Find out what people are saying about Nutro Dog Food with a close look at reviews and ingredients to help you make the best decision for your furry friend!
You’ve been searching for the perfect pet food for your furry friend for quite some time.
And now you’re considering whether Nutro is a good dog food for your sweet pup. With reviews and ingredient lists, we have come to a conclusion to answer your question:
Now you will be able to make an informed decision and get your dog the best possible food for them!
Nutro prides itself on being holistic and providing only the best, natural ingredients in its recipes as dog food and cat food!
You’ll get to see for yourself just what is so special about this dog food brand that has been around for 90+ years in the dog food industry and is ideal for large breeds and small breeds alike!
After reviewing multiple sites and reviews from customers regarding the quality of Nutro Dog Food, we give Nutro a 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Nutro Dog Food received a 4.8 out of 5 stars based analysis of multiple review sites and customer reviews on chewy.com and amazon.com.
Many of the top review sites such as Dog Food Advisor noted that the brand received a “top-tier 4-star” rating for quality, satisfaction, and ingredients.
It is safe to say that this 90+-year-old dog food company is making quality dog food that is keeping customers coming back for more and dogs begging for another bowl full!
Some customers noted they’ve been feeding their pups Nutro for 10+ years, which speaks volumes of the quality of the food!
They also stated that they have switched from previous dog food brands and have been very pleased with their dog’s liking of the flavor and composition of the kibble bites.
Customers who have bought Nutro have reported their dogs being much more energetic than when they were eating previous brand dog food.
Dogs who were previously acting noticeably lower in energy than they had in the past were reported to have an increase in energy, especially overweight and older dogs!
Some owners worry whether or not the weight management formula will be less tasty than the regular adult formula.
However, customers reported their dogs loved the taste of the weight management formula and did not seem to be bothered by the fact that the recipes were changed to help reduce obesity.
Nutro prides itself in being a holistic dog food brand including only the most natural ingredients and avoiding fillers and artificial flavors and preservatives.
This is a huge selling point for many customers, especially for owners who have pups with allergies and sensitivities.
The other benefit is that each mouthful contains an essential source of vitamins and minerals essential to your dog’s needs, such as copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganous oxide and folic acid.
Holistic recipes also help dogs with digestive issues break down their food to easily digest it!
Dog Food Advisor, a trusted online review website, stated that the inclusion of beet pulp is a controversial ingredient to include in dog food recipes.
Some people believe that beet pulp is actually used not for nutritional value but rather as an inexpensive filler.
The other side of the coin is that some claim beet pulp actually has nutritional value that adds substance to the dog food recipes.
Nutro Dog Food reviews on chewy.com mentioned quite a few times that recent changes to formulas were off-putting to dogs who had enjoyed the dog food previously.
With the change in formula happening for various reasons, dogs will either reject or accept the change, and that is just a fact that cannot be changed.
Dog Food Advisor also mentioned the absence of probiotics in the ingredients list. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are included in recipes to help dogs (and humans) with healthy digestion and digestive tract.
Nutro Natural Choice Dog Food reviews state that the exclusion of probiotics on the ingredient list is a negative, especially considering the brand claims to be a holistic dog food!
What Do Others Say About Nutro?
As of the time of this update…
Chewy customers rate Nutro Dog Food 4.7 out of 5 stars… and 97% say they would recommend it to others.
Here’s an actual user review…
Based on the weighted average of their popularity and ratings, here are our 6 most recommended Nutro flavors and recipes.
Is Nutro Dog Food good for large breeds?
Nutro makes a number of dog foods that are safe for large breed adults. However, only certain recipes are designed to help prevent hip dysplasia and are safe for large breed puppies. Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy (chicken or lamb flavor) and Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy make safe options for this category. View our best large breed puppy foods here.
Is Nutro a Good Dog Food?
Rating:
Nutro Natural Choice earns the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
The Nutro Natural Choice product line includes 19 dry dog foods.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
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Nutro Natural Choice Adult Small Breed Chicken and Brown Rice was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient ContentProtein =
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain barley, split peas, brewers rice, whole grain brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavor, rice bran, whole grain oatmeal, whole flaxseed, dried plain beet pulp, potassium chloride, choline chloride, citric acid (preservative), mixed tocopherols (preservative), chia seed, dried coconut, dl-methionine, dried tomato pomace, dried egg product, dried pumpkin, dried kale, dried spinach, salt, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, folic acid, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 24% | 16% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 27% | 18% | 48% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 23% | 37% | 41% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is fresh chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% 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 barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The fourth 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.
Next, we find brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The next 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 seventh 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.
After the natural flavor, we find 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.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Nutro product.
With 5 notable exceptions…
First, 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.
Next, we note the inclusion of 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.
Next, we find chia seed, an edible seed nutritionally similar to flax or sesame. Provided they’re first ground into a meal, chia seeds are rich in both omega-3 fatty acids as well as dietary fiber.
However, chia seeds contain about 17% protein, a factor that must also be considered when judging the amount of meat in this recipe.
We find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
And lastly, 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.
Based on its ingredients alone, Nutro Natural Choice appears to be an above-average dry dog food.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 48%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 26% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 52% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 53%.
Which means this Nutro product line contains…
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
FAQ
Is Nutro dog food recommended by vets?
While it offers the trendy “grain-free” formulas, it also makes most of its dog foods with grains less likely to cause allergies, such as whole-grain oats and brown rice. Many veterinarians recommend this brand of dog food as one of the top choices among grain-free dog foods.
Is Nutro owned by Purina?
The Dog Food Advisor finds Nutro to be a quality, grain-inclusive kibble. Each Natural Choice recipe uses a blend of fresh meat and meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 4 stars. Ultra dry recipes earn 4.5 stars.
What has happened to Nutro dog food?