Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Nutro Cuts in Gravy product range is made up of four recipes which each receive the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 4.5 stars.
Pros
- High-quality animal protein as a primary ingredient
- Focus on sustainability
- Nutro is transparent about its dog foods
Cons
- Limited recipes
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Nutro Cuts in Gravy Tender Chicken, Sweet Potato and Pea Stew was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Nutro Cuts in Gravy Tender Chicken, Sweet Potato and Pea Stew
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, chicken broth, pork broth, chicken liver, sweet potatoes, peas, animal plasma, tapioca starch, pea fiber, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, salt, dried tomatoes, choline chloride, xanthan gum, sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, magnesium proteinate, sodium hexametaphosphate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 4% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 44% | 19% | 28% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 37% | 39% | 24% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The next two items include chicken and pork broths. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.
The fourth ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fifth item is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
The next ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient is animal plasma. Plasma is what remains of blood after the blood cells themselves have been removed. In most cases, plasma can be considered a nutritious addition.
However, since there’s no mention of a specific animal in the name of this particular ingredient, this item could be sourced from any species. And that fact can make it difficult to isolate the cause of a dog’s food-based allergy.
For this reason, we do not consider generic animal plasma a quality ingredient.
The eighth ingredient is tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.
The ninth ingredient is pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other inclusions.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Nutro product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.
HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.
Although some might disagree, we’re of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.
And lastly, with the exception of magnesium, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Nutro Cuts in Gravy dog food looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43.2%, a fat level of 20.5% and estimated carbohydrates of about 25%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43.2% and a mean fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 22.7% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 49%.
Which means this Nutro product contains…
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a significant amount of meat.
Nutro Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Nutro through June 2025.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Nutro Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
Nutro Cuts in Gravy is a grain-free wet dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.
Compare Nutro Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
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A Final Word
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