Nutro Natural Choice

[JustLikeHeaven]

Hi All
Today I found a place only ten minutes away that carries the Nutro Natural Choice food! Yeah! I know several members on the board use this brand, but there are so many formulas that I was hoping you guys could help be decide on the right one. Which one works best for you? I'm curious on all you have to say about the food, because I'm almost positive that we're going to make the switch. I just want to get the lowdown from the people that know best - those who use it! Thanks in advance guys.

Beth & Bella

[blazeman]

How old is lady Bella again? I have Jake on the puppy version for the next 5 minths til he turns a year old.

After that... I will move him over to the green bag (no sure which formula that is... but Mark liked that one i think :D )

[Mark]

Hi Beth,

Well, there's puppy, adult and senior . . . other than those three our puppers have no special formula needs. I would suggest you base the choice, first on age and then if Bella has need for a special formula. We currently use Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Adult for 3 of the puppers (soon to be 2, since one is almost ready to switch to senior) and 2 on Senior. :)

Please remember to be sure to make the change gradually over a few weeks. Start with a little and mix more Nutro in and less old food each day. :circle:

You're right Bob . . . the green bag is the one we use . . . Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice - Adult.

[Frzframe]

the ugly brown bag one ... lite. Since she's a little on the heavy side I feed her this but it didn't help any even though she liked it. She didn't have any problems at all except she tended not to get that "full" feeling so I recently switched to Natural Balance.

~Shonda

[JustLikeHeaven]

Bella just turned a big 10 months old on February 1st. On her last trip to the vet I noticed a bit of dandruff, and I don't think her coat is all it could be. (Although a new shampoo helped, I'm thinking the food would take care of the problem longterm and prevent it.) I've been reading about the Natural Choice foods, and there seems to be rave reviews about the change in coat.
I found it in the most unlikely place to me.... It was the Tractor Supply Company. I didn't even know they sold pet food. :) I'm looking at the add now, yep - big green bag. :) 25 bucks for a 44 lb bag seems good to me, is it?
The Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice looks good, or is there another formula better for coats? One more thing... How is the size of the kibble? I noticed they make small bites, just wondering if the regular has really big chunks. Thanks again, guys! I think Bella will be getting some new nummies! I'm just so excited to have finally found a good food I can get!

Beth & Bella

[Mark]

The regular is about the size of a large bean . . . smaller than a marble and it is what we use. Although the dry skin may be resolved with the food . . . you may need to ad a tsp of olive oil per day during the dry winter months. We have not had to though.

I believe the small bites are quite tiny.

BTW . . . 44 lbs is ALOT of food. We use the next size down (15 or 20 lbs. ?).

[Meemoo]

a lot of food but you really don't want to keep kibble around for more than 3 months after you open it.

[JustLikeHeaven]

LOL 44 lbs is a tremendous amount of food. :o I started thinking... The regular size bag of food we get is only 8 lbs... and that's a big bag! Bella would never eat all of that - I would need that stampede of Dachshunds on the phone commercial to take care of 44 lbs! Surely they have the smaller bags - this was just what was in the circular. LOL I'm so embarrased for not thinking of just how big that would be....
Thanks again for the advice. :) I think we're going to make a trip to the store for some new kibble. A small bag that is!

Beth & Bella

[JustLikeHeaven]

Just a little update.... Yesterday I finally got Bella's Nutro. They had 5 lb, 20 lb and 44 lb bags. I got the 20 lb. The 20 lb was $19 while the 44 lb was $25. Even the small bag was $9, so I didn't get the best deal, but I did get what suited our needs best I think. We even got a box of Nutro Natural Choice chops for treats. and to celebrate Bella got a hot dog and camel toy. As soon as i put a bit of Nutro in her bowl, she went at it like crazy. This is the most excited I have ever seen her about kibble. So, so far so good! Not to mention I feel 100 % better about having my baby on a great kibble. Thanks so much to all of you for mentioning the Nutro - if it wasn't for the DBB I would have never of known. Thanks again!

Beth & Bella

[Mark]

Beth!

:bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2:

[Lovemydachsies]

Recently, my daughter was considering adopting a rescue dog. she took me on the interview with the lady who was fostering him. During this conversation, she said she used to feed Nutro to her dogs, but someone (supposedly who knows) told her they had changed their formula and now use byproducts from dead animals, etc. I have fed my three dachsies Nutro Natural Choice lamb and rice, plus the diet version for ages. They love it and they seem to do well on it. Has anyone else heard anything like that? I feel the lady may have been a little questionable, but I would like verification - or, let me know if there is a problem with this food.

[Mark]

No changes in Nutro Natural Choice . . . if anyone has a question just read the bag or can for the ingredients. :)

[happychan]

Hello , Justlikeheaven!!! :birthday:
It's really nice to meet you on the post boards!!:circle:
I just joined myself!!!


Anyway, about the FOOD!!! I'd like to also refer to what Lovemydachsies said. But I feed my HAPPY(a red smooth dachshund, almost turning 3) WYSONG organic dog food.
And yes, the stuff about commercial dog food and it possibly containing dead animal meet of dogs and cats!!:angry: from the shelter!!!!:mad: :angry: is unfortunalety very true, to the best of my knowledge.

I heard this from a very trustable lady at a pet store in Manhattan, while first attempting to buy WYSONG dog food, and looking for organics.

It's true, and it is even in books written by vetenarians!!!

"THE NATURE OF ANIMAL HEALING"
by MARTIN GOLDSTEIN, D.V.M.

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK INTO THIS BOOK THE NEXT TIME YOU STOP BY AT THE BOOKSTORE; THEY SHOULD HAVE IT(the book).

THANKYOU:flower:

P.S. I'll look it up later(on the internet/inside this book), but Nutro Natural Choice, I'm afraid is commercial food, and since these things don't get out easily for business puroses(sadly), there is a good possibilty that they use it too.
For example, in the book, this D.V.M. states:"Iams and Science Diet, to name just two, may be better than some brands, but they're not nearly as noble as their packaging suggests".

I'm sure that commercial food isn't fatal to your dog's health; some pets live the longest lives possible eating commercial dog food while a small portion may get sick. But it's a matter of choice, and WYSONG is just one of the organic brand foods that this guy recommends. I'll list these too, if necessary! I'm telling you now that a 5lb bag of wysong costs only, roughly, 4.99.
so that's not a lot to lose on your part I guess, if you are able to financially afford it(having a pet is a luxury by itself).

So think about this please, when you have a little time, no big deal, but just something to think about.

THANKS!!!:birthday:

[JustLikeHeaven]

I think when it comes to Nutro, there needs to be a destinction made between their Natural Choice brand and the others. All but Natural Choice do contain corn, byproducts, etc. Of course, it is not commercial dog food in the sense we usually think of as commercial. Brands like Purina, off-brands, and yes even Science Diet are commercial because they do not use human grade ingredients, fill the food with fillers, and produce the food with profit instead of health in mind. To the best of my knowledge, this is not the case with the Nutro Natural Choice. As we all know, there are limited options out there for high grade kibble. Luckily, with brands like Wellness, Natural Choice and a few others, we now have a choice as to what we feed our babies to give them the best nutrition possible.

Beth & Bella

[Rudy's mom - MI]

Can someone help me with the difference between Nutro Natural Choice and Nutro Max, why do you prefer the Natural Choice above the Max? Rudy is on Iams right now but I am considering switching him back to Nutro products when the Iams runs out. Thanks for your input.

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[Lovemydachsies]

Thanks for the information guys. I agree that there should be a distinction between "commercial" and "commercially available" food. Nutro can only be purchased in pet stores, but I didn't realize there was a nutritional difference between Natural Choice and Max. My husband accidentally bought the Max diet food instead of Natural Choice. One of our babies has an allergic rash on his tummy, and I'm not sure just what it's from.

[blazeman]

Good chance it's from the corn part of the MAX.

But could be something else

[Heidismom]

larger bags of dog food, and already have a Food Saver (vacuum sealer - works for fridge, freezer, and pantry), then you could save by getting the larger bags and seal up a major portion of it. The Food Saver can increase your shelf life times 3. I am sealing up dog biscuits, treats, and dog food - I buy the 33 pound-bag in what I use, and I keep it really fresh this way. Julia B.
:book:

[happychan]

I think that Nutro Natural Choice and brands like wellness, etc. are great options besides the other "commercial" brands. It's great that I know about Nutro Natural Choice better now:circle:

[Lovemydachsies]

Last week I had to go buy the puppers some more kibble. I went to the nearest pet supply store - this is called Midway Fish and Pet Supplies and has been there absolutely forever. This store is relatively small and so crowded with merchandise, it is difficult to get around. Certainly not like Petco. At any rate, since Beethoven is still having problems with a tummy rash and, I swear, you can see his skin through his black hair, I asked him what he would recommend for an allergic dog. I ended up buying "Natural Balance" Potato and Duck formula. This is labeled as an allergic formula and the owner/clerk told me it is an excellent food. He also showed me where Nutro (a quality food as he put it) lists lamb meal first, but you will find rice in four or five different forms - rice, rice gluten, rice bran, etc. He thinks that it may be these different forms of the grain that give the puppers their allergy problems. Natural Balance only uses whole grains, so I am hoping my baby gets better. (The only other problem I have is controlling the snacks my husband gives him!) This food is a bit more expensive and I wouldn't change them from the Nutro if it weren't for this one dog. The other two have no problems and their coats are gorgeous! With my little piggies, it's impossible to feed two dogs one food and the other another.

:dog:

[Meemoo]

that are of high quality....here's a GREAT link that has the whole dog journals top kibbles, canned food and other great sources of info. You'll notice in these kibbles, there are NO byproducts, artificial colors, fillers, corn etc.

http://home.attbi.com/~mstraus/dogfeeding.html

Foods with corn etc are a BIG allergy trigger.

[lotsadox]

The Whole Dog Journal is an excellent resource for all natural foods. Their list contains only high quality foods and they have a lot of good information. You may not be able to buy some of these foods at your pet store or Petco, but they are readily available through the internet. Also, many health food stores are starting to sell organic pet foods and supplements. Check with an independent health food store in your area. In my area there is a health food store, a groomer and a boarding facility that all carry Wysong or Hundenflocken Solid Gold. You might need to look for alternative sources for the better foods. As Mark said read the labels. They can tell you a lot.

[TessieMom]

I do feed Natural Balance. It is listed as one of the top 10 foods in the Whole Dog Journal ratings and has high quality meat and whole grain. The girls love it, but I really have to cut back because they will gain some weight. There is a lot less waste and no corn! I use the ultra because we don't have allergy problems and coats are great. I can get it locally at Petco.
Rena and the Waco pack

[Heidi]

I want to clear out the false informations on NUTRO Dog food ingredients that I found on this board. I contacted the Nutro Company by phone and got the REAL true information about their products ingredients.

The lady over the phone was very nice and answered all my questions. MAX and all their other products including dry food and treats do NOT contain CORN in any form and the meat quality is just like "human grade" they are definitely NOT a commercial pet food company.

I used to feed my Dogs "Prairie organic food" ($3.99+tax CAD per can) which offers great Dog food products but at that price I find that cycling the organic food with NUTRO ($1.69 CAD per can) can be less expensive without compromising my Dogs health. Actually my Dogs prefer the taste of NUTRO (the texture is great). I feed them both Natural Choice and MAX since I like to give them lots of variety. I also tried all the treats from NUTRO and my little picky mini long-haired Dachshund Anja loves them all, the treats past the taste test! They really like the meaty sticks.

I hope this will help all of you to make the informed decision on feeding your Dog (s) NUTRO or not. This company do care about their furry customers. Here is their website http://www.nutroproducts.com/ you can get $20 worth of coupons online as well!

[Rusty's mom]

I fed our 3 boys the Nutro Lamb and Rice. Rusty and Hobbs did great on it but our Duffer ended up with bald patches all over and a $500.00 vet bill. They couldn't find out what was wrong and I just knew it was allergies. We switched to the Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato - with 3 I need to have them all on the same food. Duffer's fur grew back and all the boys look great. I found a store closer to home that was willing to order it it, but then their distributor wasn't carrying it any more so we did a switch to a vegetarian dog food. Well, the boys haven't touched their food in 2 days so on Monday we're back to making the 2 hr. drive to get them the Wellness. I liked the Nutro and if Duffer could do well on it I would definitely use it again.

Kathy - mom to Rusty, Duffer, Hobbs

[maryanne]

I wrote to Nutro to ask them if the product they sell here in Europe, called "Nutro Choice" without the "Natural", is the same quality as the one sold in the States, but they didn't answer, so I'm not too impressed.

[Spencer13]

I also use wellness for my puppy. His coat is gorgeous, you need to wear sunglasses to look at him straight on (lol):cool: I really recomend wellness although is a little bit more expensive it will pay in the long run. :flush: