Saber had the chance try out Pro Plan Grain Free Medium Adult Turkey with Opti Digest. So what’d he think of it? read on to find out.
Manufacturers Description
A complete dry GRAIN FREE formula specially developed for Medium and Large breed Adult dogs with sensitive digestion. OPTIDIGEST® contains a specific blend of nutrients for digestive health benefits. These include easily digestible ingredients (such as egg) that ease the digestive process, and bentonite (a natural clay) that promotes good stool quality. It also contains prebiotics for a better gut microflora balance.
In our GRAIN FREE variant we’ve replaced grains by cassava and other key ingredients, to offer you more choice of products for sensitive digestion so you can select the option most suitable for your dog’s needs.
I tried this food for Saber as he gets very picky after being on the same food for a couple of bags or so. The Pro Plan Grain Free Medium Adult comes in 3Kg and 12Kg bags. The 12Kg bag costs between £35.00 and £55.99 (large variation I am sure you will agree) the price depends on where you buy it from. The 3 Kg bags are usually around the £16.00 mark.
Ingredients Of Pro Plan Grain Free Medium Adult With Sensitive Digestion Turkey
The ingredients list is
CompositionTurkey (16%), Dehydrated chicken protein, Pea starch, Cassava (12%), Dried pea, Animal fat, Soya meal, Pea protein, Dried beet pulp, Digest, Dried egg, Minerals, Fish oil.
| Key nutrient values* | Dry |
| Moisture | 8.0% |
| Protein | 28.0% |
| Fat | 16.0% |
| Crude Fibre | 3.0% |
| Crude ash | 8.0% |
| Iron | 93 mg/kg |
| Iodine | 2.4 mg/kg |
| Copper | 14 mg/kg |
| Magnesium | 44 mg/kg |
| Zinc | 140 mg/kg |
| Selenium | 0.13 mg/kg |
| Vitamin A | 30000 IU/kg |
| Vitamin C | 140 mg/kg |
| Vitamin D3 | 975 IU/kg |
| Vitmain E | 270 mg/kg |
| Vitamin A | 20 000 IU/kg |
| Vitamin E | 300 mg/kg |
| Vitamin C | 550 IU/kg |
| Metabolisable Energy* | 6000 mg/kg |
| – Riboflavin B2 | 12 mg/kg |
| – Niacin B3 | 129 mg/kg |
| Metabolisable energy (ME)1 |
Adult maintenance
| Body weight (kg) | g/day <1h activity | g/day 1-3h activity |
| 10 – 25 | 170 – 315 | 195 – 360 |
| 25 – 35 | 315 – 395 | 360 – 450 |
| 35 – 45 | 395 – 465 | 450 – 535 |
| 45 – 70 | 465 – 630 | 535 – 720 |
The all about dog food site rates this food as having 58% nutritional rating which seems low compared to other foods in this price range. Also it has this to say about the Soya content:
Soya beans (soya, soybean protein, soya meal) are high in protein and are often added to foods as a low-cost meat substitute. Unfortunately, the proteins in soya are much less bio-available to dogs than normal meat proteins meaning that far less can be digested and used. Soya has also been consistently linked by veterinarians to food intolerance and allergies and is therefore best avoided if your dog is very sensitive.
Seems to be a contradiction to the Opti Digest claim of the foods title. To me the thought of feeding a dog food only supplying 58% of a dogs needs means that it will need to be supplemented with something that will supply the other 42% of his nutritional needs, practically the other half of all Sabers daily food. Making this a very expensive way of feeding him.
The Purina brand of dog food is owned by Nestle.
Sabers Decision On Pro Plan Grain Free Medium Adult Dog Food
Well basically he wouldn’t eat it at all, after deciding to play with one of the biscuits he took out of his bowl (even though it was mixed with his usual food). I tried and tried to give him individual biscuits as treats both indoors and out while playing and training he staunchly refused to ingest this food.
I also tried to feed him the Pro Plan Grain free medium adult dog food with his favourite wet food mixed in, the trickery did not work and he still refused to eat it. I have tried this a few days in a row and he just is not at all interested. Of course your dog may well be different and enjoy this food eating it with gusto.
Saber is not usually extremely picky and can be coaxed to eat most things eventually, this was not one of those times.
So in short Saber would not endorse this food in any way shape or form.
Update
After persevering for a few days Saber has started eating the Pro Plan. Even more surprising after his constant refusal he seems to be enjoying it. It has not caused him any stomach upsets or runny poops. So it seems to agree with him.
Other dog food review is here
Does your dog eat Pro Plan? is he/she doing well on it? Let me know in the comments section below.
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