In this comparison article for Pro Pac vs Adirondack, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Pro Pac and Adirondack, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.
Throughout this Adirondack vs Pro Pac comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Pro Pac Review Page or Adirondack Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Adirondack vs. Pro Pac
According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.
All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.
Pro Pac Dog Food vs. Adirondack Dog Food
Dry Dog Food
Pro Pac
Adirondack
Crude Protein
27.5%
28.6%
Crude Fat
16.0%
16.7%
Crude Fiber
5.2%
4.7%
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.
As you can see, Pro Pac and Adirondack guarantee a similar amount of crude protein.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.
Pro Pac and Adirondack both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.
Pro Pac Cat Food vs. Adirondack Cat Food
Dry Cat Food
Pro Pac
Adirondack
Crude Protein
36.7%
34%
Crude Fat
16.7%
14.7%
Crude Fiber
10%
3.6%
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.
If you look at the average percentages of crude protein, you'll notice that Pro Pac typically guarantees 2.67% more protein. This is a fairly small difference between Pro Pac and Adirondack, but still worth mentioning.
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
Maintain healthy blood pressure
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Fats improve the taste/texture of food.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
The table shows that Adirondack provides far less fiber than Pro Pac. The difference in fiber content is roughly 6.44%.
Pro Pac Pet Food Ingredients vs. Adirondack Pet Food Ingredients
Pro Pac and Adirondack both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Pea Protein
Pea Protein
Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Pro Pac.
Garlic
Garlic
Garlic in very small quantities can be an acceptable addition, however, garlic can also be toxic. Therefore many pet owners choose to completely avoid garlic.
Meat Meal
Meat Meal
Meat meal is produced by cooking meat using a process called rendering. The rendering process dramatically reduces the natural moisture of meat and thereby results in a highly condensed protein source.
This ingredient is marked controversial because the source animal for the meat is not specified. These type of anonymous ingredient are typically very low quality and certainly inexpensive additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the meat source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.
Corn Flour
Corn Flour
Corn flour a ground cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by pets to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in pet food should certainly warrant further questioning.
White Rice
White Rice
White rice is produced by removing the husk, germ, and bran of rice grains. Unlike brown rice which contains the bran and germ, white rice is nutritionally empty.
Caramel Color
Caramel Color
Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.
Soybean Flour
Soybean Flour
Soybean flour contains more than 50% protein. Therefore, soybean can significantly boost the protein content of the product. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.
Ground Yellow Corn
Ground Yellow Corn
Ground yellow corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by pets to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in pet food should certainly warrant further questioning.
Powdered Cellulose
Powdered Cellulose
Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Adirondack.
Canola Oil
Canola Oil
Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Pro Pac.
Bha
Bha
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is an artificial preservative and possible cancer-causing agent. Studies have show that BHA can be linked to various tumors in laboratory animals.
Blue 1
Blue 1
Blue 1 is an artificial dye with serious but unconfirmed health concerns. Like other dyes, blue 1 does not provide any nutritional value.
Red 40
Red 40
Red 40 is the most widely used artificial dye in consumer goods. Studies have shown that red 40 may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, cause allergy-like reactions and trigger hyperactivity in children.
Yellow 5
Yellow 5
Yellow 5 is an artificial dye which may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. Like other dyes, yellow 5 does not provide any nutritional value.
Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol
Proplyene glycol is an artificial preservative which has been banned by the FDA for use in cat food. Unfortunately, proplyene gycol is approved for use in dog food. Studies have linked proplyene glycol to heinz body anemia, a blood disorder.
Product Safety: Recall History of Pro Pac & Adirondack?
Pro Pac has been recalled 2 times.
Jan. 11, 2021: Aflatoxin
March 28, 2021: Salmonella
According to our records, Adirondack has never been recalled.
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
Dry Dog Food
Pro Pac
Adirondack
Per Pound
$2.10
$2.51
Per Calorie
$0.0013
$0.0015
Dry Cat Food
Pro Pac
Adirondack
Per Pound
$2.49
$3.10
Per Calorie
$0.0015
$0.0019
The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.
If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Pro Pac or Adirondack, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.
Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Pro Pac or Adirondack will depend on your shopping habits.
Cost Analyzer Widget
Cost of Feeding Pro Pac
Cost Per Day:
Cost Per Year:
Cost of Feeding Adirondack
Cost Per Day:
Cost Per Year:
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Pro Pac and Adirondack. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!
Where To Buy Pro Pac Pet Foods
You can purchase Pro Pac pet foods from the following stores:
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Where To Buy Adirondack Pet Foods
You can purchase Adirondack pet food products from these retailers:
