Stop me if this sounds familiar. You go to the vet and drop a lot of money on a bag of food for your dog. Your dog turns his nose up at the food. You figure you’ll wait them out. By lunchtime on the second day, they still won’t eat, so you cave.
You go and buy him his favorite food and donate the other bag to a local shelter. You’re still worried about the nutritional content of his food. At the same time, you don’t have the money to waste on experimenting with food he might not eat.
I have three schnauzers – Pickle, Peanut, and Archie, and, yes, the situation I recounted above happened in our home. It’s one of the reasons that I started to get really interested in what went into pet food in the first place.
I found a lot of reviews of foods but were nothing more than a rehash of the primary ingredients. I didn’t find that exceptionally helpful, so I decided to create my own reviews. I talked it over with my pooches, and they reluctantly agreed to be taste testers.
Quick Take
I'll start my series with Purina One dog food reviews. If you’re one for spoilers, my dogs picked Purina ONE SmartBlend True Instinct as the best option from this list, and I can live with that choice.
True Instinct is a grain-free, high-protein option. It’s great for very active dogs.
Of all the products reviewed, this one comes out on top. There are no artificial flavorings or preservatives. I’m all for feeding our dogs fewer chemicals.
I also like that there is no grain in this product. I haven’t said much about the grain in the other formulations here. Personally, I’m on the fence with this one. Growing up, the dog food we bought all had grain in it. It didn’t seem to harm our dogs.
That said, I did notice with this food that Pickle didn’t bloat as much. I’m not sure if that’s as a result of the easy to digest formula or being grain-free. My gut feeling, though, is that it is the latter.
The fat content is higher than normal. It’s not a huge difference, granted, but it’s enough. This might not be the best idea for a doggie with a weight problem.
Overall, this is a great natural product in the Purina line.
4 ½ out of 5 Show your doggie how much you care.
First up in our Purina One dog food reviews is their chicken-flavored kibble. This range is part of the company’s natural food brand.
It is rich in protein and will give your pup plenty of energy. If you have an older dog, the glucosamine in this food will help keep their joints healthy.
My three musketeers are not picky eaters by a long shot. That said, if they don’t like a food, they just won’t eat it. This has made me hesitant to try new foods in the past.
For these reviews, though, I wanted an expert opinion. From a taste perspective, this food went down very well from what I saw.
I also like that the main ingredient is chicken. The glucosamine in the product is provided by the chicken meal that’s included. I also like that the food is vitamin-enriched.
It’s going to work well for dogs with sensitive tummies thanks to the rice content, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s so affordable.
I would have preferred if there were fewer additives and preservatives. There is also an artificial flavoring used here. That said, the list of ingredients is a lot shorter than what you find with a lot of other brands.
Overall, if you’re working on a tighter budget, this food could fit the bill.
4 out of 5 Make your dog jump for joy
When your new little furball comes home, you want to do everything for him. You want him to have the best of everything. Nutrition is critical to ensure that your pup grows nice and strong.
I only got a small bag of this. My dogs are all adults, so it was more of a taste test than anything else. They scoffed it up. I did watch them throughout the day, and they didn’t get hungry.
Peanut also seemed to have plenty of energy to go chasing the mailman. I do like that this food has plenty of protein and a higher proportion of fat. Your pup needs all the extra energy he can get.
I understand why the company adds flavorings. What I don’t understand is why they feel the need to color the food as well. We could do with fewer additives in the product. That said, it doesn’t have as many as some of the other brands I’ve reviewed.
Artificial colorants added
This puppy food will provide your baby with plenty of energy. Lock away your shoes, toilet paper, and so on.
4 out of 5 Because your puppy deserves the best
The bigger the breed of puppy, the more nutrient-dense his food needs to be. There’s only so much that your little pooch can eat at a time. Purina’s large breed puppy formula is designed to give him all the nutrient he needs. This is a good choice if you own a Great Pyrenees.
Again, my little pooches couldn’t switch to this full-time, so we only got a little bag. Again, the dogs enjoyed their food.
The high protein content here is a plus. I also like the idea that the food has natural glucosamine in it. This helps to maintain the cartilage in the body.
At this point, I could see that my taste testers were getting a bit more blasé about the process. Archie snuffled out the tender bits and only ate some of the kibble bits.
If you have a large puppy that needs lots of energy, this should work well for you.
4 out of 5 Keep your cutie pie healthy and happy
If you need to give your senior dog a little more TLC, this is an excellent place to start. The food incorporates several botanical oils to counter cognitive decline.
Technically, only Archie classifies as a senior. He’s a rescue, so we don’t know his exact age. He enjoyed this food too. The kibble is in slightly smaller pieces, so it was easier for him to chew.
I like that the fat content here is reduced. I also appreciate the glucosamine content of the kibble.
Like with the puppy food, I think there’s a chance that a fussy dog could skip the kibble. It’s quite easy to separate out the tender chunks.
If your pooch is still young at heart, he’s going to love this food.
4 out of 5 For the pooch who’s still young at heart, if not in years.
Maintaining a healthy weight means that your pooch is healthier. Getting them to cut back on “nice” food is difficult. This natural healthy weight formula provides all the nutrients your dog needs. They’re not even going to realize they’re on a diet.
It’s fully balanced. If you prefer to, you can feed this to your dogs by itself. With my dogs, I mixed it in with their kibble. The gravy is rich, and there are plenty of meaty bits. It’s also a great option for dogs who can’t chew as well as they used to.
There’s no way to stop your dog wolfing it down. Looking at Pickle, you’d swear she hadn’t eaten in months. She planned to finish hers, and then go and steal her brother’s food. I nixed that idea by locking them in separate rooms and serving smaller portions.
This is a good bet for tantalizing those with poor appetites.
4 ½ out of 5 Get their tails wagging non-stop
If you’re adamant about feeding your dogs a grain-free formulation, True Instinct is ideal. Here we’re looking at the gravy-coated wet version.
Again, this food contains fewer chemicals. It doesn’t need flavorings if my test panel is anything to go by. My three schnauzers loved it.
Also, if you’re looking for a simple solution for a fussy dog, it works well. It’ll also be good for older dogs who can’t crunch on kibble anymore.
It can work out pricey for a bigger dog. For a dog of 100 pounds, Purina recommends feeding him 3 and 3¼ cans a day. To reduce costs, you can drop this to 1¼ and add in dry food to make up the difference.
This is a tasty supplement to your dog’s normal kibble.
4 ½ out of 5 Get a “Good boy/ girl” from your dog every time.
What would any Purina One Dog Food reviews be worth without some info on the company?
It wasn’t long before the company noticed the gap in the pet food market. Since then, they’ve grown from strength to strength. They produce several different product lines. You might be familiar with the brands Dentalife and Alpo as well.
The company has made a name for itself in the industry. One of the reasons that it has grown so big is that it's at the forefront of innovation. The company is continually looking for ways to improve its formulations.
It was one of the first brands to release a natural range of pet food. It’s also come up with an exclusive customizable product. The company seems to have a range suited to every dog or cat.
Overall, the company has demonstrated that it is concerned with animal well-being. The last product recall was in 2016. This was a voluntary recall instigated by the company. It was due to the nutritional value of one of the ranges being lower than required.
In the end, all of the products reviewed above did well with the panel. Two products, however, stood out for me in particular. These would be the True Instinct wet and dry food products which include our favorite recipes from this review, the Purina ONE SmartBlend True Instinct and Purina ONE SmartBlend True Instinct Wet.
These two products don’t have corn or artificial preservatives and flavorings. I prefer to feed my dog food, which is as natural as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to prepare their food for them.
I’ve toyed with the idea of going raw, but I don’t know how realistic that option is. I can’t help wondering whether or not they’d get all the nutrients that they need.
Purina takes that concern off the table. The Purina One range offers balanced food at affordable prices. I’m glad that there are viable commercial options. Do check out their other lines Purina Beyond and Bella.
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