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Pro Plan · dry

Pro Plan PURINA PRO PLAN Medium Puppy Healthy Start review

DryPuppyFussy eatersHigh energy
Poor

A weak dry food by the label. Just 20% declared meat content, and the label keeps too much vague. The breakdown below shows exactly where every point went.

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Top 79%scores higher than 21% of rated foodsacross all 3530 foods we've scored
Poorscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
20%declared meat content

Where the points went

The full breakdown, exactly as the algorithm scored it. How our rating works

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 60/100 across 13 ingredients (declared percentages used for 3, position estimates for the rest).
23.8 / 40
Label clarity
Vague category terms on the label (animal fat, digest) - naming points withheld; percentages cover 28% of the recipe (+1.7); meat sources named (+2); variable-composition wording - fixed-formula points withheld.
3.7 / 15
Additives
No artificial colours, flavours, controversial preservatives or added sugars found.
10 / 10
Red flags
Animal fat at position 5 (-12); digest at position 8 (-6).
-18 / 0
Meat content
Declared meat content 20%.
7 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 36% dry matter (moderate); fat 20.7% DM in the healthy band; moisture not declared - 8% assumed for the dry-matter maths; fibre 2.2% DM (+2); ash 8.2% DM - sensible mineral load (+1.9); functional extras: omega-3 source (+1).
7.9 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.0 · scored July 28, 2026 · full methodology public
40 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 40 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 23.8 of a possible 40. Its strongest showing is additives at 10 of 10. On top of that, 18 points are deducted outright for red-flag ingredients - a penalty applied before anything else is counted, which is why the total lands where it does.

The label declares 20% meat, which is a low figure, and a declared low figure is still more honest than silence, and the ingredient list leans on vague groupings instead of naming what is actually in the bag.

Ingredients

Straight from the label, grouped by role - every ingredient is coloured by our published classification and links to its full page.

Meat & fish

Premium chicken 20%dried poultry proteinanimal fatdigest

Carbs & grains

wheatrice 8%corncorn protein meal

Fruit & veg

dried beet pulp

Oils & fats

fish oil

Supplements & extras

mineralsdried eggdried colostrum 0.1%
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label

Feeding & cost

What a bag actually costs to feed - worked out per dog, not per pack.

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
12 kg--

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 15 kg adult dog needs about 188 g a day.

No reliable price data for this food yet, so no cost estimate - we only show numbers we can back.

How we work this out
  1. Energy: an adult dog at rest needs about 95 × weight0.75 kcal a day (the FEDIAF maintenance formula - a 15 kg dog works out near 725 kcal).
  2. Portion: divide that by this food's energy density, 384 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.

Estimates scale to your dog's weight and the food's calorie density - a denser food needs fewer grams. A rough guide; always follow the pack. This is a puppy food, but the figures above are for an adult dog at maintenance - the same reference we use on every food so costs stay comparable. A growing puppy needs roughly twice the energy for its weight, so feed to the pack, not to this. Try the full feeding calculator

Nutrition

Declared analysis converted to a dry-matter basis, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.

Protein

32.6 % DM
Directory average: 28.2

Fat

20.7 % DM
Directory average: 14.9

Est. carbs

36.4 % DM
Directory average: 45.1

Fibre

2.2 % DM
Directory average: 3.7

Ash

8.2 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Moisture isn't declared on this label - dry-matter figures assume 8% (typical for a dry food) and are marked estimated.

Carbohydrates are estimated: 100% minus protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.

Similar foods that score higher

Same type and life stage, better ODF Score, comparable price per day.

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This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.

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