# Upset belly?



## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

I have had Lovkins for about 3 months now and have been feeding him Nutro puppy food. So when I went to the store to get a new bag, I grabbed Nutro puppy food. When I got home and opened it few days later I realised it was different, but it still had lamb and rice which is what he was eating before. I decided a few days before to start mixing it in with his other food (just in case). Well the next day he had an upset belly it was gurgling, he slept most of the day, and he walked kind of hunchy or instead of walking he would speed walk and could not find a comfortable place to lay just going from corner to corner. He also would shake a tiny bit but not for very long or very hard. He always wants to be where I am, but instead he chose a corner behind a golf bag secluding himself from everyone. Everbody knows your little maltese purbred or half bred wants to be every where you are. So I waited a day to see what happened and he was fine the next day. But here it is a week later and he is doing it again? I called my vet and she said since he is not vomiting or having diarrhea it is probably an upset stomach. She offered to see him tomorrow if he is not feeling any better. But my question is, is nutro a good food for malteses? Money is not an option I will give him the best of anything. Also has anyone else had this experience? I do not understand why if he has been eating the food for a week now, how it is happening again? Thanks for any help sorry for the longest post ever.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

The FDA is investigating Nutro. Google is full of information about cats and dogs getting sick from Nutro.

FDA Confirms Probe of NUTRO Pet Food Deaths, Illnesses


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

OH gosh....thank you for that Im going to switch him immediately. I feel horrible for not knowing.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I've never known Nutro to be a quality food. Take a look at some of the threads (search bar) in the health/food section here. It sounds like it's not agreeing with him and he might be having gas if he's hunching a lot. Some people give their dogs a ginger/mint tonic I think of a small amount of pepcid for upset stomachs. You'll find it in the threads. You might want to try some boiled chicken and rice as you go to switch over to another food.


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Snowbody said:


> I've never known Nutro to be a quality food. Take a look at some of the threads (search bar) in the health/food section here. It sounds like it's not agreeing with him and he might be having gas if he's hunching a lot. Some people give their dogs a ginger/mint tonic I think of a small amount of pepcid for upset stomachs. You'll find it in the threads. You might want to try some boiled chicken and rice as you go to switch over to another food.


 thank you


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Be sure to return the food and tell them what you now know.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

That article horrified me. I couldn't help remembering that disgusting video of the euthanized pets be picked up for rendering for dog food. It made me think that some batches have more chemical than others, and that is what accounts for a dog getting sick from a new bag after having had Nutro for a long time. It's only my imagination, nothing factual there. Still, Christina, I would not feed Lovkins one more pellet.

Marj thanks for posting the link. It is information we should all know.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

This is not news. Nutro has had a history of problems dating back to 1998. It has been recalled twice, in 2007 and 2009.

"In 1998, two samples of Nutro Premium (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative analyses for pentobarbital residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to detect cat and dog DNA but Nutro's two samples tested positive for the drug, presumably from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, risk of adverse effects is low.[3][4]

In March 2007 Nutro was listed as a company affected by the Menu Foods recall.[5]

In April 2008, consumeraffairs.com reported multiple cases of diarrhea, vomiting and other intestinal problems in pets fed Nutro products. Nutro has said that their products undergo rigorous safety testing and are 100% safe. Some customers have backed the company, saying that their pets are not having any problems with the food. Veterinarians interviewed states that it might not necessarily be the food that is causing problems.[6] In September 2008, the Pet Food Product Safety Alliance (PFPSA) tested samples of Nutro dog food in response to the consumer complaints on consumeraffairs.com and found levels of copper in excess of AAFCO recommendation. Zinc levels were approximately 2-4 times the minimum recommendation of 120 ppm but still within the maximum recommendation of 1000 ppm. The PFPSA has criticized the recommended zinc levels as excessive as even the minimum recommended levels are 10 times that of adult human requirements(based on body weigh). PFPSA has also stated that the symptoms of zinc toxicity are consistent with consumer complaints regarding Nutro dog food.[7][8] Nutro rejected PFPSA's claims stating that both zinc and copper levels were within recommended levels, reiterating that their products undergo "rigorous quality assurance testing".[9]

In May 2009, Nutro issued a recall of selected dry cat food due to excess levels of zinc and low levels of potassium which the company blames on a production error by a premix company. Nutro has stated that it received no complaints related to the recall. Symptoms includes "reduction in appetite, refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea."[10] Both consumeraffairs and PFPSA have claimed a link between this incident and earlier complaints and also questioned Nutro's claim of quality control and product testing.[11][12] In June, lab tests of a sample of _Nutro Max Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor_ showed zinc levels at 2100 ppm. Dr. Stephen Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist and senior vice-president of Animal Health for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) described the zinc levels as "awfully high". While he stated that the long term effects of such levels are not known, he mentioned the possibility of "significant intestinal upset and liver and kidney damage." Unlike the 1000 ppm maximum for dog food, the cat food maximum set by AAFCO is 2000 ppm. In comparison, the European Union's maximum for all animal feed is 250 ppm with a recommended maximum of 150 ppm."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutro_Products


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Ladysmom said:


> This is not news. Nutro has had a history of problems dating back to 1998. It has been recalled twice, in 2007 and 2009.
> 
> "In 1998, two samples of Nutro Premium (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative analyses for pentobarbital residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to detect cat and dog DNA but Nutro's two samples tested positive for the drug, presumably from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, risk of adverse effects is low.[3][4]
> 
> ...


 Thank you ladies for all your feedback. It is nice to have some where to turn when your mommy radar goes off. I appreciate all the time, effort, and love ya'll (yeah im from Texas) put into each response! Lovkins says thank you from the bottom of his kinky curly tail!


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Ladysmom said:


> This is not news. Nutro has had a history of problems dating back to 1998. It has been recalled twice, in 2007 and 2009.
> 
> "In 1998, two samples of Nutro Premium (together with various other brands) were subject to qualitative analyses for pentobarbital residue by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine due to suspicion that the anesthetizing drug may have found its way into pet foods through euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. DNA test for all the samples failed to detect cat and dog DNA but Nutro's two samples tested positive for the drug, presumably from rendered cattle. The CVM has said that due to the low level of exposure, risk of adverse effects is low.[3][4]
> 
> ...


 Thank you


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