Purina One Dog Food Review 2024

Purina is an American company that makes dog food developed by experts in the field. The multi-billion-dollar company, owned by Nestlé, is the second largest pet food manufacturer in the world, and the largest in the US.  

As you’ll see from its website, Purina uses a wide range of natural ingredients in its food: the products are full of minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, protein-rich meats, and amino acids. Consult the Purina website to see exactly where in the world the various ingredients come from: its beef comes from New York, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas, for example. 

Recognizing the need to operate sustainably, Purina has public assurances about its attempts to minimize its environmental impact, and makes specific pledges about how it will improve in the coming years. 

In our Purina One dog food review guide we’ll take you through the full range so that you’re better able to tell whether this is the right brand for you and your furry friend.

Although our focus here is only one Purina One dog food — just one among a wide range of Purina product lines — there are numerous different varieties within this premium range. We’ll start with Purina One dry dog food, then review the brand’s wet dog food.

Purina One dry dog food

There’s a wide range of options within Purina One’s dry range, with a few different product lines covering classic recipes to those specially formulated for breed health and breed types.

Purina One True Instinct

True Instinct recipes are formulated to be as close as possible to the kind of diet dogs would have been raised on traditionally, with all-natural ingredients. The True Instinct range of Purina One dog food includes recipes labeled as High Protein, though it’s worth noting that the protein percentage in these is only 2% higher than the standard True Instinct meals.

Flavors include:

• True Instinct Real Turkey and Venison
• True Instinct Real Beef and Bison
• True Instinct Real Tuna and Salmon
• True Instinct High Protein Real Chicken and Duck
• True Instinct High Protein Real Beef and Salmon
• True Instinct Grain-Free Real Beef Shredded Blend

Purina One +Plus

The Purina One +Plus dry food range gives pup parents the chance to target specific problems and needs their dog might have. These are recipes formulated to provide the right kind of nutrition and supplements dogs who live with joint issues may benefit from, for example. Purina One +Plus Joint Health Formula has a higher percentage of glucosamine, to help with stiff joints.

There are also recipes for large and small breeds, including large breed puppies. You can read more recommendations for best dog food for large dogs here and for small dogs here.

Flavors include:

• Purina One +Plus Joint Health Formula
• Purina One +Plus Skin and Coat Formula
• Purina One +Plus Digestive Health Formula
• Purina One +Plus Healthy Weight High-Protein Formula
• Purina One +Plus Small Breed Adult Formula
• Purina One +Plus Large Breed Adult Formula
• Purina One +Plus Large Breed Puppy
• Purina One +Plus Healthy Breed Puppy
• Purina One +Plus Vibrant Maturity Adult 7+

Other dry Purina One dog food recipes

There are three standard dry dog food recipes, for those pups who don’t need food formulated to any particular requirements or prefer something outside the True Instinct range. The small bites recipe has, of course, smaller sized kibble for dogs who may find larger pieces difficult to eat and digest.

Flavors include:

• Purina One Chicken and Rice
• Purina One Lamb and Rice
• Purina One Small Bites Beef and Rice

Purina One wet dog food

Mirroring the dry range of Purina One dog food, the wet food available also covers three main product categories — True Instinct, +Plus and the standard recipes. Should you choose wet dog food or dry dog food? It can be difficult to know what’s best — our guide, which you can read here, can help you make a decision.

Purina One True Instinct

As with the dry dog food, True Instinct is the product Purina claims is the closest to nature. The True Instinct range actually incorporates two distinct product lines; there’s a Classic Ground Grain-Free Formula and Tender Cuts in Gravy Dog Food Formula.

The first formula is grain-free for any dogs that might have allergies or sensitivities. Packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and, crucially, real meat, it’s popular with pet parents. (It’s worth noting, however, that grain-free food tends to be more expensive.) The tender cuts recipes do contain grains, and you’ll find soy flour and wheat gluten, both of which are absent from the grain-free range.

True Instinct flavors include:

• Classic Ground Grain-Free Real Turkey and Venison
• Classic Ground Grain-Free Real Chicken and Duck
• Classic Ground Grain-Free Real Beef and Wild-Caught Salmon
  
• Classic Ground Grain-Free Real Beef and Bison
• Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Turkey and Venison
• Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Beef and Bison
• Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Beef and Wild-Caught Salmon
• Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Chicken and Duck

Purina One +Plus

There are three +Plus options within the wet food range from Purina One dog food — so noticeably fewer than the dry food offering. If your dog prefers wet food but needs a diet formulated for joint management, say, you might be disappointed.

What is available is a recipe formulated for puppies, and another for senior adults aged seven years and older. There’s also a healthy weight recipe, which carries half the fat of other options.

Flavors include:

• Purina One +Plus Healthy Puppy Classic Ground Lamb and Long-Grain Rice Entrée
• Purina One +Plus Vibrant Maturity Adult 7+ Classic Ground Turkey and Barley Entrée
• Purina One +Plus Healthy Weight Tender Cuts in Gravy Lamb and Brown Rice Entrée

Other wet Purina One dog food recipes

In addition to the True Instinct and +Plus, there are three standard recipes:

• Classic Ground Chicken and Brown Rice
• Classic Ground Beef and Brown Rice
• Tender Cuts in Gravy Beef and Barley
• Tender Cuts in Gravy Chicken & Brown Rice

Is Purina One good for dogs? We absolutely think so. Reviews of Purina One dog food regularly praise the range and report that their dog is extremely happy with it. In fact, there are a host of reasons to be impressed with Purina One. Here are three of them.

Huge amount of choice

Because Purina is such a huge company, they are able to invest in specific varieties of their dog food to cater to dogs with a wide range of characteristics. You can, for example, buy Purina One that helps dogs with joint problems; that helps improve the digestive system; and that strengthens the skin and coat. 

In addition to these physical considerations, there are the dog foods that are specifically aimed at small breeds, puppies, and older dogs. There’s a great deal to choose from.

Transparency

We are impressed with the lengths to which Purina has gone to communicate exactly where its ingredients are from, with an interactive map on the company’s website showing you, for example, which states provide the cows from which their beef is made. 

As well as this, Purina educates its readers on myths about the nutrition of dog food, pointing out, for example, that grains can be part of a healthy dog’s diet rather than being the nutritional villains they are sometimes painted as.

Focus on quality and sustainability

Knowing where its ingredients are from is one of the various ways Purina is able to ensure the quality of its produce. The company claims that 99% of its products are made in the US. As well as this, there are quality checks every step of the way.

But it’s not just a commitment to quality that makes Purina successful; the company is also keen to minimize the negative effect its practices have on the environment. By 2030 it aspires to achieve 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and get to zero by 2050; and by 2025 it pledges to increase the percentage of its recyclable plastic packaging from almost 90% to 95%. It’s a good way of holding itself to account.

Here are a few potential drawbacks with Purina One dog food which you should be aware of if you are considering purchasing it.

Recalls

As you’ll see below, Purina products have been subject to a number of recalls in recent history. This can make customers nervous about the standards used to manufacture the dog food. And, while some recalls are standard for any brand, some people may look at Purina’s list and consider it a little extensive. 

Negative reviews

While there are of course hundreds of fantastic Purina dog food reviews, there is no escaping that there are customers out there — quite a number of them — who have gone out of their way to criticize Purina One for various reasons. Though every comment should be taken with a pinch of salt, pet parents certainly have strong feelings about the range - something that you ought be aware of. In many Purina One dog food reviews, people have simply said that their dog refuses to eat Purina, even if there is no obvious reason.

Cost

Purina One is a ‘premium’ product that costs more than Purina’s regular range. Whether it is worth the extra money is debatable, but it may feel unaffordable - or bad value - for some customers. 

Lack of clarity over food varieties

Looking at the differences between Purina One’s offerings, it is not at all easy to tell what distinguishes one product from the next (unless the difference is something like the presence of grain). Being told exactly how puppy food differs from adult food, for example, would save consumers time and confusion.

“I have used the Purina One Superblend Lamb & Rice for my 9 year American Bull daily since he was an adult. He eagerly takes his daily portion without delay. I have been pleased with its consistency & quality.”

Read more reviews on consumeraffairs.com. 

“My golden retriever named Hernandez had issues with a lot of different dog foods, his little tummy hurt after eating cheaper brands. He has been using this for 4 years and loves it. So glad my little herne has food he can tolerate.”

Read more reviews on petsense.com.

Purina is a company with a history spanning almost 150 years. It was founded in 1894 in Missouriby William H Danforth and partners William Andrews and George Robinson. Initially geared towards feeding farm animals, the company became Ralston Purina eight years later. In the 1950s and 60s the company began to innovate, making not just dog food but cat food as well, releasing a puppy-specific range in 1963. 

It was in 1986 that Purina One was introduced to the market. This same year, Purina worked out how to make meat the primary ingredient in its dog food. At this point, it abandoned its farm animal feeding to focus on the care and nutrition of cats and dogs. In the following years the brand broadened and refined its ranges, making foods that catered to dogs with specific health needs like arthritis.

There have been a few instances of Purina recalling its dog food. Here we won’t detail any of the instances of cat food being recalled, and we will also include instances of Purina food being recalled even if it isn’t from the One range

2005 recall

In February 2005, the company recalled all of the dry pet food (not just dog food) made in a Venezuelan plant because contaminants were concluded to have been causing illnesses in cats and dogs.

2007 recall

This was a voluntary recall in March 2007 of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy in the US after the product was found to contain wheat gluten contaminated with melamine traceable back to a single Chinese company. This happened to multiple companies. Melamine may contribute to reproductive damage, cancer or kidney stones.

2013 recall

Another non-One case but another good one to be aware of. After trace amounts of antibiotic residue were found in Purina’s Waggin’ Train treats, Purina took these treats off the market in January 2013.

2013 recall

The only recall of any Purina One food happened in August 2013. One bag of dry dog food was deemed to have contained salmonella, so some of the Purina One Beyond product was recalled.

2016 recall

Five varieties of Pro Plan Savory Meals were recalled in March 2016 on account of their having inadequate minerals and vitamins. The five varieties in the 10oz tubs were Braised Chicken Entrée, Braised Pork Entrée, Braised Turkey Entrée, Grilled Salmon Entrée, Braised Beef & Rice Entrée.

2022 recall

In December 2022 some cans of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Low Fat prescription wet dog food were recalled because they had been mislabeled. 

2023 recall

In February and March 2023 a small amount of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental dog food was recalled on account of containing too much vitamin D.