The short answer: Despite "With Real Chicken" on the bag, Purina Puppy Chow's first ingredient is whole grain corn, and the second is chicken by-product meal. The formula is built on fillers — corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and wheat dominate the ingredient list. For a food marketed specifically to growing puppies who need the best possible nutrition, this earns a D grade (39/100). Your puppy deserves better.

What's actually in Purina Puppy Chow?

We analyzed Purina Puppy Chow Complete With Real Chicken, one of the most widely available puppy foods in America. The first five ingredients are whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, beef fat preserved with mixed tocopherols, and soybean meal.

This is a grim top five for any dog food, but it's especially troubling for a puppy formula. Whole grain corn is a cheap filler that provides carbohydrate calories but minimal nutritional value for a growing dog. Chicken by-product meal at #2 is rendered from the less desirable parts of the chicken — feet, heads, intestines, undeveloped eggs — not the muscle meat your puppy needs. Corn gluten meal at #3 is a protein-boosting byproduct of corn processing that inflates the guaranteed analysis numbers without providing the amino acid profile of real meat. Soybean meal at #5 is another cheap plant protein filler and a common allergen. Shop on Amazon →

The good stuff

Beef fat preserved with mixed tocopherols at #4 is at least naturally preserved — no BHA or BHT, which is an improvement over some budget brands like Ol' Roy. Fat is an important energy source for growing puppies, and beef fat is palatable and calorie-dense.

Actual chicken does appear — at position #7. That's far enough down the list that the amount is minimal, but it's there. Rice at #8 is a clean, easily digestible grain. DL-Methionine is an amino acid supplement that supports urinary health, which is at least a gesture toward puppy-specific formulation.

The food does meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth, which means it provides the minimum required levels of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals for a puppy. Meeting minimums is not the same as optimal nutrition, but it's legally sellable as a complete puppy food.

The not-so-good stuff

The corn problem is extreme. Whole grain corn at #1 and corn gluten meal at #3 mean corn is the dominant ingredient by a wide margin. Combined, corn-derived ingredients almost certainly outweigh all animal protein in the formula. This is a corn-based food with some chicken added — not the other way around.

Soybean meal at #5 is a cheap protein source that's also one of the most common allergens in dogs. Whole grain wheat at #6 adds another allergen to the mix. Between corn, soy, and wheat, this formula contains the three ingredients most likely to trigger food sensitivities in puppies — a concerning trifecta for a developing immune system.

Animal digest is the ingredient that should concern every puppy owner. It's a chemically processed flavoring made from unspecified animal tissues — no species named, no parts specified. It's essentially a palatability enhancer used to make the corn-heavy base taste appealing enough for dogs to eat. Its presence suggests the base formula isn't palatable on its own.

Garlic oil, while present in a tiny amount, is controversial in dog food. Garlic is related to onions and contains compounds that can damage red blood cells in dogs. The amount in kibble is almost certainly too small to cause harm, but its inclusion in a puppy food is an unnecessary risk that quality brands avoid entirely.

How it compares

Purina Puppy Chow's D/39 ties it with its adult sibling Purina Dog Chow (D/39) — same company, same corn-and-by-product foundation, same score. Beneful (C/58) scores just one point lower. All three are Purina budget products that land in D territory.

The tragedy is how little it would cost to do better. Diamond Naturals (B/78) costs only slightly more per bag and leads with chicken and chicken meal — no by-products, no corn gluten, no soy. The 39-point gap between these two foods represents one of the most impactful upgrades available in dog food, and it's especially important during the puppy growth phase when nutrition shapes lifelong health.

Even within the Purina family, Purina Pro Plan (C/62) offers meaningfully better nutrition — chicken first, fewer fillers, better protein quality — for a modest price increase.

Read the full breakdowns in our head-to-head comparisons: Purina Puppy Chow vs Purina Dog Chow, Iams Puppy vs Purina Puppy Chow, and Purina ONE Puppy vs Purina Puppy Chow.

The bottom line

Purina Puppy Chow Complete With Real Chicken earns a D grade (39/100) from KibbleIQ. The corn-first, by-product-heavy formula doesn't provide the nutritional foundation a growing puppy needs. The "With Real Chicken" claim on the bag is technically true but deeply misleading — chicken is the seventh ingredient, behind two forms of corn, soybean meal, beef fat, and wheat. If budget is the primary constraint, even a small step up to a B-tier brand will make a meaningful difference in your puppy's development. Shop on Amazon →

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