Glucosamine helps restore the joints and even eases some of the joint-related pain these dogs experience. Part of the reason why Ralston Purina is such a household name is that the brand was founded in 1902! While it started as a feed company for livestock, in 1926 Purina established a pet nutrition and care facility in Missouri. The primary focus of the brand was to make nutritious, healthy, delicious dog and cat food.
This best dog food uses real chicken rather than a rendered chicken meal or chicken by-product meal, which is often the case with lower quality chicken-flavored dog foods. Real chicken meat is the number one ingredient, meaning most of the protein within the food comes from a highly digestible and healthy source. Iams is popular, not only because they offer quality food, but because they do so at a reasonable price. In most recipes, real meat is the first ingredient, which is a great sign of quality. Chicken is the most common protein source, with two lamb-based options available in the adult life stage.
Real chicken meat is the number one ingredient, so your elderly dog will still have a high-quality protein source to help support their aging muscles and joints. The food is completely free from fillers, which makes it easier for your dog to digest. Another way this particular formula helps overweight dogs is the natural sources of glucosamine. Overweight and obese dogs have a severely heightened risk of developing joint issues, as the added weight puts strain on their delicate elbows and hips.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Purina product. Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat. The seventh ingredient lists soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds. On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken. The next ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste.
Today, Purina is owned by the Nestle corporation and has grown to be one of the highest-selling dog food brands in the entire world. They go out of their way to employ competent individuals who have a passion for animal welfare. There are 14 dry kibble options, a massive upturn on their puppy life stage offerings. There is an option for large breeds, small breeds, and smaller bites for those who prefer smaller chunks to chew.
Offering a total of 16 canned options, but there is one puppy option; the rest are for adult dogs. They also sell products in their higher quality True Instinct line and several grain-free options. There are four pedigree wet dog food different adult flavors, one puppy option, and a final senior pick. Each recipe is a pate formula, and chicken is the preferred meat here. Iams do not use artificial preservatives or flavors, which is great.
So, let’s see how these brands compare in the final life stage. There are two lamb options, one for large breeds and the other for everyone else, which is improves on the puppy stage where all the options are chicken-based formulas. Meaning it is not suitable for those intolerant of chicken meat, just those who prefer more lamb over chicken. Although they have more options than Iams with their grain-free recipes, they also use more controversial ingredients.
Whole grain wheat is the edible grain from any variety of wheat plant. In pet food, whole grain wheat is a source of carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrients. To understand the nutrient content of pet food, we visualize its macronutrient composition in three ways. In the charts below, you’ll see a guaranteed analysis on an as-fed basis, a dry pedigree wet dog food matter analysis, and a breakdown of the food’s macronutrients on a calorie-weighted basis. Our SMARTBLEND formulas are developed by our experts in pet nutrition who are always researching new ways to use high quality ingredients to do more for your pet. So if you want expert nutritional support for your pup, look no further than Purina Pro Plan.