# Eukanuba vs Pro Plan taste test



## golden boy 2 (Mar 28, 2005)

I have been a big fan of Nutra Max over the years but my dog won 80lbs of Pro Plan so I thought I would give it a try. When she left Howards house in July she has been on Pro Plan, I guided pheasants in South Dakota and shared a room with fellow RTF'r Marc Healy and he fed his labs Eukanuba while I fed my dog Pro Plan. His dogs would eat my dog's food and my dog would eat his dogs food. We figured they just wanted something different and had a good laugh. I had a $5 off coupon for Eukanuba and thought I would buy a bag, for kicks I split the bowl with Pro Plan and Eukanuba. After 4 days its rather comical to watch her eat around the Pro Plan, she will not touch it!! Howard, I know you are going to have a mild heart attack when you read this but she does actually eat!!

Then again it doesn't really matter, she was sold today.

I split the bowl into 2 parts.











Send in the dog...........










After 4 days, the same results!!!!!!!!


----------



## Gun_Dog2002 (Apr 22, 2003)

Sorry, its a flawed test. You can't let a prissy golden do a taste test. For that you need a confirmed eater. I'd post a pic of the same test I just performed following your steps with the 4 black dogs I have right now but they ate everything including the bowls. We'll have to wait for empty bowl pics until their morning constitution.

/Paul


----------



## Dale (Dec 21, 2003)

The title threw me. I was thinking " I am not tasting dog food".
Although one of my hunting partner's kids said dog treats taste pretty hood. Kid never was real bright.


----------



## Dale (Dec 21, 2003)

Gun_Dog2002 said:


> Sorry, its a flawed test. You can't let a prissy golden do a taste test. For that you need a confirmed eater. I'd post a pic of the same test I just performed following your steps with the 4 black dogs I have right now but they ate everything including the bowls. We'll have to wait for empty bowl pics until their morning constitution.
> 
> /Paul


Paul, I was thinking the same thing but didn't post it being close to Christmas and all. You never know about Santa, he may like them other retrievers better.


----------



## Angie B (Sep 30, 2003)

FWIW....

The dogs liked Eukanuba better than the Pro Plan... But to buy Euk locally it's no bargin and the rep is a jerk and won't work with you. Pro Plan is local, we had good service and delivery, but the price per pound now is bordering ridiculous. And the palatabability was still lower than anything else we've tried. To me it can be the best dog food in the world but if my dogs don't eat it, what good is it? Another very pricey but great feed is Royal Canine. If I had deep pockets, or less dogs. I would consider it in a heartbeat

We were introduced to Arkat Enhanced this spring and we love it. The service is great, the price is competitve and I have never, I mean NEVER had a dog turn it's nose up to it. That's dogs on the road or in the kennel. Boarding and training dogs alike. The rep and his service is topshelf. Greg has bent over backwards to make sure I have Arkat up north or in Timbucktoo... The only down side to Arkat is more stool... But we felt we could live with that. Go to their web-site which is linked to the banner above. Arkat is getting more and more distributors all the time. They're listed there.

Angie


----------



## DRAKEHAVEN (Jan 14, 2005)

Scientifically dogs have little to no sense of taste...sense of smell however is another matter. Smell is the ONLY sense they are born with....it's the one they rely on when all else fails.
________
F40


----------



## maydayretrievers (May 30, 2005)

thier is nothing wrong with EUK i was a pro plan believer but until you do a 30 or 60 day test you would switch..Eukanuba delivers right to my house a pallet a month they work with you and they have done more study's than most dog food.company's.Euk and Purina will go round and round ..but you need to call Euk angie cause your on the wrong page...
I have tested several dogs here that have come in for training and taken pics ..they were proven facts i will NEVER change EUKANUBA RULE'S


----------



## DRAKEHAVEN (Jan 14, 2005)

Well the world must be diffrent in snowflake AZ, because that guy at Lake Puckaway use to to feed EUK and they would not come down his driveway....so now he feeds Pro Plan !!!
________
Charles de Tornaco


----------



## maydayretrievers (May 30, 2005)

DRAKEHAVEN said:


> Well the world must be diffrent in snowflake AZ, because that guy at Lake Puckaway use to to feed EUK and they would not come down his driveway....so now he feeds Pro Plan !!![/QUOTE
> 
> FUNNY BECAUSE EUK ACTUALLY PAYS MY SHIPPING BECAUSE I AM OUT OF THIER AREA..JUST TO KEEP ME HAPPY..SO I DON;T UNDERSTAND..IF YOU ARE UPSET WITH EUK SEND ME A PM AND I WILL SEND IT ON TO MY REP..BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN GREAT AND HAS FOUGHT TO KEEP CUSTOMER'S HAPPY..AS FOR MY DOGS THEY LOOK BETTER THAN EVER AND I WILL NEVER SWITCH..
> EVERY DOG THAT COMES HERE FOR TRAINING IS WEIGHED MEASURED AND CHECKED BY MY VET..THEN PUT ON EUK AND I PASS RESULTS ON TO EUK..I AM DIE HARD EUK..AND MY CLIENTS HAVE ALL SWITCHED..JUST FROM THE RESULTS...BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PASS ON ANY INFO TO MY REP..I JUST REALLY BELIEVE IN EUK..JUST MY OPIONION


----------



## Vickie Lamb (Jan 6, 2003)

What formula of Pro Plan is that?...it's not Adult formula PP and it's not Performance formula PP, it looks like Puppy and if so, what formula? and what formula of Euk?


----------



## Rick Hall (Jan 21, 2003)

My first thought was "Wonder if it's lamb?", 'cause every dog I've given a choice has chosen chicken, regarless of brand.


----------



## Angie B (Sep 30, 2003)

That's funny Maydayretrievers, that you know so much about everyone's local Eukanuba rep. My rep for Eukanuba here is definitely not yours. Mine doesn't return phone calls. Now the rep up in New York was excellent. She knew the meaning of customer service and wanted my business.

Angie


----------



## badbullgator (Dec 20, 2004)

maydayretrievers said:


> DRAKEHAVEN said:
> 
> 
> > Well the world must be diffrent in snowflake AZ, because that guy at Lake Puckaway use to to feed EUK and they would not come down his driveway....so now he feeds Pro Plan !!![/QUOTE
> ...


----------



## Gerard Rozas (Jan 7, 2003)

Service is directly related to the local rep. If your rep sucks - then your service sucks.
Euk service in Galveston county SUCKS.

With a single dog - I am not going to order a pallet at a time. I want something I can buy off the shelve. I can't do that around here with Euk.

Ask for taste - I have had one dog loved Euk and was so-so about PP and one that was the exact opposite.


----------



## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

DRAKEHAVEN said:


> Well the world must be diffrent in snowflake AZ, because that guy at Lake Puckaway use to to feed EUK and they would not come down his driveway....so now he feeds Pro Plan !!!


Yes, that happened years ago. It does not depend on Euk but depends ENTIRELY on the distributor. Unless you are able to change distributors, you are stuck with them and their policies and if you have a distributor that delivers in your area, you are not going to get Euk to pay shipping. Many dog food companies for the most part have to work through distributors. I get great service-they put it right in my garage, but my friend in Iowa does not because the distributor wanted her to be home to sign a check for the exact amount in the middle of the day (and she never failed to make the payment on time) so she quit and started buying a food in town and won't go back unless they change their stupid policy. What dog trainer wants to waste a day just to get dog food delivered?


----------



## mjh345 (Jun 17, 2006)

Angie B said:


> FWIW....
> 
> We were introduced to Arkat Enhanced this spring and we love it. The service is great, the price is competitve and I have never, I mean NEVER had a dog turn it's nose up to it. That's dogs on the road or in the kennel. Boarding and training dogs alike. The rep and his service is topshelf. Greg has bent over backwards to make sure I have Arkat up north or in Timbucktoo... The only down side to Arkat is more stool... But we felt we could live with that. Go to their web-site which is linked to the banner above. Arkat is getting more and more distributors all the time. They're listed there.
> 
> Angie


Ditto for me


----------



## maydayretrievers (May 30, 2005)

Wow just an opionion ..I just really like EUK and they been good to me..And i go thru a Regional manager not a local rep..And beside pro plan does not deliever here either and i used to have to drive 4 hours round trip to get it..and they would not even deliver it to a local feed store for me..
Euk did and they have been good to me..and i like the way my dogs run and look just an opionion..business is business if you wanted the dog food and your rep sucks go above him..just a phone call..

I feed and believe in Euk feed what you..just and opionion..


----------



## Angie B (Sep 30, 2003)

maydayretrievers said:


> Wow just an opionion ..I just really like EUK and they been good to me..And i go thru a Regional manager not a local rep..And beside pro plan does not deliever here either and i used to have to drive 4 hours round trip to get it..and they would not even deliver it to a local feed store for me..
> Euk did and they have been good to me..and i like the way my dogs run and look just an opionion..business is business if you wanted the dog food and your rep sucks go above him..just a phone call..
> 
> I feed and believe in Euk feed what you..just and opionion..


Don't you think a few of us went passed the gate keeper??? Geeze, we didn't just fall off the turnip truck... 

Angie


----------



## wayne anderson (Oct 16, 2007)

Anyone heard of Exceed from Sam's Club? I have used it for some time, it has an excellent ingredient label (I am retired feed industry person and believe I understand nutrition and labeling), excellent price, my working dogs love it and do well on it, and guess who manufactures it? Just a thought...(I still use IAMs puppy food for the babies). So much current dog food marketing babble is just that, in my opinion.


----------



## DRAKEHAVEN (Jan 14, 2005)

Wayne,

Know a couple of the local boys that can not get either Euk or PP on the winter trip so they feed Exceed. The notice liitle or no diffrence. I used to feed it but stopped when I moved to the "sticks"

John
________
Corvette leaf spring


----------



## HiRollerlabs (Jun 11, 2004)

DRAKEHAVEN said:


> Wayne,
> 
> Know a couple of the local boys that can not get either Euk or PP on the winter trip so they feed Exceed. The notice liitle or no diffrence. I used to feed it but stopped when I moved to the "sticks"
> 
> John


I have been told that the ingredients in Sam's Club Exceed are the same as ProPlan Performance and that the price of Exceed is less than ProPlan Performance. Anyone know?


----------



## J. Torrey (Nov 11, 2007)

Vickie Lamb said:


> What formula of Pro Plan is that?...it's not Adult formula PP and it's not Performance formula PP, it looks like Puppy and if so, what formula? and what formula of Euk?


My thoughts exactly. It looks like proplan Adult VS. Euk's premium performance. Proplan's performance has a smaller kibble then what's pictured. 

We had used Euk for years, but things changed after PG bought them. I was never able to put my finger on it, but my dogs got finicky and there coats where not as good. 

We switched to Proplan performance and We've been happy ever since. The other benefit is Proplan's order and delivery system is much more reliable. 

I can't tell you how many times we got the wrong order delivered from PFX. 

Just my two cents.


----------



## golden boy 2 (Mar 28, 2005)

Its large breed, green and black bag, pointing dog on the bag. if that helps


----------



## Dan Wegner (Jul 7, 2006)

I agree with Angie. Started feeding Arkat - VF Complete Active Adult a couple years ago and have been really pleased ever since. I only have 3 dogs, so I don't buy it by the pallet or have a special deal with a distributor. I call up my local feed store and order 4 - 6 bags at a time and they have it in within a few days. It's priced much better than some of the bigger names, becasue Arkat doesn't have all the marketing overhead that Eukanuba or Purina have.

Dogs have done great on it...


----------



## FowlDawgs (Oct 22, 2007)

I've never had problems with the Euk reps around here, but that's not to say that some reps someplace else aren't ***holes. I switched from Pro Plan to Euk Sporting. I have an idea....feed whatever you think you need to feed and be happy or switch to something else. I had no problems with PP other than Mojo wasn't putting any weight with it, so I switched her to Euk and it's worked for her.

Cory


----------



## ajorda12 (Jul 21, 2007)

just my two cents.....

my dog is picky too say the least but she turned her nose up to pro plan, so i started her on eagle pack and she has loved it... wondering if any pro's out there use eagle? My dog seems to have much more energy on it.. it also is cheaper then the proplan and euk and the ingredients seem to be just as good if not better in my opinion


----------



## Steve Shaver (Jan 9, 2003)

I've looked at the ingredients of both of these and I am not impressed at all. Too much corn stuff high up on the list. I was under the impression that corn is nothing but a filler and is to be avoided. Am I wrong????? I feed Exclusive and love it.


----------



## Swampcollie (Jan 16, 2003)

Steve Shaver said:


> I've looked at the ingredients of both of these and I am not impressed at all. Too much corn stuff high up on the list. I was under the impression that corn is nothing but a filler and is to be avoided. Am I wrong????? I feed Exclusive and love it.


Corn is not a filler. It is a source of carbs and some essential fatty acids.


----------



## Steve Shaver (Jan 9, 2003)

Swampcollie said:


> Corn is not a filler. It is a source of carbs and some essential fatty acids.





But aren't there better sources of carbs and fatty acids? Didn't think corn was very digestable. It is illegal to use for fish bait in a lot of places because fish cannot digest it and I know when I eat it it comes out pretty much the same as it went in. I know disgusting, but true.


----------



## Angie B (Sep 30, 2003)

Steve Shaver said:


> But aren't there better sources of carbs and fatty acids? Didn't think corn was very digestable. It is illegal to use for fish bait in a lot of places because fish cannot digest it and I know when I eat it it comes out pretty much the same as it went in. I know disgusting, but true.


Depends on how it's processed. Corn is an excellent source of energy.

Angie


----------



## Rick Hall (Jan 21, 2003)

The skin doesn't digest well. Grind the corn and that problem is solved.


----------



## wayne anderson (Oct 16, 2007)

Yeah, that is the problem, you need to be relatively near a Sams. I started on it when I began to coming to South Georgia for winters, but am near a Sams's in Twin Cities area in the summer. I understand Wal-Mart has same food in different brand name, but cannot recall what that name is.


----------



## wayne anderson (Oct 16, 2007)

Hi, Anne, I understand Exceed and ProPlan Hi-P are indeed the same, I know Purina ProPlan makes Exceed. And the price definitely are different!


----------



## Vickie Lamb (Jan 6, 2003)

wayne anderson said:


> Hi, Anne, I understand Exceed and ProPlan Hi-P are indeed the same, I know Purina ProPlan makes Exceed. And the price definitely are different!


Just FYI, Purina PP doesn't have a Hi-P. And when Purina makes feed for other companies, they do so to those companies specifications, not their own by any means.


----------



## Vickie Lamb (Jan 6, 2003)

golden boy 2 said:


> Its large breed, green and black bag, pointing dog on the bag. if that helps


That bag is Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy, has a Weimaraner on the bag, and the feed has a partial analysis of 28% protein and 13% fat. 

In contrast, Pro Plan Performance, which was _not_ used in the "test" is 30% protein and 20% fat. Besides doing a number of beneficial things in the diet, fat adds to the palatability of a feed. 

Thanks for clearing up which one you used.


----------



## Jere (Dec 22, 2007)

I fed Sam's Exceed for a long time. The dogs loved it and maintained well on it. I could get it fairly easily as I traveled around the lower states hunting during the winter. It was then made to the ProPlan performance formula for Sam's by Purina - at least my investigations seemed to confirm that rumor. Life was good. At ~$20 per 40 pound bag it represented a substantial savings over ProPlan.

Then the Sam's bean counters got involved and, maybe some "marketing" geniuses too. They removed the fish oil from the formula (and probably cheapened the food otherwise) - the notice said it would 
smell better" after the change! My dogs turned their noses away when I put the bowl down.

I switched to ProPlan performance and have not looked back. I can get it as I travel at Petco. The price is about twice what I was paying for Exceed. The dog's do well on it but one digests it better than the other.

The Wal-Mart food some folks think is the same as Exceed but in a different bag (forget the name at the moment) is not the same and is made by another plant. I fed that in emergincies but the dogs did not eat it as well.

Hi Vickie, How'd the summer go? And when do I get that report on the Alaska trip?

Jere


----------



## Page (Jul 21, 2005)

My dogs love the ProPlan. I use the Performance Formula, the Chicken and Rice formula, as well as the Sensative skin formula. None of my dogs really have sensative skin, but it contains more fish oil and a salmon flavor that my dogs LOVE. 

Jere - Thanks for posting the info on Exceed. I kept meaning to try it, but if they removed the fish oil and cheapened it a bit I won't waste my time.


----------



## DEDEYE (Oct 27, 2005)

> Then again it doesn't really matter, she was sold today.


Hey Mikey! What did ya do that for?????? Are you getting another puppy?


----------



## coryf (Aug 14, 2004)

I've fed all 3.....arkat (enhance I think), PP performance and Eukanuba Sporting. I bought Euk last time because PP was somewhere around $8/bag higher (44# bag of Euk vs. 37.5# bag of PP). Arkat was at the bottom.....loose and stinky stools......I don't remember what the formulation was. Not much difference between the Euk and PP but the dogs seemed to look just a little better on the PP performance. My 7 dogs ate them all just fine.


----------



## torg (Feb 21, 2005)

Been feeding Exceed for 2 years now. $21.90 for a 44 lb. bag. 30% Protein, 20% Fat. They have stickers right on the bag that says compared to "Eukanuba Chicken and Rice." I always look for info on the bag that says "Good for all life stages" and/or Super Premium Food, then I know it has to have enough quality ingredients that a puppy in it's growth period, a pregnant bitch, or a lactating female will do fine on it. We feed about 4 cups a day per dog with a little variation depending how the dog looks physically. The comparable food from Walmart is Maxximum Nutrition and that seemed to be about the same. We have also fed that in the past. All pups, pregnant or lactating females get Nutrisource small/ medium breed puppy food. Can't beat Nutrisource for a super premium dog food but the price keeps rising, it is still less than Eukanuba or Pro Plan. I also purchase the big bottles of fish oil capsules and throw one in the food bowl every few days along with the food.


----------



## LabLady (Jan 27, 2003)

This is 12 week old Tazer. He is my pup from the Weezer x ('07 NFC) Windy litter that I whelped. Ken wanted me to feed the pups Euk, because that is what he feeds all his gals. However, after Tazer discovered Pro Plan, I couldn't keep him out of the bag!!! 

He used to pick at his food and take forever to finish, but when I switched him to PP large breed puppy, his eating habits have changed. He loves the stuff as you can see from the picture!!!


----------



## mjh345 (Jun 17, 2006)

DEDEYE said:


> Hey Mikey! What did ya do that for?????? Are you getting another puppy?


Mary; he sold Haley to me for $500, because the Golden people embarressed him with their pissing and moaning thread that ran so long. He said if it got to 10 pages he was going to buy one of Howard's pups, and if it got to 11 he was going to sell her for $500. He chose to sell her to me, since I had spent so much time with the little redhead.


I still haven't picked her up yet; but since that thread ran to something like 19 or 20 pages eventually, I figure the price should have dropped to about $100. 
She is on the derby list for 2007 with 29 points, however she is a Golden, so I figure $100 is a fair price. 

Don't get your panties in a wad all you sensitive Golden people, I'm just joking!!!

P.S. Hey Mike if you still want to get rid of Haley I will still take her and feed her. I'll even give you the full purchase price of $500 if you really think she is worth it!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


----------



## DEDEYE (Oct 27, 2005)

mjh345 said:


> Mary; he sold Haley to me for $500, because the Golden people embarressed him with their pissing and moaning thread that ran so long. He said if it got to 10 pages he was going to buy one of Howard's pups, and if it got to 11 he was going to sell her for $500. He chose to sell her to me, since I had spent so much time with the little redhead.
> 
> 
> I still haven't picked her up yet; but since that thread ran to something like 19 or 20 pages eventually, I figure the price should have dropped to about $100.
> ...


LOL! That's pretty funny. $500.00 He can still have a goldish colored dog. I happen to know someone who has one...


----------

