Pro Plan Essentials Canned Dog FOOD Review

With a score of 5.8/10, Purina Pro Plan Essentials wet dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food based on our criteria. There are 6 recipes with 45% protein and 19% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. 

It’s good to see this level of protein, however the carbohydrates are higher than we expect to see in a wet dog food. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of lower food quality as it can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Foods that are high in carbohydrates can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome. 

There are added vitamins and minerals to meet nutrient requirements in these recipes. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. They are listed as undefined which is concerning because it’s assumed they are a standard premix, and it’s difficult to know the sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from added vitamin premixes, so it’s preferable that most or all vitamins and minerals come from real foods. 

This recipe contains meat by-products and fish which are unnamed animal proteins. Unnamed animal proteins are a sign of low quality and can be made from any type of meat. They are often a less expensive, low quality ingredient that can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.

On the ingredient safety side, these foods are highly processed, using heat that destroys nutrients. Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

These recipes also have high pesticide ingredients. Crops that are spray-dried with Roundup contain more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.  

Corn and potatoes are GMO crops used in several recipes. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops, although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off. 

Carrageenan is used which is a highly processed derivative of seaweed. It’s used as a thickener or texturizer and may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.  

Finally, rice can contain arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.  

Purina doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.