Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

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TxBarley99
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Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by TxBarley99 » Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:18 pm

Having a trouble chooising the best food for my GSP. Feed my labs totw for years and have loved the food but have been reading more and more about the purina pro plans and its active series for more of a healthy food for body as well as energy and recovery.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by DougB » Fri Jan 05, 2018 10:32 pm

Most of the Purina foods are good quality and the dogs like them, but they run corn as one of the main ingredients. I feed Taste of the Wild grain free. Taste of the Wild is highly rated and in my experience, getting corn out of the mix means you can use a smaller shovel.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by shags » Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:34 am

I’ve used both for years at a times and both are fine IMO. I’m not an anti-cornite and believe the grain free schtick is pure marketing. Look on the bag and see that grain free is full of other ‘fillers’ like peas and potatoes, not meat products.

As long as your dog does well on either, choose the one that’s easily a ailable and agreeable to your wallet.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:08 am

Both are good but you will find it much easier to keep your weight on your dog during heavy exercise periods with a feed that has corn as the second or third ingredient. That is why you will seldom if ever find a pro-trainer feeding grain free. Dogs have eaten grain forever.

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Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by TxBarley99 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:31 am

This is the product I was wanting to go with. My bigger question also came in the fact that it was appealing to me that this particular series was good for all dog ages puppy to senior so it would cut down on different foods I was buying and feed them the same. Is this a good idea? My female on the left is 16 months and my male on the right is 15 weeks. ImageImageImageImage

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by shags » Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:43 am

IME all life stages feeds work as long as they work for each individual. Some may not be calorie-dense enough for an active pup, while others may be too heavy in calories for older less active dogs. All you can do is give it a shot and see how it shakes out.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Dakotazeb » Sat Jan 06, 2018 10:46 am

Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Fozzie's Mom » Sat Jan 06, 2018 11:17 am

"All stages" foods aren't necessarily great for all dogs. They have to formulate them to provide the nutrients and energy that the type of dog with the highest requirements needs. That would be a puppy. For most dogs, the all stages foods is a waste because your older dogs are just going to urinate out the excess vitamins/minerals/nutrients. Those foods tend to be a little more on the expensive side because they usually are really good foods (high quality products, less fillers/chemicals/crap) . . . . . .so that would probably be an unnecessary hit to your wallet?

As far as corn goes. . . .Grain free isn't necessarily the only way to go, but I'm not a big fan of corn, personally. It IS used as a filler, and it's really high in sugars. That's about all it's good for. For most dogs, that sugar is absolutely useless and just converts to fat.

. . . .but I'm a vet tech that sees nothing but couch potatoes, and I'm totally new to hunting. . . . . .

So. . . .for you guys who's dogs get way more exercise than even mine, that extra sugar from the corn is probably more helpful, no? I'd imagine that feeding something higher in sugar/calories with corn during the working season is beneficial, and it would probably be a good idea to switch to something different in the off season, if you have one?

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by RayGubernat » Sat Jan 06, 2018 1:16 pm

Purina Pro Plan Performance is THE choice for virtually every single American Field trial pro. Part of that choice is their support for the field trial sport...but a far bigger part is the uniformity and reliability of the food.

It is a 30/20 feed, 30 % protein, 20% fat which is the optimal diet for the vast majority of performance dogs.

There are several other 30/20 feeds out there and over the years, I have fed most of them with good success. A couple changed their formula and the dogs started to have digestion issues, so I switched out.

I feed the puppies I purchase a 30/20 ration until the bag runs out( which happens at about 6 months of age generally). Then they get switched to adult. NEVER had an issue with that.

I currently am feeding a Sunshine Mills 26/18 product. The dogs are doing just fine on it, but they do generate more fecal waste than they would on Purina Pro Plan Performance. But then I pay $32 - 35 for a 50# bag.

One pro I know uses a 26/16 product from Loyall and the dogs do fine and are quite competitive. A fair number of Brittany trialers I know also feed Loyall with good success.

The ONLY feed I ever had an issue with was a high protein/ fat product from Black Gold. One of my dogs started to get sores after about 6 months and when I switched feeds, the sores went away. Some kind of allergy I suspect. But you need to watch for that kind of stuff with ANY feed.

There are a lot of really good feeds out there for dogs, especially hard working dogs. Don't fall for the marketing BS. Look at your dog. That will tell you all you need to know. about whether the feed is good or not.

Look for a feed that is 30/20 or close to that which is easily available in your area and priced within your budget. Just about any 30/20 feed will be good quality. Your dogs will probably do fine on it and if they do not...switch.

RayG

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Dakotazeb » Sat Jan 06, 2018 2:17 pm

A food I wouldn't over look is NutriSource. It's a quality food priced about the same as PPP. Their Performance formula is 30/20 and does not contain any corn.

http://nutrisourcepetfoods.com/dog-food/performance/11

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Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by TxBarley99 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:12 pm

So pro plan I fetured about is actaully cheaper in a 50 pound bag than the totw I buy in 30 pound bags. I am also. Ot worries about price I am more for i will feed whatever is best. The purina pro plan sport is a chicken and corn base product and has a much higher calorie count to it. Its also appears to be better for joint and body health. I just want make sure I have the best for my pups.

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Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by TxBarley99 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:22 pm

This is the taste of wild in comparison. Its got a 3719 calorie count. [img]//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201801 ... b6c958.jpg[/img][img]//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201801 ... 6bcf5a.jpg[/img]

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by shags » Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:53 pm

You’re never going to settle on “the best” if you rely on suggestions from here - almost everyone here is pretty sure they are feeding the best, whatever that means, lol: What is the best for one could be the pits for someone else. There is no way to tell in advance.

Choose a dog food that is readily available, that you can afford, and that your dogs do well on. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error, as some dogs might have a problem from some particular food. No big deal, just change it up again.

The major mainstream companies produce decent dog food, and there are smaller companies that do, too.

Easy peasy.

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Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by TxBarley99 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:39 pm

Thank you all

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:50 pm

Shags has it right except it is rare to find much difference in dogs according to all the test we run. Last thing I would worry about is the best but rather just be sure it is good.I say that because there is no best and there are hundreds of good foods and possibly a few poor ones. And to set the record straight there is no fillers in any dog food I have ever seen. First no company is dumb enough to put something in their feed that serves no purpose and pay to ship it all over the country when the cost of shipping is a big part of the cost of a feed. Second, I doubt if any one would buy it for long and every company needs repeat business to survive. Third, every company has a marketing dept. that is trying extremely hard to find a market for their product that allows them to survive in an over saturated market. Small, one plant companies are usually going to not be able to provide a lot of quantity so they tend to try and sell their product as better and you can feed less while having a higher mark up per bag than a large, multi facility company who can make large quantities, with much lower transportation cost and will sell on performance with less mark up per bag. Both feeds may be really good but will have little different formulas but will produce somewhat equal results. And some are formulated for more specific performances and those we see often through out the country. The no grain fad is one of the things started by some smaller companies looking to create a niche for themselves. Corn is particular is not a lot different from some other grains but the main reason you see it more is it is country wide available which cuts shipping cost and also is lower cost due to a large supply. It also does help when formulating since it does carry more fat, and more protein than many of the grains and has a much larger variance of nutrients that you can get when you purchase it. There are high sugar corns, but we eat them as sweet corn and have never seen it included in dog food. Their are high oil varieties as well as high starch and also high protein with high lysine that is an amino acid that is short in most ingredients. Feed what you want but as far as quality performance feed you will be hard pressed to beat a meat based feed with corn as the second ingredient. Others will work but I doubt if you can find anything that is actually better and not just marketed as better.
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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Steve007 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:41 pm

ezzy333 wrote: it is rare to find much difference in dogs according to all the test we run. Last thing I would worry about is the best but rather just be sure it is good.I say that because there is no best and there are hundreds of good foods and possibly a few poor ones.
Excellent post by ezzy. I feed NutriSource high protein (Super Performance), but am perfectly wiling to admit that a dozen other foods would likely work as well.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Bedight » Sat Jan 06, 2018 9:19 pm

Over the last several years a couple of my dogs have had various allergy and inflammatory symptoms. Eliminating Corn, Soy and Wheat from their diet completely resolved their symptoms. I have consulted 6 different vets about this and all of them agreed that:

• Most dogs can eat any grains with no problem
• Some dogs have minor allergic issues with wheat or corn or soy
• Some dogs have severe allergic reactions to corn, wheat or soy
• The number of dogs with corn, soy or wheat sensitivity have been increasing for the last 10 years or so
• The benefits of corn, soy and wheat grains in a dog’s diet are hard to quantify
• Oats are good non- inflammatory substitute for corn, soy and wheat in dogs with allergic symptoms
• Some breeds show greater sensitivity than others, e.g. Spaniel breeds.
• Some dogs on strictly non- grain diets are showing more digestive (especially colon) disease at earlier ages.
All of the vets except the Naturopathic Vet thought that there are no “best dog’s foods” and most were “good” but that the “best’ foods vary by dog not by species.

My conclusion from all of this is if your dog has no problem with grains it’s ok to use the least expensive good food.
If your dog has allergy symptoms, find a food with oats, no corn, soy or wheat, and don’t worry about the cost, it will be lower than your vet bills.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 11:06 pm

Bedlight, food allergies in dogs are quite rare but I am not arguing they are getting more common it seems but there are reasons why this might not be true. Practically all allergies that we have been brainwashed into blaming the feed are discovered to be some other source is the problem. We do know out of the rare occasion there is a food allergy the cause is well over 90% directed at a protein source and not the grain. Grain is mostly starch and there is nothing in starch to be allergic to. With further testing we find allergies are almost always caused by a protein source such as the type of meat that is being used and not a grain. If a dog is allergic to a carb ingredient then corn, rice, wheat, oats, potatoes and most other vegetables as they are all high carb or starch that are basically identical. Some of the last figures I have seem is maybe 1 dog out of a thousand or more actually have a food based allergy and only 1dog out of a thousand or more of those are allergic to the grain. I have little personal knowledge as I have to admit I have only had one dog that supposedly had an allergy when I got it and that turned out to be false and its problems were caused by a completely different problem. This includes the dogs I have had and also the dogs that were involved in feeding and nutrition tests at the research facility. If our dogs are like the modern day people then allergies are on the rise and appear to be caused by a lack of things for our immune system to work on so they find some other thing to do and it ends up being called allergic.
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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Mike da Carpenter » Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:08 am

The last dog I had (Chocolate Lab), would loose hair non stop and had “hot spots”, that turned into sores on his skin. Took him to the vet, they recommended changing his food. Did that, and the same issues persisted. Went back to the vet, and they recommended going to see a Doggie Dermatologist (I actually Laughed out Loud at the suggestion, thinking is there really a thing?).

Made the appointment, met with the Dermatologist and was presented with 2 options...$150 to draw blood, and do an allergy test, or $400 to shave his side and do a “prick test” (similar to us going to an allergist). Cheaper way took a week, more expensive route the results were known in a few minutes. I opted for the cheaper route.

Found out our dog was not only allergic to corn (try hunting pheasants in a cornfield with a dog allergic to corn, his entire under belly was a giant sore and a trip to the vet after each outing was common to get medicated to help elevate the issues...also got expensive too), but he was also allergic to HUMAN DANDER!!! The fricken dog was allergic to ME!!! Also switched him to some Salmon type of food, and he did fantastic once corn was taken completely out of his life.

I sat down with the dog, and had a heart to heart talk. Told him if he didn’t care about getting the sniffles around me, that we would switch to hunting ducks and geese. He didn’t complain and the ADDICTION of duck hunting began. Man was that ever fun and I don’t know who was happier in life...He or I.

That Lab has been gone 4+ years now, and just yesterday, we brought home a 7 week old GSP who is eating Purina Pro Plan puppy (golden retriever puppy on the front of the bag), because that is what Our Breeder has been using and recommending. The breeder says they recommend all their puppy’s eat this and transition to Purina Pro Plan “Sport” 30/20 when he old enough (I’m wondering when THAT time will be). Hopefully he will do just fine on PPP and I won’t have to go on a search for different food again.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Urban_Redneck » Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:05 am

I agree with Ezzy(!) food allergies in dogs are less common in dogs than the public believes. Of course that doesn't stop the the feed mills from producing a myriad of "solutions" ;) Among the genuine food allergies, chicken seems to be the most common, eliminate chicken for 6 weeks and see how the dog does.

Yeast infections are more common and require eliminating the yeast's food source- all sugars, grains and plant starches.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by cjhills » Mon Jan 08, 2018 6:28 am

Mike da Carpenter wrote:The last dog I had (Chocolate Lab), would loose hair non stop and had “hot spots”, that turned into sores on his skin. Took him to the vet, they recommended changing his food. Did that, and the same issues persisted. Went back to the vet, and they recommended going to see a Doggie Dermatologist (I actually Laughed out Loud at the suggestion, thinking is there really a thing?).

Made the appointment, met with the Dermatologist and was presented with 2 options...$150 to draw blood, and do an allergy test, or $400 to shave his side and do a “prick test” (similar to us going to an allergist). Cheaper way took a week, more expensive route the results were known in a few minutes. I opted for the cheaper route.

Found out our dog was not only allergic to corn (try hunting pheasants in a cornfield with a dog allergic to corn, his entire under belly was a giant sore and a trip to the vet after each outing was common to get medicated to help elevate the issues...also got expensive too), but he was also allergic to HUMAN DANDER!!! The fricken dog was allergic to ME!!! Also switched him to some Salmon type of food, and he did fantastic once corn was taken completely out of his life.

I sat down with the dog, and had a heart to heart talk. Told him if he didn’t care about getting the sniffles around me, that we would switch to hunting ducks and geese. He didn’t complain and the ADDICTION of duck hunting began. Man was that ever fun and I don’t know who was happier in life...He or I.

That Lab has been gone 4+ years now, and just yesterday, we brought home a 7 week old GSP who is eating Purina Pro Plan puppy (golden retriever puppy on the front of the bag), because that is what Our Breeder has been using and recommending. The breeder says they recommend all their puppy’s eat this and transition to Purina Pro Plan “Sport” 30/20 when he old enough (I’m wondering when THAT time will be). Hopefully he will do just fine on PPP and I won’t have to go on a search for different food again.
I like to keep my puppies on a little lower fat and protein to slow their growth rate for six to eight months. I don't go to 30/20 until then.
By far my best resultshave been PPP.............................CJ

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 10:40 am

I agree with CJ, my pups grew up on the same feed Mom was eating in most cases. Nothing wrong with puppy chow for a few weeks when they start eating but I don't like it beyond that time. Plus there is little difference between the two of the essential nutrients.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Mike da Carpenter » Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:26 pm

Am I reading this correctly?... CJ says wait till 6-8 months to transition to “adult” food, and Ezzy says just a couple weeks. Which one is it? I would like to provide the best for my pup.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by Steve007 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:39 pm

Mike da Carpenter wrote:Am I reading this correctly?... CJ says wait till 6-8 months to transition to “adult” food, and Ezzy says just a couple weeks. Which one is it? I would like to provide the best for my pup.
I'm surprised by Ezzy's comment. I'm sure most pups would get away with any good food, but there's more to puppy food than ingredients yielding protein and fat. I'm assuming pup food is juiced up with extra calcium beyond the need of adult dogs. I've raised quite a few competition-quality litters and stay with puppy food for a long while. A year wouldn't hurt. Might not matter with most dogs, but the formulation is different for a reason.

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 6:03 pm

Let me explain a little. Puppy food does have some extra nutrition an adult food likely is not included. However the adult food does have an adequate amount for the pup. Remember now, we are working with percentages in the total feed and that will play a part in why I feed the way I do.

I do not want a fat puppy or a pup that grows too fast. This can be accomplished by controlling the amount a puppy is fed. But when you do, the puppy is always hungry. So I would rather feed more of the adult feed so the pup is sill getting about as much per day of the essential nutrients but the pup is not so hungry. Easier on me and the pup and I get away from having the puppy too heavy for the puppy frame. And my experience has been excellent doin it this way, feed cost is cheaper, I only have to inventory one feed, and the pup is happier with it's stomach full.

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http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

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Re: Purina Pro Plan vs. Taste of the wild

Post by cjhills » Mon Jan 08, 2018 10:24 pm

ezzy I don't quite get your last post. PPP breed puppy is lower in fat and protein than 30/20. I do not know what you feed your adult dogs. i keep my puppies on lower calories and protein than my adult. w
Why would you go higher.
To the OP nobody has age exact age to change. It is just ideas we develop that seems to work for us. whenever you switch or if you never switch the dog will likely be fine Feed him what ever you like.........Cj

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