# Purina Pro Plan VS Wellness ?



## GoldenChip (Apr 27, 2021)

My puppy is 15.5 weeks old! He has been on Purina puppy chow since that is what the breeder had him on to start. I am planning on doing a slow slow switch to a better food as I am getting close to finishing the 35LB puppy chow bag. I am curious if I should stick with Purina brand (Purina pro plan large breed puppy) or go for Wellness large breed puppy? Which is the better food?

Any other recommendations? These 2 foods seem to be very popular so I think I am likely to stick with one or the other.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

bumping up


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I have fed Purina Pro Plan for over 10 years, my guys have always done very well on it. 
There are a lot of members that feed PPP. 

If you decide to make a switch to Wellness, be sure to do a gradual switch to avoid tummy upset.


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

All but one of mine are on PPP Sport 30/20. We've been using it for quite some time now. All the golden breeders I know use PPP.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I'm another in the camp of the Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20. I've also used the PPP Large Breed Puppy for many years with no issues. My last puppy came home on Sport and I left him on it. He has done wonderfully and I didn't have to worry about transitioning later. My dogs are all very active. I would not feed Sport to a dog that had weight issues.


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

I wouldn't touch wellness personally. Puppy chow is not a bad food. PPP sport is good.


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

I too feed one of my pups PPP Large Breed Puppy. He has done great on it and we'll be transitioning him to the PPP Adult food soon. 
My previous Golden ate Wellness Core until the veterinarian suggested switching away (abudence of caution) to something else when the grain-free heart problems began to show up in Goldens. But my boy did extremely well on Wellness Core and lived to 14 y.o.
I stay away from grain-free still.


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

I am sticking with a food that follows WSAVA guidelines unless and until something more conclusive comes out about dietary DCM. So my vote would be to stick with the Pro Plan.


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## GoldenChip (Apr 27, 2021)

Hildae said:


> I wouldn't touch wellness personally. Puppy chow is not a bad food. PPP sport is good.


What is your personal reason for not touching wellness ? I am going to be going with Purina pro plan large breed puppy but I am just curious!


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

GoldenChip said:


> What is your personal reason for not touching wellness ? I am going to be going with Purina pro plan large breed puppy but I am just curious!


Pretty much same as Rion05


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

I've been following Dr. Josh Stern (U.C. Davis Cardiologist and golden retriever owner) on DCM and dog food: https://ccah.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sit...s/UPDATEOct2019ucd-diet-and-dcm-handout_0.pdf. Despite what some in the dog food industry would have us believe, the investigation into the cases of dietary DCM is ongoing: FDA investigation continues into dog heart damage associated with grain-free food


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## goldens9 (Apr 7, 2020)

My golden puppy came with tractor supply pet food. But I started blending it with frozen ground RAW complete mix with meat, bones, organs, fruits, veggies, supplements, from the Livestock Farm Supply store that has a freezer with NO HPP raw which was affordable. I add NaturVet KELP HELP for iodine. I alternate, one day we do the ground raw meat then the next day we do several whole raw EGGS with a few tablespoons of plain KEFIR for probiotics. I add the KELP HELP every day. She loves the raw meat. Eggs are a complete protein. If you stick with kibble or canned, then add a raw EGG for benefit of the fresh enzymes and complete amino acids. Sometimes I buy a big bag of frozen green peas, frozen green beans, or mixed veggies, and add a handful of the frozen veggies. One can Add veggies to kibble or canned food too Sprinkle CHIA SEEDS on top of any food for fiber and firm poop every time. Makes picking up poop in the yard or dog walk, very easy. For playtime, I buy RADISHES to play with and to eat or a whole APPLE to play with and eat. I use BANANA slices and APPLE slices for treats. For training treats, use dried banana slices, apple slices, or OnlyNaturalPet Raw Freeze Dried Nibs dried meat pellets. Hope this helps. My Golden loves her food. She hated the kibble but she loves that we went raw.


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## Dakota'smom (Sep 23, 2015)

goldens9 said:


> My golden puppy came with tractor supply pet food. But I started blending it with frozen ground RAW complete mix with meat, bones, organs, fruits, veggies, supplements, from the Livestock Farm Supply store that has a freezer with NO HPP raw which was affordable. I add NaturVet KELP HELP for iodine. I alternate, one day we do the ground raw meat then the next day we do several whole raw EGGS with a few tablespoons of plain KEFIR for probiotics. I add the KELP HELP every day. She loves the raw meat. Eggs are a complete protein. If you stick with kibble or canned, then add a raw EGG for benefit of the fresh enzymes and complete amino acids. Sometimes I buy a big bag of frozen green peas, frozen green beans, or mixed veggies, and add a handful of the frozen veggies. One can Add veggies to kibble or canned food too Sprinkle CHIA SEEDS on top of any food for fiber and firm poop every time. Makes picking up poop in the yard or dog walk, very easy. For playtime, I buy RADISHES to play with and to eat or a whole APPLE to play with and eat. I use BANANA slices and APPLE slices for treats. For training treats, use dried banana slices, apple slices, or OnlyNaturalPet Raw Freeze Dried Nibs dried meat pellets. Hope this helps. My Golden loves her food. She hated the kibble but she loves that we went raw.


I would contact a DACVN to make sure you have all the nutrients there and in the correct balance. It isn’t easy to do, esp for a growing puppy. Do you know what the calhos ratio is in the mixture you are feeding?


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

At the recent National Amateur Retriever Championship in Mondovi WI, 14 dogs made it to the 10th (final) series.
These are the best, and most physically fit retrievers in the world.
All but one was fed Purina Pro Plan.


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

I agree with most, Purina Pro Plan. As adults my three eat Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice. All doing great, 2yrs, 4yrs and 9 yrs old. As a pup the last one ate the PPP large breed chicken and rice.


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

I was feeding what I thought was healthy, Canidae all life stages and Fromm Classic, neither was grain free. I Started having issues with the then 7 year old coughing and some throwing up bile with him and my GSD mix. I switched all to Purina Pro Plan and the coughing and throwing up stopped with the 7 yr old. Unfortunately my GSD mix did pass away soon after, just short of 10 yrs old. Multiple Vets were unable to diagnose her issues.


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## GoldenChip (Apr 27, 2021)

SRW said:


> At the recent National Amateur Retriever Championship in Mondovi WI, 14 dogs made it to the 10th (final) series.
> These are the best, and most physically fit retrievers in the world.
> All but one was fed Purina Pro Plan.


Awesome to hear. Every reply here almost relates back to the pro plan. I ended up getting Purina pro plan large breed puppy. Currently slowly switching his food from puppy chow to that 75% old food and 25% new food right now and it’s going well!


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## GoldenChip (Apr 27, 2021)

StarBright said:


> I agree with most, Purina Pro Plan. As adults my three eat Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice. All doing great, 2yrs, 4yrs and 9 yrs old. As a pup the last one ate the PPP large breed chicken and rice.


Thank you!! Ended up going with Purina pro plan large breed puppy , making the slow switch from puppy chow right now with 75% old food 25% new food !😊


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## GoldenChip (Apr 27, 2021)

goldy1 said:


> I too feed one of my pups PPP Large Breed Puppy. He has done great on it and we'll be transitioning him to the PPP Adult food soon.
> My previous Golden ate Wellness Core until the veterinarian suggested switching away (abudence of caution) to something else when the grain-free heart problems began to show up in Goldens. But my boy did extremely well on Wellness Core and lived to 14 y.o.
> I stay away from grain-free still.


Thanks! How old will your puppy be when you switch him to the adult PPP?


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

I'm switching over now. He will be 2 y.o. in July


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

Hildae said:


> I wouldn't touch wellness personally. Puppy chow is not a bad food. PPP sport is good.


Why not Wellness? I fed to my golden her whole life and she passed at 17.


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

goldy1 said:


> I too feed one of my pups PPP Large Breed Puppy. He has done great on it and we'll be transitioning him to the PPP Adult food soon.
> My previous Golden ate Wellness Core until the veterinarian suggested switching away (abudence of caution) to something else when the grain-free heart problems began to show up in Goldens. But my boy did extremely well on Wellness Core and lived to 14 y.o.
> I stay away from grain-free still.


I fed Wellness Core too and my goldie lived to 17. I used grain free then.


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

Hildae said:


> Pretty much same as Rion05


It's not all grain free.


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

jopalis said:


> It's not all grain free.


DCM isn't a "grain free" issue.


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

Hildae said:


> DCM isn't a "grain free" issue.


Then what is issue with Wellness?


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

jopalis said:


> Then what is issue with Wellness?


It doesn't meet the guidelines set forth by wsava. Worse yet, they put out a statement saying they do.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I also feed PPP 30/20 and Bright Minds to the old folks. I sometimes rotate in a bag of Bravo Dehydrated , a bag of Farmina Chicken And Pomegranate Ancient Grains or add toppings of sardines or yogurt. I used to feed Fromm, but the research on pea protein, legumes, and boutique foods changed my mind.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

jopalis said:


> Then what is issue with Wellness?


Pea protein


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

Ljilly28 said:


> Pea protein


 so does Purina Pro Plan

S


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## jopalis (Feb 20, 2016)

Rion05 said:


> I am sticking with a food that follows WSAVA guidelines unless and until something more conclusive comes out about dietary DCM. So my vote would be to stick with the Pro Plan.


Huge amount of controversial ingredients in Purina Pro Plan. Not saying I won't use but wonder about them. Include: 
Liver
Poultry
Corn Grits
Canola Meal
Brewers Rice
Ground Wheat
Wheat Gluten
Animal Digest
Caramel Color
Garlic Powder
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Vegetable Oil
Corn Germ Meal
Poultry Giblets
Corn Gluten Meal
Dried Corn Syrup
Meat By-Products
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat
Ground Yellow Corn
Chicken By-Products
Poultry By-Products
Chicken By-Product Meal
Poultry By-Product Meal
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

These are considerd harmful: 
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used *only by Purina Pro Plan*.
Bha
Bht
Corn Oil
Yellow 5
Added Color
Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex
Pork Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)
Animal Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)

Source: pawdiet.com. They compare food ingredients between dog foods.

Just looking for help not an arguement.


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

jopalis said:


> Huge amount of controversial ingredients in Purina Pro Plan. Not saying I won't use but wonder about them. Include:
> Liver
> Poultry
> Corn Grits
> ...


I am going to go with the veterinarians at places like Tufts, UC Davis, and U of Wisconsin here over "PawDiet," which seems to sell dog food. I just spoke with a veterinary cardiologist (who is also a professor of cardiology at a veterinary school) at a heart clinic I was at about the WSAVA guidelines - they said that it was smart to continue to follow them (and incidentally, my golden, who has been fed a WSAVA-compliant diet, obtained his echo cardiac clearance with flying colors). Looking at the ingredient list is not the best way to assess a dog food: Why you shouldn’t judge a pet food by its ingredient list


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

jopalis said:


> Huge amount of controversial ingredients in Purina Pro Plan. Not saying I won't use but wonder about them. Include:
> Liver
> Poultry


Controversial among who? Vegans?


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

jopalis said:


> Huge amount of controversial ingredients in Purina Pro Plan. Not saying I won't use but wonder about them. Include:
> Liver
> Poultry
> Corn Grits
> ...


with liver & poultry being the first 2 cited as controversial i'm highly doubting the credibility of this website. Poultry or more specifically chicken gets an unnecessarily bad reputation as an allergen. many dogs actually do not actually have chicken allergies. Liver is packed with vitamins and is actually an essential part of raw diets as well, and is very beneficial to them.


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

SRW said:


> Controversial among who? Vegans?


Right?? Haha Liver, poultry? That list is silly and made by someone shilling for boutique brands most likely. 

A quick look at who runs pawdiet shows no one with any qualifications to be judging dog food, just like the other popular website DFA. So, no thanks on using them as a source for anything.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

I have no clue why liver would be controversial., unless it's way up in the ingredient list (it's pretty rich to be a large part of a dog's diet). Maybe they state why elsewhere on the website the OP has gotten her information from. The objection to "poultry" (at least based on what I've read elsewhere) is that it's non-specific. Ideally, this should be "chicken" or "turkey" or whatever. I wouldn't eliminate an otherwise good food based on this though, unless my dog had allergies and I really needed to know exactly what was in the food.

OP, I know you pulled that list of controversial ingredients from that website where they are doing a comparison of PPP and Royal Canin. So when what you posted says "used only by Purina Pro Plan" that means they are ingredients that are not in _Royal Canin_, NOT that PPP is the only food on the market that contains these ingredients.

As I mentioned on your other post on this topic, "Pro Plan" has a LOT of varieties. So to say "Pro Plan" contains all these controversial ingredients is not a true statement. SOME of the Pro Plan varieties contain SOME of these ingredients, and there is not always consensus, even among nutritionists, about how big a deal any of these ingredients are. I already mentioned the liver. And on your other post I pointed out that garlic is considered by many to be beneficial in small amounts. The nutritional benefits (or risks) of something like "chicken by-product meal" really depends on where the chicken by-products are sourced and how they are handled. If they are obtained as "rejections" from the human food stream, swept up from the slaughter house floor, and stored without refrigeration before they are turned into meal and shipped to the pet food processor... well, that's clearly a problem. If however, we're talking about "the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice" (the official definition) _and _those ingredients are safely handled (kept clean and refrigerated, etc.) and the by-products aren't disproportionately just one thing (like mostly feet) then they can be a perfectly healthy and nutritious component to a quality dog food. The problem comes in verifying which scenario occurred with your particular food or manufacturer... So unless you want to do a ton of research or phone calls, really comes down to how much you trust the company that manufactures the food.... 

That said... the things on your "harmful" list are worth worrying about and I would personally not feed a food with those ingredients. _Some _of the ingredients on the "controversial" list have to do with the _quality _of the ingredients (grain fragments, animal by-products, grains that are prone to contamination with aflatoxins, etc.). I'd avoid them when possible, but the presence of one or two well down on the ingredient list would not (for me) remove an otherwise high-quality food from consideration.


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## FurdogDad (Mar 30, 2021)

It looks like everything "controversial " is everything in dog food......


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