10/02/2025
Our experts do NOT recommend Purina Dog Chow. Why?
First, it's main ingredient is corn. We can tell this because the first ingredient listed is 'whole grain corn,' and the third is 'corn gluten meal' - and ingredients have to be listed in quantity order by law.
Now, we're not averse to dog foods containing some corn as long as it's appropriately balanced by other ingredients that give the food a rounded nutritional profile. However, since corn is an 'incomplete protein,' lacking in the essential amino acids your dog needs, dog foods made mostly from corn do NOT do a good job of meeting your dog's nutritional needs.
Second, it contains poor quality "mystery meat." We can tell this because the second ingredient listed is 'meat and bone meal.'
This anonymous meal could be made up of any combination of animal carcasses, which can make it bad for identifying allergies & dietary sensitivities in your dog. It's also very often preserved with synthetic preservatives which may have undesirable health impacts, as well as containing lots of ash, which makes it difficult to digest & may even cause oversupply of some nutrients.
Third, it contains 4 different chemical colors. These are: yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40 & blue 2.
Diehard fans will know that we dislike any use of colorants, since these have no nutritional value, are only added to make the food look good to us humans, and may even harm your dog's health.
In addition, there's a particular concern over yellow 5 & 6 here, which are being phased out by the FDA as a result of concernes over their health effects.
Want our full review? https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-dog-chow/
