In this article
- Disclaimer: Purina Bella dog food was officially discontinued effective January 2023. To find similar products check out our reviews of this years best wet and canned dog foods.
Review Summary
We give Purina Bella dog food a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Purina Bella is a unique brand for small breeds like Yorkshire Terriers and Chihuahuas. This food is low-calorie, low-carb, and above average for protein and fat. Here’s the downside: it’s not the healthiest dog food you can find. We believe you can find food with better ingredients in the same price range. Even so, there are some things we like about this food that we want to share with you today, so let’s start chatting about the pros and cons of Purina Bella dog food.
At a Glance: The Best Purina Bella Dog Food Recipes:
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Our Favorite
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Purina Bella Lamb, Peas, & Sweet Potato Pâté |
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Purina Bella Chicken & Smoked Bacon Flavors Dog Food |
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Purina Bella Chicken, Carrot, & Potato Meal Topper |
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Purina Bella Natural Bites Chicken & Turkey |
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Purina Bella Natural Bites with Real Chicken & Beef |
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Purina Bella Dog Food Reviewed
Who Makes Purina Bella Dog Food and Where Is It Produced?
Purina Bella is a sub-brand of the pet food giant, Purina. Purina has several locations across the United States and even outside the country. However, Purina isn’t independently owned. Nestle, the mega food and drink processing company, has the upper hand with Purina.
Most of Purina’s dog food and ingredients come from within the country, although a few ingredients are outsourced. It’s hard to say where Purina manufactures Bella food, but Purina states it’s within the US.
Which Type of Dog Is Purina Bella Dog Food Best Suited For?
This food is tailored for small dog breeds only. It won’t have the proper amount of nutrition and calories for medium and large dog breeds.
Which Type of Dog Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
We recommend Health Extension small breed wet food cups if you want something cheap and easy to feed your dog. The first ingredient in all recipes is real meat, and they have a higher calorie count. Most of Health Extension’s recipes contain fish oil and more veggies and are affordable.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
Time for the meat of the discussion—the ingredients. The ingredients are usually a make-or-break for pet owners. We want our pets to be healthy, starting with what we feed them. In Purina Bella recipes, there are some good ingredients, but there are also some controversial ingredients.
We should begin by pointing out that most of the “bad” ingredients are in the dry food. For example, the dry food contains corn, wheat, and soy. The wet food is much better in regard to quality.
Not all recipes have many vegetables, but some are present in the food. They also contain meat by-products and a few ingredients that help make the gravy more gelatinous. There’s also some concern with the minerals not digesting properly. With all of that said, all recipes are free from artificial ingredients. The wet food has real meat as its first ingredient, and one formula even contains liver, an excellent source of protein and minerals.
Let’s look at each of these elements more closely so you can decide if it’s something to feed your little pooch.
Corn, Wheat, & Soy
Corn, wheat, and soy are highly controversial in the pet food industry. Some owners don’t mind it being in their pet’s food, and others avoid it at all costs.
So, why are these ingredients controversial? Corn, wheat, and soy are usually highly processed GMO crops. Although they provide some nutrition for pets, they’re usually used as primary ingredients in lower-quality dog foods instead of using meat and vegetables as the primary ingredients. Other pet owners may avoid these ingredients because their dogs may be allergic to them.
We always encourage pet owners to be health advocates for their own pets. If you don’t mind these ingredients, then keep reading! If you avoid these ingredients, this food won’t be a good choice.
Meat By-Product
A meat by-product is the non-rendered part of an animal that humans normally wouldn’t eat. This includes the liver, brain, spleen, lung, kidney, bone, etc. This does not include bones, teeth, horns, hooves, feathers, beaks, and hair. Despite many beliefs, these parts must be clean in animal food.
These foods may not be suitable or ideal for human consumption, but animals are more than willing to consume them. In fact, many animals do in the wild.
The difference between by-product and fresh organ meat is that by-product is a mix of several animal parts. Fresh organ meat is what it says it is—fresh organ meat. It isn’t mixed with anything else.
Carrageenan, Guar Gum, & Locust Bean Gum
These ingredients help make the gravy in wet food (and sometimes dry food) more gelatinous. The nutritional characteristics vary but are usually high in carbohydrates and fiber.
- Carrageenan: an extract from red seaweed native to the British Isles used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years.
- Guar Gum: made from guar beans and high in carbohydrates. High doses could have negative health effects.
- Locust Bean Gum (carob gum): extracted from carob tree seeds. Some people are allergic.
Vegetables
Since dogs are omnivores, it’s a good idea to offer food with fresh vegetables. You’ll see carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, and potatoes in most recipes. There are no other vegetables in their recipes, but at least there are some! This will provide balanced nutrition in your dog’s diet.
Carrot is the most prominent vegetable and an excellent source of vitamin A, fiber, and natural sugar.
Next, we have green beans, a great source of protein, calcium, iron, fiber, and several vitamins.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are found in many dog food recipes. Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins A, B6, and C and are low-fat. Both have a ton of fiber, helping your dog stay full.
Although there aren’t many veggies, the present ones have a lot to offer.
No Probiotics
Sadly, this food contains no probiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that help balance the gut microbiome and ultimately help the body fight illness.
The gut plays a crucial role in maintaining the overall health of your body, and probiotics can help improve its function. This doesn’t mean that the gut can do its job independently, but probiotics can certainly help.
Minerals Aren’t Chelated
We all need minerals for our bodies to function correctly, including your dog. Some minerals are hard to digest without the help of other minerals, so it’s a good idea to know if the minerals in your dog’s food are chelated.
Chelated minerals are bound to chelating agents or organic compounds such as amino acids to help the body absorb these minerals. This is especially important for dog foods enriched with vitamins and minerals. You can identify chelated minerals by their name on the ingredients label. For example:
- Zinc proteinate
- Copper chelate
- Iron glycinate
The downside to chelated minerals is it increases the cost of dog food. It looks like the minerals in Purina Bella food aren’t chelated, so some (not all) may be difficult to absorb.
A Quick Look at Purina Bella Dog Food
- No artificial ingredients
- Affordable
- Above average protein
- Above average fat
- Below average carb
- Small kibble size
- Not a lot of vegetables
- Minerals may be difficult to absorb
- Not good for dogs with chicken allergies
Recall History
The Purina Bella sub-brand hasn’t had any recalls, but Purina is familiar with recalls involving their other brands. In the past four years, Purina has had four recalls.
Purina voluntarily recalled their cattle and wildlife feed in October 2021 due to elevated urea levels in the feed. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily affect domestic animals.
However, in 2020, Purina recalled their rabbit and turkey feed because of elevated calcium levels. In 2019, Purina recalled their wet cat food Muse for the potential of rubber pieces found in the food. Finally, in 2018, Purina’s lamb chow received a recall because of elevated copper levels.
What Other Users Are Saying
Here’s what other people are saying about Purina Bella small dog breed food.
- Purina – “The Bella morsels sauce for small dogs was great. My dog loved it however it was a very small amount.”
- Chewy – “My Yorkie loved this Bella meal. He so enjoyed the peas and sweet potatoes in it. I will be purchasing again.”
- Amazon – As pet owners, we always look at the Amazon reviews from buyers before we buy something. You can read these by clicking here.
Conclusion
So, is this good food for small dog breeds? We believe there are good elements to this food. We like that one of the recipes contains liver and that all the food is higher-than-average protein. We also like how affordable it is and the absence of artificial ingredients.
We don’t like the lack of muscular meat in these recipes. Much of the protein comes from by-products and grains. We don’t believe these ingredients are harmful, but it would be nice to have a high-protein food with more animal-based protein.
Above all, we give this food 3.5 stars. It’s not the best food, but it’s not the worst. It’s affordable dog food with decent ingredients.
Related Reads:
- 10 Best Probiotics for Dogs – Reviews & Top Picks
- Is Corn in Dog Food Bad? Vet Approved Ingredient Guide
