Purina Van food for dogs

About the manufacturer

The first mention of Purina dates back to 1902. Since 1922, industrial production of pet food began. Since 1985, Purina has been under the leadership of Nestlé. The dry food factory itself is based in Italy.

Interesting fact: despite the fact that the company has been distributing products in Russia since 2014, Purina’s sales volume accounts for 18% of the national feed market.

Today the brand produces food for dogs and cats of varying quality. These include: Purina ProPlan, Dog Chow, Purina One. In the article we will look at the latest line of diets.

Feed composition

For analysis, let’s take the food “Purina One Mini Adult with beef and rice.” This diet is designed for adult dogs of small breeds (up to 10 kg). In first place in the composition is “dry poultry protein of domestic origin,” followed by wheat and corn, only then beef (14%). Rice (4%) is in 6th place. Among other things, the composition includes monosodium glutamate, propylene glycol and soy flour.

It would be more honest to indicate that the food contains poultry and corn. Beef and rice are included in the composition in negligible quantities. Instead, the formula is full of wheat and corn that are not very healthy for dogs, and undesirable food additives. Among the positive aspects, one can note the presence of fortified supplements (E, D3, C, iron, iodine, etc.). But vitamins must be present in complete dog food, so this is not a special achievement.

For puppies

You need to choose food for puppies very carefully. The future development of the baby depends on this. Purina One for Dogs produces 2 types of products for puppies:

for small breeds with a high content of chicken and rice;
for medium breeds with a high content of chicken and rice.

Ava: food for small breed dogs, holistic, premium

The composition of these products is similar to that produced for adult animals. The positive aspects include the absence of propylene glycol and glycerin, however, dangerous carbohydrates are also present in increased quantities.

Important! Veterinarians do not recommend choosing this type of food for small puppies.

Why is this food better than others?

For maximum objectivity, let’s compare another diet from the same manufacturer and economy class food from a completely different company.

Dog Chow from Purina (economy class). In the Purina Van diet, meat comes first, followed by grains. With Dog Chow the situation is the opposite. In general, the composition is clearer, and the quality is also slightly better.

Chappi from Mars Corporation (economy class). The Purina Van diet contains noticeably more protein and a much larger amount of vitamins.

It is worth noting that the dry food in the package is presented in both granules and soft pieces (which harden over time). Such an interesting feature is rare.

Results: pros and cons of food

We analyzed the composition of the food and its features. Now we can summarize. The advantages of Purina One include:

protein content;
presence of vitamins and minerals;
no dyes;
low price;
prevalence;
line of flavors.

The disadvantages of food are typical for any economy or premium class option. Namely:

use of offal and meat waste;
adding flavorings;
a large percentage of plant proteins;
adding corn and wheat;
it is not specified what antioxidants were used;
relatively small amount of vitamins.

Based on the pros and cons of the food, it becomes clear that Purina is suitable for many cat owners. It is cheap, satisfies basic needs and can even be prescribed by a veterinarian as a remedy. This is a good food, the best among economy class options. It is definitely better than Purina Friskies, which is produced by the same company.

Purina Van food line

In general, the line of food is distinguished by a sufficient variety of items. We have food for puppies and adult dogs of different sizes, taking into account the activity of the animal. Looking ahead, it cannot be said that different foods have any significant differences. The protein source in the vast majority of cases is poultry. Beef or fish indicated on the packaging are present in the food in small quantities.

Before choosing any dog food, we strongly recommend that you first read the ingredients.

For puppies

The selection of food for puppies must be taken extremely seriously. A puppy is like a small child: its development and growth depend on its nutrition.

There are 2 types of food for puppies: for large (medium) and small breeds. "Purina Van for small breed puppies with a high content of chicken and rice" and for medium breed puppies with the same name. The composition of both feeds is +/- similar to the diet discussed above. The same high content of harmful carbohydrates. One of the advantages is the absence of propylene glycol and glycerin.

For adults and seniors

Note that Purina Van specializes more in food for small dogs. The MINI line consists of 4 types of food (not including puppy food) + a fairly extensive range of wet food. Purina Van offers the following options: for active, sensitive dogs, healthy weight and standard diet. Since there is no Purina Van food for older dogs yet, we assume that regular food is quite suitable for pets 8+.

Consider dry food for dogs of large and medium breeds. “Beef” is in 1st place. It would seem that everything is wonderful.

Only a small star on top of the ingredient and an illegible font on the bottom of the package will not let you deceive: instead of meat - beef offal.

Cheap marketing ploy. The contents of the granules also include wheat flour and wheat, corn, and dried poultry protein of domestic origin. The source of fats is animal and fish oil. Plus, there are chemical additives (propylene glycol and monosodium glutamate).

Know that the by-products in cheap dog food are not your typical hearts or livers. If there were really organs there (lungs, stomachs, hearts), the manufacturer would hardly be able to hide it. Under the vague concepts are hidden horns, bones, hooves, blood, perhaps even the organs of sick animals. In the case of fishmeal, these are heads, ridges with the remains of meat.

The food “Purina Van Mini, sensitive with salmon and rice” has an interesting combination of ingredients.

There would be no questions if the food contained fish or meat separately. The composition states the presence of “poultry protein powder” and salmon.

Wet

Wet food is much better than dry food. Both in content and in consumer reviews.

Regarding the composition, the main difference from dry food is the presence of a certain amount of vegetables (potatoes, peas (including dry ones)). The composition also remains vague. For example, instead of pure meat we see “meat and processed products”, “processed vegetable products”. Dyes are present in small quantities.

Pros:

very cheap (about 35 rubles per 100 grams);
sold in the nearest supermarket.

Minuses:

blurred composition;
low amount of protein (11.6%);
lots of gravy;
presence of dyes.

Purina One Cat Food Review

Dry cat food Purina One (“Purina Van”) is produced by the American company Nestle Purina PetCare Company (USA) at factories in France, Italy and Russia.
The official website is , it contains information about the entire line of food (compositions, feeding recommendations, etc.). “Purina Van” belongs to the economy class, although in composition it is somewhere in the middle between economy and premium class. In addition to this food, Purina also produces other food for pets, namely Darling, ProPlan (premium class), Dog Cow, Cat Chow, Gourmet, Friskies, Felix.

Composition of Purina One food

Let's study the composition of Purina One food using the example of the option “for sterilized cats, with salmon and wheat.” To do this, look at the image below (you need to click on it to enlarge).

Above is a photo of the composition from the food packaging, below is a screenshot from the official website. It should be noted that there are differences in the composition of the indicated packaging compared to what is indicated on the official website. Since the photo is from 2017, the formula may have changed, and the data on the site did not have time or forgot to update.

The first component is salmon 15%. Although it is not known how much fish meat and by-products there are, the meat ingredient still comes first - a rarity for economy-class food. Other sources of animal protein include “dry poultry protein” and “dry fish protein”.

In second place is wheat 15%, which is a source of carbohydrates, like corn. Soy flour, wheat gluten, and corn gluten are rich sources of plant proteins. Animal fat is a source of fatty acids. Dried beet pulp is a source of fiber.

Minerals and vitamins are useful supplements. Flavoring feed additive - it is impossible to say for sure whether it is harmful or harmless, since it is not specified exactly what kind of additive it is. Yeast - in theory, has a positive effect on the skin and coat. Antioxidants - which ones are not specified.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of this food:

widespread, available in many supermarkets;
relatively low price;
The basis of the composition is not just by-products, as in many economy feeds.

Among the disadvantages of Purina Van food:

Quite a high content of vegetable protein;
low quality of raw materials (“dry protein”, “salmon” - such general formulations usually conceal processed products, “waste” from the food industry).
relatively few vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances.
The antioxidants and flavoring additives used are not indicated.

Reviews from veterinarians

Sinelnikov Nikolay “If veterinary pharmacies offer Purina products, they are of the highest quality. Despite the active advertising of the brand, I cannot recommend it. The first reason is the low animal protein content (<20%). The second is the increased content of grains and undesirable components. For example, gluten can cause allergies in your dog. What can we say about preservatives and antioxidants, which are present in almost all foods. Purina One cannot be called complete food.”

Owner reviews

Lydia “The dog refused to eat pellets, but she eats wet food with pleasure. Unlike dry, it contains natural meat or salmon. The vegetables are cut finely, even a dwarf dog has time to eat everything. The only negative is that there is quite a lot of starch in the gravy. But so far there have been no problems with digestion. For a toy terrier (1.5 kg), 1 bag of wet food is enough for 2-3 times.”

Ekaterina “I often see Purina Van food on supermarket shelves. I don't like that manufacturers try to position their products as "premium". The composition is clearly poor. Not suitable for complete nutrition."

Christina “I try to feed my dog natural products, but sometimes I just don’t have enough time and energy. Dry food comes to the rescue - quickly, inexpensively, conveniently. The choice fell on Purina One Mini with beef and rice. The packaging is used quite economically. Despite the small percentage of meat in the composition, the dog eats with pleasure (and it is difficult to please her). It can’t be compared to natural food, but sometimes you can give it.”

Price

Prices are taken from the manufacturer's official store. In large supermarkets the prices will be approximately the same:

Dry food Purina Vane MINI Sensitive for small breed dogs, salmon with rice, package, 600 g – 230 RUR;
Dry food Purina Van for puppies of medium and large breeds with chicken 700 g – 299 RUR;
Wet food (Pauchi) for small breed dogs Purina Van MINI Adult – 35 rub. for 100 g.

We conclude that the low price in this case corresponds to the quality.

Despite its wide popularity, we do not recommend Purina Van food for long-term use.

For adults and seniors

The manufacturer produces several lines of dog food. Products are divided depending on the size, age of the dog, its activity and other characteristics.

Farmina: food for dogs of small and large breeds

Purina One dog food is mostly designed for small breeds, but you can find products for medium and large breeds. Both dry and wet versions are available.

The Purina Van line of mini food for small breed dogs includes 4 types of food:

adult. These feeds are suitable for feeding animals from 1 to 6 years old, which lead a fairly quiet lifestyle. Ingredients include beef and rice;
active. This diet is recommended for dogs with increased physical activity and an active lifestyle. Contains chicken and rice;
"Healthy weight." The food is designed specifically for pets prone to weight gain. The main ingredients are rice and turkey;
sensitive. This diet is designed specifically for animals with problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The basis of the diet is rice and salmon.

The same lines are produced in the form of wet food.

Note! It is recommended to soak dry food in water or kefir before giving it to your pet.

They do not produce a separate line of food for older dogs, so it is believed that in this case products for adult dogs can be used.

Many owners note that the wet variety is better than the dry variety, if only because it contains more vegetables. Available in sachets of 100 g.

Dry dog food is packaged in bags of 600 g and 1.5 kg. For medium and large breeds you can purchase 3.8 kg packs.

The range includes food for dogs with increased physical activity

Briefly about the main thing

To sum it up, Purina One falls short of being premium. It's not about the price, but about the cheapness of the composition.
The basis of the diet is carbohydrates and low-quality proteins.
For puppies, the composition is far from complete.
Presence of common allergens and unwanted additives.

Choose Purina Van at your discretion. Perhaps this food is really good in its price category: this is confirmed by customer reviews. If possible, take a better analogue.