Purina Puppy Chow Review
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Purina Puppy Chow dog food is made by Nestle Purina PetCare, a subsidiary of Nestle. Countless numbers of puppies have been raised on Purina Puppy Chow since it was introduced by Purina in 1963. Puppy Chow is a bestselling food for Purina and it’s widely trusted by dog and puppy lovers. Is Purina Puppy Chow dog food the right food for your growing puppy? We’ll check it out in our unbiased review.
Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food: Top 5 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Protein | kcal/tray |
| Puppy Chow Large Breed Chicken Flavor Formula | Dry | 27.5% | 406 kcal/cup |
| Puppy Chow Complete With Chicken & Rice | Dry | 27.5% | 407 kcal/cup |
| Puppy Chow Tender & Crunchy | Dry | 27.5% | 387 kcal/tray |
| Puppy Chow Natural with Real Chicken & Beef | Dry | 27.5% | 405 kcal/cup |
| Puppy Chow Classic Ground Chicken Pate | Wet | 11% | 184 kcal/can |
Brand Score
[ultra_elite_rating id=10965]Our reviews are based on extensive research and years of professional knowledge of dog food brands. In order to remain objective, we do not accept gifts of free products or write sponsored posts on this site.
We’ve examined Purina Puppy Chow dog foods closely and graded the brand according to the PupJunkies.com standard. Our criteria include ingredients, quality, customer experience, recall history, working with veterinary nutritionists to formulate the food, nutritional standards, research, and price.
About Purina Puppy Chow
Purina introduced Dog Chow in 1957. Within two years, the food had become the leading brand sold in the United States. Purina Puppy Chow, a dry dog food, was introduced in 1963. A food formulated for the nutritional needs of puppies was a relatively new idea at the time.
Over the years, the recipe for Purina Puppy Chow has been updated. The brand has also added different formulas. Purina Puppy Chow is available today as a dry, wet, or canned food for large breed puppies, and made with different kinds of meat protein. There is also a formula with “tender and crunchy” kibble pieces; and a natural formula that doesn’t contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
Purina Dog Chow and Purina Puppy Chow were top sellers for Purina for years. Today Purina ONE and Purina Pro Plan are more popular with customers but sales for Dog Chow and Puppy Chow remain strong.
Sourcing And Manufacturing
Nestle Purina manufactures Puppy Chow at its 21 US plants, selling it worldwide. The majority of ingredients used in Purina brand products are sourced from the US, with a limited amount from China. Purina PetCare is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and primarily uses essential nutrients like taurine and B vitamins.
The company does not provide detailed information about ingredient sources.
Recall History
We didn’t find any recalls affecting Purina Puppy Chow. Most online sources only keep records back to around 2007, when melamine contamination led to many pet food recalls. It’s possible that Puppy Chow might have had some kind of recall in earlier decades but we didn’t see any evidence for it.
Purina has had occasional recalls for some of its dog foods but considering the amount of dog food made and sold by the company ( it is the largest pet food company in the U.S. and the second largest in the world), it has had very few problems over the years. Purina has a good safety record and runs countless checks and tests on the pet food it produces before it is shipped out.
What Kinds Of Dog Food Does Purina Puppy Chow Offer?
Purina Puppy Chow dog food has expanded from its early days when there was only dry kibble. Today Puppy Chow includes canned/wet food (beef, chicken, and lamb); chicken and rice dry dog food; a large breed puppy formula; a natural formula with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives; tender and crunchy morsels dry dog food; and training treats for puppies.
Purina Puppy Chow: Top Five Recipes Reviewed
We’re taking a look at five of the top-selling Purina Puppy Chow dog foods as found on Chewy.com so you can get a good idea of what some of these different formulas are like.
Puppy Chow Large Breed Chicken Flavor Formula Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 27.5% Min
- Fat: 10% Min
- Fiber: 5% Max
- Moisture: 12% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Brewers Rice, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Barley, Animal Digest, Soybean Hulls, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Yellow 6, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Yellow 5, Dl-Methionine, Red 40, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Blue 2, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Garlic Oil, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin, Sodium Selenite. U-4035.
The first ingredient in this food is whole grain corn. Most of the recipes for Purina Puppy Chow have corn as the first and/or second ingredient. Corn is a perfectly healthy ingredient to include in dog and puppy foods as long as it isn’t used just because it is less expensive than animal protein.
Other ingredients in this food and other Puppy Chow formulas that would raise questions from some consumers include soybean meal, animal fat, animal digest, and soybean hulls. Soy products can be problematic for some dogs. Ingredients such as animal fat and animal digest do not specify their animal source. Soybean hulls are probably used here because large breed puppies need to feel full but they don’t need as many calories as smaller puppies. Large breed puppies should be kept slim, without unnecessary weight.
According to the dry matter basis (DMB), this food has 31.25 percent protein, 11.4 percent fat, and 5.7 percent fiber. This formula has an estimated 43.75 percent carbohydrates. It has 406 kcal/cup.
Our rating for this food is 3.5.
Puppy Chow Complete With Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 27.5% Min
- Fat: 12% Min
- Fiber: 5% Max
- Moisture: 12% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Meal, Barley, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Ground Rice, Chicken, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Poultry And Pork Digest, Fish Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, vitamins and minerals… , Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Dl-Methionine, Red 40, Blue 2, Garlic Oil.
This recipe contains several colors/dyes which would be objectionable to some dog lovers.
This food has 31.25 percent protein and 13.6 percent fat, according to the dry matter basis (DMB). It has 5.7 percent fiber. Our estimate of the carbohydrates in the food came out to 41.5 percent, DMB. It contains 407 kcal per cup.
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Puppy Chow Tender & Crunchy with Real Beef Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 27.5% Min
- Fat: 12% Min
- Fiber: 4% Max
- Moisture: 14% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Meal, Ground Rice, Meat And Bone Meal, Beef, Glycerin, Egg And Chicken Flavor, Poultry And Pork Digest, Fish Oil, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, vitamins and minerals … , Red 40, Yellow 5, Dl-Methionine, Blue 2, Garlic Oil.
Soybean ingredients are an issue for many dog lovers. This food contains several colors/dyes. It also has meat and bone meal which is very high in protein. Meat and bone meal was once a popular ingredient in many pet foods but it has fallen out of favor with some consumers.
According to the dry matter analysis for this food, it has 32 percent protein, 14 percent fat, 4.7 percent fiber, 41.3 percent carbohydrates, and 387 kcal per cup.
Our rating for this food is 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Puppy Chow Natural with Real Chicken & Beef Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 27.5% Min
- Fat: 12% Min
- Fiber: 4.5% Max
- Moisture: 12% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Meal, Beef, Chicken, Rice, Barley, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Natural Liver Flavor, Fish Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Dl-Methionine. C400018.
This formula still uses corn as the first/second ingredient and it has soybean meal. However, it is a more “natural” version of Puppy Chow, without dyes and some of the other ingredients that might not appeal to owners.
According to the dry matter analysis for this food, it has 31.25 percent protein, 13.6 percent fat, 5.1 percent fiber, 42 percent carbohydrates, and 405 kcal/cup.
Our rating for this food is 4 out of 5 stars.
Puppy Chow Classic Ground Chicken Pate Wet Puppy Food
Product Info
- Protein: 11% Min
- Fat: 5% Min
- Fiber: 1.5% Max
- Moisture: 78% Max
Here are the ingredients in this formula:
Chicken, Meat By-Products, Water Sufficient For Processing, Liver, Soy Flour, Salmon, Guar Gum, Minerals[Potassium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite], Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Carrageenan, Calcium Carbonate, Added Color, Vitamin [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7)], Choline Chloride, Red 3, Calcium Chloride. A399819
This recipe does include added color and dye. Carrageenan is frequently used in foods for both humans and animals though some groups have questioned its safety. However, it can be difficult to find canned/wet dog foods that don’t use carrageenan.
According to the dry matter analysis for this food, it has 50 percent protein, 22.7 percent fat, 6.8 percent fiber, 6.8 percent carbohydrates, and 184 kcal per 5.5-ounce can.
Our rating for this food is 3.5 out of 5 stars.
How Much Does Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food Cost?
Purina Puppy Chow is very moderately priced. It costs less than premium dog foods, though it is slightly more expensive than some other supermarket brands.
What Do Customers Think of Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food?
Customers give Purina Puppy Chow high marks and recommend the food to others, according to reviews on Chewy.com.
Overall, is Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food a Good Choice?
Purina Puppy Chow dog food is backed by good nutritional research. This brand has been used to feed countless puppies for more than 50 years. Bloggers and some owners may not like some of the ingredients used in Purina Puppy Chow, such as corn as the first ingredient. However, Purina Puppy Chow is a good food for most puppies.
Where is Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food Sold?
You can buy Purina Puppy Chow dog food from Chewy.com and other online retailers. Purina Puppy Chow dog food is also sold in grocery stores.
