Purina Puppy Chow Review

     I have used Purina products for my adults on/off for a few years now, but my first experience with Puppy Chow was over a year ago. I've been breeding Beagles since 2005, we also hunt & occasionally show our hounds. Needless to say, I am VERY selective about the results a food produces. So, when I purchased Puppy Chow in a bind, I was amazed at the improvement in the condition of my bitch and 3 week old pups over their previous brand, Merrick. This was supposed to be something to hold them until I could get a better food, but the differences in health were so dramatic I chose to stick with Puppy Chow, and have done so ever since!

     This was not just an ordinary litter of pups, either. Born a full week premature, this was a high maintenance, weak, slow to develop litter. One was hypoglycemic at birth and even after supplementation was having trouble maintaining blood sugar and body temperature. A pup so chilled like she was is bound for trouble later down the line. Their weight was fluctuating, most likely because of the chronic diarrhea I could not get rid of. Antibiotics, kaopectate - nothing was working long term. The mother's milk was drying up rapidly, I was adding all sorts of supplements but still, she could not produce enough milk. Her feces were never solid, always sticky or mucousy. Close to their second week, the pups developed scabs on their skin that had a metallic odor to them. I gave them medicated baths, but the scabs were worsening & bleeding. I was afraid of infection setting in :(

It was around this time that I tried Puppy Chow when the Merrick ran out.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never have believed it, but within 2-3hrs of the dam's first meal of Purina, her milk literally doubled in supply! We noticed both weight gain/growth of the pups, and thus they began to develop a little faster than before. The stools of the bitch and pups firmed up to where no more medications were required. Those skin scabs on the pups cleared up in slightly over a week. While they were not developing at the same rate as a normal litter, the pups were eating well and developing at their own pace. I tried giving them some fresh meat to boost their strength but the scabs came back when I did so, and they clearly thrived so much better on Purina. Food plays such a huge role in health. I know these pups were supported very well by their diet and have used this feed for two more litters since then. Those pups grew so well, were just so healthy & active I literally had neighbors who saw my pups in the yard inquiring what we were feeding them & commenting how healthy they looked!

I've tried the holistic garbage, and most, if not all of them failed mierably in the results department. Purina makes an excellent product @ an affordable price. This is one of the top puppy foods available on the market, there is no reason to feel guilty about feeding this grocery store feed. It contains chelated minerals, DHA, high calorie levels and a controlled amount of fat which slows down growth to avoid rapid growth spurts. Excellent product, I highly recommend!