# Nutro...Is it good quality food?



## ollie's mom (Mar 10, 2006)

I am a new small breed dog owner and have lots of questions...thanx to all who have replied to my other questions with such great advice!! Ollie (17 weeks old) is currently on Nutro Max canned puppy food and seems to like it very much. She also gets Nutro puppy biscuits (one a day) and the occasional tiny bite of cheese for doing something "good" with her potty training or behavior. I have read numerous posts about all the different types of high quality foods available, and am overwhelmed with the choices. I decided on Nutro because a Nutro rep was handing out coupons at PetSmart the day after I brought Ollie home (and told me all about how wonderful/natural it was), but I am totally open to suggestions. Also...what is this BLUE brand I saw on several posts? The ingredients look pretty tasty to me...almost like something I would eat!?!


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

I feed Massimo Nutro Natural Choice Lamb/Rice. He likes it and he's extremely picky...


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## Haven (Sep 22, 2005)

> I feed Massimo Nutro Natural Choice Lamb/Rice. He likes it and he's extremely picky...
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same here.
OOPS... ETA: He eats Nutru Ultra


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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

ours have been eating Nutro for years, they seem happy with and we're happy with it, they eat nutro ultra dry food in the mornings and then nutro canned or nutro ultra canned for supper, i have never heard anything bad about nutro


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## yorktesemomma (Aug 2, 2005)

My girls eat Nutro Natural Small Bites. It's the only thing I've been able to get Kylie to eat consistently. Katie loves it, but she loves everything.. LOL!
Jess


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## Mystify79 (Apr 6, 2004)

Mine eat Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice and they love it. It really is one of the only foods that I've come across that didn't upset Tuffy's stomach. And a perk is how shiny and pretty it makes their coats look.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> nutro might not be the totally worst you can feed but its not the best either and if i remember right it contains menadione.....and thats not good, not good at all!
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> i would spend my money on higher quality food like innova, california natural, pinnacle, canidae, solid gold or natural balance (but only bags with a 2007 date! 2006 contains menadione)[/B]


I have tried almost all those foods. Massimo either did not eat it, or it made him ill. The only thing he does well on is Nutro, and I'm not risking changing foods again.


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

Anybody know the difference b/w Nutro Max, Nutro Ultra, and Nutro Natural?








I picked up the Nutro Natural puppy and Nutro Natural Lamb Meal and Rice tonight to see if my babies like it. We were using Royal Canin, but it is SO expensive...I don't mind if that is all they will eat, but so many bragged on Nutro, I thought I would try it....but I don't know what the difference is b/w the three kinds.
Is the Natural the best, or the Ultra?


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## Mystify79 (Apr 6, 2004)

I really hate having to defend my decision to feed my dogs Nutro but I've talked it over with my vet and I'm going to keep feeding it to mine. And now I'll get on my soapbox.... I've tried the fancy holistic brands and Tuffy just can't stomach them. He spent months vomiting, having diarrhea and undergoing test after test at several vet's offices to no avail as nothing appeared to be wrong with him. His issues were NOT caused by switching food as that only happens for a few days after the switch.. it was caused totally by the foods. All of Tuffy's stomach/digestion issues stopped almost immediately after I switched him to Nutro. I do mix in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul now just to supplement their diets because it's also one of the few foods Tuffy can stomach. And it most certainly is not a money issue.. I'd spend every cent I have to keep my dogs healthy and happy if I had to... and I did when trying to solve his medical issues. As for the menadione, I have researched it as has my vet and frankly the data just isn't there. Besides the Dog Food Project, it's pretty hard to find any research on it. Plus the levels would have to be huge to cause a reaction. That said, I will continue to defend Nutro because it works for my two. And a so called "premium" dog food that causes my dog to vomit and have diarrhea is not healthy at all *for him*. And now I'll step off of my soap box and that will be my last post on this topic.


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## Mystify79 (Apr 6, 2004)

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Yes, I have tried that as well as Innova, Flint River Ranch, Natural Balanace, Canidae.. you name it, I've tried it. I went through this with Tuffy for over a year. Basically it boils down to the holistic foods being entirely too rich for his stomach to handle and he can't digest them. I don't offend easily so don't worry about that.. I just want to make sure the other side of the story gets a fair shake.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

food debates always get heated for some reason. that's why there are not many replies. it boils down to what your dog will eat. i've said it before and i'll say it again. you can buy the seemingly best, most expensive dog food in the world...but it does no good if your dog won't eat it.


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## Carla (Aug 30, 2005)

Since I adopted Shotzi last year, I had been fighting tear stains. I tried everything except antibiotics to get rid of them. A friend recommended changing her food. So I started with the premium quality foods, switching only after a two month trial and no improvement. Shotzi's tear stains vanished completely after giving her Nutro Ultra. 

This may not be the answer for everyone struggling with tear stains and it certainly isn't the best dog food available, but I believe it's the best food for Shotzi. 

Carla & Shotzi


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

> even though i wouldnt recommend nutro:
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> nutro ultra is the best among nutro, then natural and max seems to be the worst of them.
> if it is only about money why not buy canidae.
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I understand about the fillers etc...the very reason my vet and my grandmother's vet, and my parent's vet...etc...all recommend Science Diet. For my cats, I could see a HUGE difference in the reduction of waste smell and amount.

The problem is that I am in a very rural area-with a very busy schedule. I have to stick with foods that I can get. Availability is a big factor in foods I choose. I really don't want to pay shipping charges by ordering online either. Even the brands at Petsmart aren't "convenient" b/c I have to drive an hour to get there...and we just don't go that direction very often. The only things I can get locally that are even close to quality are Science Diet and Iams. I don't mind sticking with a Petsmart Brands if I can find something that works in all areas that I am looking at...I can also get Chicken Soup in the city where I go to Petsmart, but it is even FURTHER out of the way.

I always regret discussing food for our babies. I guess in the end, each person has to choose what is best for their circumstance when factoring in availability, budget, dog's preference, nutritional value etc. Many dogs have lived to a ripe old age with no health problems on the cheap stuff. My cat growing up ate nothing except Science Diet and lived to be 18 years old...so even SD can't be all that bad.


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## Skippy4Us (Feb 20, 2006)

Hi Mystify..First of all just want to say how adorable Tuffy is..Secondly I wanted to say that I think you're right about the holistic foods causing vomiting and diarrhea. I'm beginning to think I just need to try something else and when we find something that works for us we'll keep it..




> I really hate having to defend my decision to feed my dogs Nutro but I've talked it over with my vet and I'm going to keep feeding it to mine. And now I'll get on my soapbox.... I've tried the fancy holistic brands and Tuffy just can't stomach them. He spent months vomiting, having diarrhea and undergoing test after test at several vet's offices to no avail as nothing appeared to be wrong with him. His issues were NOT caused by switching food as that only happens for a few days after the switch.. it was caused totally by the foods. All of Tuffy's stomach/digestion issues stopped almost immediately after I switched him to Nutro. I do mix in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul now just to supplement their diets because it's also one of the few foods Tuffy can stomach. And it most certainly is not a money issue.. I'd spend every cent I have to keep my dogs healthy and happy if I had to... and I did when trying to solve his medical issues. As for the menadione, I have researched it as has my vet and frankly the data just isn't there. Besides the Dog Food Project, it's pretty hard to find any research on it. Plus the levels would have to be huge to cause a reaction. That said, I will continue to defend Nutro because it works for my two. And a so called "premium" dog food that causes my dog to vomit and have diarrhea is not healthy at all *for him*. And now I'll step off of my soap box and that will be my last post on this topic.
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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

> nutro might not be the totally worst you can feed but its not the best either and if i remember right it contains menadione.....and thats not good, not good at all![/B]


just trying to find out more of this medanione, google only returns 3 results, i know google isnt the answer to all but for something to be bad usually there are 100's if not 1000's of returns, does anyone know what it is or why its bad? is it a chemical or a derivitive(sp) of something natural? i looked on the bag of ultra we have and it is on there but not on the canned foods, all i can figure out is that it is a source of vitamin K activity ? ? ? ? ?


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

menadione is vitamin K3 a synthetic form of vitamin K1


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

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I just did a search and found the full name of it to be Menadione Dimethylpyrimidi nol Bisulfite commonly used as a vitamin K suppliment. Perhpas if you goodle that name Joe you may find more info


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> menadione is vitamin K3 a synthetic form of vitamin K1[/B]


so is it bad?


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

Well, my dogs won the food war!








They didn't touch the Nutro for almost THREE DAYS!








I don't think Brinkley ate a morsel...and Neyland ate only b/c I think he realized that is all there was-and he ate very little.The scoop that I usually have to do twice a day of Royal Canin....the same scoop of the Nutro Lamb/Rice and lamb/rice puppy...didn't have to be rescooped for over two days. When I left for Petsmart today the original scoop from Friday night was still there.








SOOOO, I went back and exchanged it...I got the Royal Canin Shih Tzu (12.99 for THREE pounds!!! But that is their absolute FAVORITE one)...and then I got a bag of the puppy 32 for medium breeeds b/c they were out of the small breed puppy and the Petsmart man said the ingredients were not that different. Came home and mixed it with about 1/2 bag of Iams I had left and they have been eating/nibbling ever since.
I hope they weren't too mad at me.







I bet they thought I was trying to starve them or somehting...anyway-it is obvious that they like the Royal Canin-so will stick with that for now.
When this is out, I will mix the next batch with Chicken Soup. I almost picked up the Nutro Ultra, but was afraid I might have to bring it back too, and Petsmart is too far away...just stuck with what I knew they liked. Sheesh...some SPOILED-snobby pups is all I can say!









PS:None of the three foods I mixed in together (2 Royal Canins and the Iams) had any of that medanione in it.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

Pretty soon, the way things are going the only safe food we may think we can feed our babies is what we eat. It is frightening to read labels on pet foods and not wonder just what is in it. I feed Scooby Royal Canin for small fussy eaters and he doesn't eat a lot of it, just a little when he takes a fancy to it. I have been giving him Nutro wet Lamb and Rice and that is the very first wet food we haven't had to force feed to him so I am going to stay with it. He also loves fresh cooked chicken and whatever we eat in the way of steamed vegetables and steak. He is healthy and happy, and that is all that matters to me


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> Joe, if you are interested in information about Vitamin K3 you might wanna read this article (if you havent yet).
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> http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione
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is there more than one article to back this up? i can't seem to find any. i believe, if it were harmful, then there would be more literature on it.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

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I asked Newman's Own Organics' vet about it, since that's the food I use and he replied as follows:
We are in the process now, but it will take awhile for the food to reach the shelves.</span>

When I Googled it I got the following results. There are a lot of articles to review....
</span>*1* - *10* of about *342,000* for *menadione* </span>


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## miko's mommy (Feb 8, 2005)

I really have trouble believing that synthetic vitamin K3 could be that harmful. That article (if you can call it that) does not provide any evidence to back its claims...it simply lists various things. I don't believe that site at all...at one point they state that "they are not able to translate the more complicated scientific phrases into proper English:"







what is that about?? I have never heard of menadione until this post!!!


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## Kim (Mar 12, 2006)

> When I Googled it I got the following results. There are a lot of articles to review....
> [/color]*1* - *10* of about *342,000* for *menadione* [/size][/font][/B]


i must have googled another spelling from this post because I only got 3, i'll read up on some of those, it seems weird though that its produced in organic and natural foods if it isnt, or if it isnt safe to some extent, almost any ingredient can cause some type of problem depending on the pup

for now i'll still stick with nutro


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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

oops, thats was me, i knew this would happen









i'm guessing this is a summary for humans but the nutrient is the same?



> NUTRIENT SUMMARY:
> VITAMIN K (MENADIONE)
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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

> *Toxicity
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> Although fat-soluble, there is no evidence of toxicity. The synthetic derivative of vitamin K, which reacts with proteins, can be very toxic.
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This was the last line from Joe's report on the previous page. It DOES say that the synthetic derivative can be toxic, but doesn't give much further explanation as to amounts etc. I hate it when they are so open and vague like that.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> QUOTE





> *Toxicity
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> Although fat-soluble, there is no evidence of toxicity. The synthetic derivative of vitamin K, which reacts with proteins, can be very toxic.
> *[/B]


This was the last line from Joe's report on the previous page. It DOES say that the synthetic derivative can be toxic, but doesn't give much further explanation as to amounts etc. I hate it when they are so open and vague like that.








[/B][/QUOTE]

as i'v read...MOST things given in exuberant amounts can be harmful.


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## miko's mommy (Feb 8, 2005)

I honestly don't know anything about it. I tried looking it up on pubmed but frankly there are way tooo many articles on it. Even if I did read and sift through the literature, its not like someone will take me at my word. I am not even feeding Nutro!!!







I think if you believe it can be toxic, then switch foods (there are plenty other ones out there). I am done with this thread


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

> I honestly don't know anything about it. I tried looking it up on pubmed but frankly there are way tooo many articles on it. Even if I did read and sift through the literature, its not like someone will take me at my word. I am not even feeding Nutro!!!
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i agree. this has gotten ridiculous...


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

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I'm not sure what is so "ridiculous". I enjoy learning about possible dangers in food. I don't have to believe everything I read but for it to be called to my attention so I can make up mind, is much appreciated.

I remember many, many years ago when my nutritionist told me about hydrogenated fats being bad. They were in just about every snack food out there. Most people had never even heard of them. Now, years later, they are found to be very bad for us and most foods don't include them. Years ago, if I would have posted about them in a human forum thread, people would probably have disregarded my remarks. 

I, for one, am enjoying this thread.


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

well i searched VIN which is a vet forum..there wasnt anything on the toxicity of it...i saw articles of it being used to treat cancer which i thought was interesting...so that was a plus about it. I dont think there are articles about it b/c there isnt enough in the dog food to cause a toxicity.
i looked it up in my nutrition book and K3 can cause fatal anemias and some other disorders and very high doses...doses u wouldnt see in a dog food. if that were the case, dogs would be dropping dead all over the place. there are even toxicities of the other vitamin K's...like others have said..ne thing can be toxic at a high enough level...even water.

the reports of these toxicities are from when vitamin k is used to treat other problems like rat poisoning ingestion.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

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what is so "ridiculous" is the fact we can go back and forth, on and on about this subject and get no where. i have seen NO ill effects cause by the so called toxic ingredient. if you feel you should stop feeding it, then you should. i for one, will continue to feed it. 
i feel this thread has been talked out. 
we will have to agree to disagree about this topic.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

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I'm not sure what is so "ridiculous". I enjoy learning about possible dangers in food. I don't have to believe everything I read but for it to be called to my attention so I can make up mind, is much appreciated.

I remember many, many years ago when my nutritionist told me about hydrogenated fats being bad. They were in just about every snack food out there. Most people had never even heard of them. Now, years later, they are found to be very bad for us and most foods don't include them. Years ago, if I would have posted about them in a human forum thread, people would probably have disregarded my remarks. 

I, for one, am enjoying this thread.
[/B][/QUOTE]

what is so "ridiculous" is the fact we can go back and forth, on and on about this subject and get no where. i have seen NO ill effects cause by the so called toxic ingredient. if you feel you should stop feeding it, then you should. i for one, will continue to feed it. 
i feel this thread has been talked out. 
we will have to agree to disagree about this topic. [/B][/QUOTE] 

I understand that you are tired of this thread but others may not be. That is what is so nice .... those who are tired of it can move on to other threads and not post or read here ... those who want to talk and talk and talk in this thread can continue to do so.


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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

> I, for one, am enjoying this thread.[/B]


I am too becuase I am learning something I never knew about, nothing has alarmed me to the point of stop using Nutro by any means, I infact plan to keep using it, but its good to know of anything "potentially" dangerous



> i looked it up in my nutrition book and K3 can cause fatal anemias and some other disorders and very high doses...doses u wouldnt see in a dog food. if that were the case, dogs would be dropping dead all over the place. there are even toxicities of the other vitamin K's...like others have said..ne thing can be toxic at a high enough level...even water.[/B]


good find LadyM, thanks for sharing the info, I image our Malts would have to eat bags upon bags for it to reach a unhealthy level


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

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Yeah, I will compare it to when I read while pregant you shouldn't have aspartame. It was supposedly bad for you while pregnant. I was eating fat free yogurt as part of my calcium and healthy foods part of my pregnancy and freaked out. When I asked my OB about it, she kinda giggled and said..."unless you are going to eat a whole bucket of JUST the aspartame, then don't worry about it." She said the little amount of aspartame was better than the full fat yogurt that would stick to my pregnant butt. (my version of her words







) She said a carton or two of yogurt a day along with a diet coke every once in a while was fine. I am sure the supplement in the dog food is somewhat the same.


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## Zoe and Bella's mom (Jan 23, 2006)

I took Zoe and Bella off of Nutro Ultra (which they LOVE) to put them on Natural Balance. Of course, I mixed the food the first week. First, I tried Duck and Potato and they both vomited. Now I am trying the Venison and Rice and they are vomiting and have diahrea (sp) so I am going to put them back on the Nutro Ultra - they just can't stomach the Natural Balance.

ginny & zoe & bella


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