Pronature Holistic Senior, Mature, Less Active Dog Oceanic White Fish & Wild Rice

Animal sources of protein

In the production of Pronature Holistic Senior All Breeds Mature or Less Active (with fish and rice), raw fish ingredients were used, namely white ocean fish meat (No. 1 in the composition). It should be noted that in English the name of this ingredient is “oceanic white fish”. The appearance of the words “meat” and “fresh” in Russian translation is an advertising ploy to make this product more attractive.

Ingredient No. 2 in the composition is dehydrated chicken meat, or rather, chicken flour (judging by the English name “chicken meal”). The inaccuracy of translation serves the same purpose here.

In addition to these two sources of animal protein, this food also contains others: natural chicken flavor and sea cucumber.

Natural chicken flavor (presumably chicken digest or hydrolyzed chicken protein) is only 15th on the list - more of a protein component that improves the taste and smell of the feed than a source of animal protein.

Sea cucumber is an invertebrate marine animal. Its meat is rich in proteins, fats and nutrients, but there is too little of it in food (39th place) to have a beneficial effect on the health of pets.

The proportion of animal protein is generally average. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not indicate the percentage of the main ingredients in the food.

General characteristics and manufacturer

Pronature pet food is produced according to the standards of the American Association of Food Control and Quality (AAFCO) and the requirements of the Association of Canadian Veterinarians. The “naturalness” of a product comes from the ingredients that have the greatest nutritional value - meat and meat products, vegetables, herbs.

This quality is also influenced by the fact that the food does not contain dyes, flavors or preservatives. The modern production of PLB International allows us to achieve such high quality.

Did you know? Food selected taking into account the dog’s age and lifestyle is a panacea for many diseases and completely eliminates the use of vitamin supplements in the diet.

PLB International is a family-owned company founded in 1969. Constant development in the field of food products for pets and the introduction of modern innovative technologies allows the company to occupy a high ranking among exported manufacturers and be recognized throughout the world, attracting new consumers.

Read, 10 dogs for apartments, as well as large, medium-sized and kind breeds

If we compare price and quality, the product produced by PLB International belongs to premium dry food. The thing is that the natural composition not only brings health to pets, but also “dictates” an expensive sales price.

Plant based protein sources

The food contains 6 different grain derivatives: Canadian wild rice (No. 3), brown rice (No. 4), specially processed barley and oat kernels (No. 5), rice, rice bran and millet.

Specially processed barley and oat kernels are actually two cereal components: pearl barley and oat groats. This means that the food contains 7 derivatives of cereals. Probably, such a “united” name is an advertising ploy by the manufacturer.

All three ingredients - brown rice, rice and rice bran - are essentially sources of the same rice protein. In this case, we can talk about “split” ingredients - adding several ingredients (most often plant-based) from the same source to the feed.

In fact, their content in food may exceed that of animal protein sources. Thus, if you combine brown rice, rice and rice bran, the animal components in the diet may be less than the total content of rice. This is just a guess, but its likelihood makes you think about the quality of the feed.

Please note that grains are not part of the natural diet of carnivores and are therefore not recommended as the basis for dog food.

"Pronature Holistic" for older dogs, in addition to cereals, also contains dried potatoes (No. 7 in the composition) - a source of vegetable protein, carbohydrates and starch. However, the correct translation of the English name "dried potato products" is "dried potato products", not dried potatoes.

The content of vegetable protein and carbohydrates in the feed is generally very high.

Price and where to buy

You can buy this food in online pet stores:

"Yandex Market" ():
Dry food Pronature Original 2.27 kg - from 1058 rubles;
Dry food Pronature Original 18 kg - from 5717 rub.
"ZooPassage" (link):
Packaging 11.3 kg - from _ rub;
Packaging 20 kg - from 6137 rub.

The prices shown are current as of September 2020 and may change over time. For the exact cost, see the pet store websites using the links above.

Cellulose

The diet contains several types of fiber.

Dried apple and tomato pulp (No. 8 and No. 13, respectively) contain virtually no nutrients, while dried beet pulp (No. 10) in small quantities is not only acceptable, but also beneficial for the intestines of dogs and cats.

Rice bran (#12) has a lot of cheap fiber and a small amount of protein. But an ingredient such as cellulose powder (No. 11) is undesirable in finished feed; it is simply a useless ballast filler of unknown origin.

Plant products are difficult for predators to digest, and a large amount of fiber in the feed increases the volume of the food bolus and gives the animals a deceptive feeling of fullness.

Feeding tips

To avoid overeating and overload of the digestive system, the company has developed a special table for calculating portions. The dosage of servings of Pronature dog food is made in relation to the dog’s weight:

pets weighing up to 5.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 52 g each;
pets weighing up to 9.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 80 g each;

pets weighing up to 15.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 115 g each;
pets weighing up to 22.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 150 g each;
pets weighing up to 33.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 201 g each;
pets weighing up to 45.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 255 g each;
pets weighing over 45.5 kg are prescribed two feedings of 455 g each.

Each product package has a detailed calculation table, so calculating the portion correctly will not be difficult.
Did you know? A dog's significantly rounded belly after eating indicates overfeeding and, accordingly, overeating.

Healthy Ingredients

Lecithin is a special phospholipid. It ensures healthy skin and coat, helps protect the liver and heart, and converts hard-to-digest fats into easily digestible ones. Lecithin is also added to food to better mix the fat components, form granules and reduce the risk of mold formation - in this case, it is more of a technological additive than a component beneficial to the health of the pet.

Taurine is an amino acid, a building block of animal proteins. It is vital for cats, but dogs need it to a lesser extent. Adding it to the diet as a separate component is an indicator of the low quality of the protein components of the diet or their insufficient quantity.

Since they cannot provide the animal’s body with the necessary amount of taurine, the manufacturer has to add it additionally, balancing the composition of the feed according to amino acids.

Yeast extract (of unknown origin) is a source of B vitamins, but its quality cannot be assessed.

Crab shells (containing ingredient No. 27) contain chitosan, a natural polysaccharide that promotes weight loss. The correct translation of “crab and shrimp meal” is flour made from crabs and shrimp.

New Zealand green mussels (No. 36) are rich in glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) - the building materials of cartilage tissue. GAGs are beneficial for the animal's joints and ligaments.

With all this, the exact amount of New Zealand green mussels and crab and shrimp flour is not indicated by the manufacturer. Whether they can have a beneficial effect on the body in such small quantities is an open question. These products may have been added to make the food appear healthier.

Yucca Schidigera extract reduces fecal odor. Chicory root (a source of inulin) promotes gut health and normalizes the balance of good and bad gut bacteria.

In addition, this diet contains dried berries, fruits, vegetables, seaweed and seasonings (including organic ones). These include: organic dried blueberries, dried pineapple, organic quinoa, chamomile, aniseed, dried kelp, dried alfalfa, organic green tea extract, juniper berries and many more.

All of these plants are listed at the end of the ingredient list, so there must be a small amount of them in the composition. In addition, it is unknown how many valuable vitamins, micro- and macroelements are stored in ready-made dry food granules.

Pronature Holistic for Senior Dogs also includes a variety of vitamin and mineral supplements. They are necessary partly due to the lack of minerals and vitamins in the raw materials, partly due to the peculiarities of the technological process for the production of dry food (this is the industry norm, and therefore is not a direct indicator of high or low quality of the diet).

Pronature Original dog food - reviews

Dry dog food Pronature Original has been sold in Russian pet stores for several years now. During this time, quite a lot of reviews about it appeared on the Internet; below we have collected a few of them.

Reviews from veterinarians

Unfortunately, we were unable to find direct reviews from veterinarians about this brand of food. If there are any in the future, we will supplement this review with them.

Customer Reviews

Julia writes:

My dog is on a mixed diet, eats dry food in the morning and evening, and natural food for lunch. Pronature Original was tried as a puppy, 28 Small & Medium Puppy. At first he went well, but by the end of the package the puppy ate poorly. That's why I didn't buy any more.
Now about the food itself. The packaging is convenient with a zipper, there are different packaging options. The price is reasonable. Didn't cause any digestive problems, no allergies. But there are also disadvantages - it is difficult to find on sale, the composition is not ideal.
Regarding non-ideal composition, I mean chicken meal instead of meat, corn, corn gluten. And of course, the downside is that the dog stopped eating. In the end, I think this food is a good option, better than Pro Plan and Royal Canin.

*The photos above are not a direct illustration of the reviews presented in the review. The photo shows the old type of packaging; the food recently changed its packaging design.

Elena writes:

From a large number of different foods I chose this one. I liked that it is not greasy and the consumption is not high. My Chihuahua eats with appetite, her fur does not shed more than necessary, and the dog itself is active.
I read a lot of forums, everyone has different opinions about this food. For some, the composition is important, for others the price, but for me it’s both. I didn’t find anything wrong with Pronature in the original composition, although I’m not strong in it. The price is also not expensive.
But the most important thing is that my dog likes the food and is healthy. Therefore, I recommend trying this food.

Natalya writes:

I don’t have time to cook separately for the dog, so I feed it dry food. They already have a balanced composition with all the necessary vitamins and microelements. I buy Pronature original for medium breeds. Before this he took Brit Premium, but his dog ate less willingly and his stool was a little worse. Although it was more affordable financially.
A large bag lasts for a long time, and in terms of price, it is best to take large bags. The dog is healthy, the exit is excellent, there are no other problems. I advise you to pay attention to this brand of food.

Cons of food

The food contains 7 grain derivatives and 5 sources of fiber. Inaccuracies in the translation into Russian of a number of ingredients have been identified, probably for marketing purposes.

Among the huge number of declared components (70 items on the list), there are quite exotic ones (dried pineapple, turmeric, etc.). How much each of the additives is really beneficial for the body (as part of the finished feed) is an open question.

Contains cellulose powder - a harmful filler from unknown raw materials.

conclusions

Pronature Holistic Fish and Rice food for inactive and senior dogs is based on a blend of one raw and one dried animal protein source, a root vegetable (a source of plant protein and starch) and three grains (a source of plant protein). The food contains decent sources of animal protein, but is also quite high in grains, root vegetables and fiber.

It is unusual that some manufacturers combine in their lines products for older dogs and those pets who have low activity levels. This is also done in the Holistic line of the Pronature brand; for different groups of pets, a diet containing white fish and wild rice is recommended.

If you look at the composition of this food, it is respectful that such a large number of ingredients are listed without groupings, such as vitamins and minerals, in one short phrase. But we also noticed strange translations of a number of main ingredients into Russian - it seems that mistakes were made in order to embellish these components in the composition.

It’s great that the first two ingredients in the composition are sources of animal protein, but there are also enough carbohydrates and vegetable protein in this food, because as many as 4 cereals and potatoes are listed below. We believe that the composition contains enough fiber and without harmful cellulose powder, which is also added to this diet.

There are several organic components in this food, but all of them are not in the top five or even in the top ten in the composition. There is a suspicion that these organic ingredients are more like an advertising gimmick - after all, the real benefits of organic products even in the human diet have not been proven, and here each of them is also contained in very small quantities.

Advantages and disadvantages of food

Despite the naturalness and usefulness of Pronature brand dry food, reviews of the product are very varied and speak not only of the advantages, but also of some of the disadvantages of the product.

To maintain the health of your pet, you need to regularly do preventive treatments against worms with drugs such as: “Drontal”, “Milbemax”, “Kaniquantel”, “Ivermectin”, as well as against fleas and ticks using “Bravecto”, “Bars” and others.

About the advantages

According to numerous reviews about the Pronature brand, the advantages include:

availability of strict quality control;
natural ingredients in the composition;
vitamin complexes and prebiotics in the composition;

absence of pork and beef in the composition, which cause allergies in the animal;
absence of synthetic preservatives and dyes;
ease of calculating portions;
clear labeling system on packaging;
Availability of packages of different weights.

Important! High digestibility of nutrients from feed is achieved under the condition of constant consumption of high-quality feed. With frequent changes of brands, digestibility drops by half, which negatively affects the dog’s health.