# Pro Pac vs Earthborn



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Has anyone ever used both foods? I've fed Earthborn...Abbie is on the Great Plains Feast right now, which is one of the foods she does the best on. Since they are owned by the same company, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with both? Admittedly, I used to work for Earthborn/Pro Pac but we were supposed to for sure focus on Earthborn.


----------



## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

meggels said:


> Has anyone ever used both foods? I've fed Earthborn...Abbie is on the Great Plains Feast right now, which is one of the foods she does the best on. Since they are owned by the same company, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with both? Admittedly, I used to work for Earthborn/Pro Pac but we were supposed to for sure focus on Earthborn.


I have used Primitive and Pro Pac HP 30/20. Pro Pac HP is vastly superior despite costing half as much. Before Dr. Tim's became easily available I used Pro Pac HP quite often. It is everything Pro Plan used to be. 

You were supposed to focus on Earthborn because the profit margins are better.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Can you explain why it's superior? My hound mix does GREAT on the Great Plains Feast, she's had the Primitive Natural in the past and did well on that also.


----------



## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

Better coat, better stools, more digestible and for active or working/sporting dogs less pooping. There is more meat protein in Pro Pac HP than in all the Earthborns except for Primitive. The problem with Primitive is the dangerous ash levels and the wrong fiber for active dogs. Nonstop drinking on that food also probably due to the phosporous.

I am sure many dogs do well on Earthborn but to say it is better than Pro Pac is just not true. Pro Pac is simple, affordable and very very effective.

Like I said, If I were to switch I would certainly use it again but Pursuit is not leaving my household.

You can get the Adult Chunk 25/16 in 44lb bags for $30.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I was also considering trying her on Precise in the future.

I get my food through my friend's store at cost, and I wanted to try Dr. Tim's but it's not available in this area through the suppliers...


----------



## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

meggels said:


> I was also considering trying her on Precise in the future.
> 
> I get my food through my friend's store at cost, and I wanted to try Dr. Tim's but it's not available in this area through the suppliers...


Precise is a really good choice too, the standard formulas. The 44lb Foundation bags are on sale nationwide for $40.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I'll have to see what my friend can get it for. They own a dog food store, so that tends to be my best bet for prices


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I'm not a big fan of either one, I remember when I worked for midwestern, what rubbed me the wrong way was the sales manager kept telling customers how superior pro pac was to other brands since it's not soy but meat based. Except that it doesn't even specify what meat they use which could be anything.


----------



## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

ProPac use named chicken, lamb and fish meals. Sportmix use chicken by-product meals, lamb meals and meat meals. Is that what you meant?


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> I'm not a big fan of either one, I remember when I worked for midwestern, what rubbed me the wrong way was the sales manager kept telling customers how superior pro pac was to other brands since it's not soy but meat based. Except that it doesn't even specify what meat they use which could be anything.


Chicken meal and lamb meal???


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

the bags I looked at just said "meat meal".

Sorry, I meant sportmix, not pro pac, heres the ingredient list

Meat Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Menhaden Fish Meal, Flaxseed, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Oxide.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Oh, yeah. Sportmix is a separate company isn't it? Like Earthborn is from ProPac?


----------



## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

They are all from Midwestern Petfoods


----------



## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Unosmom said:


> the bags I looked at just said "meat meal".
> 
> Sorry, I meant sportmix, not pro pac, heres the ingredient list
> 
> Meat Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Menhaden Fish Meal, Flaxseed, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Oxide.



I'm sorry, I would never feed this food. I don't get it???... why, after everything we've learned about better Dog Foods, would anyone feed this. It turns everything on its head and spins it around 9000 degrees. By Products, unnamed meals, Corn as a really, really, really prominent ingredient(I'm not convinced Corn is the devil but this is a primary part of this food)....Not too mention, I'd be shocked if this type of food gives a rip about Ethoxyquin.


----------



## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

kevin bradley said:


> I'm sorry, I would never feed this food. I don't get it???... why, after everything we've learned about better Dog Foods, would anyone feed this. It turns everything on its head and spins it around 9000 degrees. By Products, unnamed meals, Corn as a really, really, really prominent ingredient(I'm not convinced Corn is the devil but this is a primary part of this food)....Not too mention, I'd be shocked if this type of food gives a rip about Ethoxyquin.


Actually, it's not a bad food at all, **IF** the meat meal is of good quality. If it's of bad quality everything is out the window. It's not meat and bone meal nor is it meat by-products. It should contain predominantly clean pork and beef meat tissue. I don't know this for sure but chances are that it is the same supplier of meals that is used in Pro Pac and Earthborn, but for market reasons they offer a less costly product where they do not separate the meat sources during rendering. There is lots of animal sources here and low ash by-product meals are highly digestible as shown earlier and does not contain any of the nasty stuff some preach. Corn is not the primary part, I'd guess somewhere in the mid twenties. I highly doubt Midwestern use Ethoxyquin. The mineral premix use sulfates and oxides. Not the best but on the other hand it's not a high protein food so mineral absorption will be better than with a high protein diet anyway.

It's a 24/20 food with 4.26 kcal/g. Those numbers are not that common making it a good alternative for dogs who burn a lot of calories but you don't want to flood he/she with 200 to 400% of their daily protein need.

I agree, ideally I don't want to see an unnamed meat source but if I could be convinced that the meat meal is good I don't see any big issues with this food for active dogs. It's not a food for your average backyard rover.


----------



## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

thanks Vike.

I guess just too many "if's" in there for me. But I can't disagree with what you wrote.


----------



## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

I fed Pro Pac and Earthborn. I had better results with Earthborn for most of my dogs. And by better results I mean- better coats, stools, and they liked the foods more. Pro Pac was ok though. I fed the purple bag puppy/high performance formula, but it was while ago. Earthborn dogs did best on Great Plains and Meadows Feast. Didn't really care for the fish one or the Primitive.


----------



## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Currently changing my dogs to Earthborn Meadow Feast. from TOTW Pacific Stream. We'll see if I like it or not, soon. My dogs like anything - they're not picky... Not feeding Pro Pac, since it's grain heavy.


----------

