Solid Gold Dog Food versus Pro Plan?

When it comes to allergies, there are 3 types of food. the hydrolyzed protein ones few dogs will have problems with, the limited ingredients ones less likely to have an ingredient any given dog is allergic and everything else. Grains really aren't near as bad as the grain free hype says. Most food allergies come from the meat. My guess is that they were feeding the lamb based Iams and the chicken based Pro Plan wheat and all would be fine. Pro Plan is widely and successfully fed.

''Filler'' is another favorite lie of those selling grain free foods. Properly processed grains are a good source of nutrition.

If your dog does well on it it's not a big deal. There are far better foods than pro plan out there, more nutritionally balanced without all the corner-cutting Purina and other low-end dog food manufacturers take to artifically boost the crude nutritional analysis. Pro Plan won't hurt your dog if he doesn't have food allergies, and it's definitely better than beneful and their other foods, but solid gold is infinitely superior.

If your concern is cost look into Costco's Kirklan Signature Super Premium dog food. It's a decent mid-range kibble that is better than Pro Plan and probably cheaper. Sam's Club should also sell a similar product, and it's manufactured by Diamond, who also sells to farm supply stores.

Look online for how to assess dog food quality, then head to a nearby co-op or farm supply store and peruse the dog food isle for a good balance between quality and budget. If the dog likes the Pro Plan and does well on it then if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But his coat and overall health will be noticeably better on a better food.

Unfortunately you like so many people have fallen victim to advertising. Purina ProPlan is absolute garbage as far as dog food is concerned. The first ingredient is chicken (not chicken meal) this means that chicken is very low down on the list, chicken around 80% moisture and this is the amount of chicken before processing. The third ingredient is wheat which is a common allergen in dogs, it is also a grain which dogs do not need. Fourth is "poultry by-product meal" this includes everything you will not generally eat in your daily diet including beaks, eyes, head, brains, bones, feet, etc... Fifth is the worst ingredient "animal fat" this is an unspecified fat and includes literally EVERYTHING under the sun that you can think of including but not limited to euthanized pets and road kill. Corn is used three different times on the ingredient list and is an indigestible filler, combine this and corn will likely be much higher on the list within the top three I would think. Ultimately this is garbage and I wouldn't feed it if it was free. If you don't believe me check out a great website that outlines pretty much every dog food available on the market.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

Solid Gold Wolf King is a pretty decent food, not the best but definitely a quality dog food. The first ingredient is Bison (which is likely lower on the list) but the second ingredient is a meat meal putting meat as the number one ingredient in this formula. The only thing I dislike about Solid Gold's ingredient list is that it contains canola oil (the main reason I stopped feeding this to my dogs). Canola oil is currently under debate with supporters commenting on it's Omega 3 fatty acids and heart benefits. Opponents believe that prolonged and continued use can cause heart lesions. Until the facts are settled I am avoiding all foods with canola oil.

Personally I prefer grain free and I have seen a huge difference in my dogs coat including a lot less shedding and a much softer coat. I currently feed Acana and Orijen (manufactured by the same company) it's quite a bit more expensive but I feed a lot less and a 15 lb bag lasts me over two months for my two dogs (one is 15 lbs and one is 40 lbs) as I have adjusted the feeding to meet my dogs needs.

Any food that does not contain any corn, wheat, soy, by-products and possibly chicken would be just fine. That particular Solid Gold dog food is the top of the line, but completely unnecessary unless you have a dog with food allergies. I've used the simply Solid Gold kibble for most of my dogs over many years and it's been just fine. Pro Plan is a good quality food also, unless you run in to a dog that has food allergies. There is far too many people talking about kibbles that really don't understand what they are talking about. If your dog is doing fine on what you are feeding, continue with it.

my 19 yr. old beagle has food allergies. it was hit and miss with the choice of food until i found Beneful to be the right one for him.Without having the expensive allergy tests from the vet, i just kept trying different brands until he stopped itching and regained his hair loss. Those were his symptons. It took at least a month to see the improvements. Sometimes i would get brave and try a better brand for him, but also within a month he would start itching again. Hope this was helpful and you have a long and happy life with your dog,

Keep in mind that with my dog it would take a month for the symptons to start and then another month for them to subside.

I would ask the people you got him from what his allergies are. I had a Dachshund who was allergic to corn and wheat. But he could eat a rice based food as long as I checked the ingredients to be sure they didn't add corn or wheat as a lesser ingredient. I had my dogs on Taste of the Wild and was getting loose stools periodically. Switched back to Purina ONE that I used a number of years ago and they are doing wonderful on it. Firmer stools and holding weight better. I have a friend who has the Lab male I bred to and he is heavily hunted during duck season. He eats Pedigree and has since he was a puppy. Does great on it and is healthy. I think you need to find out what allergies your dog has and then find a food that works for him.

When I had a farm, my dogs got a raw diet which had a lot of meat in it and I left Purina Dog Chow down for them for fiber. They did wonderful on it and finished many Field Champion titles. It all depends on what food works for YOUR dog. But check on those allergies first.

Solid Gold's ingredients are better quality where as Pro Plan is realated to Purina which is not a higher-end food even if it is "vet recomeneded". Vets actually don't have a large amount of knowledge about dog food or so I've been told from vets who have had to educate themselves.

Pro Plan isn't the worst but even compared to Solid Gold they are not on the same level. I'd feed your dog a grain free dog food - lots of dogs have grain allergies - Iams has lots of grains.

Here are some actual high quality dog foods (rember high quality advertising doesn't make a dog food good):

Acana Dog Food

Addiction Dog Food

Artemis Dog Food

Back to Basics Dog Food

BLUE Dog Food

BLUE Organics

BLUE Wilderness

Dog Whisperer - Cesar Milan Dog Food

Eagle Pack Dog Food

Evangers Dog Food

Fromm Dog Food

GO Natural Dog Food

Holistic Blend

Honest Kitchen Dog Food

Horizon Legacy Dog Food

Mulligan Stew

Nature's Variety Instinct Dog Food

Merrick Dog Food

Dick Van Patten - Natural Balance Dog Food

Nature's Logic

NOW

ORGANIX (Castor and Pollux)

Orijen Dog Food

Party Animal (Canned Only)

Nature's Variety Prairie

Solid Gold Dog Food

Taste of the Wild Dog Food

Timberwolf Dog Food

Wellness Dog Food

Weruva Dog Food (Canned Dog Food Only)

Wysong Dog Food

ZiwiPeak Dog Food

Or you can make or buy full meal raw food.

Dogs aren't actually as fussy as most people make them out to be. They'll pretty much eat anything granted they are hungry enough.

Pro Plan is NOT a high end dog food at all. Your dog may not be able to tolerate grains, and Pro Plan is loaded with them. If you want a good grain free food, try Taste of the Wild. I have a Dobe that can't tolerate grains, and that's what we feed.

My dog had problems with pro plan. Pro plan does have a lot of unnecessary junk. Research the ingredients, including the preservatives and addituves. I really advise everyone educate themselves on raw diets if they want a truly natural, healthy diet for their dogs.