Purina Dog Chow Information
Dog Chow is one of the best-known and recognizable dog food brands in the United States. Dog Chow was originally launched in 1957, and despite being sold for over 60 years, its popularity is not fading.
However, while the Dog Chow sold today is quite similar to the past, there have been some tweaks over the years for those paying close attention.
For those of you wondering who owns Dog Chow, it is owned by the pet food Giant Purina. To make things even more confusing, the Purina group of pet food brands was purchased by Nestle in 2001 and has been owned by that conglomerate ever since.
Based on our research, we believe that Dog Chow is produced inside the United States at one of Purina’s major facilities.
Purina as a whole is one of the largest manufacturers of dog food and has facilities dotted all across the United States.
What makes Dog Chow appealing to most of its customers is its price. The brand is one of the most affordable dog food brands available and is often sold at large retail stores like Walmart or Target.
For example, a large 40+ pound bag of Purina Dog Chow dry dog food can often be sold for as little as 20 US dollars.
Outside of large physical retail stores like Walmart or Target, you can purchase Purina Dog Chow products online at several of the large pet food websites like Chewy, Amazon, Walmart, Petflow, and more.
Purina Dog Chow Product Range
Dog Food
Purina Dog Chow has a moderate range of dog food products which is evenly split between dry dog food and wet/canned dog food.
However, most of these recipes are very similar and use a similar combination of ingredients and flavors.
For those of you wondering if Purina Dog Chow makes grain-free food, all of Purina Dog Chow’s recipes are grain-inclusive and they do not produce any grain-free food.
Purina Dog Chow has a sub-brand known as Puppy Chow, and this sub-ranges includes multiple puppy food recipes.
Many dog owners prefer to transition their puppies to the adult version of their food growing up which is why many brands produce puppy-specific food like Puppy Chow.
Lastly, Dog Chow also produces a recipe for small breed dogs and another for large breed puppies.
Cat Food
For obvious reasons, the Dog Chow brand from Purina does not produce any cat food recipes, however, Purina has another sub-brand known as Cat Chow which is a cat equivalent of Dog Chow.
Purina Dog Chow Nutrition
The nutrition provided by Purina Dog Chow recipes varies but is generally below-average when compared to other dog food brands.
This below-average nutritional profile consists of below-average proportions of protein and fat and significant portions of carbohydrates.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Purina Dog Chow dry dog food recipe.
As you can see, the protein and fat proportions of this recipe make up less than 50% of its nutritional content which is a major concern.
While dogs should consume some carbohydrates in their diet, a proportion this high (over 50%) is excessive.
If you would like to learn more about canine nutrition, we highly recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide.
Purina Dog Chow Ingredients
High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients
- Chicken
- Beef
- Lamb
Purina Dog Chow makes use of a limited number of meat ingredients which are listed above.
These ingredients are high-quality sources of animal-based protein and fat and should be at the core of every dog’s diet.
Sadly, the portion size of these named meat ingredients is often small and only makes up a small proportion of the food.
Instead, unnamed meat ingredients are used as the primary animal-based content which we will discuss shortly.
However, select Purina Dog Chow recipes contain a small portion of Liver which is an organ meat ingredient.
Organ meat such as the liver can be a beneficial addition to dog food recipes as it can enhance flavor and provide high levels of beneficial vitamins and minerals that are less abundant in traditional meat cuts.
If you’d like to read more about organ meat ingredients, we’d recommend you read our article Organ Meat Ingredients In Pet Food.
Other Notable Ingredients
Purina Dog Chow makes extensive use of grain ingredients like Corn, Wheat, Soybean, and Rice.
Oftentimes, these ingredients are processed such as Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Rice, or Soybean Flour.
Grain ingredients are extremely controversial additions to pet food recipes with many pet owners refusing to feed grain-inclusive food.
However, there are also strong supporters of their use, especially among pet owners who feed Purina brands like Dog Chow or Purina Pro Plan.
These grain ingredients will act as dense sources of carbohydrates while providing lower levels of some other nutrition like plant-based protein, and select vitamins and minerals.
Unnamed meat ingredients such as Meat Meal, Meat By-Products, and Bone Meal feature regularly in Purina Dog Chow recipes.
While these ingredients are certain to provide some nutrition in the form of protein and fat, they are unaccountable and not transparent.
Purina could choose to change its source, such as changing from Chicken to Beef, without having to inform consumers.
For this reason, many believe that unnamed meat ingredients such as these are low-quality additions to pet food recipes.
If you’d like to learn more detailed information about the use of Bone Meal in dog food recipes, take a read of our dedicated article Bone Meal In Dog Food.
However, Purina Dog Chow also uses some semi-transparent ingredients such as Poultry By-Product Meal. In essence, this is almost always a mix between Chicken and Turkey By-Product Meal.
By-Product Meal such as this is usually made up of the less appealing cuts of meat from poultry birds and can include bone and other components.
Some of Purina Dog Chow’s wet/canned dog food recipes include small portions of Potatoes. Potatoes are a starch ingredient and dense source of carbohydrates.
For this reason, their portion size must be tightly controlled to ensure it is not excessive. However, the portion size of Potatoes present in Purina Dog Chow recipes is very small and not cause for concern.
Also, Purina Dog Chow Wet/Canned recipes can sometimes contain vegetable ingredients like Carrots and Green Beans.
These are less common additions to dog food but can provide a mix of carbohydrates, fiber, and beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Purina Dog Chow makes extensive use of Beef Fat in its recipes as a minor ingredient. Beef Fat is a popular source of animal-based fat and it is primarily used to enhance the flavor and palatability of dog food.
However, for many recipes, the presence of this additional Beef Fat can also help to boost the overall proportion in the recipe.
That being said, Chicken Fat is the most popular choice of animal fat in dog food recipes, so Purina Dog Chow’s use of Beef Fat in its place is notable.
Guar Gum can be found in many of Purina Dog Chow wet/canned dog food recipes and is present to act as a binding agent.
Binding agents help hold the food together and can give it a constant texture and appearance. Other popular binding agents include Xanthan Gum, Agar-Agar, and Carrageenan.
However, there are many dog owners who do not believe that all of these binding agents are beneficial additions to dog food recipes.
If you’d like to learn more about how Guar Gum is produced and the importance of binding agents, feel free to read our article Guar Gum In Pet Food.
Purina Dog Chow Animal Testing
While we don’t have specific information on the Dog Chow sub-brand, Purina performs a huge amount of testing for its products.
Feeding Trials are a critical component of Purina’s formulation process and they have completed countless studies.
Purina claims that their testing is not invasive or cruel but there are some in the industry who disagree with this.
We strongly believe that invasive or laboratory-style testing of animals in the pet food industry is a cruel and outdated practice and one which we hope will decline.
Purina Dog Chow Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), Purina Dog Chow has not undergone any recalls in its recent past, which makes it a recall-free dog food brand.
However, its parent company – Purina, has had made several major recalls over the past decade. This includes recalls for Salmonella Contamination, Low Thiamine Levels, and inadequate levels of Vitamins and Minerals.
We would recommend checking out some of our other Purina brand review pages for more detailed information on these recalls. You can find the links to these pages below.
Regardless of Purina Dog Chow’s spotless recall record, we always recommend that dog owners remain vigilant of any future recalls from Purina Dog Chow or any other dog food brand to ensure their dogs remain healthy and safe.
Best of Purina Dog Chow
High Protein With Real Lamb Review
Dog Chow’s High Protein recipe is almost certainly their best dry dog food recipe thanks to its superior nutritional profile. This correlates to a minimum of 27% protein and 12% fat by weight.
The recipe’s primary meat ingredient is Chicken By-Product Meal but there is also a portion of Meat and Bone Meal and Lamb.
Outside of this meat content, it includes a portion of Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, and Soybean Meal. These grain ingredients provide the recipe with a large proportion of carbohydrates and some fiber.
Puppy Chow Complete With Real Chicken & Rice
There are several Puppy Chow recipes available from Purina but the above Chicken and Rice recipe is our favorite.
The recipe has a minimum of 27.5% protein and 12% fat which is notable. It is critical to ensure that growing puppies get suitable nutrition to ensure they develop properly.
The source of some of this protein and fat content is derived from a portion of Chicken By-Product Meal. While it may not be visually appealing, By-Product Meal can provide valuable nutrition.
The bulk of the recipe is made up of grain ingredients like Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, and Barley. These grain ingredients provide carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.
High Protein With Real Chicken In Savory Gravy Review
Purina Dog Chow’s wet dog food recipes are some of the most cost-effective options on the market. The above High Protein recipe is one of the better recipes from the range.
The first listed ingredient outside of water is Chicken which is a positive sign. This Chicken acts as the primary source of nutrition and can provide a mix of animal-based protein and fat.
The contributes towards a minimum of 11% protein and 3% fat in the recipe.
Outside of this Chicken, the recipe includes some grain products like Wheat Gluten and Corn Starch. These provide some carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.
Lastly, there is a small portion of Liver present which enhances the flavor of the recipe and provides some beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Purina Dog Chow Featured Articles
The 11 Worst Dog Foods – Based on the information above, it will come as no surprise that Purina Dog Chow features in our article highlighting some of the worst dog food brands.
In this article, we discuss 11 brands including topics like ingredient quality, nutrition, and recall history.
Full Purina Dog Chow Product Range
Dry Dog Food
Complete Adult With Real Beef
Complete Adult With Real Chicken
High Protein With Real Lamb
Little Bites For Small Dogs
Natural Plus Vitamins & Minerals
Tender & Crunchy With Real Lamb
Puppy Chow Complete With Real Chicken & Rice
Puppy Chow Large Breed With Real Chicken
Puppy Chow Tender & Crunchy
Wet/Canned Dog Food
High Protein With Real Beef
High Protein With Real Chicken
High Protein Hearty Stews With Beef & Vegetables In Savory Gravy
High Protein Hearty Stews With Turkey & Vegetables In Savory Gravy
High Protein Hearty Stews With Chicken & Vegetables In Savory Gravy
High Protein With Real Beef In Savory Gravy
High Protein With Real Chicken In Savory Gravy
High Protein With Real Lamb In Savory Gravy
High Protein With Real turkey In Savory Gravy
Puppy Chow With Real Beef
Puppy Chow With Real Chicken
Puppy Chow With Real Lamb
I have tried just about every canned food and the only one my dog will eat is dog chow beef ground. Unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere. I’ve tried proplan, beyond, instinct, blue, pedigree, on and on yet she turns away and eats the cats food. I don’t know if they stopped production or what.