Purina Alpo Dog Food Reviewed

Alpo Dog Food is a pet food line from Purina.

In 1936, Robert F. Hunsicker founded Alpo Dog Food in his garage in Allentown, PA. He named the brand Alpo by forming a contraction of the words “Allen Products.” Later, in 1964, the company was bought by Ligget & Myers Tobacco Company.

Since then, Alpo has been owned by several corporations until the latest development in 2001 when Friskies Petcare, Alpo’s parent company at the time, merged with Ralston Purina Company, which is in turn owned by Nestle.

This makes Alpo part of Nestle Purina Petcare, a pet food brand that is No 2 in worldwide sales with nearly $14 billion in annual revenue in 2020.

Alpo Dog Food is made in the USA.

However, Alpo’s website does not mention where these facilities are. Also, the brand states that its ingredients are sourced in the USA, but they do not elaborate on how or where they are sourced.

Alpo Dog Food is a grain-inclusive budget brand of dog food that uses a limited amount of named meat and bone meal as the primary sources of protein.

Its ingredients are sourced in the USA, but no further specification is given, and its recipes are all pretty standard for brands in this price category, including Dog Chow and Beneful.

Since the ingredients in Alpo Dog Food are standard, it can be assumed they do not use specialty production practices in their manufacturing as their production process is not outlined anywhere on their website.

The generic process of making dog food involves dehydrating ingredients and grinding them into powder. From there, they are cooked under pressure and heat and then pressed into kibble. Then, the kibble is cooled, packaged, and shipped to store shelves.

Yes, Alpo Dog Food is good.

The formulas supply dogs with the necessary nutrients dogs need to be healthy. The ingredients that provide those nutrients, however, are often plant-based and low-quality meat by-products.

There are different Alpo Dog Food formulas. To help owners find the right recipe for their dogs, we have reviewed several Alpo wet and Alpo dry dog foods.

Get it on Amazon          Get it on Chewy

Summary: This adult dry dog food contains all of the nutrients to be considered a source of complete nutrition for adult dogs. It is made in the USA and uses meat and bone meal as the primary source of protein. Containing 23 essential vitamins and minerals as well as calcium for bone health, this is formulated to keep adult dogs active and healthy. It is sold in three different sizes from 4-37-pound bags.

Type: Dry dog food

Best for: Adult dogs

Flavor Options: Savory Beef Flavor

Price: $0.74/lb

Ingredient Analysis: Ground yellow corn is the first ingredient and is largely considered filler by dog owners as it provides almost no nutritional value outside of carbohydrates. Beef and bone meal are the primary source of protein, which is not necessarily bad as it is easily digestible and contains organ meats. Soybean meal and beef fat preserved with mixed tocopherols supply fiber and crude fat, but animal digest, an animal protein that has been broken down using enzymes and acids, is used for increased flavor as well as corn gluten meal.

Review: Reviews of this food are few and far between, but the general opinion is lackluster. Among reviews across pet food review websites, Alpo consistently pulls in 1 and 2-star ratings for their low-quality ingredients. However, there is a large number of pet owners whose dogs enjoy this food and do well on it.

Get it on Amazon

Summary: This wet dog food in gravy delivers complete and balanced nutrition. It uses poultry, liver, chicken, and lamb as its primary sources of protein and is formulated with 23 different essential vitamins and minerals. The soft texture of this food makes it easy to chew for dogs of all life stages, including seniors and puppies. It is sold in 13.2 oz cans and is available in a variety pack of 12 cans to provide quick and easy meals for your dog.

Type: Wet dog food

Best for: Dogs of all life stages

Flavor Options: Lamb & Rice, Turkey & Wholesome veggie, Beef, Beef & Vegetables, Chicken & Wholesome Veggie

Price: $1.55/can

Ingredient Analysis: Water and unspecified poultry are the first two ingredients, and although the poultry provides protein, it is impossible to know the source, and this can be problematic for dogs with food sensitivities. Unnamed liver and meat by-products are also used to boost the protein in this food, which is not ideal for the same reason. Real chicken and lamb are on the ingredient list, but, unfortunately, they are not within the first three ingredients.

Review: Most over 2,000 reviews on Amazon and Chewy are positive. Consumers seem to have dogs who enjoy this food and are eager to eat it come mealtime, and they are happy they can see the chunks of meat in the food instead of a generic gelatinous pate. Negative reviews were a bit scattered in their reasons for leaving critical reviews, though. Complaints ranged from the food making their dogs sick to damaged products when they received them in the mail to receiving counterfeit products from Amazon sellers.

Get it on Amazon

Summary: Featuring real meat as the main protein source, this is Alpo’s only product to feature whole animal protein. The meaty texture this provides is made to make dogs happy and give them a mealtime to look forward to. It is formulated with 23 essential vitamins and minerals to provide complete nutrition and is suitable for dogs of all life stages. Available in variety packs and sold in 13.2 oz cans, this food is designed to be affordable and provide your dog with everything it needs to be healthy, from taste and texture to nutrients and

Type: Wet dog food

Best for: Dogs of all life stages

Flavor Options: T-Bone Steak Flavor, Beef Flavor, Rotisserie Chicken Flavor

Price: $2.68/can

Ingredient Analysis: Water is the first ingredient, but chicken and real beef are high on the list, and these are high-quality protein sources. Rice flour adds healthy carbs, but unnamed liver and meat by-products are used for higher protein content. The unnamed mystery sources of these ingredients can be troublesome for dogs who have allergies as it is impossible to know from where these ingredients came. Added color is included to make the food look better, but this is unnecessary as dogs really do not care what food looks like, making this ingredient nothing more than filler for human visual consumption.

Review: Dog owners generally seem to love this food. Their dogs are excited to eat it, and nearly 90% of reviews are from happy customers. Negative reviews made up less than 5% of total reviews on Amazon and Chewy, and the most common complaint was about receiving dented cans. While some dog owners mentioned their dogs were unhappy with the food, most really just hit on the note that most cans were dented when purchased through Amazon.

Purina Alpo Dog Food makes a variety of products for dogs of all ages. Here is a list of the brand’s formulas:

There are several factors that go into determining how much food to feed your dog.

Weight, activity level and age are points of consideration when figuring this out. Most dog foods will have feeding charts to help you determine what the appropriate amount of dog food is, and Alpo is no different.

On the official Alpo Dog Food website, there are feeding charts with specific guidelines.

Yes, Purina Alpo Dog Food has been recalled.

Alpo Dog Food has only one recall in its history: March 2007. The food recall was due to melamine contamination in vegetables imported from China.

Yes, Alpo Dog Food is worth it. This is particularly true if you are on a tight budget.

Although Alpo provides dogs with all the nutrients for overall wellness, its recipes contain fillers, artificial colors, and by-products.

Alpo Dog Food formulas are affordable and therefore have high accessibility, but when you look at the product details and learn about the ingredients, they rank low in terms of quality.