores are about driving profit first above all else. This makes the small upscale brands more advantageous for them. 
Nestle Purina makes hundreds of products. Some are excellent, some are junk. All have their place. It's a sure sign somebody is blowing a lot of hot air your way when they say something stupid like Purina make inferior products. Really? All of the hundred plus products? Some of those products have to posess some merit or the company would be out of business.

Now for a few facts. Nestle Purina. Iams Eukanuba and Hills are some of the few companies that actually undertake actual feeding trials with their products. This helps them avoid problems caused by poor diet like Dialated Cardiomyopathy which has been a recent problem for a lot of dogs.


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