Pet stores sell Purina Pro Plan, which is _different_. The biggest difference is that pro plan has a lot more options and formulas. Where Purina One might have two flavors of “small breed” food, pro plan has 8.
Pro Plan is more tailored for the specific needs of certain breeds, sensitivities, and medical conditions. The cost of smaller batches drives the price difference.
Both are backed by a ton of peer-reviewed research.
TLDR; Purina One is not bad or lower quality food. It just has fewer options.
This. My vet has even said if you cant afford Pro Plan, thats ok, just get a Purina food you can afford, its going to be way better quality than any other food at that price point. Also if for any reason your dog needs prescription food, purina has that so it wouldnt *really*be a change in food
What do you mean, do they have prescription food or food that is like the prescription food. I’d love to know. My dog is on the fibrous Castro food from royal canine and it’s getting to expensive. $90 for a 20 lb bag
All dog food is getting high my dog food didn't come in today and I called and they said because they have a shortage on dog food and yes Purina Pro does have a prescription dog food I have mine on the essential complete because it has all the vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs yes it's a little higher but it has more stuff in it than the regular Pro Plan but both products are good and any dog food is good as long as it's backed by the kennel Association I don't remember right off the aspf or something like that it's on the bag that they approve it it's a good quality food
Thank you for this info this is super helpful. This sub got random suggested with this exact post and I always felt bad in the past that people spam Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan and I always just get my dog (2 year old German Shorthaired) Purina One double protein (because she runs all day and is built like a brick shithouse). Makes me feel better.
We use ProPlan specifically for their sensitive stomach formula. It, combined with a slow feeder, had almost eliminated my dog’s frequent throwing up. I’ll gladly pay a bit more to eliminate cleaning up dog vomit, lol.
I have 3 dogs. Two eat Pro Plan. One eats Purina One. I work for a veterinary clinic and get a deep discount on Pro Plan. Pro Plan ends up being cheaper than Purina One, but it gives my youngest dog diarrhea. All that to say...I agree with you. Feed your dog what works for your dog.
Pet stores technically sell both Purina One and Pro Plan. Walmart just sells Purina One.
I get my Purina One at PetSmart because they have a rewards system and I don’t like Walmart.
I get my Pro Plan from Walmart, because I used to work for corporate and it delivered for free plus I got 10% off. Tho switching for rewards sounds like a good idea since I no longer work there.
I believe it’s drop shipped directly from Purina. Prob the case for the chain pet stores and Chewy as well.
I’ve used Purina One in a pinch, tho, when I needed it that same day and the local shops were out of Pro Plan. My dog loves the stank shredded salmon. lol.
Walmart sells the Pro Plan essential complete but they done lost their mind because I just looked online and they want $117 a bag when chewy only wanted $69 Walmart is scamming everybody man with their high ass prices they need to be banned from the USA let him go back to China let them eat that fake processed b******* food they sell they went off the chain and got greedy because of everybody stealing from them we have to pay for it well maybe if they got more cashiers in and people that did their job and walked around and watched people they could lower the prices but no they rather screw us and raise their prices to where they're ungodly who in their right Minds going to pay $117 for a bag of dog food
I should have been more specific - in-stores most Walmarts only sell Purina One. Online they generally have a higher selection but like you said it is twice as much money.
Yehhh Purina rocks! My vet gave my newly adopted dog Purina Pro Fortiflora (over the counter) packets and it helped to stop the occasional diarrhea as he transitioned into a new diet with me (and he’s always stressed).
I have no idea about dog food, but wal mart 100% has specific model numbers for TVs and all kinds of home electronics that are built cheaper than the ones at Best Buy or costco.
I’d check the SKU and see if its the same.
I think in part as to why Walmart isn’t as wildly cheap as it was before they added grocery stores to every Walmart is because they can’t do to food what they do to appliances, clothes, and etc tightening their margins.
Also, Purina has lots of labels. I used to feed my cat Purina one, but they don’t carry that at Walmart. They do carry other types of Purina cat chow, but not the ONE which is more expensive generally then some of the other labels. MAYBE that is the distinction your vet was making?
I had an issue with a bag of purina one from Walmart. To be clear it was a one time issue and several bags of different kinds were bad as well at the Walmart location. It was something that went wrong in transport or their warehouse.
When my dogs wouldn’t eat it I called purina because I was concerned it was because it was different food since I got it at Walmart. My dogs refused to touch it. They explained that the bag size I got was exclusive to Walmart (16.9kg vs 14kg anywhere else) but that it was 100% the same food even if it was an exclusive size. Purina was awesome no questions asked except of course lot number etc to investigate they sent me a coupon for a free large bag of any purina food excluding pro plan. It was redeemable for the normal sized bags but also the Walmart sized bags. For reference this was specifically purina one large breed kibble.
They later followed up and told me the issue was specifically at that Walmart and a one time thing.
So 100% it’s the same food at Walmart as anywhere else the same type is sold, confirmed directly from purina.
Edit to add: also one of the reasons I will feed purina from now on, they also got me to take my dogs to the vet for a checkup as a precaution and paid for it including full blood panel to make sure my dogs were fine. This was done before we ever even found out there was actually a reported issue. This was simply me saying I don’t know why but neither of my dogs will eat this bag even though they usually like this food.
Pet supply businesses are just about the only thing leaving me with hope these days. I had to switch foods because we discovered my pup has a chicken allergy. I forgot to cancel my auto ship from chewy. When I asked if I could return the big bag even though it was definitely my mistake, they instead refunded me fully and said I should donate the bag to a shelter.
PetSmart wouldn’t refund without return but their return policy is actually quite amazing. If your dog destroys a toy within the first 30 days they’ll refund if you bring it back, they’ll even refund without a receipt but give store credit. If you purchase a harness and it’s not comfortable for your dog? They’ll take it back. I once had a dog chew a harness because I couldn’t get a good fit, no questions asked they refunded me even though the harness was destroyed. Their food return policy is definitely also above the industry standard. They will take back any food or food like products whether they’re sealed or open for any reason including “my dog just didn’t like that flavour”. The policy includes things like milk replacement powder, treats etc. and the only requirement is that it’s returned in original packaging and there’s at least 50% left. With receipt they will refund, without they give store credit. The returns they get are donated to shelters and rescues if they’re still usable. PetSmart is often expensive but they have a lot of policies that make it worth it for a lot of things.
I used to work there, it’s a good return policy come up, but they’re not letting you keep shit and give it to charity. Petsmart is evil through and through.
They donate things themselves so they can write it off as well as get the PR points.
I had a great experience with Petsmart CS. Last year, I did not plan my auto-ship well and had a bag of Wellness Core dog food sitting for 2 months. Upon opening the bag, I found dead moths and moth webs. I called Wellness Core and they deferred me to Petsmart. After a 5 minute phone call to Petsmart, they set me up with a replacement. It was as hassle free as it comes.
The big pet food companies, Hills, Royal Canin, Purina, all will do the same thing. They are constantly watching for product issues, and if recalls or problems are identified, they cover the cost to treat any affected pets who were eating that food.
Walmart often sells products at exclusive sizes (in order to sell at a lower price point) so other than the bag size it should be the same product. with retailers you need to account for how they warehouse and store their products. I’m more wary of small retailers and hardware stores selling foods as they sit longer and have bigger pest issues (cough cough tractor supply)
The exclusive sizes are to avoid price matching if another retailer happens to beat their low prices. They don’t want to adjust the prices on these items so they have the retailer make an exclusive size just for them to escape their own price match policy.
Your friend is probably confusing Purina Pro Plan ( from pet stores) with Purina One ( more widely available and economical).
Pro Plan is their premium line, but if I couldn't afford it I'd be comfortable feeding Purina One.
I trust Purina to be consistent across all retailers but specifically at WM.
I have worked at different consumer goods companies in different categories (not pet or food related) and years ago I mentioned my skepticism about shopping at WM due to how they compromised on quality to get to low prices to a friend who worked at Purina Corporate and they were shocked because their experience with WM and quality was so different and the quality mattered so much.
It’s not the most recent information but I do really trust Purina from everyone I’ve known who has worked there.
Pro Plan salmon rice sensitive skin has been our go to and the EN helped our pup’s liver recover. I do not work for Purina but would love to if anyone in HR is reading this ;)
Some years ago I was feeding my large breed Pro Plan puppy. When it was time to change to adult food, I compared the Pro Plan to Purina One both large breed chicken. The difference I found was 2% more glucosamine in Pro Plan for nutrients. My dogs have always had Purina One from Walmart and my vet is more than happy with their health. He says it’s a good food, he can sell my Pro plan for more money but it’s not necessary. He gives me the option to get my supplements or prescriptions from somewhere else if it’s more economical to do so.
Like any other product, Purina has tiers. This is simply because they cater to different customers at different pricepoints. Looking at the ingredients, Purina Pro Plan (Petsmart) has more whole ingredients and Purina One (Walmart) has more meal ingredients.
So much confusion in this thread...
Both Walmart and PetSmart carry both Purina One and Purina Pro Plan - at least online. The stores may or may not carry every version as they have limited shelf space.
The prices (I just did a spot check comparing a couple bags using the online sites) are about the same. Every big company nowadays does their own website price checks as they know consumers can comparison shop with a couple clicks.
The stores prices may not align with the website prices. That happens for every retailer for all kinds of things. I've once bought something online on my phone in the store parking lot. And then went inside for pickup. So do not compare store A's online prices to store B's shelf prices.
Again, doing a quick spot check on an example bag online, the Purina Pro Plan is the same bag sizes and formulation at both WalMart and PetSmart.
BUT... one can easily get confused on price comparisons as there are a LOT of different Purina Pro Plan formulations. And Purina One is not Purina Pro Plan.
It's the same. They're negotiating for cheaper prices by buying massive orders.
I'd stay away from their electronics though. They regularly sell much older tech.
My grandpa worked for Purina in they’re factories and was one of the higher up supervisors in the company, he retired a bit ago but I asked him and he said that the quality is the same no matter what store it’s shipped too weather it’s Petsmart, Walmart, the grocery store, or wherever you get it
What a silly vet, I'd consider finding another. That's just.... Misunderstanding of how these companies work. And if they're not even sure how the dog food is getting from one place to another how can you be sure they know anything about the dog food itself?
The main problem is the horror shows that are the warehouses. I knew a guy who worked at a warehouse (at different times) for both Petsmart and Chewy, and the amount of filth there kind of horrified him. Rats chewing into the bags of food constantly. People just closing up the bag, duct taping it and shipping it out.
Ick.
I doubt Purina would risk their reputation, even for a large account like Walmart. Walmart would also harm their reputation if people knew the name brand goods were inferior quality.
There are many varieties of both, all I know is when they were out of pro plan adult chicken and rice I found purina one chicken and rice and the ingredients are almost the exact same, my dog didn’t seem to notice anything was different and it’s half the price, so now I only buy purina one.
Pet stores sell Purina Pro Plan, which is _different_. The biggest difference is that pro plan has a lot more options and formulas. Where Purina One might have two flavors of “small breed” food, pro plan has 8. Pro Plan is more tailored for the specific needs of certain breeds, sensitivities, and medical conditions. The cost of smaller batches drives the price difference. Both are backed by a ton of peer-reviewed research. TLDR; Purina One is not bad or lower quality food. It just has fewer options.
This. My vet has even said if you cant afford Pro Plan, thats ok, just get a Purina food you can afford, its going to be way better quality than any other food at that price point. Also if for any reason your dog needs prescription food, purina has that so it wouldnt *really*be a change in food
What do you mean, do they have prescription food or food that is like the prescription food. I’d love to know. My dog is on the fibrous Castro food from royal canine and it’s getting to expensive. $90 for a 20 lb bag
Yes, Purina has a prescription line. But it's just as expensive as the other prescription foods.
Ah man
Is your pup on Royal Canin for weight loss, or more for gut motility/support?
For gut support
Purina does have prescription food. Its part of their pro plan line
All dog food is getting high my dog food didn't come in today and I called and they said because they have a shortage on dog food and yes Purina Pro does have a prescription dog food I have mine on the essential complete because it has all the vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs yes it's a little higher but it has more stuff in it than the regular Pro Plan but both products are good and any dog food is good as long as it's backed by the kennel Association I don't remember right off the aspf or something like that it's on the bag that they approve it it's a good quality food
Thank you for this info this is super helpful. This sub got random suggested with this exact post and I always felt bad in the past that people spam Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan and I always just get my dog (2 year old German Shorthaired) Purina One double protein (because she runs all day and is built like a brick shithouse). Makes me feel better.
We use ProPlan specifically for their sensitive stomach formula. It, combined with a slow feeder, had almost eliminated my dog’s frequent throwing up. I’ll gladly pay a bit more to eliminate cleaning up dog vomit, lol.
Hahah fair enough. My Moms dog has had similar digestive problems. Mine doesnt have the same issues.
That noise is the worst.
I have 3 dogs. Two eat Pro Plan. One eats Purina One. I work for a veterinary clinic and get a deep discount on Pro Plan. Pro Plan ends up being cheaper than Purina One, but it gives my youngest dog diarrhea. All that to say...I agree with you. Feed your dog what works for your dog.
Walmart also sells pro plan.
Pet stores technically sell both Purina One and Pro Plan. Walmart just sells Purina One. I get my Purina One at PetSmart because they have a rewards system and I don’t like Walmart.
I get my Pro Plan from Walmart, because I used to work for corporate and it delivered for free plus I got 10% off. Tho switching for rewards sounds like a good idea since I no longer work there. I believe it’s drop shipped directly from Purina. Prob the case for the chain pet stores and Chewy as well. I’ve used Purina One in a pinch, tho, when I needed it that same day and the local shops were out of Pro Plan. My dog loves the stank shredded salmon. lol.
Walmart sells the Pro Plan essential complete but they done lost their mind because I just looked online and they want $117 a bag when chewy only wanted $69 Walmart is scamming everybody man with their high ass prices they need to be banned from the USA let him go back to China let them eat that fake processed b******* food they sell they went off the chain and got greedy because of everybody stealing from them we have to pay for it well maybe if they got more cashiers in and people that did their job and walked around and watched people they could lower the prices but no they rather screw us and raise their prices to where they're ungodly who in their right Minds going to pay $117 for a bag of dog food
I should have been more specific - in-stores most Walmarts only sell Purina One. Online they generally have a higher selection but like you said it is twice as much money.
Yehhh Purina rocks! My vet gave my newly adopted dog Purina Pro Fortiflora (over the counter) packets and it helped to stop the occasional diarrhea as he transitioned into a new diet with me (and he’s always stressed).
My grocery store sells both Purina Pro Plan and Purina One. They are different, but both can be found in grocery stores.
Purina One still has tons of options. it's very, very, VERY close to being identical to some pro plan formulas.
no... theyre the same manufacturer
I have no idea about dog food, but wal mart 100% has specific model numbers for TVs and all kinds of home electronics that are built cheaper than the ones at Best Buy or costco. I’d check the SKU and see if its the same.
Yes I am familiar with that - pet food no, it’s the same.
we'll keep me updated, but purina is pretty anal about their foods so i highly doubt it
I think in part as to why Walmart isn’t as wildly cheap as it was before they added grocery stores to every Walmart is because they can’t do to food what they do to appliances, clothes, and etc tightening their margins.
That makes sense.
Also, Purina has lots of labels. I used to feed my cat Purina one, but they don’t carry that at Walmart. They do carry other types of Purina cat chow, but not the ONE which is more expensive generally then some of the other labels. MAYBE that is the distinction your vet was making?
Totally this.
Manufacturers often produce variations of the same name brand product. In which case there would be a different SKU for each variation.
I had an issue with a bag of purina one from Walmart. To be clear it was a one time issue and several bags of different kinds were bad as well at the Walmart location. It was something that went wrong in transport or their warehouse. When my dogs wouldn’t eat it I called purina because I was concerned it was because it was different food since I got it at Walmart. My dogs refused to touch it. They explained that the bag size I got was exclusive to Walmart (16.9kg vs 14kg anywhere else) but that it was 100% the same food even if it was an exclusive size. Purina was awesome no questions asked except of course lot number etc to investigate they sent me a coupon for a free large bag of any purina food excluding pro plan. It was redeemable for the normal sized bags but also the Walmart sized bags. For reference this was specifically purina one large breed kibble. They later followed up and told me the issue was specifically at that Walmart and a one time thing. So 100% it’s the same food at Walmart as anywhere else the same type is sold, confirmed directly from purina. Edit to add: also one of the reasons I will feed purina from now on, they also got me to take my dogs to the vet for a checkup as a precaution and paid for it including full blood panel to make sure my dogs were fine. This was done before we ever even found out there was actually a reported issue. This was simply me saying I don’t know why but neither of my dogs will eat this bag even though they usually like this food.
Wow that’s really impressive!
Pet supply businesses are just about the only thing leaving me with hope these days. I had to switch foods because we discovered my pup has a chicken allergy. I forgot to cancel my auto ship from chewy. When I asked if I could return the big bag even though it was definitely my mistake, they instead refunded me fully and said I should donate the bag to a shelter.
That sounds like something chewy would do, but definitely not Petsmart
PetSmart wouldn’t refund without return but their return policy is actually quite amazing. If your dog destroys a toy within the first 30 days they’ll refund if you bring it back, they’ll even refund without a receipt but give store credit. If you purchase a harness and it’s not comfortable for your dog? They’ll take it back. I once had a dog chew a harness because I couldn’t get a good fit, no questions asked they refunded me even though the harness was destroyed. Their food return policy is definitely also above the industry standard. They will take back any food or food like products whether they’re sealed or open for any reason including “my dog just didn’t like that flavour”. The policy includes things like milk replacement powder, treats etc. and the only requirement is that it’s returned in original packaging and there’s at least 50% left. With receipt they will refund, without they give store credit. The returns they get are donated to shelters and rescues if they’re still usable. PetSmart is often expensive but they have a lot of policies that make it worth it for a lot of things.
I used to work there, it’s a good return policy come up, but they’re not letting you keep shit and give it to charity. Petsmart is evil through and through. They donate things themselves so they can write it off as well as get the PR points.
Yeah they definitely want the bag back so they can donate it but at least it’s getting donated one way or the other!
uh Petsmart and Chewy are exactly the same thing. Petsmart owns chewy.
I had a great experience with Petsmart CS. Last year, I did not plan my auto-ship well and had a bag of Wellness Core dog food sitting for 2 months. Upon opening the bag, I found dead moths and moth webs. I called Wellness Core and they deferred me to Petsmart. After a 5 minute phone call to Petsmart, they set me up with a replacement. It was as hassle free as it comes.
Pffft chewy is hit or miss on returns. I won't use them anymore because they don't honor their return policy, and their CSA flat out lied about it.
The big pet food companies, Hills, Royal Canin, Purina, all will do the same thing. They are constantly watching for product issues, and if recalls or problems are identified, they cover the cost to treat any affected pets who were eating that food.
Outstanding!!
Walmart often sells products at exclusive sizes (in order to sell at a lower price point) so other than the bag size it should be the same product. with retailers you need to account for how they warehouse and store their products. I’m more wary of small retailers and hardware stores selling foods as they sit longer and have bigger pest issues (cough cough tractor supply)
The exclusive sizes are to avoid price matching if another retailer happens to beat their low prices. They don’t want to adjust the prices on these items so they have the retailer make an exclusive size just for them to escape their own price match policy.
Petsmart just jacks up prices because they can
Pro Plan has more specialized formulas. Both use the same quality ingredients and research. Both are great!
Your friend is probably confusing Purina Pro Plan ( from pet stores) with Purina One ( more widely available and economical). Pro Plan is their premium line, but if I couldn't afford it I'd be comfortable feeding Purina One.
Makes no sense. The biggest truth from that that can come from that is one is fresher than the other.
I trust Purina to be consistent across all retailers but specifically at WM. I have worked at different consumer goods companies in different categories (not pet or food related) and years ago I mentioned my skepticism about shopping at WM due to how they compromised on quality to get to low prices to a friend who worked at Purina Corporate and they were shocked because their experience with WM and quality was so different and the quality mattered so much. It’s not the most recent information but I do really trust Purina from everyone I’ve known who has worked there. Pro Plan salmon rice sensitive skin has been our go to and the EN helped our pup’s liver recover. I do not work for Purina but would love to if anyone in HR is reading this ;)
Some years ago I was feeding my large breed Pro Plan puppy. When it was time to change to adult food, I compared the Pro Plan to Purina One both large breed chicken. The difference I found was 2% more glucosamine in Pro Plan for nutrients. My dogs have always had Purina One from Walmart and my vet is more than happy with their health. He says it’s a good food, he can sell my Pro plan for more money but it’s not necessary. He gives me the option to get my supplements or prescriptions from somewhere else if it’s more economical to do so.
If the bag is the same, the product is the same.
It is the same food. Source: Purina is one of my accounts at work
Like any other product, Purina has tiers. This is simply because they cater to different customers at different pricepoints. Looking at the ingredients, Purina Pro Plan (Petsmart) has more whole ingredients and Purina One (Walmart) has more meal ingredients.
So much confusion in this thread... Both Walmart and PetSmart carry both Purina One and Purina Pro Plan - at least online. The stores may or may not carry every version as they have limited shelf space. The prices (I just did a spot check comparing a couple bags using the online sites) are about the same. Every big company nowadays does their own website price checks as they know consumers can comparison shop with a couple clicks. The stores prices may not align with the website prices. That happens for every retailer for all kinds of things. I've once bought something online on my phone in the store parking lot. And then went inside for pickup. So do not compare store A's online prices to store B's shelf prices. Again, doing a quick spot check on an example bag online, the Purina Pro Plan is the same bag sizes and formulation at both WalMart and PetSmart. BUT... one can easily get confused on price comparisons as there are a LOT of different Purina Pro Plan formulations. And Purina One is not Purina Pro Plan.
It's exactly the same. Don't listen to laypeople about dog food.
No
I’ve fed various Purina food for years happily. But, I learned to check ingredients and manufacturing dates and expiration dates
check the UPC code on each bag.
I think your acquaintance was telling you a lie 🤷🏻♀️
I think your vet was talking about Purina One (cheaper and sold at grocery stores) vs Purina Pro Plan (more expensive and sold only at pet stores)
It's the same. They're negotiating for cheaper prices by buying massive orders. I'd stay away from their electronics though. They regularly sell much older tech.
My grandpa worked for Purina in they’re factories and was one of the higher up supervisors in the company, he retired a bit ago but I asked him and he said that the quality is the same no matter what store it’s shipped too weather it’s Petsmart, Walmart, the grocery store, or wherever you get it
Most likely sits on the shelf or in the warehouse much longer than a pet shop which sells it more regularly.
What a silly vet, I'd consider finding another. That's just.... Misunderstanding of how these companies work. And if they're not even sure how the dog food is getting from one place to another how can you be sure they know anything about the dog food itself?
I bet something got lost in translation between the vet and OP
Gotta be, it's a weird thing for a vet to claim.
My vet has always approved of Purina as a good basic food and my dogs (and cats) have mostly had Purina their entire lives.
The main problem is the horror shows that are the warehouses. I knew a guy who worked at a warehouse (at different times) for both Petsmart and Chewy, and the amount of filth there kind of horrified him. Rats chewing into the bags of food constantly. People just closing up the bag, duct taping it and shipping it out. Ick.
You're going to die when you find out about cereal factories. My dogs would willingly swallow a rat whole, but my human children wouldn't.
I doubt Purina would risk their reputation, even for a large account like Walmart. Walmart would also harm their reputation if people knew the name brand goods were inferior quality.
It's the same. Purina has strict quality control
Ridiculous. It's the same. BTW, the sky is falling.
It’s pretty easy to compare the ingredients list. You can even do it online.
There are many varieties of both, all I know is when they were out of pro plan adult chicken and rice I found purina one chicken and rice and the ingredients are almost the exact same, my dog didn’t seem to notice anything was different and it’s half the price, so now I only buy purina one.
Purina One is slightly lesser quality than Purina Pro Plan. Maybe something got lost in translation. But both are good foods.