Nutro Ultra (Dry)

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Rating: ★★★★☆

Nutro Ultra Dry Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.

The Nutro Ultra product line includes 11 dry dog foods, eight claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and three for all life stages.

The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

  • Nutro Ultra Adult
  • Nutro Ultra Puppy
  • Nutro Ultra Senior
  • Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult
  • Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Senior
  • Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult
  • Nutro Ultra Large Breed Adult
  • Nutro Ultra Small Breed Senior
  • Nutro Ultra Small Breed Puppy
  • Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy
  • Nutro Ultra Weight Management (3 stars)

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 29% | Fat = 17% | Carbs = 46%

Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole brown rice, ground rice, rice bran, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), lamb meal, salmon meal, natural flavors, flaxseed, dried plain beet pulp, rolled oats, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potassium chloride, egg product, tomato pomace, dried pomegranate, dried blueberry, dried cranberry, dried pumpkin, dried spinach, dried carrot, salt, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), l-carnitine, biotin, niacin supplement, potassium iodide, copper proteinate, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), vitamin A supplement, beta carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis26%15%NA
Dry Matter Basis29%17%46%
Calorie Weighted Basis25%35%40%

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient is ground rice, another name for rice flour. Ground rice is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.

The fifth ingredient is rice bran, a healthy by-product of milling whole grain rice. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain containing starch, protein, fat as well as vitamins and minerals.

The sixth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The seventh ingredient includes lamb meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.

The eighth ingredient is salmon meal, yet another high protein meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1

What’s more, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.

But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.

We find no public assurances from the company this product is ethoxyquin-free.

Without knowing more, we would expect to find at least a trace of ethoxyquin in this product.

After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The next ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

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 product.

With four notable exceptions

First, tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.

Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.

Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.

Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

In addition, sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3′s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

And lastly, this food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutro Ultra Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Nutro Ultra dry dog food looks like an above average dry product.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 52%.

Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

However, when you consider the protein-boosting effects of the pea protein and potato protein contained in some recipes (puppy formulas), this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Nutro Ultra dry dog food is a plant-based kibble using a moderate amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

Please note some products may have been given higher or lower ratings based upon our estimate of their total meat content.

Special Alert

Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.

A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyze each product, please read our article, "The Problem with Dog Food Reviews".

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt, consult a qualified veterinary professional for help.

In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.

To learn how we support the cost of operating this website, please visit our public Disclosure and Disclaimer page.

Have an opinion about this dog food? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.

Notes

12/19/2009 Original review
05/28/2010 Review updated
07/21/2010 Review updated
12/27/2010 Review updated
04/04/2011 Updated to more appropriate 3.5 stars
09/04/2011 Updated to 4 stars (new recipe, menadione removed)
03/10/2013 Review updated
03/10/2013 Last Update

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  • http://www.facebook.com/golden.wings.733 Golden Wings

    Has anyone looked at the ConsumerAffairs consumer complaint and reviews on this dog food. There have been danger comments being issued as late as March 24, 2013! Please go there and read them. There has been alot of sick dogs in both the US and Canada!

  • Faith H

    i do the same thing. and i don’t only feed kibble. i feed different varieties of moist food, too. sometimes, i cook for her as well. i like to give her as much variety as I can. i just cannot imagine eating the same exact thing meal after meal after meal for a decade or more…ugh.

  • Hound Dog Mom

    This is why it’s unhealthy to feed a dog the same food day after day – it creates an unhealthy gut. My dogs eat something different at each meal with no issues.

  • Faith H

    yes, but you don’t eat the same thing day after day after day…if you did, then sudden dietary changes would probably upset your stomach, too.

  • Aaron W

    I switched to Ultra after the food I was feeding became unavalable….which resulted in my mini schnauzer loosing all of his hair on his back.

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

    There is no problem mixing them together, but you don’t need a weight management food to maintain a healthy weight. The weight management foods tend to be lower in protein and higher in carbs which actually makes it harder to maintain weight as dogs don’t need all those carbs. You can just start weighing your dog monthly and adjust her current food accordingly or even go to a lower carb food. I feed my small dogs (technically Toy dogs) foods with less than 40% carbs when it comes to kibble and they also eat raw food which is very low in carbs, maybe 10-20%. And they are maintaining their weights and they are pretty lazy.

  • Tom

    I currently feed my small adult dog Nutro ultra adult. The vet said that because she is now 4 we should start watching her weight. I was wondering if there would be a problem mixing Nutro ultra adult with their weight management food. please comment!

  • losul

    It was. We made one big patty about 11 or 12 ounce, fried it up about 7 inches flattened, slapped some cheese (my weakness) on it, cut in half and tucked it in some whole grain pita pocket halves.

    Yes, we want to be around long enough for Turbo, as he may outlive us.

  • Pattyvaughn

    That does sound good.  And I think a lot of us eat better because we want our dogs to eat better.

  • losul

    Wow, were all eating burgers. Ours wasn’t grass fed, but it was fresh ground (by me) lean beef with ground hemp and chia seeds, a couple dashes of purple dulce, and a bit of fresh smashed garlic mixed in. All ingredients borrowed from Turbo’s pantry. He’s teaching me how to eat better! Yummy!

  • Pattyvaughn

    There is nothing unhealthy in that meal, it would be silly to feel any guilt over it unless you’re eating it to the exclusion of other important food groups.  Mine wasn’t quite that healthy.  It was organic grass fed beef, lettuce and tomato from the garden(the last), regular cheese, and some store bought jar of pickles.

  • Hound Dog Mom

    I like your reasoning about burgers being a health food! I had a burger for dinner tonight – lean grass-fed beef, organic swiss and organic mushrooms on sprouted grain bread. Now I can feel no guilt lol

  • Pattyvaughn

    If your doc was right, then you wouldn’t think so many people would be iodine deficient, which makes me wonder what he really meant, because I heard that most people in the US are iodine deficient.

    I never even thought about my example being common fast food.  It was my dinner that night.  Homemade.

  • Jess

     Pattyvaughn, as long as that burger is home made I agree. A quick story, when my son had acne, I asked his doc. if it was the burgers and fries, he said no. He said it was all of the iodine they put in the fast food burgers to preserve them that cause all the issues. Iodine,, ugh…

  • Linda Lester

     I found Nutro Ultra for my Rainey and she loves it; thank GOD! When she was a puppy, she liked to eat whatever I gave her. Then she started exhibiting the Schnauzer Behavior and turning her nose up at EVERYTHING!

  • Linda Lester

    I ask my vet about the BEST food for my dog and he gets a vacant look in his eyes and says they’re all good. I’m changing vets! Thanks for this resource. My Rainey is 6 months old on January 17, and the light of my life. People are demanding better quality food for their “babies” and a better quality of life! Thanks!

  • Pattyvaughn

    Diet rotation is better for your dog than staying on just one food for life.  If one food didn’t work for your dog, don’t give up.  Look for another and build a list of foods to rotate through.  This will help your dog to stay healthy.

    Think of it this way.  A cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and pickle does a good job of covering a variety of food groups, so it is a reasonably healthy meal.  But if all you ate was cheeseburgers, day after day, that wouldn’t be healthy.  You need a larger variety of foods.  Dog food is the same way.  They make a reasonably balanced meal, but they aren’t the perfect food, so your dog needs a variety too, to make sure he’s getting everything he needs.

  • annie

    My boston pup did awesome on the salmon and something flavored puppy food except for the fishy smell he got whiel on it. Like a typical persn not thinking i totally switched to a different brand and i’m not happy with it. Needless to say i’m putting him back on nutro food.

  • Pingback: Switching To New Food - Boxer Forum : Boxer Breed Dog Forums

  • JaneBeaudoin

    Satisfied with your produck

  • Dave’s Hounds

     HDM,

    My hounds have gotten into many things. I have put my son’s dinner on the counter and left the room to find it gone gone gone. If I forget the garbage by the door and go to work – I come home to garbage delight spread all over first floor. There is almost no risk too great for hounds to obtain food. My female bluetick loves butter – we bought 4 sticks put them on the counter and when I returned I couldn’t figure out where the butter went. We go to great lengths to protect out food and our dumb hounds.

  • Hound Dog Mom

    Oh she did teach me a lesson – I’m never leaving a bag of potatoes on the counter again! Lol.

  • losul

    It’s more likely that it taught you one!, haha

  • Hound Dog Mom

    Well the good news is she still has her coat this morning! The bad news is she sure had some awful diarrhea. Hope that taught her a lesson! lol.

  • Shawna

    Hey JS – everyone is just poking a little fun. No offense meant at all.. Nutro isn’t a horrible food by any means. Just doesn’t meet the higher standards of some of the posters here. Happy and safe Christmas and New Year to you and yours!

  • Shawna

    She was testing them for edibility I’m sure! Five pounds! Hound Dogs obviously do things big when they do them!! Hee hee hee

  • Shawna

    Bwahahahaaa!! Obviously I wasn’t thinking clearly at all Patty.. :) Thanks ever so much for clearing that up for me.. :)

  • Pattyvaughn

    Hi Richard

    A very merry Christmas to you and your’s!!

  • http://BrothersComplete.com/ Richard Darlington

    Hey Ninja
    Glad you stopped by so I could wish you, your wife and your growing brood a very merry Christmas filled with love and the sounds of noisy, happy children resounding throughout the house.

  • Dog Food Ninja

    Hello JS. While ultra “starts with” a protein, the truth of the matter is flushed out in the guaranteed analysis. If there’s so much meat in this food, then why does it have less than 30% protein? Nutro is notorious for ingredient splitting.

  • Pattyvaughn

    That is so something my daughter would have done.  Thank God she has finally outgrown that stage.  She did the most disasterous haircuts on herself so many times!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

    Oh my gosh… since you mentioned that I have to tell you this… my daughter would, without my knowledge sneak Bella into the bathroom and gel her up a little tiny faux-hawk. Well, yesterday, it didn’t take a genius to see that Bella’s hair clearly looked “different.” I asked my daughter what was going on and she dropped her eyes as soon as she knew I had noticed that, yes, she whacked a big chuck of hair right off of the top of Bella’s head. I asked her why she cut Bella’s hair and my daughter said, “It kept sticking up!” Well, yeah, you kept putting gel in it ya dang kid.

  • Pattyvaughn

    Oohh, this could be bad!!  Make sure you check her belly and her armpits and maybe right around her anus.  If the hair is thin in those places, you might have a major problem!!  You might have…:::Gasp:::… a normal dog!!  What would you do then?!?

  • Pattyvaughn

    You know, if those dog owners were a little more creative they could use that like styling gel and have a really cool ‘do on their nearly bald mutt;-}

  • Hound Dog Mom

    Well I sure hope potato doesn’t remove the coat. I picked up a bag of potatoes to make mashed for Christmas dinner and Mabel jumped on the counter and ate the whole 5 lb. bag. A least they were organic. I’ll have to check for bald spots tomorrow morning lol

  • Pattyvaughn

    Too funny!!

  • doggonefedup

    yeah it must be all that starch drying on the fur and making it brittle :o >

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

    This year’s lampshade award recipient is :: drum roll:::,… is JS!

  • Pattyvaughn

    Shawna

    Everyone knows that if you get a bag of potatoes and scrub your dog real hard with it, it will remove coat.  What are you thinking?

  • Pattyvaughn

    I think you might be right.  Go home JS and sleep it off.

  • Shawna

    “Too much potato in a bag removes the coat”  How so?  I’m not a fan of potato don’t get me wrong.  Just curious how it “removes the coat”.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

    That’s totally what I was thinking doggone! I noticed that the posts took on more of a nonsensical, rambling sort of sense the later, or in his case, the earlier it got.

  • doggonefedup

    Hi Patty,
    I think this JS (Just Stupid???) person is Hallucinating and talking to his/her self. Probably still at the office Christmas party and decided to get on the computer because nobody else is around…. 

  • JS

    thus the $ back guarente on Nutro & blue.

  • JS

    Beverly, yes it is one of the facts that make us stand out! We have always had the highest lanolinic (oil levels of all the pet food brands) how that will help with allergy problems i dont know? it helps keep the nutro beautiful coat on the dog that is a proven fact the 2 ** asterics after that saying proves it, we can rebuild a dogs coat in 80 days! A proven fact.
    Grain free or NC Fish or Venison will help with allergy
    problems not light? thats for weight loss.
    confused…
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    welcome aboard…
    if Ultra weight management doesn’t work i have had spectacular results from (Natural choice Light) with store patrons It uses different ingreadiants to lose the weight slowly but efectively.
    Nutro PNS

  • Pattyvaughn

    JS

    With not a single one of your post attached to the post they are responding to, it is impossible to even know what you are talking about.  Which I can assure you, won’t sell intelligent people on your product.  Oh, wait a minute, we’re intelligent.  We’re already not sold on your product.  50% carbs, no thank you!!

  • JS

    see, now i’ve seen huge differences in weight reduction pet foods most that have corn as a driver dont lose the weight but they gain actually our
    NC light once eaten on the (restrictive diet plan back of bag) the dog always drops to the target weight or close too it client thrilled.because we don’t do corn.
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    I have a friend with 7 cockers and they have always been on Nutro ultra and have never had a problem
    go figure… It’s tooo rich for some.

  • JS

    There is nothing in nutro that can cause skin problems
    like you are talking about…
    and we have no menadione or vitamin k anymore
    in any products…
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    Ultra we produce our own food and our plants are certified by independant companies…
    end of story.
    Nutro PNS
    Pet Nutrition Specialist
    MARS

  • JS

    so you pick the one that is a certified plant that makes it’s own food! Nutro Mars.
    Franklin Tennessee Usa Based.
    quality & safety certified.
    Nutro PNS 

  • JS

    yeah everyone thinks blue is our competition there not… Ultra is the best in my opinion. 

  • JS

    uh yes due to ultra…
    i hear the rich thing all the time in the stores
    i usually feel its due to the barley in the blue plus the dogs poop alot more on blue i dont know why you would ever switch your on the best food on the market in my opinion.
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    or Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free how about…
    which i feel is a 5 star food btw.
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    way to go great conversion!
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    try nutro chicken rice & oatmeal done…

  • JS

    70% old food 30% new 2days, 50/50 2 days, 30% new 70% old 2 days then the new food.
    hope that helps
    Nutro PNS 

  • JS

    I couldn’t have said it better…
    and you would be picking up more with blue…

  • JS

    its the Lamboghini dub edition of our line does that help! jk…
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    I don’t believe this is to be a fact, I have to look into this further before comenting.
    i do know the sellium in the food reduces weight by breaking down fat in the dogs body and it works great! heard great reviews from clients using the product at the stores I go to.

  • doggonefedup

    I can name at least forty dog foods from Abady to Ziwepeak that Ultra can’t even come close to!!! I guess I’m a little biased too!
    You can start by comparing Ultra to Abady’s health and longevity track record.

  • JS

    Too much potato in a bag removes the coat
    and we are against that at nutro!
    thus we add the omega 3 & 6 & zinc.

  • JS

    The problem lies when (how much corn in a bag is tooo much corn) 70% is tooo much
    and a waste of your $$$ on filler.
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    But ultra is protein first potato second w/ zinc and omega 3 & 6 to keep the coat looking amazing!
    Nutro PNS

  • JS

    we are ethoxquin free…
    choose nutro ultra brown rice based food.

  • JS

    Love to Hear that!
    NUTRO PNS

  • JS

    none now have menadione unless it’s an old bag.

  • JS

    No we don’t do that our bags shelf life is less then any other company and when the exp. date is 4 months before we mark it down 50% and sell it way before it is expired unlike other co.
    website: nutrocompany.com

  • JS

    Nutro was never taken over by purina? Mars the M&M company bought nutro?

  • JS

    only problem Nutro Ultra 15% stool volume
    Canidae 70% volume Blue 75% wow.all high that’s alot of picking up… lolthere is no salt in nutro? you are tasting the Salmonin the food it has a salty taste.Nutro PNS 

  • JS

    and That’s why we removed it!
    if we hear anything from consumers we act on it imeadiately and change formulas or use a different ingreadiant.
    sorry cant spell today…
    That’s why we removed the avacado from Ultra it wasn’t bad avoderm has avacado just by popular demand we removed it.
    Nutro PNS 

  • Jeff Schaffer

    Love the comment hear that every day!!
    great move…
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    when we were putting together Nutro Ultra we said what would be the best ingrediants that would benifit a whole dogs body Head To Tail and these are what we came up with in Ultra nothing was just added to fill a bag like other companies….
    only the best ingrediants at the lowest $ point.
    that’s ULTRA.
    Great ? BTW
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    It was in the (chicken rice & oatmeal) vitamin K it’s called, it’s like pepto for dogs or sensitive stomach it made everything flow better we removed it for something more wholeistic we are always trying to improve our formulas at nutro for the heath of your dogs & cats. 
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff Schaffer

    smart consumer!!
    that’s fantastic what a jump in pet food.
    And remember now you will feed less, & gain a whole bunch more in nutrition value.
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    yes fantastic! his coat will look amazing on Ultra
    There is a saying at nutro (you never see a nutro dog with a bad coat) thus the oils in the food.
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    yes definitly! Large breed for dogs over 50 lbs
    he’s right on the money…
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    smart puppy owner!!

  • Jeff Schaffer

    i disagree it is a 3 protein food, Salmon for coat, lamb for digestion and chicken for strength w/ gluecosamine & brown rice and all the super foods! thus it feeds the whole dog I would put Ultra against any food on the market!
    but i’m a little biest.
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    Im very sorry, i never heard of that? i can understand if ultra is too rich, but this is the first time i heard bloody stool, peeing & throwing up that bothers me… i wonder if she got into something else i dont think ultra would be the cause though, my dogs have been on ultra since pups and they thrive on it.
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff Schaffer

    Nutro Makes it’s own! food tested 600 times a batch and we rip open every 12th bag down the line and check freshness! all the levels are always the same. Thats why dogs stay on nutro. And we care!
    Remember were are Mars a global Co.Nutro PNS

  • Jeff Schaffer

    Then stay on Natural choice something in the ultra “not corn” upset the dog and we would have to remove a lot of ingrediants to find out what it was.
    Nutro PNS

  • Jeff schaffer

    This is Correct!
    Nutro PNS

  • jeff Schaffer

    I am one of the pns at nutro ultra is a fantastic food but every dog is different and its digestion is different ultra doesn’t work for all dogs for some it’s too rich this might be your case.
    i would try our chicken rice & oatmeal formula you may have better results with that.
    nutro dogs usually don’t have loose stools.
    Nutro pet nutrition specialist.

  • Pattyvaughn

    Dogs were designed to eat digestive enzymes from their prey so they don’t always produce enough of their own.  And so many things kill off the probiotics in the gut that giving extra really helps some dogs, especially dogs who have had diarrhea or stomach upset long term or dogs that have been on antibiotics.

  • Bevy

    I used pumpkin in the past, no help. And I currently give her 1 tablespoon of plain low fat yogurt, daily. I just switched her to Wellness Core and it is grain free.  But we will see.

  • http://www.thegreedypinstripes.com/ BryanV21

    Before switching, have you tried pumpkin or a pro/prebiotic? Sometimes a dog simply needs more fiber or some help digesting a food, due to some sort of illness. I mean, like you said, it’s not like this is a poor food.

  • Bevy

    I’ve been feeding my dog Ultra for over 5 years. And although I think it a great food, she doesn’t! Her stools are very loose and I can’t think what it could be. Does anyone have a suggestion on what food I should switch her to? 

  • Afaust1

    this is what I recommend to all my puppy buyers.  I have had my dogs on this for over 10 years and have been pleased with their shiney coats, nutritional status and well being.

  • lillygirl10

    My 2yr old sheltie does very well on nutro ultra only thing I give even as a puppy.her coat shines whenever her vet sees her she always comments on how pretty she is.I think this is a great dog food Lilly really seems to like it.

  • Jimbompls

    not everyone can get nature’s select.. as you have to have a distributor in your area.. i live in minneapolis/st paul and we can’t get it here… besides, i wouldn’t want to as they are as sly as Amway, with the same hype. what are they truly hiding? it took about a month for me to get a product question answered by their customer support, and then they stated the obvious. if something is too good to be true, often times it is. their e-pamphlet was really bizarre.. all fluff, with no substance or substantiating reference. It is perhaps the weirdest laid out pamphlet I ever read!

  • Suilim

    Nutro Ultra’s website also states they do not use ethoxyquin, or any chemicals as a preservative. Only Vitamin E is used as a preservative. This is good news.

  • guest

    The Ultra line does not have menadione, neither does the naturals.  I was told they are removing it from any other product as of end of Aug 2012.

  • Hound Dog Mom

    many dogs are allergic to chicken. Did you feed her a food without chicken when you fed Natural Choice then a food with chicken when you fed Ultra?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/P73U7U43TVRD2MC3G4OX6CSG7M ChrisS

    My dog is allergic to corn. She was itching and her hair was falling out. I switched to to Nutro Natural Choice, which corrected the problem. I decided to change her food to Ultra and the problems came back. Switching back to Natural Choice corrected this again. Something in this food she is allergic to. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/bryanv21 Bryan Van Dusen

    Oftentimes it is not the food manufacturer that is the problem, but the variety of food being bought from that manufacturer.

    For example, if chicken is the problem, then it doesn’t matter who the manufacturer is. Acana is a really good food, but if you get the Wild Prairie from Acana, you’re still going to have a problem.

    The same can be said for foods containing grain (corn, rice, barley, oatmeal, etc). Grains can be an allergen, so any grain-free food… no matter who makes it… is going to go wrong.

    So look at the ingredient listing of the food causing the problems, and try to avoid those, instead of buying the same type of formula from another manufacturer and possibly wasting money and time.

  • Nili’s Aunt

    My sister’s dog (Nili) has been on this food sense she was a puppy. She assumed this was a healthy choice because it doesn’t have corn or soy. Everything seemed to be going well with the food until last fall when Nili got sick with bloody stool, peeing all over and throwing up. Her vet advised her to go on a chicken broth and rice diet. Nili was feeling better in no time. After some time, Nili went back on dog food but not Ultra. About four months later, my sister wanted her to go back on Ultra so she slowly introduced with the other dog food. Within two weeks, Nili was back to bloody stool, peeing all over, and throwing up. Luckily my sister put two and two together and did some research online. It turns out Nili is not the only dog to suffer these symptoms from Ultra. I have also been feeding my own dog Ultra for the past two years. I am grateful that we have not had these problems. But now I am scared to buy another bag.

  • Nmack003

    I switched my puppy to this food and she started having accidents in the house. She had not had an accident in over a week and once we changed her to this food she would drink water and then pee right after. I was worried something was seriously wrong with her. Someone suggested I switch foods so I switched to blue buffalo and she has not had an accident since. I dont know if this food just made her extremely thirsty or was affecting her organs but it was not good for her.

  • LabsRawesome

     I was referring to the ingredient panel as well as the review. Salmon meal is listed in the ingredients. Then also in the review, so I think the fish meal, spoken of in the review also, is actually meant to read salmon meal. But you’re right. I’m sure Dr. Mike will fix the review. :)

  • Ann

    No, it looks like it just got cut and pasted from another review since it starts in the middle of a sentence.  Actually, in the middle of talking about the salmon meal :-)

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy
  • LabsRawesome

     There is Salmon meal in this product, maybe that is what he meant.  :)

  • Ann

    Hi Mike,

    I just noticed there are several lines in this review talking about fish meal, but there is no fish meal in the list of ingredients.  A slight oops?

  • LabsRawesome

     Last of the Dog Men, I agree with Jess, this is a rice based food. For the price, you could do much better.

  • Jess

     Last of the Dog Men, do you have any idea how much rice is in this product?? With THREE named rice’s before the first fat, the majority of this dog food is rice. You might as will fed your dog rice bought from the store.

  • Last of the Dog Men

    I have tried all the high rated foods that people buy just for bragging rights at the dog park. I love this brand of food and so does my dog!
    I emailed them a question and with the reply they sent a $3.00 off coupon! 

  • Jcvmar

    I started my puppy dobie she’s only about 3 months so far she loves it The breeder was feeding her Kirkland brand but after the recal I’m done with any diamond brand dry food. I’m current dobie he’s 9 months fully enjoys it.

  • Jernigan007

    i wish i would have used this product years ago.  my dobie loves it & its a 4/5 star food.  i will not buy anything else.

  • Jernigan007

    i just switched from nutro max to this, and my dobie loves it as well!  he will be 11 in 3mths.  i mix senior & weight mgmt together.  he has a few fatty tumors & this brand seems to keep the growth at bay.  we are both very happy with NUTRO !

  • Guest

    Yes, my dog was on Pedigree Adult for a few months (just switched over from Pedigree Puppy formula), but I couldn’t stand the fact that she was hardly absorbing anything she was eating (due to there being little for her to absorb in the first place), and she was becoming very lethargic. I am currently in the process of switching her over to the Nutro Ultra, and she will actually pick around the Pedigree to get to the Nutro Ultra! She loves it and has so much more energy now, and I love knowing that I’m doing something good for her. I wish it wasn’t such an expensive food, but you get what you pay for, and I want a happy, healthy dog for many years to come.

  • JulesInCA

    I have landed at this forum after searching for an alternative food for my two dogs; they currently eat Hills Science Diet R/D.  They do well on this food, as did my 17 year old Corgi until her passing.  But, it is quite expensive and I wonder if it really is better.  After reading about Nutro, I remembered this was the food I fed a dog I had in the late 1980′s.  A Austrialian we found, she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart and her lifespan was expected to be no more than a year.  She was roughly 9 months old when we found her.  The vet recommended we feed her Nutro and keep her weight down, thus reducing the strain on her heart.  I’m happy to say Pepper lived for 8 years.  We had to have her put to sleep as her heart just got too bad and her circulation was so affected.  I do believe the Nutro played a large part in her surviving 8 years – it was the only food she ate, outside of a dog treat here and there.  I appreciate the comments I have read on this forum and, in particular, their aid in helping me find a new dog food.

  • Jcvmar

    So far 4 days on this product and my dobie loves it

  • Jcvmar

    Ok thank you, it’s my first dog I’m just concern for his well being

  • hounddogmom12

    Jcvmar,

    Yes, Nutro Ultra is considered an above-average food (rated 4 stars). However, you may want to consider feeding Nutro Ultra’s Large Breed formula – it is designed with appropriate calcium levels for dogs that will be over 50 pounds when they reach maturity.

  • Jcvmar

    I just started my 9 month old doberman is this dry dog food good for him. (nutro ultra puppy)

  • Pingback: All Different Dog Food Brands & Types | My Blog

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

    I’d rather they have vits/antioxidants from fruits/veg/spirulina versus a synthetic chemical.

  • Daniel

    John,  While not essential to their diet there are many benefits to those ingredients.  Blueberries are a natural source of anti-oxidants and a great overall wellness booster, if your dog has allergies even the seasonal variety a blueberry supplement can help neutralize free radicals.  Pumpkin is a great source of dietary fiber and great for overall digestive health; I often add a Tbsp to my dogs food (especially if I notice loose stool or I know they got into something they shouldn’t have) and in my opinion it works far better than chicken and rice even did to control diarrhea.  As for carrots I’ll just say beta-carotene and vitamin A for starters.  While these are not typical of a  canine diet they are often part of their preys diet.  You may also notice dogs tend to scavenge as well, they will eat grass and other fruits and veggies they find readily available or happen across in their natural environment. Hope you find this helpful!

  • GUest

    I just switched my puppy to Ultra and she loves it. It’s as if we are feeding her treats , but also she was eating Purina Puppy Chow..

  • Hamtonio

    I use Nutro Ultra large breed puppy and it doesn’t even have the Menadione in it. People need to be sure they’re rating the right product. Even on this page they don’t list it in the ingredients. It may be in another product line of Nutro but not in THIS product that is being reviewed.

  • John Hamilton

    Does a dog really need blueberrys, pumpkin and carrots? Seems like stuff that is not typical of a canine diet. Do they really benefit that much or is it hype to sell higher priced dog food? I’m just trying to find the honest answers so please educate me. 

  • Elizabeth

    My American Bulldog ate Nutro Ultra for 2 years and never had any issues. I also feed my Rat Terrier this food because on Purina One he started chewing his feet and he hasn’t done so with Ultra. I don’t blame Purina One. He just developed an allergy after like 7 years of eating it. I had to switch my AmBulldog to Nutro Natural Choice because I got a Saint Bernard and feeding them both Ultra would drain my bank account. I love Nutro dog food and highly recommend it!

  • LabsRawesome

     Hi cin4dogs, I agree!(about the Menadione being horrible) Why risk it? When there are so many good dog foods that don’t use it. I used to love Mountain Dew, until I looked at the label….. it has brominated vegetable oil. SO GROSS. I know I don’t want to drink vegetable oil!

  • cin4dogs

    I know everyone has their own opinions on whether things are safe or not safe.  It would be up to us individually on what we use and don’t use.  I am not going to use any food made with menadione, for my own personal reasons.  I just feel “better safe then sorry!”  

  • Shawna

    That’s interesting Marie!!  I really haven’t been able to find any reliable data on it (regarding human food supply).?  I read thru three pages of data and all were forums or newsletters etc.

    Couldn’t it be banned from medical use but still be approved for use in processed foods?

    Obviously these amounts wouldn’t be used in foods (human or pet) but this paper indicated injections of 20mg/kg was lethal in cats while 50mg/kg induced “pronounced” hemolytic anemia and necrotic wounds in dogs.   http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1960.tb07729.x/abstract

  • Marie

    Erm, this is going to be one of the few times I’m gonna take aimee’s stance here- I too am not convinced that menadione in minuscule amounts significantly raises cancer risk. It was banned in the human food chain because of abuse, and some doctors injected a bunch of babies with insane amounts of the stuff. That’s what my understanding is, anyway.

  • LabsRawesome

     Hey Shawna, Because it’s NOT!!!!

  • Shawna

    What gets me —- if it is so safe, why is it not used in the human food chain (if it is more stable and less expensive)? Hmmmmm??

  • cin4dogs

    Thanks Aimee,
    I appreciate your opinion and respect your opinion also!  

  • cin4dogs

    Thanks for the link!  I am going to play it safe with my dogs and not feed them any dog food that has menadione in it.    I have 6 dogs that I rescued and want to give them good healthy food.  

  • aimee

    Hi Cin4dogs,

    I know I’m in the minority of regular posters here at DFA but I have no concerns regarding menadione at levels incorporated into commercial pet foods.

     

  • LabsRawesome

    Hi cin4dogs, No Menadione is DEFINITELY  NOT good for your dog. Of course Nutro is going to claim that it is. They should just remove it. Please read- http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione

  • cin4dogs

    I contacted Nurtro with my concerns about ethoxyquin  andmenadione in there foods, this is the email I received back!  Thought I would share this.

    Thank you for contacting THE NUTRO COMPANY. We appreciate your feedback and the time you took out of your day to contact us.Nutro’s products are naturally preserved. We do not add ethoxyquin to our products and request that our suppliers stabilize raw materials with natural preservatives before shipping them to our plants.Rumors circulating on the internet about menadione causing various diseases such as cancer in pets have caused some confusion and concern about the ingredient. Here are the facts:• Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is approved by the FDA as a pet food ingredient based on its safety and efficacy to deliver Vitamin K to pets. • Menadione has not been linked to causing cancer. In fact, there are experimental treatments using menadione to treat specific forms of cancer in humans.THE NUTRO COMPANY is committed to developing quality products which meet your pet’s nutritional needs. Your confidence in our products and continued goodwill are very important to us. Please give us a call at 1-800-833-5330, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard time if you would like additional information.Sincerely,JosieTHE NUTRO COMPANYConsumer Relations – Corporate Affairs

  • Lisa R Hoffman

    Wow…I had never read this but I suspected my dog was sick from the Nutro food.  Thanks for sharing.

  • Lisa R Hoffman

    I began feeding my dog Nutro Ultra after talking to a representative at PetSmart.  Everything seemed okay for a while but then she developed a bad case of Pancreatitis….could not eat anything without vomiting, no appetite, no energy….I had to carry her outside to go potty.  After many expensive vet trips including the emergency clinic she finally got well.  I can’t with certainty blame the dogfood but after doing some research on the computer, lots of dogs have been stricken with pancreatitis from eating this food.  I switched her to Wellness and she has been doing great for the last several years now.  I recently added Orijen dogfood to give her a little variety and I will say after looking it up online and reading the ingredient list, that dogfood is probably better than most human food but it is very expensive so for now I will just mix in a little with her wellness brand food. 

  • Cherie

    Mike,
    Nutro Ultra just came out with a Ultra Small Breed Senior its on their website I bought a bag today and my dog loved it.

  • regina

    i just started my dog on ultra she is chi/dox mix i mix the dry with the meat and she eats it and so does the cat  lol she growls at my dog so that she can eat the dog’s food, go figure  lol anyway i tried this food because my baby wasn’t eating her old food and she was sheding to much hair, she is very picky and i bought the other food because she liked it but i guess she doesn’t anymore . i will try this for a few months to see how it does with her, i will come back with an update.

  • LabsRawesome
  • LabsRawesome

     Hi Osr_two, the reviews are based on ingredients only.

  • Osr_two

    You should consider revising your review of Nutro dog food: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

  • http://twitter.com/taotoot Lianne

    I am disappointed with Nutro Ultra. I have done decent ingredient research and it seemed to meet the criteria of what most people advise to pay attention to. My dog seems to be hungry on this diet. I just switched to Canidae after reading a blog, and I tasted both foods myself to compare. Nutro Ultra is VERY salty. The Canidae actually tastes GOOD. I will never buy Nutro again. Salt should be on the “guaranteed analysis” list with a maximum content.

  • Jane

    Soy has been a challenged ingredient for years even in humans.

    When I did my research on food allergens in dogs to develop a naturally non-allergenic treat for my black lab, Rocky…shown below, soy was on the list.  Even though he was highly sensitive to wheat of any kind (including wheat gluten) and corn, I decided to go totally non allergenic and eliminate soy and gluten also. (if some don’t know it is the gluten in wheat flour that holds form)   In further research, with the Gluten Society for Animals, gluten is highly detrimental to the Irish Setter breeds and some Giant breeds like Great Danes as told me by some Great Dane owner customers.   When they eliminated the gluten and soy altogether even in treats, and used my naturally non-allergenic dog treat products eliminating those 4 food sensitivities in dogs, they have told me the positive changes in their pets. 

    Even a small allergen in humans will continue to allow the particular allergy to grow.  I’m not a vet either, but I read every label and do research when I see my lab and border terrier in dietary trouble.  

    As for dog treats I am confident I have come up with excellent alternative  and nutritious wheat/corn/soy/gluten free treat products, which have been lab analyzed and are U.S.Pet Food Product Manufacturer Compliant, also are compliant with the U.S.FDA packaging regulations. 

    They have certainly worked for my dogs allergen sensitivities. (He’s a strong 13-1/2 yrs old black lab mix and has a beautiful coat and healthy skin since off those ingredients.)  And when he’s not constantly licking and chewing from wheat and corn I’m a happy owner and more money in my pocket instead of my vets.

  • Jane

     Carol I think you’re right.  Blue Buffalo gives my 13 1/2 yr old dog very loose stools and gas.  It and anything actually with Lamb is too rich for him certainly so I stay away from anything with Lamb or too many  protein sources.  He’s been a Nutro dog all his life.  Stools are solid and less frequent meaning the nutrition is staying in his system.

    Good for you to find the solution.  And if you have to take the bag back, they’ll donate it to shelters and give you a full exchange.  I’ve done that even with a Nutro product that has wheat in it which is a severe allergen to my dog and the main food allergen in dog food according to my research and the vet.

  • Jane

    I appreciate your report and agree with your rating of Nutro. 
    have a 13-1/2 yr 55 pound old black lab mix that has been a Nutro dry food dog all his life and thrived on it.  About age 8 he developed severe wheat/corn allergy problem  in such a short period of time.  Vet said probably a food allergy and the most common was wheat/corn in dogs.  Nutro changed their MAX formula he was on (if I recall correctly) when I really started reading dog food labels.  I never even considered a different brand until then. I used a different brand but it was too rich on his sensitive stomach so back to Nurto Natures Choice.  It did make a difference, but I read the labels on each product before I bought it.  I also cut out all wheat and corn even in the smallest treats on the market and his condition reversed. In my research I came up with few recipes of totally non-allergenic human grade natural ingredients, had them all lab analyzed as required by the Pet Manufacturers Federal Regulations and new it was a safe formula for sensitive dogs.  Dog food products:  ‘it’s a jungle out there.”  You must read every label of dog food product, including raw hides, (which Rocky never gets)   dental chews, dog bone looking treats, which all have wheat gluten or wheat flour as first ingredients before I buy it. Note: wheat is good for humans but not the best for dogs.  Also wheat based products are much less expensive, but don’t skimp for your faithful canine companion.

    Rocky still has those sensitivities if he gets some wheat from someone I’m not aware, but I try to make sure he doesn’t get anything w/wheat or corn.  When people ask if he can have a treat I always say no thank you he is allergic to wheat and corn and has his own brand.  What a difference completely eliminating those two ingredients has made in his life. (So while developing the new treat products, I also eliminated soy and gluten which some dogs are also sensitive to.)

    Rocky still has a strong heart, lungs, lymph system and very strong. He has a few of those old Lab fatty bumps, but nothing to be concerned about since they are not growing much at all.  Vet says he has good teeth (due to wheat free teeth chews I’m sure.) He loves to run especially on a leash, but is shortening the distance from weakening back hips which I have begun treating with glucosamine, chondrocin and a natural inflamatory Microlactin. He has developed cataracts the past year unfortunately but it has not slowed him down, only makes him a bit cautious naturally of quick movements toward his head or if touched w/o him seeing you from behind sometimes.  He loves his daily routine of the Dog Park to socialize and then a long walk that’s good for both of us. 

    I approve of Nutro for my dear fellow, but it is important to be informed on how to read the labels, and take the time to do so each new bag in case the formula has changed.

    Bottom line of Nutro products for me: Rocky has lived a long life and still going.  But I have decided to take him off the Weight Management after reading the above article.  Thanks for the good insight to all the different products. 

    Did you talk about the 4-D ingredients?  I know Science Diet used to use them, which puzzled me that all the vet clinics sell it and recommend it. 

  • FriendlyNeighborhoodScientist

    I had a shih tzu growing up that was fed Nutro Max, she led a long and healthy life for 15 years before she became extremely ill and had to be put down two years ago.  I knew I wanted another shih tzu for my family as an adult and 2 months ago we finally found a 1 year old, Harley, we rescued from a family that couldnt afford to take care of it (literally the dogs fur was horribly matted and it had no real dog toys, treats, or a bed and they named the dog Smooshie which we changed easily, I felt so bad for the dog).  The dog was being fed Beneful and the previous owner gave us the rest of the bag she had when we took the dog.  Now if you look it up on here, it is an awful dog food.  I didn’t want her to have so many new things thrust upon her at once so even though its awful food, I didn’t change her food immediately so that there was a more gentle acclimation to her new home and less problems for her.  3 weeks after we got her we switched to Nutro Ultra just because I knew that the Nutro brand worked well for my previous dog and the Ultra ingredients were better than the Max. 

    After starting Harley on Nutro Ultra, she began a gradual decline in her health, 3 weeks later she had an extremely bad UTI, drank water excessively, urinating frequently and everywhere, especially places she knew she should go (on the couch and on the beds), she had foul body odor, trembling, and her coat had bad dandruff.  At first the vet thought that this was not related to the food change(but she sever told us what the other symptoms could be from really ) so we gave her 2 weeks of an antibiotic (Clavamox, which had great reviews on results). When I saw the labs, she had crystals in her urine She seemed to have much improvement after the meds were done (not 100%) so we thought she should be fine. But a gradual decline occurred right away and 2 weeks later again we are now starting another round of UTI treatment.  I am 99.9% sure that this happened because of the food. So right now I have switched her to the bluebuffalo wilderness for small breeds  (no transition) and the first day  shows improvement all ready.  NO accidents have happened from the time when the dog took the med. So I will write more when I discover it was the food doing this to her little body.  Instant for running $240 in tests.  I am going to use my holistic approacph by giving her the Blue wilderness food from now and also until she is feeling better I will use the wysong Ph Biotic – as well.  If I was wrong then I guess I’ll runn their $240 tests but I am pretty sure I’m correct in this matter. 

    I will post back to give an update to confirm this!

  • Sherry

    I had fed my dogs Nutro Ultra Holistic for about 1 1/2 – 2 years without
    incident. Since Nutro’s takeover by Purina, both dogs developed
    vomiting with emesis consisting of large amounts of undigested and
    partially digested food. anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours after the
    ingestion of a feeding. Switched to another brand of dogfood about 2
    months ago and the problems have ceased. I had a bag of the Nutro Ultra
    Holistic biscuits which I decided to go ahead and use. I opened them 3
    days ago and have found some Ol’ Roy biscuits mixed in with them. I
    guess my point is that, do we really know what we’re feeding.

  • Hemigrl89

    My lab has been on this since a puppy and he is now 12 yrs old. My vet has said his food has helped his coat to stay shiny and soft. The price may be alittle high but I would always use this for any other dog I get.

  • Hector

    Bob:
    Thank you for your reply.
    If you read my post carefully I feed Buddy my 5 year dog setter the chicken dry formula one and a half bags on a two month period of time Nov Dec of 2011
    He seem to like it as I was mixing it with his old food.
    The first bag was a smaller.
    The second bag was the larger more expensive of the same. After an 1/8 of bag he did not care for it he picked up one morsel at the time out of the plate.
    Half way he did not care for it at all it was around X mas time.
    I tried different ways to make sure that he ate it as he lost his appetite entirely.
    That’s when he started show signs of lethergicnes (check spell)
    By the end of the year he was just sick fully lethrgic, constripacion and or diarriea.
    Then early this year he was totally out of it non responsive, and he seem like he had sore bones and joints.
    I thought it was because he did not eat well, so at times I mixed his food with cooked chicken and some cat fod and even force feed him couple of times.
    He got worst , urinated constantly in the house and drank soo much water all the time.
    One night january 5th of 2012 after I saw him wabbling toward the door and just peed al over the floor lots urine was as clear as the water he drank. Then I decided that the only thing I had done was change his diet. Quckly I search the internet and I saw some ppl having the same issues almost to the T.
    So Last friday the 6th I stoped feeding Nutro Ultra and start him with wahtever he ate like meat beef chicken rice I was cooking for him.
    On monday I took him to the vet for blood work but by then he was showing signs of recovering.
    Today the 11th he is a totaly different dog, execive water consuption and urination stoped , he is barking , walking around.
    Blood work came back good the vet just finded that his joints where sweling.
    I’m not going to feed him this doog food any more.
    I thought I was doing the right thing and half of bag is just setting on the covert unused.
    The reseach I did on the internet showed that there had been more cases exactly like we experienced with some fatalities and some very expensive tratments and extrangly enough its happening on the same period of Dec/ Jan and when taken to the vet the doctors could find the reason for the sickness and when the feeding of this dog food stoped the dogs showed signs of improvemet.
    Also I read that some dogs did very well on this food and others did not even on the same house hold with multiple dogs.
    The only thing Buddy did not experienced was the white gums and vomiting that other ppl had with their dogs.
    Perhaps because I stoped it soon enough?
    I’m not taking any chances my dog is much better now and I’m looking at shopping for new dog food.
    I used to feed him Nuro Natural Choice Lamb and he did well on it but knowing that the FDA admiting that there is a prove into the Nutro company and there also a history of past issues with it I’m not going back to it.
    I’m concern.
    I’ll also suggest any dog ownr to do carefull reaseach of any dog food company when choosing.
    I spended a lot of time reseaching and thank god I did I may just saved my dogs life and thousands of dollats by doing so.

  • Bob K

    hector – As I read your note, it appears you have already transitioned to Iams Ultra after several bags. For an 8 year old dog that has been eating several bags without problem, I would make an appt. to the vet.   The constant urination concerns me.    One never knows for sure but a trip to the Vet is my advice.  You don’t just switch dog foods, you transition slowly to a new Brand and formula. 

  • hector

    I’m concern as I switch my setter to the Nutro Ultra large dog formula dry food.
    after couple of bags he has lost his appetite and started behaving lethergic, some diarriea and costant urinating, urine appears clear almost like water.
    I started to reaseach this dog food tonight as a last resort to see if any one has this same issue.
    I hope is not too late.
    I’ll switch him back to his regular food starting tomorrow and see if he gets better.
    This is the only thing I did for him, since he was fine before so I suspect this may be the problem.
    He does eat other stuff by as soon as I serve him the dry dog food he wallks away.

    Hector

  • Cheryl

    Does anyone know about Nutro Ultra weight management formula because of the fiber for diabetic dogs

  • sandy

    I would contact the company. They may be using up old bags.

  • Kathy

    I am trying to find a new dog food without soy, corn and menadine. The Nutro website says that Ultra does not have these things in them however I brought a bag home and the ingredients are listed on the bag. Can you shed any light to this?
    Thanks

  • sandy

    The Petco website may not be up to date. I would go with what is on the Nutro website. This review here was updated on 9/2011. And since Nutro has a couple different lines of foods, some of them may or may not still contain menadione. It depends on which formulas they changed.

  • Bob K

    Jackie – Please look on Nutros site or on the specific bag of the specific formula from Nutro – What do you see

  • Jackie

    I looked this food up on Petco website and Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), is listed on their ingredient list, whereas it is not on here. Please explain.

  • Maggie

    My 14 yr old Golden Retriever had bad hips and could barely walk. I had her on 75mg of Rimadyl twice daily for arthritis in her hips. Also she had large amounts of blood in her urine. At the suggestion of a pet store employee, I decided to try the Nutro Ultra. After 3 mos on the new food I was able to take her off the Rimadyl. She is walking better now then when on her old food (Iams) with the Rimadyl. Also, there is no more blood in her urine and she is as spunky as I’ve seen her in a long time. I realize that the Nutro Ultra has Chondroitin and Glucosamine in it which probably accounts for the improvement in her hips but I chalk it all up to the dog food for the blood in her urine going away. My dogs love this food and so do I!

  • Kathi Crawley

    My havanese puppy would not eat Nutro Natural Choice, Nutro Ultra or Premium Edge. Tryed Wellness Super 5 Mix small breed puppy and she loves it!!!!!

  • Kathi Crawley

    Hi Mike – Have a havanese puppy and she is not eating her current food – Nutra Natural Choice – and I want to change her food. Looking at either Nutra Ultra puppy or Premium Edge puppy. Premium Edge contains chelated minerals and probiotics and is ethoxyquin free. Nutra – no probiotics and is not ethoxquin free. Premium is a grain based food and Nutra is rice based?? My puppy does scratch/chew and was just hoping to get some advice on which food to choose. Thank you.

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja Dog Food Ninja

    Richard J, the problem is when potato (or any starchy food) starts to make up a substantial portion of the dog’s meal. In the wild, wolves get only a fraction of their calories from carbohydrates. Also, white potatoes are not really a naturally occurring foodstuff. White potatoes are on of those concocted foods that we have tampered with. Sweet potatoes are much less tampered with, and they have more vitamins and a lower GI.

  • Nigel

    Richard,

    Your right that wolves don’t pick apples off trees because they will eat them off the ground when some fall off the tree on their own accord. I’ve seen footage of this but then again I never seen them eat carrots or broccoli & some dog foods have those too.

  • Nigel

    Good question Richard. My dogs are on flavors with potato & doin great. I don’t see any problem? But even corn is okay to a degree. Flavors with too much corn is no good tho my vet tells me.

  • Richard J Breard

    Mike… I can understand a dog having problems with grains.I have never seen a dog in a corn field but what is the problem with potato. I never seen a dog eating an apple off the tree but it’s in thier food and nothing bad about that.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Ricky… As I mention in this review, “Due to its apparently lower meat content, the Weight Management recipe was downgraded to the next lower star category.” Hope this helps.

  • Ricky

    Why is the Weight Management rated lower than the others ?
    I feed my Cocker Spaniel it and he loves it .

  • Gordon

    Kenny – Just so you know, a lot of the commercial made raw formulas are completely safe and nutritious for cats to eat as well. There isn’t much difference in the protein to carb ratio variance, and even some kibbles can be fed to cats that especially included the taurine supplement, albeit the taurine anf other similar additives, come from China.

  • sandy

    Kenny,

    Hopefully your cat is eating cat food since they require more protein than dog foods contain!! Unless its Epigen. Epigen is actually dog/cat food. Says on the package.

  • http://bestpuppyfoodblog.com Kenny

    I just started my husky shepard mix on nutra and after trying a number of other brands I finally found one my dog likes!!! Just like Chris I find my cats like it as well. Found that out after I left the bag on the table and heard something fall over and found my cat in the bag

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Jason… Because of the company’s decision to remove the menadione in this recipe, Nutro Ultra (with the exception of the 3-star Weight Management recipe) has been upgraded to 4 stars. Hope this helps.

  • Jason

    So…. is this a 4 star food or a 3.5 star food?

  • Shawna

    Excess food, of any kind, can lead to weight gain as can excess carbohydrates as they increase the insulin and leptin response and are stored, if fed in excess, as fat. Excess protein can be stored as fat but is also necessary for proper muscle as well as every other aspect of a healthy body.

    As a high protein (grain free) raw feeder of toy breed dogs —- I can tell you with absolute certainty that high protein diets do not cause weight gain. In fact, my foster dog came in weighing 29 pounds (should weigh about 12). She is now down to 14 pounds eating a high protein raw mixed with higher protein kibble food – Evo, Orijen etc (I rotate foods).

    Lew Olson PhD in Natural Nutrition — “Too Much Protein?

    The anatomy and digestive process of dogs are designed to most easily digest animal fat and protein. Dogs perform best on animal based products. Studies have shown you cannot feed a dog too much protein. (For more information about this, you can review the past newsletter on protein at http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/protein/.)”
    http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/dogs-and-protein/

  • Chris

    I wanted to add a note: I have noticed that many people are obsessed with buying the food with the highest protein content. After talking to several vets and doing some research, it seems clear at if your dog in NOT a “working” dog i.e. pulling a dog-sled or herding cattle, then a protein content of 25-30% is fine. BlueBuffalo wilderness has a protein content of about 36% if i can remember, its very high and can result in weight gain unless you really work your dog. I have a very active dog who he gets regular exercise and I’m very happy with Ulta’s 28% protein. He seems happy too, and digests it well.

  • Chris

    I just decided on Nutro Ulta Puppy for my rescue mix (collie / husky / sharpei… maybe / Shepard). I wanted to mention that the new Ultra that i bought does not have Vitamin K, or soybean oil – so that eliminates 2 of the 4 controversial ingredients.

    I decided on Ulta after testing blue buffalo, which resulted in very soft stool for the poor pooch.

    He loves this food, and so does out cat, incidentally. I havent noticed any issues with bad gas and the stool seems solid for now.

    This seems like a great product, and is comparable in price with other quality foods.

  • Debbie Perkins

    I wrote the Nutro company yesterday about the ingredient menadione, since I was considering switching to Nutro. We had previously used Nutro Natural Balance for years but was interested in the Nutro Ultra line. Here’s what they said, just as info:

    Thank you for taking the time to contact The Nutro Company.

    We are currently in the process of phasing this ingredient out of all of our foods. Nutro Ultra and Nutro Max Dog foods have been reformulated without this ingredient, and we have quite a few in the Nutro Natural Choice line that do not contain this ingredient.

    Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Adult
    Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy
    Nutro Natural Choice Grain-Free Venison Meal & Potato Nutro Natural Choice Grain-Free Turkey Meal & Potato Nutro Natural Choice Grain-Free Large Breed Lamb & Potato And the entire Nutro Natural Choice Toy Breed line, which will be available in stores in September.

  • http://brotherscomplete.com Richard Darlington

    Walter J

    We have at least 60 or more bulldog customers (both American and French bulldogs) at our store and they definitely seem to be more sensitive to grains and potatoes than other breeds. I would recommend you try a 5 star rated grain free food and transition slowly over at least a week by adding a bit more of the new food each day. Do not be discouraged if you get a loose stool for a few days because your dogs pancreas is going to be secreting extra enzymes until it can figure out just what it needs to handle the new food efficiently.

    Also sometimes it will get a bit worse before it gets better if Candida fungus is involved because as the Candida dies back it releases some toxins…but they will eventually be eliminated by the liver and kidneys and you should see the symptoms improve in a few weeks.

    If you want to go all out move to a food that has no grain or potato. This has resolved at least 90% of the skin related problems we have encountered in the dogs we’ve seen change diets over the years. Moving to a grain free food should help for at least 6 months but if the problems begin to come back then get a grain and potato free food.

    Some times adding a little pumpkin from a can (a tablespoon or two) to the kibble will help with the temporary loose stool or prevent it all together.

  • Jonathan

    Walter, Ultra is a decent food. But if you really want a higher meat content, there is nothing in the Nutro line that is very high. You’ll have to look at the list of 5-star foods and see if there are any of those available where you shop.

  • Walter J.

    I own an American Bulldog who is currently eating Nutro Ultra. I was really hoping to learn more about other people’s experiences with that particular food, but it seems that we all got stuck on the thread regarding issues with Blue Buffalo. My dog likes Nutro okay, but I just read about the need for dogs to eat food with as much meat as possible. I only want to feed him the best, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

  • melissa

    Richard-

    If you are transitioning between two very similar products, you typically have less issues. As Bob K said, if you ate only one type of food for months or years, you can bet suddenly a meal of spicy tacos would throw your digestive system for a loop. Dogs are no different-eating one thing day in and day out seems to conditions the system to that particular food source. I ran into mucho transition issues when I fed only one food for years-Now, I am amazed that by rotating, the dogs digestive systems seem to handle foods that they could not before, and introducing most new foods is not a big deal.

    I have three dogs that came to me with pancreatitis issues-one of which also has Lupus and is a Lymphosarcoma survivor of two years from diagnosis. As long as I keep the fat levels within a certain range, no stomach upset even for them. Prior to rotation, the slighest bit of meat or kibble would land them in the hospital on IV’s.

  • Bob K

    Richard J beard – A few items to ponder
    1.) You aren’t a dog
    2.) You do not eat a steady diet of the same stuff often for a few months.
    3.) If all of a sudden you switched to an all Vegetarian diet I suspect you would have loose stools.
    4.) Much depends on the specific dog
    5.) Much depends to what food the dog is on and what you are switching to based on ingredients.
    6.) Switching from Diamond Natural Chicken and Rice to Kirkland Chicken and Rice would be an easy transition compared to Taste of the Wild Salmon or Buffalo based foods.

    Hope this helps – No one easy answer

  • Richard J breard

    I don’t understand this slow transition thing. I have never done it with any of my dogs and never had a problem. When you go out to eat in a different resturant does the waiter ask you if you brought your last meal with you so he can slowly change you over?

  • Carol W

    Our 9 year old weimaraner has never been a picky eater but has always had a sensitive digestive system. Even anesthesia for spaying made her vomit for a couple of days. She was on Pacific Wild and doing so-so, but with intermittent spells of diarrhea..that soon was accompanied by vomiting. A full-body xray was done, as well as all blood work. She had no bloat, no signs of anything that would explain it. In a moment of frustration I switched her to a lower-grade food, over the period of 8 days. At first it seemed to solve the problem. But after being on the lower quality food for about 3 months, she developed diarrhea that just wouldn’t go away. I decided that a high grade food might change things so I bought Blue Buffalo. I begin at 75/25 ratio, and by the end of the week we were at 25/75 and the day we went to 3/4 Blue, she began to tank. Diarrhea like I’ve never seen, even in her. Horrible gas, you can hear her tummy from across the room. Today, her energy level and general wellbeing is down and I knew I had to do something. I started her back on the Zantac (which was originaly prescribed by her vet, along with Kaopectate) and the Kaopectate, went back to 75/25 with the old food and carried the rest of the Blue Buffalo BACK to the store. I work at our local no-kill shelter and all the pets, save those with particular medical problems, are on Nutro. So I bought her a bag of Nutro for Sensitive Stomachs. I just fed her 75/25 with her old, low grade food and she’s sleeping instead of asking to go out. Here’s praying. Blue is good food but it is NOT for every dog. It has made mine very sick.

  • Bob K

    Erin – Glad you are having success with this food but for what you are paying, you dog could be enjoying a 5 star food and have more money in your pocket. Cleansing at a 5 week mark is a big story for sure from the BB rep. Dog food transition should be a week or two if you are switching to a similar food such as chicken and rice to chicken and rice from another brand. Some 5 star foods that may be less expensive include: Taste of the Wild, Canidae Grain-Free, California Natural Grain-Free, Before Grain, Nature’s Logic, Acana Grain-Free, Before Grain, Canidae Grain-Free

  • Erin

    Just thought I’d chime in here. I began switching my 7-month old doberman pinscher over to Blue Buffalo, from Purina Dog Chow (which his breeder had fed). I thought ANYTHING would be better than Dog Chow, but had heard great things about Blue, and read some terrific reviews. I can’t comment as to the “richness” but I know that I switched him extremely slowly (at the five-week mark, we were at 75% Blue Buffalo/25%Dog Chow). Even that slowly, he just absolutely could not tolerate it. He had terrible diarrhea, almost constantly. We were taking him out multiple, multiple times a day, and he still had accidents in the house. The Blue Buffalo rep in the store told me it can sometimes have a “cleansing effect” because of all the fruits and veggies, and that is was “very rich” but that if switched gradually, dogs usually adjust. Not mine. So once I put him back on Dog Chow, I did some more research and decided to try Nutro Ultra. Again, I’m switching over slowly, but not quite as slowly as with the Blue Buffalo. He’s doing awesome. No reactions, no diarrhea. He LOVES the taste, and will often pick out the Dog Chow and spit it out on the floor (can’t blame him). So overall, we’re very happy with this food. I feel it’s nutritious enough that I’m not short-changing him, yet it’s still affordable.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Tricia… Our concerns here about soy have nothing to do with the thyroid issue but are more related to their use by the pet food industry as an inferior substitute for quality meat-based protein.

    Just the same, in humans, soy has been linked to a decreased ability to absorb synthetic thyroid hormone. And whether or not soy has a direct relationship with thyroid function appears to be a subject of controversy.

    For example, one recent study of dogs being fed high concentrations of soy extracts did appear to demonstrate some changes on an animal’s endocrine (hormone) function. But that evidence was inconclusive and only suggested further study.

    Based upon the current literature alone, it would seem (to me) a bit premature to sweepingly condemn soy as a major cause of thyroid dysfunction. If you still have any personal doubts, simply avoid dog foods that contain soy ingredients.

    Unfortunately, since I’m not a veterinarian, it would be inappropriate for me to provide more specific health advice regarding this issue. Wish I could be more help.

  • Tricia

    I am curious about the reason for the soy concern. I have a thyroid problem and was told it was likely caused by an over consumption of soy products (being a vegetarian). I was told to keep it out of my dog food because it can cause thyroid problems in dogs as well. My mother’s dog has hypothyroidism too and he was raised on Science Diet which contains soy (he is now on Canidae which does not contain soy). Have you heard of this or has even been enough research to make a judgment?

  • Jonathan

    Holly, some dogs do react differently to different foods. But calling something rich that contains and average amount of fat is silly. Blue has 3% more fat that Ultra. 3%. Nothing earth-shattering. There is no way one could consider 13% fine and 16% rich. Which Blue were you feeding your dog when he had this problem anyways? That could be the bigger difference in this discussion more than the brand itself.

  • holly

    My dog got colitis from being on blue buffalo my vet had also said it was way to rich for his stomach i went to a differnt vet to clarify that he did have coloitis and the vet said yes and that food is very rich so i he is stupid some dogs react differnt to a food like my chihuahua did he was on i.d food to clear his poopy issue up and now he is on nutro ultra and doing great!

  • Jonathan

    It’s funny that you refer to Blue as “too rich”. I actually hear this at the store sometimes too. But what I don’t get is how it’s possibly “too rich”. Blue life Protection has a fairly average amount of protein and fat, and it’s usually the fat people are referring to when they call it rich.. I don’t know. In any account, you may want to try a different protein of Blue before giving up on the brand. They have a Lamb and oatmeal puppy formula that may be easier for your dog to digest.

  • Andrew

    Jonathan, the breeder we got him from was feeding him diamond dry dog food so I started him on that and yes slowly transitioned over to Blue. I understand that Blue is an excellent food but I’ve heard its a rich food so he probably just couldn’t handle it. I will probably transition to a better quality food when he’s a little older as he’s only 10 weeks old and I don’t want to switch his food too much at this early stage and I’m just happy he has regular stools again.

  • Jonathan

    Andrew, did you slowly transition you dog from his previous food to Blue by starting at 20% new 70% old and gradually increasing the Blue over a two week period? And what were you transitioning from?

  • Andrew

    I started feeding my dog blue buffalo and he immediately got diarea so I started feeding him boiled chicken and rice and it cleared up within a few days. He is now on nutro ultra and doing great. I understand that all dogs are different and what works for some won’t always work for others but I will never again feed any dog of mine blue buffalo

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    OK. I’ve made the adjustment. Nutro Ultra is now 3.5 stars (a more realistic rating).

  • Meagan

    Yep thanks for clearing that for me :)

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Meagan… Yes, Nutro Ultra used to be 4 stars. But when I revisited this product line late last year, I decided the menadione combined with the use of corn gluten as a protein booster in some of its recipes merited an adjustment. It’s really a 3.5 star product. But I didn’t have half stars at my disposal until just recently. I may adjust this up just a half star soon. Thanks for the reminder.

  • Meagan

    Mike-Did this use to be rated a 4? I saw one comment that said it was?

  • Cathy

    Heather,

    If you want the best food for your pups, feed raw. The K9Natural website says this about dog food: “The perfect food should be warm, covered in fur and running past a dogs nose.”

    You can review some raw-feeding options at Mike’s link on this website:
    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Heather… Our ratings are based upon the apparent quality and estimated meat content of a dog food’s ingredients. We have no way of knowing how your dogs will respond to this formula over their lifetimes. For comparison, be sure to check out dome of the 4 and 5-star foods, too. That way you’ll feel more confident with your decision. Since all (human and dog) foods have built-in (and unknown) deficiencies. diet rotation tends to diminish their shortcomings. You wouldn’t be committed to feeding the same brand year in and year out.

    For more information, please visit our FAQ page and look for the topic, “Diet Rotation for Dogs”. Hope this helps. Hope this helps.

  • Heather

    We are in the process of welcoming 2 new additions to our family, 2 beautiful English Mastiff pups. I want to be sure that I am giving them these best food that I can so that they grow properly, and I can keep them healthy as they grow into adulthood and their senior years. We are starting them off with Nutro Ultra Holistic Large Breed Puppy food. After reading the reviews I am now wondering if this is a good choice for them. Is this a good food for them? All recommendations are welcome!

  • Pingback: What’s really in commercial pet food? | Jenn 'n' Louie

  • Michael

    This is a fantastic site, Mike!

    I’ve been feeding my dogs Kibbles’n'Bits for years, moving them up from Ol’Roy when they started refusing to eat certain kinds of kibble. I knew it wasn’t very good, but I would have expected it to score higher than it did. Wow.

    Armed with all of this information, I ended up getting a bag of this Nutro Ultra Adult to try, because it was the best food I could actually find for sale on the shelf around here. I’m really grateful for having a resource like this available, so I have some idea what I’m looking for, and what I just bought.

    It’s not the best, but it should be better for my dogs than Kibbles’n'Bits anyway. It does seem like I should be getting more for more than twice the price though. It’s pretty disappointing, really, that a bag with so much foofery about how wonderfully splendiferous it is really isn’t offering nearly as much as it wants consumers to think.

  • Tara in Alaska

    Thanks! Will do on the report. And we are coming up on the two week mark on the new food (He was on LB Puppy Science Diet before) his skin looks to be improving with some help from the vet and I have not seen any new red spots or hair loss. I am hopeful. This whole thing has been rather scary. Hank is such a mellow guy, just wants to hang with the goats and I want to make sure he get to do that for a long time to come. Thanks again for the info.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Tara… The avocado mentioned here is a dried by-product obtained after removing all the oil from the fruit. And avocado products like this can be somewhat controversial.

    Supporters claim the ingredient to be nutrient rich and beneficial to a dog’s skin and coat… while others worry over what are mostly unsubstantiated concerns over potential toxicity.

    These fears appear to originate from a 1984 study in which goats (not dogs) consumed the leaves (not the fruit) of the Guatemalan (not the Mexican) avocado… and became sick.

    Based upon our own review of the literature, it is our opinion that the anxiety over avocado ingredients in dog food (especially in smaller amounts like this) is probably unjustified.

    By the way, regarding ear infections, grain free might be something to consider. For more information, you may wish to check out my report, “Dangerous Canine Diseases Linked to Grains in Dog Food“.

  • Jonathan

    Tara, just an fyi, but the large breed ultra contains corn gluten meal, which could be a problem for a food sensitive dog.

  • Tara in Alaska

    Hi Mike!
    I just found your site and it is pretty darn awesome! (if a bit intimidating for someone who failed high school science) My 1 year old Great Pyrenees Hank just got switched over to the Nutro Ultra LB, because I suspected his ear infections and itchy belly were nutrition related. The vet also suggested switching to a higher quality food. Too soon to tell whether or not it will do the trick, and like I’ve seen you suggest a time or two, a little trial and error may be nessisary. But my real question is, I just noticed that dried Avacado is listed waaay down in the suppliments, and I was always told that Avacado’s are toxic to dogs. Is this true?

  • Michele L

    We fed Nutro Ultra to all of our German Shepherds. We had 4 adults and a litter of puppies and after 6 months of feeding all of our shepherds became very ill. They had no Coccidia nor Giardia yet all had very loose bowels. No bacterial infections nor illnesses. The only common denominator was the food. One of our 2 years old shepherds did not recover once we changed the food to another brand. He had Kidney and liver damage that was not reversable. He now takes 6 different kinds of medication to keep him stable. He is only 2 and with medicine can still live a long life. I would never suggest this food to anyone. We have not had any problems with our shepherds since changing foods. Nutro offered us a check for replacement of one bag of food, for the thousands of dollars we spent to heal our animals which was done by feeding them deboned cooked chicken mixed with rice and gradually adding our new dog food to the mix. I learned a valuable lesson from this which is this….Keep your UPC labels off of every bag of food in case you have an event as we did. This is how they track the batches to find potential problems in the product they are selling. Also remember that your vet will probably not back up the fact that your dog has been involved in a food poisoning incident cause by a particular product for fear of being involved in a law suit. Since the food scare with all the recalls they will not suggest that a food is causing a problem unless it is allergy related. So you must keep the UPC Codes from the product you are feeding to have proof of purchase and identification of problem batches of food. Nutro has had several recalls and all can be found on the internet! Read and do your homework! I wish I would have known beforehand. I would have a healthy 2 year old German Shepherd today.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Mary Ellen… I’m not sure you should be overly concerned about allergies in an 11 week old puppy before a problem even presents itself. Your specific pet may never be affected with allergies. In any case, grain free foods tend to be more hypoallergenic. You may wish to check out our article of suggested puppy foods for some ideas. Unfortunately, choosing the best food for your dog still involves at least some trial and error. Hope this helps.

  • Jonathan

    I’d be more concerned that corn gluten meal is a low-quality plant-based protein filler than the small possibility that your dog could be allergic to it. This is a fairly pricey food, and as such, you should be getting what you pay for in real meat content. Especially when they tout on the bag that the food has “3 sources of animal protein” yet one of these doesn’t make an appearance until after the fat and the other is listed after the gluten meal and three variations of rice. The GA proves this food isn’t any higher in actual meat than their own Natural Choice line, so I don’t see why this one should command a premium. Then again, if your dog is doing well no it, there are much worse things he could be eating!

  • mary ellen

    Hi there,
    We have an 11 week old Westie. We had him on Blue Buffalo small breed puppy food but he never took a liking to it. I am now trying Nutro Ultra Puppy food. Westies are known for their allergies and skin issues. Will the corn gluten in the Nutro make him more prone to skin/allergy issues? Is there something else you would suggest for a Westie puppy?
    Thank you!

  • Elizabeth

    I have a 15 month old American Bulldog and I feed him the Nutro Ultra Large Breed Adult dog food. His coat is so shiny and he loves it! I will be switching my 8 year old Rat Terrier to Nutro Ultra soon because he is starting to chew on his legs and I think it might be from something in the food he is on now.

    I just wanted to also throw in my opinion about why some dogs may react differently to Nutro Ultra, or any other food for that matter. If your dog is getting sick from eating a certain food, don’t just blame the dog food saying it is horrible dog food. Your dog could just have a sensitive stomach/skin and may need a vet prescribed diet or it could just be sensitive to a single ingredient in that food. Talking to your vet about this is the best way to clear up that problem.

  • Jonathan

    Sam, more quality dog foods naturally have a good balance of omega fatty acids, yet don’t contain synthetic vitamin k and corn gluten. Like Blue Buffalo. It’s about the same price as Ultra, but it’s a much better food. Your pup’s skin and coat would be just as nice with Blue or Wellness or Natural Balance, etc, but without the little bits of potentially bad ingredients. Of course, you could do much worse than this food. And if your doggy loves it, and is doing well, there isn’t much reason to change unless you want to start product rotation, which I advise my customers to do all the time.

  • Sam

    This food saved my chocolate lab from nearly scratching himself to death from food allergies! The reason Nutro can HONESTLY say that this food will improve skin and coat is due to the high levels of omega 3 & 6. Any good human doctor/nutritionist will recommend omega 3& 6 for their patients to improve their own skin and hair. Omega 3& 6 are wonderful supplements, in my opinion if every dog, woman, child and man took them from sources such as fish oil, flax seed, or nuts (almonds, walnuts etc.) there would be less disease in the world since omega 3 is also a great anti- inflammatory. I wish I could post a before and after picture on this website… you wouldn’t believe how incredible the difference is since I switched my baby! I get soo many compliments on how “beautiful he is”. And just an FYI- for a long time it is my understanding that corn gluten meal had to be in every cat food because it helps with urinary problems and for dogs it is considered one of the greatest sources of vegetarian protein source. That being said , I do understand its controversy, but in my opinion it is the “stuff” we are spraying on our corn while it is still in the ground i.e pesticides that is the root of all evil and not that corn itself. However being allergic to corn myself I eliminate it (whole groud corn) from my dogs diet in addition to my own. I don’t worry too much about corn gluten being that it is only the protein, but it would be nice if it would be taken out of Ultra.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Krista… Although many still insist that high protein causes hip dysplasia, the most recent information places the blame for this debilitating condition on simple overfeeding during growth. Even though I’m not a veterinarian, I still would rather have a (slightly) underweight large breed puppy than an overweight dog. By the way, our Bailey hates most of the dry foods we feed him, too. I’d suggest mixing a good quality canned food with your dog’s kibble. Then you have the best of both worlds. Bailey gobbles this combination up. Hope this helps.

  • Krista

    Hi, I am feeding my 1 1/2 year old IrishDoodle the Nutro Ultra dry food and I am thinking about switching her. She is thin and is picky. I dont want alot of weight on her because of her hips. But I had one vet tell me how skinny she is and told me to put her on puppy food again. And another vet said she was perfect. The only food I can get her to enjoy is wet food but I’d like my dog to have teeth when she is older. So I am trying to find a food that is tasty and healthy. I was thinking about going to 4health because it seems to have benefits for hips and joints. and is alot cheaper and seems healthier then Nutro. But I am just not sure. She hates all the dog food i’ve tried so far.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Mark… I wish your question was as easy to answer as it sounds. Based upon ingredients, these are both good dog foods. However, there are subtle differences between any two similar foods that make it impossible to scientifically pick a winner (just based upon an ingredients list). So, it would be unfair to all the many good foods out there (including Blue and Ultra) if I were to choose a personal favorite (especially when many times, I’m not even sure myself).

  • mark sandy

    Hi Mike, i have been feeding my puppy nutro lamb/rice dry for one year now. Then switched to ULTRA adult dry, but have seen so many comments towards the high quality being given to BLUE dog foods it has made me inquire about the content of ingredients in both…it has left me very confused! Let me ask you one question,(if you had the choice to choose between BLUE or ULTRA which would it be?) thanking you in advance Mark Sandy

  • Denise

    I cannot believe that the food that I have been paying a premium for contains menadione. My 12 yr. Aussies has been having terrible allergies and her skin is a mess. She has been treated with Antibiotics on and off the past year for infections in her skin. On our last visit to the vet she said she thought her skin problems were linked to her liver! I don’t think this is a coincidence. I am pulling her off this food and on to one without any questionable ingredients! Thank you so much for your information and giving us the ability to navigate through all the ingredients. Thank you, Thank you!

  • marcus

    I have a 2 1/2 year old Cocker Spaniel . . . I switched to Nutro Ultra a few weeks ago because of a recommendation from PetsMarts sales associate on the floor. My dog seemed to like it . . . ate food dry which she normally doesn’t. She has gone through about 3 bags (a few weeks / couple of months later) and now she is experiencing massive diarrhea. I switched her to home made rice and chicken mixture and she started doing better . . . then I switched her back to Nurto Ultra and she is back to being sick in her stomach. Based off my internet research, it seems other dogs are experiencing this too. Wanted to share my experience on this forum. I will not be giving my dog any more Nutro Ultra.

  • Debbie

    I switched my dogs from Nutro Ultra to Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice 3-4 months ago. I’d been feeding Ultra for a number of years and was satisfied, but when Nutro shrank the bag to 30# and raised to the price to $50 it wasn’t feasible to feed multiple dogs. My guys have done fabulously well on the Diamond Naturals. Firm stools and dense, shiny coats. I couldn’t be more pleased. Even the folks at my vet’s office noticed the difference and asked me what I’d done.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Allyson… I have no favorite weight loss product. Actually, in theory, nearly any dog food can work for weight loss. Just reduce the caloric intake below your dog’s daily energy use. If your dogs don’t lose weight on 3 cups, try reducing the amount.

    Though I’m not a vet, it just makes sense to me that your dogs must not be starving if they’re overweight. :)

  • http://acunningham1@grandecom.net Allyson

    Mike, Thanks for your quick response. We just started the Nutro Ultra Weight Management for our saints yesterday. We have always fed them 3 cups in the morning per dog, and 3 cups at night. Our vet said that is the right amount to feed them since they are such a large breed. Anything less than that we would be starving our saints. Do you think I am safe keeping them on Nutro Ultra Weight Management or is there a better brand you would recommend for weight loss? We won’t know if Nutro Ultra is working for a while until that is the only food they are eating because we are slowly incorporating it with their Pro Plan they have been eating. Thanks.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Allyson… If your dogs haven’t lost weight, I’m guessing you might be feeding the wrong serving size. Simply put, weight loss with dogs is much like weight loss with humans. The only way to lose weight is for caloric input (food intake) to be below caloric output (energy expenditure of the dog). My advice (with the approval of your vet)… choose a good quality dog food and feed less of it. Then, watch the weight go down. Hope this helps.

  • Allyson

    Mike, I need your advice. I have 3 saint bernards and one of my males is 5 years old and needs to lose some weight. I have been feeding my saints ProPLan Weight Management and they have not lost weight because as I have found out, I am feeding my saints junk. I went Petsmart today and bought the Nutro Ultra Holistic Weight Management brand. Do you think this is a better food for my saints to help them shed some pounds? I have read reviews on other sites from people on some brands that earned 5 and 4 stars and read some horror stories of what people went through with the dog food and they weren’t isolated events. It can be frustrating trying to find the best food for our companions with the feedback people give but the feedback can also be very helpful. I have been close to buying some top quality foods that earned a 5 or 4 rating and then I read the reviews and vow I would never buy that food. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you would recommend Nutro Ultra Weight Management and if not, what other brands would you recommend for Weight Loss? I also can’t buy a food that will break the bank because I have 3 saint bernards to feed plus the money I spend on their monthly supplements and heartworm/flea preventative. Thank you.

  • Sue

    Hi Beverly,

    I’m Sue the one that left the comments for Laura about how I rotate my dogs’ food all the time. I just read your question about Nutro NC Lite. Nutro carries 3 grades of their dog food. Nutro Max is the bottom, Natural Choice is the middle line and Nutro Ultra is their premium. If you go to their website and see the ingredients for Nutro Natural Choice Lite, you might not believe the claims. Here’s the list I copied and pasted from their website:

    Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Rice Bran, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Powdered Cellulose, Lamb, Natural Flavors, Yeast Culture, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Calcium Carbonate, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Egg Product, Dried Kelp, Magnesium Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid.

    Rice is listed twice in the first 5 ingredients. Powdered Cellulose is a cheap fiber filler. Dried beet pulp, another filler, is 4th and only 1 meat product in the first 5. It uses synthetic Vitamin K (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex) a contorversial item! Also, this is a lite food. People don’t really need to feed a lite food, they just need to feed their dogs less food or give them more exercise! Kind of the same as humans. We need to eat less or exercise more to stay at the right weight. When you are feeding a good food the cost is not really much more. They eat less of it for the same or more nutrition. Less poop to clean up too because it is metabolized better and has less fillers. Our lab got a little bit heavy over the winter, so we just fed her less, per our vet’s direction. She looks great!

    Some people may say the Nutro food is great for their dogs, but what were they feeding their dogs before this? Maybe a really bad dog food, which would make Nutro an improvement. Some people also feed table scraps, which would enhance the dogs food to some extent.

    Sorry I made this so long. I hope Beverly gets a chance to see this. Great work with this site Mike!

  • Beverly

    What a lot of information this site provides! There are some great suggestions/recommendations provided by other readers, particularly Laura. Great, rotation is always a good philosophy in everybody’s diet – four paws/humans. What I have not seen is any discussion about the Nutro NC (Lite) claim to “guaranteed coat and skin improvement”. Petsmart Nutro rep used this as the biggest sell point for my dog with allergy problems. Not taking a reps word, I asked other buyers about this claim – they agreed and highly recommended the product for those reasons.
    Any insight or comments on these particular points?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Christina… This review is written for the full product line (which contains seven products). Three of them (Puppy, Large Breed Adult and Large Breed Puppy) all contain corn gluten meal.

  • Christina

    Still don’t see any form of corn in the Adult formula……

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Teryn… Many still believe the myth that beet pulp can cause coat discoloration. However, most (if not all beet pulp) is pale in color and does not contain the darker pigments found in the outer skin of the sugar beet.

    I’m not aware of any specific ingredient in Nutro Ultra Puppy that can cause the discoloration issue you describe. You may want to call the company for a more definitive answer.

  • Teryn

    HI Mike,
    I have been using Nutro Ultra puppy for my Maltese mix. His coat has had the discoloration issue and I was wondering which ingredients may lead to this and which 4-5 star dry foods you recommend that do not have these ingredients? Thanks!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Linda… Just because a dog food is grain free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s carbohydrate free, too. After all, most (but not all) grain free dog foods contain simply different (non-grain) carbs.

    For example, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, squash, etc. are all considered carbohydrates… yet all of them are completely grain free.

  • Linda

    when people buy grain free, where to dogs get their carbs needed for a balanced diet. I understand wheat free, but not grain free.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Ngoc… Both the Blue Buffalo Wilderness and Nutro Ultra are excellent choices. I wouldn’t worry much between a 4 and a 5-star dog food. Actually, many times I myself find rating two foods this close together very difficult… and many times I could easily misjudge a food.

    However, there’s a huge difference between dog foods separated by two (or more) stars. You should be safe with either choice. Just buy a small package the first time… just in case you make the wrong choice.

  • Mike

    Hi Tina,

    Sorry took me so long to get back to you. I looked at the Petsmart site and you are definitely right the ingredients are not there and neither are several other ingredients that were added last year. Also Petsmart has this product titled Nutro Natural Choice Ultra Puppy Food. Natural Choice is a separate product under the Nutro brand. The ingredients listed on thenutrocompany.com site are the current ingredients.

    I will forward the info to Nutro as the Petsmart website needs to be corrected.

    As I stated before corn gluten will be taken out of the Ultra puppy, LB Puppy and LB Adult sometime this year.

    As far as recommending another product that your dog might be able to eat, without wheat, corn and soy, Nutro has limited ingredient products such as Nutro Natural Choice Venison and NC Herring. Both have oatmeal for skin and tummy issues also.

    There are also several good premium brands that have limited ingredients and no grains if you have an allergic dog. The main thing is to read the labels on the products. Usually the first five ingredients will be 90% of what is in a product. Those products without fillers such as by-products and ground yellow corns in particular are going to be absorbed by your pets digestive system better than a grocery store brand.

    Hope this helps. Thank you for you question and feel free to make more comments. Communication is good.

  • Ngoc

    Hi, I recently changed my dogs food from Beneful to Nutro Ultra after I read about the REAL ingredients processed in the Beneful food. I was shocked and mmediately switched to a more natural and healthier diet. However, I am debating whether I should switch again from Nutro Ultra to the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Formula since the reviews for Blue Wilderness was 5 stars where the Nutra Ultra was 4. I also noticed that Nutro Ultra had more red items compared to the Blue Wilderness. Will you help me please? I believe that the Beneful brand caused one of my dog to have itchy, flaky and dry skin. I am also afraid that the other will have the same. Please reply back and suggest what’s best for my dogs. Thank you so much!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Tina… try a grain-free or hypoallergenic dog food. You can find a few to study for yourself by going to the Tag Cloud tab on the top menu bar of my website. Once you see the “tag tree”, just click on the words “hypoallergenic” or “grain-free”. This will give you a list of brands that contain SOME products that meet your requirements.

    Be sure to choose a 3, 4 or 5-star product and you should be good to go. Hope this helps.

  • Tina

    Mike, on the bag of Nutro Ultra puppy food it lists corn gluten and soybean in the ingredients. But on Petsmarts website looking at the same food, those two ingredients are not listed. I was wondering if my dog could still be allergic to those since I do know he is allergic to corn, wheat and probably soy and no telling what else. Do you have any dog food suggestions for my dog and he may also have a sensitive tummy. Thanks so much.

  • Mike

    Hi, Ultra changed their formulation last year and took out garlic which has been highly controversial with consumers. They took out the corn gluten from all the Nutro products except Puppy and LB Puppy and Adult as they need to find something better to replace the corn gluten but it will be replaced in the near future as they would like to get away from it and make Ultra all natural. I use it and have for years, Ultra Senior and have had no problems on this brand.
    Thanks.

  • Echo

    Just wanted to say that my 4 year old Pug has been through 2 bags of the Weight Management and has went from 27 to 22 pounds by feeding 1 cup twice a day.

  • Sue

    Laura,

    I started with mixing Fromm’s 4 star nutritionals (all of the flavors) into the Nutro, better rated & same or lower price than Nutro. Then I gradually added different foods which I rotate between. I use EVO Red Meat, Acana (all of them), Wellness Core Original, Orijen Original Adult, Instinct Chicken. I kept Fromm as the base and slowly tried all the others by introducing them first as treats. I actually tried all the flavors, but the ones I listed are the ones my dogs like best. I added them slowly, watching for diarrhea. Now, after a year, I rotate them all the time. They can’t wait for dinner.
    You can pick up sample bags of these at most dog stores (not the big box ones). I found the prices to be about the same and they usually accept returns if you dog just hates it. Also, just remember that the good food has less filler so you feed less! The good thing is it means less poop!
    I hope it works for you. Let me know.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Toni… You’re right. Nutro Ultra Weight Management Dog Food does not contain any corn gluten meal (unlike most of the others in the product line). This food might be ideal for some of your wildlife rescue animals (creatures I must admit I know very little about).

    But with a dry matter protein content of just 19%, Nutro Ultra Weight Management has one of the lowest protein readings in our entire kibble database. This indicates the product contains only minimal meat content… barely enough to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult dogs.

    In any case, keep up the good work you do with your wildlife rescues… we all appreciate your efforts.

  • Toni Musulin

    Thank you for all this great information!

    I have fed Nutro Ultra products to all my animals for years. I currently have a 22 year old cat that is in really good health and has all his teeth, and I had a large rottweiler live to be 16 year old.

    Over the past 9 years I’ve done wildlife rescue, and the Nutro Ultra Weight Management product is what I use as their main diet. I specialize in opossums and they require a lower protein diet and at 16% protein, thats really good!

    I empty my bags into tin cans, so I do not have a current ingredient list to look at, but I don’r remember corn being included, at least in the weight management product.

    I give it 5 stars, all my animals love it!

  • Laura

    Sue, What did you switch to? I am desperately trying to find that perfect food for 9 year old spaniel mix.

  • Sue

    I used to feed this to my dogs a couple of years ago. The interesting thing is this was a pricey food with controversial ingredients. For about the same price you could move up to Acana Grain Free, Wellness Core or Instinct, much better and healthier dog food choices.
    We did the switch. My older dog has always been very fussy and he now LOVES his food, my dogs coats are shiny and they have good muscle tone.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Duke… I checked the ingredients in our database against the Nutro website and found a perfect match. Are you sure you’re looking at a bag of Nutro Ultra Large Breed Adult? There are 5 other products in the line. They changed to this current formula in July of 2009.

  • http://www.ultraholistic.com/adult-holistic-dog-food-kibble.html Duke

    I feed my dog Nutro Ultra and compared what you have listed to what is on the bag and Nutro Web site. It looks like Nutro has been reformulated and contains no form of corn and more beneficial ingredients and antioxidants.
    http://www.ultraholistic.com/adult-holistic-dog-food-kibble.html