Food scores are based on ingredient quality and safety. For more information, view our evaluation criteria.
With a score of 5/10, Purina Pro Plan VD Essentialcare Canned is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 2 recipes that average 43% protein and 23% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. This line has the highest score of the Purina Veterinary Diets. Unfortunately, average carbohydrates of 23% is still high for a canned dog food.
Both of these recipes list water within the first 5 ingredients. Then there are starches like wheat gluten, soy flour, barley, corn starch and brown rice that result in a high carb content. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods. 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.
The website states vitamins and minerals have been added to meet nutrient requirements in these recipes. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. 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.
It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However, some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.
Liver and meat by-products are unnamed animal proteins, which are a sign of low quality and can be from any type of animal, fish or poultry. Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive, low quality ingredients that can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
On the ingredient safety side, these canned recipes are highly processed which costs a loss in points across the line. These foods are heated, which can cause a loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
These recipes also use ingredients known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues, like wheat, in the top 5 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 starch and soy flour are GMO foods used in these 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.
The use of rice in one recipe costs ingredient safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. This is a significant concern since rice naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
The following concerns don’t cost points but are worth noting.
These recipes don’t specify whether fish products are from farmed or wild caught fish. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.
Lastly, Purina doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.
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