The reasons why I hate Purina

Ally Snyder
Feb 3, 2022
13 min read

**Note: This is all just my opinion! I am not saying this to make people mad or have them harass this company!**

If you've read a few of my articles, you’ll notice the repeating trend of where I say I hate Purina. Have you wondered why I hate this brand? For starters, I do not hate the brand as a whole, but rather their dog food brands. Purina is known as one of the best dog food brands around, but the ingredients are not the best.

Purina’s ingredients

Many of Purina’s kibble dog foods contain ingredients such as artificial dyes, corn, wheat, soy, and meat by-products. The problem with these are:

Artificial dyes are used to color the food with dyes to make it more appealing to us and make us think that the food is made with real meat. Usually appear as a color and number (red 40, blue 2…)
Corn has modest protein to a dog and is commonly used as a filler for cheaper quality dog foods. A filler is used to make the dog feel full after eating.
Wheat is also used as a filler, and can sometimes appear as wheat millings, which are just floor sweepings in a wheat factory.
Soy is another filler
Meat by-products are what is left after the good parts of the carcass are taken. For example, the bag may list ‘beef by-products’ which are the hooves, bones, eyes, and other items that don’t get consumed. Also, some brands include ‘nameless’ meat products, which means that the meat could have come from dead zoo animals, diseased animals, road killed animals, or even euthanized pets.
Dried beet pulp, canola oil, brewer’s yeast, garlic oil, dried peas, carrageenan, and corn syrup are other ingredients that don’t belong in dog food.
Melamine, BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin are also best avoided.

Usually, the first ingredient in cheap kibble dog foods are either corn and corn meal. Many of Purina’s dog foods do this. What this means is that corn is the ingredient used the most, when it should be a sort of meat. Most companies do this because corn is cheap and the brands can sell the food quickly at low prices and still make a profit from it. Purina is one of these companies. Below, I made a list of all of Purina’s dog foods, their varieties and flavors, and all of the ingredients so you can see what goes into their food. I also highlighted the problematic ingredients to make it clearer. All of the ingredients are taken from the Purina website and can also be found on the back of the bag.

Dog Chow

Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult with Real Chicken (the food I am using for this)
Purina Dog Chow Tender and Crunchy with Real Lamb
Purina Dog Chow Complete Adult with Real Beef
Purina Dog Chow Little Bites
Purina Dog Chow High Protein with Real Lamb

Whole Grain Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Chicken, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Whole Grain Wheat, Animal Digest, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2, Garlic Oil. E-4101.

Things about Dog Chow

Has animal digest, which is a chemical sprayed onto dry kibble to improve its taste, meaning that the food before tasted horrible.
Has 22% protein and 52% carbohydrates

Overall: Dog Chow is probably Purina’s most popular product because of the “large-size low cost’. You can buy a 48 pound sack of this food for $23.98 at my local Wal-Mart.

Beneful

Beneful Playful Life with Real Beef
Beneful Healthy Puppy with Real Chicken
Beneful Grain Free
Beneful Healthy Weight with Real Chicken
Beneful Originals with Real Beef (I chose this one to represent)
Beneful IncrediBites with Real Chicken
Beneful High Protein with a Blend of Real Chicken and Beef
Beneful Superfood Blend
Beneful Originals with Real Salmon
Beneful Prime with Real Beef
Beneful Protein Rich with Natural Lamb and Venison

Beef, Whole Grain Corn, Barley, Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Soybean Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal , Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Oat Meal, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dried Spinach, Dried Peas, Dried Carrots, Iron Oxide Color, MINERALS [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], VITAMINS [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Choline Chloride, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride. R409020

Things about Beneful

Contains mycotoxins that can be toxic to pets
Cause of death/illness in 1,400 dogs (read about it here https://truthaboutpetfood.com/purina-beneful-walks-away-from-accountability/)

Overall: Due to the sketchiness and toxic mycotoxins, I’d best avoid this food until Purina gets set straight.

Bella

Purina Bella Natural Bites with a Blend of Real Chicken and Beef (one I chose)
Purina Bella Natural Bites with a Blend of Real Chicken and Turkey

Chicken, Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Canola Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Oat Meal, Natural Flavor, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Glycerin, Barley, Brewers Rice, Beef, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Malted Barley Flour, Dried Sweet Potatoes, Dried Spinach, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Choline Chloride. C210718

Things about Bella

Biggest size is a 12 pound bag which won't last a while in a multi-dog household

Overall: I feel, and know, that there are better options for your small dog so avoid this food.

One

Purina One SmartBlend Large Breed Adult
Purina One SmartBlend Healthy Puppy Formula
Purina One SmartBlend Large Breed Puppy
Purina SmartBlend Lamb and Rice Formula
Purina One SmartBlend Small Breed Adult
Purina One SmartBlend Healthy Weight Formula
Purina One SmartBlend Sensitive Systems
Purina One SmartBlend Vibrant Maturity Adult 7+
Purina One SmartbLend Chicken and Rice Formula (this one will represent)
Purina One SmartBlend Small Bites Beef and Rice Formula
Purina One SmartBlend Healthy Weight High Protein Formula
Purina One SmartBlend Digestive Health Formula

Chicken (Source Of Glucosamine), Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal (Source Of Glucosamine), Whole Grain Wheat, Soybean Meal, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Glycerin, Liver Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Caramel Color, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Choline Chloride, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Sulfur. X-4154.

Things about One

Recalled in 2013 due to Salmonella contamination

Overall: Purina One is said to be a good dog food, but taking a look at all the fillers, it isn't a good option.

Beyond

Purina Beyond Simpy Farm-Raised Chicken & Whole Barley (the one I chose to review)
Purina Beyond Simply Small Dog White Meat Chicken, Whole Barley, and Egg
Purina Beyond Simply Pasture-Raised Lamb and Whole Barley
Purina Beyond Simply Farm-Raised Beef, Barley, and Cage-free egg

Chicken, Rice, Whole Barley, Canola Meal, Chicken Meal, Whole Oat Meal, Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Natural Flavor, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Carrots, VITAMINS [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], MINERALS [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Choline Chloride, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product. J428020

Things about about Beyond

Seems to be on the better side of Purina, but it isn't the best
Has no corn, wheat, and soy, but still used Menadione, Canola products, and Sodium Selenite

Overall: This food, as said earlier, seems to be a better version than the one' s above, but this one isn't the best. I saved the best for last.

Moist and Meaty

Moist and Meaty Burger with Chedder Cheese Flavor (the one I chose for this)
Moist and Meaty Chopped Burger
Moist and Meaty High Protein with Real Chicken and Beef
Moist and Meaty Steak Flavor
Moist and Meaty with Real Chicken
Moist and Meaty Rise and Shine

Beef By-Product, Soy Flour, Soy Grits, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Wheat Flour, Corn Syrup, Beef, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Salt, Soybean Oil, Sorbic Acid (A Preservative), Cheese Powder (Source Of Cheddar Cheese Flavor), Calcium Propionate (A Preservative), Added Color, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Dl-Methionine, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Choline Chloride, Ethoxyquin (A Preservative), Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5. D410419

Things with with Moist and Meaty

Only source of meat is by-products and fat
A lot of dyes to make it look appealing

Overall: On the bad side of Purina, it’s best to avoid this one.

Alpo

Alpo Prime Cuts Savory Beef Flavor
Alpo Come and Get It Cookout Classics (one I chose to review)

Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Germ Meal, Beef And Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-tocopherols, Pork And Bone Meal, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Natural Flavor, Corn Gluten Meal, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Natural Grill Flavor, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Dl-methionine, L-lysine Monohydrochloride, L-tryptophan, Red 40, Yellow 5, Calcium Carbonate, Blue 2, Yellow 6, Garlic Oil. K502319

Things With with Alpo

No probiotics
Only meat source is beef, pork, and bone meal

Overall: Alpo is perhaps one of the worst Purina food next to Beneful, so avoid this one as well

Bakers

Purina Bakers Puppy
Purina Bakers Adult
Purina Bakers Small Dog

Wholegrain Cereals 55% (Including min. 4% Wheat, 4% Maize), Meat and Animal Derivatives 15% (Including min 7% Beef),Various Sugars, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Oils and Fats, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Glycerol, Vegetables (0.3% Dried Pea, 0.3% Dried Carrot), Minerals, Propylene Glycol.

Things With with Bakers

Uses a lot of sugar, which cause hyperactivity in dogs
Is for Purina UK
Doesn’t name the cereals or meats
Has a lot of oil which makes it appetizing for dogs

Overall: You won’t see this food in America, but all you Brits, please avoid this food.

Beta

Purina Beta Chicken Dry Food
Purina Beta Small Breed Puppy Chicken Dry Food
Purina Beta Large Breed Puppy Turkey Dry Food
Purina Beta Puppy Turkey and Lamb Dry Food
Purina Beta Chicken Dry Food
Purina Beta Large Breed Turkey Dry Food
Purina Beta Turkey and Lamb Dry Food
Purina Beta Small Breed Chicken Dry Food
Purina Beta Sensitive Salmon
Purina Beta Working Chicken
Purina Beta Light Turkey

Chicken Meal (28%), Wheat*, Corn*, Poultry Fat, Wheat Middling, Dried Beet Pulp, Digest, Soya Meal, Dried Chicory Root* (1%), Minerals, Dried Carrot* (0.07%), Dried Spinach* (0.07%), Dried Parsley* (0.07%), *Natural ingredients.

Things With with Beta

Is another European brand
Has ‘Natural ingredients’ but doesn’t list any
Has animal digest to make the food taste better

Overall: This is the European version of Dog Chow, so it is also best to avoid this one

Winalot

Winalot Puppy Meaty Chunks mixed in Gravy
Winalot Meaty Chunks mixed in Jelly

Meat and animal derivatives (of which lamb 14% in the chunks*),cereals, Vegetables, (0.8% dehydrated carrots equivalent to 7% carrots), Minerals, Various Sugars

Things With with Winalot

No dry food
Doesn’t list meat sources
Doesn’t list cereals
Has sugars
Is another UK brand

Overall: This, once again, is best avoided, especially if your dog is allergic to grains

Pro Plan

Pro Plan Adult (one I chose)
Pro Plan Puppy
Pro Plan Sport
Pro Plan Bright Mind
(many flavors and varieties that I got too lazy to list)

Chicken, Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Poultry By-product Meal (Source Of Glucosamine), Soybean Meal, Beef Fat Preserved With Mixed-tocopherols, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Dried Egg Product, Fish Meal (Source Of Glucosamine), Natural Flavor, Glycerin, Wheat Bran, Calcium Carbonate, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil, Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Choline Chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, L-lysine Monohydrochloride, Garlic Oil. Z445519

Things with with Pro Plan

The best Purina brand but still has all these ‘bad’ ingredients
No dyes

Overall: Purina Pro Plan is the best Purina food and one of the best dog foods overall, but still watch out for the grains, by-products, and excess oils.

The lawsuits of Purina

Purina is known to cover themselves up or avoid being wrong, as shown in many court cases. In 2012, hundreds of thousands of dogs began to show signs of poisoning, having seizures, losing hair, and vomiting blood. And then soon, these dogs began dying. Turns out, all of these dogs have one thing in common: they ate Purina Beneful. According to The Truth About Pet Food, “The FDA began receiving a concerning number of consumer complaints of Beneful Dog Food in 2012, an average of three complaints of sick or dead pets per month. In 2013 the FDA had received so many complaints against Beneful the agency initiated an investigation/inspection of three Beneful pet food manufacturing plants. The FDA found:”

Six samples of Beneful Dog Food tested above legal limits for cyanuric acid and melamine (the very same poisonous combination responsible for the 2007 pet food recall).

Six samples of Beneful Dog Food tested to contain ethoxyquin which was not listed on the label (it is illegal for a pet food to include an ingredient but not list it on the product label).
Purina refused to provide FDA with copies of records.
Purina refused to disclose the safety tests the company performs on ingredients to FDA.
Purina refused to disclose the actual contents or weights of individual ingredients that went into lots of foods consumers had reported killed or weakened their pets.
Purina refused to allow FDA to take photographs of manufacturing plants.

Purina had refused the FDA to dig deeper into their investigation. And to top that off, the court judge decided, “The Court rejects Plaintiffs’ position that a reasonable jury could find Beneful unsafe based on the mere fact that 1,400 dogs ate Beneful and got sick or died thereafter. This is insufficient evidence of causation. Indeed, there is no evidence such as an evaluation by a veterinarian that a dog actually did get sick or die because it ate Beneful.”

If that was the case, how did over 3,000 dogs die of the same thing, after eating the same food? Purina got away scotch-free with this one, but that doesn’t stop them from itching away from other lawsuits. In 2021, Purina was sued again because some of their bags of Pro Plan of food said “Wheat, corn, and soy free,’ but when you looked at the back of the bag, either one or all of them were found. This is extremely dangerous as some dogs have severe allergies to these and that could have killed them. Mislabeling pet foods is a very common practice, but company mother-load Purina shouldn’t have to take a part in it. And to make matters worse, the people that bought the so-called ‘grain free food’ paid more money than the average pet food. That is because grain-free pet foods are made with more expensive ingredients than the ones with fillers. Purina seems to be a leech for lawsuits.

The marketing strategy of Purina

Besides selling ‘top-of-the-line’ food, Purina makes money through advertisements. Advertisements are notices that promote certain products. Purina spends almost 100 million dollars a year on advertising, when they could be using that money to make actual, healthy dog food. Purina depends on these ads to make them money, because if people see the sad, homeless dog that gets fed Purina food and perks up into a happy, sheltered dog, that would make the people want to buy Purina's food. It’s clever, really. Purina also uses words such as ‘real’, and ‘natural’ to draw people in. People’ll see that chicken or beef is listed as the first ingredient and believe that the food is good for their dog, because they did not know that corn is in the ingredients, just hidden farther down the list. ‘Real’ chicken is from a chicken that is fed the best grains, and slaughtered and the good parts are put into dog food, not what’s left over, which is feet, beaks, feathers, unhatched eggs, eyes, and sometimes organs. And I think that most, if not all, dog owners would want the first chicken. Also, like most advertisements, Purina claims to be ‘the best’ and ‘nutritious,’ which you have to say because if you say the truth, you’d most likely get your company shut down. Imagine an ad for Purina that said,“Oh yeah, we were the cause of death of over 3,000 dogs, but that was just an accident, you know. Now buy our products so we can stay rich!” They wouldn’t get any sales! That’s why there is a little secret called ‘fibbing.’ Being a large company is like being a politician; people do not know what is true and what is false.

Ways Purina can improve

If Purina did these simple things, I’d, and other people, would grow to respect this super brand. It’s not often that we find truthful companies revolving around pets. As pet nutrition evolves year after year, some ingredients become less relevant, and as more and more studies debunk certain ingredients, Purina should drop their current recipes and make newer and safer products. Many dogs today are allergic to grains, certain meats, and even the dyes that Purina uses. Finding an allergy-free food for a dog is hard, because some companies are not 100% honest with their listing, as Purina wasn’t, which is illegal. And when you do find an allergy-free food, they are usually expensive and can break the owners wallet. Some Purina brands are known to be cheaper and people can afford them, which is why they buy Purina instead of the higher-quality foods. I also think on behalf of the 3,000 people that lost their beloved friend that Purina needs to drop the Beneful brand and give these people an apology. I guarantee that these people no longer buy Purina products. I mean, they say people never change, but hopefully super companies such as Purina can. Our pets depend on it. Their company depends on it.

This article was all my opinion, and I do not mean to offend anybody. I do not write this to seem like a ‘professional who claims to know everything about canine nutrition’ which I don’t because I am not a professional and I know just as much about canine nutrition as the next guy, but I can think that people should be aware when a super company such as Purina acts sketchy and smooths off the killing/weakening of 3,000 dogs. Purina has been in business for over 90 years, and I’d love to see them stay in business for another 90, but the way they have been handling things isn’t the right and proper way. What if Purina never changes, you ask? Then I can predict that innocent people will continue to buy from their company, not knowing the dangers and risks that other dog owners have witnessed. Happy reading, and of course, Canine Good.