Nutro Dog Food Reviews

Nutro Dog Food Overview

Nutro Products, Inc. has been in business since 1926. The company is a subsidiary of Mars Petcare, one of the largest pet food makers in the world. Dog foods manufactured by Nutro include Nutro (formerly Nutro Natural Choice), MAX, Nutro Ultra Holistic, Rotations, and Farm’s Harvest pet foods. Nutro also makes the very popular Greenies treats. The company also makes cat foods. The company has headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville. Nutro products are sold in Asia, Australia, Europe, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. The company’s adult lamb and rice dog food has been a top selling premium dog food for years. Nutro dog foods are sold in pet stores and online.

Who Manufactures Nutro?

Nutro dog food is made by Nutro Products, Inc. The company has several facilities in the United States: Victorville, Calif.; Lebanon, Tenn.; and North Sioux City, S.D. The company headquarters is in Franklin, Tennessee, near the Lebanon, Tennessee facility.

Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which will direct you to our partner sites. If you purchase the pet foods we recommend through those links, we may earn a small commission – at no extra cost to you.

Nutro Recalls 2015

Please Read First: If this statement is still here we are actively watching for new recalls. Below you will find a history of recalls. If you would like to know as SOON as we find out about a recalls visit:https://dogfood.guru/dog-food-recalls/ and fill out our Recall Alert form. We will ONLY email this list in the event of an actual recall. Once we stop watching for Recalls I will remove this statement.

We also encourage everyone to bookmark the site for future reference.

Latest Recalls List (From newest to oldest):

We did not find any dog food recalls for the Nutro company in the FDA or AVMA pet food databases since 2007. In 2009 the company recalled some Nutro Max cat food because of excess levels of zinc and low levels of potassium. According to the company the problem was due to a mistake by the company that made the premix of vitamins and minerals. (Most pet food companies buy their vitamins and minerals premixed.) The company did have products recalled during the 2007 pet food recall due to melamine contamination.

In September 2009 the company issued a voluntary recall for some of its dry dog and cat food. According to the company, small pieces of melted plastic became mixed in with some production runs because a worker’s hat fell into the mix. The company retrieved most of the pet food from their distributors and only a small amount reached a few Petco and PetSmart stores. This was a voluntary recall by the company and they appear to have acted responsibly. The notice for this recall no longer appears on the Nutro web site.

There are lots of complaints about Nutro products on ConsumerAffairs.com. Nutro sells some of the top-selling pet foods in the country so it is not surprising if some people have some complaints. You can’t please everyone. Even if 99 percent of dogs enjoy the food and do well, there are bound to be some dogs that have problems. This is true with any food. You can find complaints about virtually every dog food brand online. Also, it’s not unusual for competitors to post negative reviews about products made by other companies. You should be aware that anyone can make a false complaint to this site. Comments may or may not be true. If you really have a bad experience with a pet food, please report it to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration so they can investigate.

In general, the most popular dog foods sold will also have more complaints. There are simply more people buying them.

Learn how we Monitor for Recalls: https://dogfood.guru/dog-food-recalls/

Nutro Dog Food Review

Nutro Products, Inc. makes several kinds of food: dry, canned, trays, and biscuits/treats. They also have many formulas: Original, Limited Ingredient, High Protein-Grain Free, Grain Free, Lite and Weight Management, High Endurance, Rotations, and Farm’s Harvest. Formulas typically come in dry or canned formulas, and are often made for different life stages such as puppy, young adult, adult, and senior. Many formulas are also made for dogs of different sizes, such as Small, Medium, and Large and Giant breed dogs. Plus, most of Nutro’s products come in a choice of flavors/recipes. (Flavors can vary in their guaranteed analysis as well as their ingredients, so be sure to read the label before you buy a different recipe.)

For many years Nutro Natural Choice has been one of the company’s best-selling dog foods. Their lamb and rice food has been one of the top-selling dog foods sold in pet stores for years. Nutro has now changed the name of the food so it is simply “Nutro.” If you have been feeding this product, there is still some marketing language on the packaging that mentions “natural choice” but it is no longer part of the name.

Nutro (formerly Nutro Natural Choice) has always been a respected dog food. It is sold in pet specialty stores and online and is considered a premium dog food, like Nutro’s other dog foods. It was one of the first “premium” dog foods. The brand has been popular with many pet owners for decades. While Nutro does have some grain free dog foods, most of their foods have moderate amounts of grain and are low/moderate in terms of protein and fat percentages. The foods are generally moderate in price compared to many super premium dog foods today.

Nutro doesn’t make the most exotic dog foods in terms of ingredients, but the foods are generally suitable for dogs who don’t have any particular food allergies or food intolerances. One of the company’s strengths is the wide variety of dog foods they offer. Thirty-eight kibbles carry the Nutro name (including Rotations and Farm’s Harvest foods). Eighteen canned foods and six trays fall under the Nutro brand. They also make 23 kinds of biscuits and treats with the Nutro/Natural Choice label.

The list above doesn’t include the company’s Max or Ultra foods which are made with more natural, holistic ingredients, according to the company.

Many of the company’s foods do contain rice, oatmeal, peas (in various forms), brewer’s rice, rice bran, corn gluten meal, and wheat. Some of the foods contain soybean oil. Some of the foods have a protein percentage between 22-24 percent. This is a perfectly acceptable percentage according to the NRC and AAFCO but it is lower than some owners like for their adult dogs today.

On the other hand, Nutro does have some high protein and grain free dog foods that might appeal to owners who prefer foods with a higher protein percentage and who don’t like grains.

Nutro High Protein-Grain Free Adult Dog Food Duck & Chickpeas Review

We have selected Nutro High Protein-Grain Free Adult Dog Food Duck & Chickpeas Recipe for this review. It is representative of Nutro’s high protein-grain free dog foods which many people may like instead of their traditional foods with grain. According to Nutro, this food is a low glycemic dog food and it uses carbs such as chickpeas and split peas instead of the usual grains. Low glycemic foods may be advisable for some dogs to help avoid a spike in sugar/energy entering into the bloodstream immediately after a meal. Low glycemic foods typically provide a slower, steadier release of energy. The food has no corn, wheat, rice, or other grains.

The first five ingredients listed in the food are Duck, Chicken Meal, Chickpeas, Lamb Meal, and Split Peas.

In this case, duck is a whole meat so it contains a lot of moisture. If the moisture were removed, this meat would fall much lower on the ingredient list. Duck is a very good meat protein for dogs. It typically has about 84 percent protein and 16 percent fat. Since it’s poultry, it is similar to chicken. If your dog is allergic to chicken, he might be able to eat duck, at least for a little while (though this food also contains chicken meal). Duck is also a good source of iron, niacin, and selenium. It also has lots of omega-6 fatty acid which is good for a dog’s skin and coat.

The second ingredient is chicken meal. While people argue about whether whole meat or meals are better in dog food, chicken meal is a perfectly good ingredient. It means that most of the moisture and fat content from the chicken has been removed. What remains is the dehydrated chicken meal. This means that it is a concentrated form of protein. As long as your dog has no allergies to chicken, this shouldn’t be a problem. If your dog is iffy about chicken protein – with an allergy or food intolerance – eating dog food with a concentrated version of chicken protein is more likely to cause a reaction. Most dogs, however, can eat food that contains chicken meal with no problem. It is used by many dog food companies. The same is true of other meat proteins.

Chickpeas are the third ingredient. These are garbanzo beans. Chickpeas are a type of “pulse.” A pulse is an ingredient that is becoming very common in dog foods. Technically they are legumes and they are used because they are high in protein. Pulses are also high in fiber. They are commonly used in animal feeds. Pulses like chickpeas are low in fat and they are a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, folate, and iron. They also provide a plant source of omega-6 fatty acid. Chickpeas are 19 percent protein, 13 percent fat, and 68 percent carbs. According to research, chickpeas seem to be a little more easy to digest than soybeans and other cereal grains for some animals 319 On the down side, pulses like chickpeas also contain what are called “anti-nutritional” factors. This means that they can prevent nutrients from being absorbed properly. If they are cooked and prepared in certain ways it can improve their anti-nutrient qualities (or diminish them). The way a pet food company handles and prepares a pulse like chickpeas is important. There is currently not much research about pulses and their digestibility for dogs. Most of the current research is based on feeding pulses to farm animals.

The fourth ingredient in the food is lamb meal. As you might guess, this is another good meat protein for dogs since it is widely used in dog foods. At one time lamb was a novel ingredient for dogs with allergies but today it is a very common ingredient. As with chicken meal, lamb meal has had most of the moisture and fat removed so it is a concentrated version of lamb meat that contains several times as much protein as lamb meat. Lamb is typically about 60 percent protein so lamb meal will have a much higher concentration of protein. It’s a good source of phosphorus, manganese, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin b12, niacin, copper, iron, zinc, and selenium. Lamb also normally contains lots of omega-6 fatty acid, though much of the fat will be removed from lamb meal.

The fifth ingredient in the food is split peas. Split peas usually refer to yellow split peas. They come from the same family as beans and lentils (and chickpeas). They are also a pulse. Split peas are estimated to be about 25 percent protein, 3 percent fat, and 72 percent carbohydrates. They are a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin, manganese, and folate. Like chickpeas, they are a plant source of omega-6 fatty acid. They have similar pros and cons as chickpeas.

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While pulses like chickpeas and split peas (and other peas in dog foods) are a popular substitute for grains today, dog owners should note that these ingredients also add protein to a dog food. While many dog foods have one or two meat proteins in the first several ingredients, pulses can boost the protein percentage, making it seem that dog foods have more meat protein than they actually contain. They tend to raise the protein percentage much higher in grain free dog foods. This is sometimes why grain free foods have higher protein percentages than foods with grains. These foods may not actually contain a higher percentage of meat protein. There is nothing wrong with dogs eating protein from pulses but they are plant sources of protein and not meat sources. Many times dog owners are paying much more for dog food because they believe that the food has more meat.

In addition, if there are a lot of peas/split peas/chickpeas or other pulses in the food, the food can contain more fiber and this can be harder for some dogs to digest. This seems to vary depending on the food and the dog. Some dogs are better able to digest fiber from pulses than others, depending on how much is in the food. If you are feeding a dog food with a lot of chickpeas/split peas and the like, and your dog has any digestive problems, you might try switching to a food that doesn’t use peas or pulses.

Pulses are still a relatively new ingredient in dog food, being added within the last 10 years or so. There should be some research about how dogs digest them sooner or later.

The food also contains chicken fat. Chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherals) is good for dogs. It’s a named fat that is high in omega-3 fatty acid and very high in omega-6 fatty acid. Dogs use these fatty acids for a healthy skin and coat and healthy joints. The energy from the fat provides your dog with good energy.

Other ingredients of note include dried potatoes, which are all right for most dogs. They are high in carbs (92 percent), but many dog food companies are using them as a substitute for grains. Some people worry about feeding white potatoes. However, the potatoes in this food are not a major ingredient. If your dog has no gastrointestinal issues, we don’t think they will be a problem.

The food also contains dried plain beet pulp. Beet pulp is a natural fiber that improves digestion and stool quality for a dog. It pulls moisture into your dog’s gastrointestinal tract as the food moves along, helping to keep things moving. It does not contain sugar or add sugar to your dog’s diet. All of the sugar has already been removed from beet pulp before it is used in dog food.

The food also contains some natural preservatives such as rosemary extract. Rosemary is widely used in dog foods today. If you have a dog that is prone to seizures you may want to avoid dog foods that use rosemary since it is believed that rosemary can trigger seizures – but it can be hard to find dog food that doesn’t contain this ingredient today.

We note that Nutro High Protein-Grain Free Duck & Chickpeas doesn’t contain any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

According to the company, all of their foods are produced at their own facilities in the U.S. However, this doesn’t mean that all of the ingredients used in their foods come from the United States.

We note that the food uses chelated minerals which are often used in higher quality, more expensive dog foods. Chelated minerals are minerals where proteins have been bonded to the minerals, making them easier for your dog to digest.

The food contains 412 calories per cup. This is moderate dog food in terms of calories.

Nutrition Statement

NUTRO® High Protein-Grain Free Adult Duck & Chickpeas Recipe Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (Min.) 32.00%
Crude Fat (Min.) 18.00%
Crude Fiber (Max.) 3.50%
Moisture (Max.) 10.00%
Linoleic Acid (Min.) 3.50%
Zinc (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Niacin (Min.) 250 mg/kg
Biotin (Min.)* 2.5 mg/kg

* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles

The dry matter basis figures for this food are: 35.5 percent protein; 20 percent fat; 3.9 percent fiber; 31.7 percent carbohydrates.

This food has a higher than average amount of protein and a high percentage of fat. The fiber content is average for most kibbles while the carb percentage is quite moderate compared to other commercial kibbles.

We think that most dogs should be able to eat Nutro High Protein-Grain Free Duck & Chickpeas. We like the duck and chicken meal, along with the lamb meal. We like the overall protein and fat percentages and the relatively low carb percentage. Although this is a maintenance dog food, the fat percentage is high and the calories per cup are moderately high so it’s probably best to feed this food to a more active dog. We like the fact that the food has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. If your dog does have any problems with the food, it will probably be from the chickpeas and split peas. If they are a problem, we suggest looking for a food that doesn’t use pulses.

Where can you buy Nutro dog food?

Nutro dog foods are sold in pet stores and online at Chewy.com. Nutro is a very popular pet food sold at Petco, PetSmart, and other stores that sell premium pet foods. You should have no problem finding this brand.

Nutro Coupons

For Nutro coupons you can check Pet Food Talk. You can also check Pet Coupon Source and Good Search. Chewy.com and other direct pet food sites often have sales and free delivery. You can also join Nutro’s mailing list on their web site to look for Nutro coupons . Be sure to check Nutro’s Facebook page, too, for coupons and promotions. We will continue to update this page as we find more coupons. Be sure to check back often to find more Nutro dog food coupons.

Final Thoughts

Nutro offers a tremendous variety of dog foods for dogs of all ages, sizes, and for many dietary needs. Their foods are usually moderately priced and offer good nutrition. If your dog has a special issue or allergy, you may need to look elsewhere, but many dogs will be able to eat these premium dog foods and thrive. Nutro is one of the oldest premium dog food brands and they have had many satisfied customers for decades, with some of the bestselling pet foods in the pet food specialty market for years. Can you find dog foods with better quality ingredients – more meat, organic meat and vegetables, food specialized for specific conditions? Sure. But if you are not looking for those extras in a dog food, you and your dog may be quite happy with Nutro.