DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported. If you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.

Nutro Puppy Food Review (Cups)

Nutro Puppy Beef Wet Dog Food

Review of Nutro Puppy Food Cups

Rating:

Nutro Puppy Food in cups receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Nutro Puppy product line includes the 2 cupped dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product Rating AAFCO
Nutro Puppy Grain Free Tender Beef, Peas and Carrot 4.5 G
Nutro Puppy Grain Free Tender Chicken, Sweet Potato and Pea 4.5 G

Recipe and Label Analysis

Nutro Puppy Grain Free Tender Beef, Peas and Carrot recipe was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Nutro Puppy Grain Free Tender Beef, Peas and Carrot

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 44% | Fat = 19% | Carbs = 28%

Ingredients: Beef, chicken broth, pork broth, peas, chicken, carrots, chicken liver, pork plasma, tapioca starch, dried egg product, pea fiber, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, salt, dried tomatoes, xanthan gum, choline chloride, fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, magnesium proteinate, sodium hexametaphosphate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis8%4%NA
Dry Matter Basis44%19%28%
Calorie Weighted Basis37%39%24%
Protein = 37% | Fat = 39% | Carbs = 24%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1

Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The next two ingredients are chicken broth and pork broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.

The fourth ingredient lists peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The sixth ingredient includes carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The next ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The eighth ingredient is pork plasma. Plasma is what remains of blood after the blood cells themselves have been removed. Plasma can be considered a nutritious addition.

The ninth ingredient is tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Nutro product.

With 4 notable exceptions

First, we find pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.

Next, fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.

In addition, with the exception of magnesium, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

And lastly, we note the inclusion of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.

HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.

Although some might disagree, we’re of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Nutro Puppy Food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 19% and estimated carbohydrates of about 28%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and a mean fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

Which means this Nutro product contains…

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, this looks like the profile of a wet dog food containing a significant amount of meat.

Our Rating of Nutro Puppy Food Cups

Nutro Puppy in cups is a grain-free wet dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Nutro Dog Food
Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Nutro.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Get Free Recall Alerts

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisor’s recall notification list.

More Nutro Brand Reviews

The following Nutro dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

A Final Word

The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.

However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.

For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

References

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  2. Association of American Feed Control Officials
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap