nutro food

[Amber!]

I went looking for some food for my puppy the other day. I was aiming for Eukanuba puppy, but they were out. A rep was there and showed me the Nutro and was telling me all about it. Of course, they may be biased , so I asked another lady there. She was actually one of the trainers for the store (Petsmart) and told me that was her favorite also. I've tried to research the ingredient info, and from the little I've gleaned it seems good. And, most importantly, my puppy eats it! I'm glad there's a thread on this, though, it's always good to see what other people say!

[LIL MIS' MAGIC]

I have both of my girls on Nutro and they are doing GREAT on it....they eat it great, it makes their coat shinier and easier to manage and most importantly it has really helped with Magic's sensitive stomach...ever since we have switched them to this, she has not been sick...we feed the Lamb and Rice Small Bites...we are so glad that we are using this brand!!

[mybirdys2003]

I believe all Yorkies tear. I wash mine out with water and cottonballs every morning also. That's just one of the things with Y orkies and Maltese's.
Pat

[chachi]

Well I am going to be trying this I have a free bag coming. My dogs eat Royal canin right now but Ive heard Nutro is better for them.

[yorkieusa]

Most people expect health-conscious pet food

By Rene Knapp
Special to the Bulletin
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Since we, as a society, are more nutritionally aware at this point and time, and understand how much difference good nutrition can make on our own health, it is only natural we would be looking for the same good nutrition for our beloved pets.

We now expect those companies that provide us with food for our cats and dogs will use ingredients that will help manage a proper diet for our pet, no matter what age they are.

It is never too late to start a nutritionally balanced diet, whether it be for human or animal consumption. When it comes to our pet, the first thing we need to do is assess our animal.

If our animal companions are healthy, then we are looking to provide a diet that will prevent obesity and help prevent disease. We want our pets to be muscular, lean and strong, with great body condition, much like little animal athletes.

We need to be aware of what our pet's age group requires for optimum health.

For instance a puppy or kitten would need more protein and fat in their diet, while a 12-year-old cat or dog would have completely different dietary and vitamin needs.

Next, we need to be able to evaluate the food by studying the information on the label and the form of food we are feeding (canned or dry).

We need to know the recommended nutrient profiles for our pet's particular life stage, and see how much of these products are contained in the food we are using or considering changing to.

I personally use Nutro Products dry foods for my cats and dogs. I have never been disappointed in the results Nutro has given me.

My animals have coats that shine and they have healthy bodies; even the few that are a bit overweight.

My dogs are on pretty much a complete dry diet, while the cats get canned food once a day. The canned foods we use are those that have a higher Taurene count, because our high energy cats need this. We also feed some of our cats raw hamburger for a treat (not all of our cats like raw meat).

With a combination of three different types of feeding, we have put together a nutritional way of feeding our animals that works for us.

When reading pet food labels, one must be aware that there are only four nutrients required by law on the label (moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber).

These are only stated as legal minimums or maximums and should not be taken as the actual content.

In order to find out exactly how much of what is in your pet's foods, you need to contact the manufacturer and ask them.

Many of the nutrients are available through the manufacturer's Web site, but they all won't be. I had to send quite a few e-mails before I got the information I needed about taurene.

The ingredients that are listed on your pet food label is in descending order by weight. That means ingredients containing moisture will weigh more and be listed at the top of the list -- but will provide less nutrients.

Those ingredients that have less moisture and yet contribute more nutritional value to the diet, will be listed further down the list.

So pet owners who read the first few ingredients and base their decision on the food they are going to use that way, oftentimes miss the mark.

Pet owners think they understand what they are reading, but the information necessary to make an intelligent choice on a food type for your pet is not as easy as one would imagine it to be.

Before changing the food you are using, take the food you have in your pantry and contact the manufacturer. Their address and phone number should be on the label.

Ask them if they have a nutritionist on staff and if that person is available to answer your questions. Ask who puts together the ingredients in the food you are using and what are their credentials for doing so.

Ask them what quality control measures they use and where the food is manufactured. See if they allow visitors to their plant.

And ask for a complete product analysis of their best selling cat or dog food.

Tell them you want specifics and not just a blanket statement that it is the minimum or maximum required by law.

Contact at least one other food company (use a higher end product like Nutro) and ask the same questions. See what you find out and what you think is best for your pet.

Also remember if you feed too much or too little it doesn't matter how good your food choice is, your pet will be under or overweight, no matter what your choice of food.

You need to know the correct amount of food to be fed and you need to monitor your cat or dog's weight. Obesity in any companion animal is unhealthy.

If you have an obese pet, a diet formulated specifically for weight loss should be used and these types of diets are found only through a vet or animal healthcare clinic. A weight loss program should always be undertaken with supervision by a vet.

Proper care and nutrition can add to the life of your animal best friend, which is all of our goals.

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/...508070337/1024

[DomLee]

I use Nutro for my Yorkie and my Maltese.

[Passionfruition]

Sully eats Nutro too! He eats the Natural Choice Lamb and Rice Small Bites, and really likes it! We switched him to this adult food when he was almost 8mo. old.

And Sully doesn't tear...someone mentioned that all yorkies do, but Sully doesn't. I guess we just got lucky?!

[yorkieusa]

This explains a bit more, too.

The ingredients list on the label is an area of consumer preference and subjectivity. Pet owners who do or do not want to feed a pet a certain ingredient can look at the list of ingredients to make sure that particular substance is included or excluded.

Some people prefer to pass up animal by-products, which are proteins that have not been heat processed (unrendered) and may contain heads, feet, viscera and other animal parts not particularly appetizing. But protein quality of by-products sometimes is better than that from muscle meat, says Burkholder.

"Meal" is another ingredient that some people like to avoid. In processing meat meal or poultry by-product meal, by-products are rendered (heat processed), which removes the fat and water from the product. Meat or poultry by-product meal contains parts of animals not normally eaten by people.

Some consumers try to avoid pet foods with synthetic preservatives, such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin, in particular, has been hotly debated. Current scientific data suggest that ethoxyquin is safe, but some pet owners avoid this additive because of a suspected link to liver damage and other health problems in dogs. CVM has asked pet food producers to voluntarily lower their maximum level of ethoxyquin in dog food while more studies are being conducted on this preservative, and the industry is cooperating.

Many products preserved with naturally occurring compounds, such as tocopherols (vitamin E) or vitamin C, are available. These products have a much shorter shelf life than those with synthetic preservatives, especially once a bag of food is opened.

Some animal nutritionists recommend switching among two or three different pet food products every few months. Burkholder says nutritional advice for people to eat a wide variety of foods also applies to pets. Doing so helps ensure that a deficiency doesn't develop for some as yet unknown nutrient required for good health. When changing pet foods, add the new food to the old gradually for a few days to avoid upsetting the pet's digestive system.

Like human foods, pet foods are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and must be pure and wholesome and contain no harmful substances. They also must be truthfully labeled. Foods for human or pet consumption do not require FDA approval before they are marketed, but they must be made with ingredients that are "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) or ingredients that are approved food and color additives. If scientific data show that an ingredient or additive presents a health risk to animals, CVM can prohibit or modify its use in pet food.

Pet food ingredients must be listed on the label in descending order by weight. However, the weight includes the moisture in the ingredient, which makes it tricky to interpret. "A moist ingredient, such as chicken, which may be 70 percent water, may be listed ahead of a dry ingredient, such as soybean meal, which is only 10 percent water--yet the soy actually contributes more solids to the diet," says Susan Donoghue, V.M.D., owner of Nutrition Support Services, Inc., and past president of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition.

Similar materials listed as separate ingredients may outweigh other ingredients that precede them on the list of ingredients. For example, chicken may be listed as the first ingredient, then wheat flour, ground wheat, and wheat middlings. The consumer may believe that chicken is the predominant ingredient, but the three wheat products--when added together--may weigh more than the chicken.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.html

[mybirdys2003]

Gosh Thanks! That is so informative. Wish we just knew for certain what was the VERY BEST for out Yorkies! But, we do the best we can. I personally don't like meat by-products!
Pat

[Mystify79]

Originally Posted by Passionfruition

Sully eats Nutro too! He eats the Natural Choice Lamb and Rice Small Bites, and really likes it! We switched him to this adult food when he was almost 8mo. old.

And Sully doesn't tear...someone mentioned that all yorkies do, but Sully doesn't. I guess we just got lucky?!

Pixie doesn't tear either. She'll get some boogies in the corners of her eyes but has never had any kind of staining or tearing.

[Bitsy]

I use the Nutro and LOVE it. Sophie was sick on several others. I even put my big dog on the Nutro too and will soon make the switch with my cat.