Comments on: Natural Choice dog food

By: Monika Wilson

Monika Wilson — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:20:36 +0000

my three German Shepherd dogs are eating Natural Choice since years. All the sudden they refuse to eat it. I bought the last bag and they would eat little, then I bought the new bag and they won’t eat it at all. I just purchased a different brand with similar indegrients and they ate it – so it is not the dogs, it is the food. Did they change something? (Natural Choice – large breed, the blue bag?)

By: Glenda Ricardo

Glenda Ricardo — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:43:20 +0000

Our local Grange carries Nutro products – and I’ve fed Nutro Natural Choice for many years – when I can’t get to Costco for Kirkland. I have had as many as 11 dogs (have been a hobby breeder of championship line beagles in the past). I have had to re-home 7 of my dogs in the past year due to age related problems, but one of the dogs I re-homed is now 11 years old and was on Nutro Natural Choice for most of her life – she’s been extremelh healthy – as are all my dogs (with the exception of a little “rescue” girl who came to me with multiple health issues). There were 2 10 year old beagles in my pack, 1 9 year old, a 7 year old, 5 year old littermates, a 4 year old, a 3 year old and the “baby” of the family, who is 1 1/2 – and all except the 9 year old “rescue” have been healthy. All these dogs were from good bloodlines – and have been family pets and well-loved, but I DO think that feedng the best food Ican afford has helped.
By the way, some years ago the Grange carried a Nutro ULTRA – which did include salmon – I think it was probably too expensive for most people here – and haven’t seen it for several years. When I can get to Costco, I do buy their Kirkland dog food – with a pack of “11″ the super premium foods are out of my price range. I manage a beagle group on-line and our dog food grading chart lists Kirkland as a good quality – and especially for the price. I recently paid $56 for a 38 pound bag of Nutro Natural Choice – but was unable to get to a Costco – nearest Costco is 60 miles from our small town – and Nutro Natural Choice is the best I can get locally.

By: Brad Burwick

Brad Burwick — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:17:12 +0000

Did you ever have a Natural Choice Dry Dog food with Salmon blend? I could have a=sworn I bought this at “Pet Smart”, the mgr. says you never had this product.
Help, am I confused?
Brad

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:46:16 +0000

Stephanie,if I were you I would switch brands.These are my fav’s-Fromm family foods,Merrick pet care,Wellness super 5 mix,Halo.My budget picks are,Fromm’s Gold line,Merrick’s whole Earth Farms,TOTW.All of these foods are good,with no harmful nasties.NO corn,wheat,soy,by-products,All are naturally preserved.NO Ethoxyquin,BHT,BHA,or Menadione (synthetic vitamin K)

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:09:32 +0000

I recently had my 6 month old Shih Tzu in for a routine CBC before his neutering surgery. When the labs came back his protein and creatine levels were high. They decided to run a Urinalysis – his Specific Gravity (concentration in the urine) was low so they determined that an ultrasound should be run to rule out renal disease.

The ultrasound came back not as bad as they thought, and stated he had bilateral kidney lesions. Placed him on a low protein diet with a repeat CBC check in 6 weeks.

Yesterday was his follow up. Rather than performing just the CBC, they ran both the blood work and repeat UA. The protein and creatinine were back down to normal levels however the specific gravity was still low. I think this is because he is now on very low protein diet changing the concentration of his urine. The vet wants me to continue on the low protein diet with yet another expensive (for me) and stressful/uncomfortable (for him) CBC and UA in a month. They also want me to seek a specialist.

Now I work i nthe medical field, I am pursuing a medical degree and i’d like to think i’m not just the average joe in this department. I asked for my records. And i did some research. the food I had him on was the Chicken Rice and oatmeal small bites puppy food by Nutro. In my readings i’ve found that this brand of foods has been receiving a lot of attacks linking it to kidney failure.

My question is this. Did we catch it early enough? Having had him on the food for only 5 months before making the switch is it as bad as the vet is making it out to be? I have him set up for a second opinion with a vet i used to go to before i moved out of town, i’d rather spend the money on the office visit rather than seeking a specialist to learn that it is nothing to be concerned about. Are others having this problem? I know i will never place him on that food as my other shih tzu who i placed on the adult formla because he enjoyed sneaking bites of the puppy food began vomitting and becoming lethargic caused me to really re-think this brand and begin researching.

Thank goodness i switched tho, Gizmo – the older dog is now on buffalo blue and is no longer vomitting or acting unwell. Gadget has yet to show any symptoms of kidney disease, he is a bouncing happy puppy it just concerns me that his leves are so off and his behavior so normal. Could it be due to his food?

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:25:39 +0000

nutro user, this is not NUTRO, IT IS NATURAL CHOICE, but I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but NUTRO is an extremely low grade dog food. WHY?? Well lets take a look at Nutro, OH MY GOD IT IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.
Wheat, corn, rice bran, poultry fat, Natural Flavors and salt SHOULD NOT BE IN DOG FOOD. Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex IS A POISON and Vitamin K is not needed in a dogs diet. Don’t believe me? Check out this site and keep in mind these are INGREDIENTS TO AVOID.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Ground Rice, Chicken, Natural Flavors, Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Carbonate, Yeast Culture, L-Lysine, Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Oxide, Dried Kelp, Lecithin, Garlic Flavor, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity).

By: Hanna

Hanna — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:33:03 +0000

wow browsing info regarding dog food. My 10 year old maltese had some recent issues with diarrhea, mucous, some blood. Vet checked out and thought due to stress from new rowdy puppy in home and put him on a rx science diet w/d for more fiber and told me to return to his food when puppy leaves with my daughter for college. I’ve had him on Nutro natural choice lamb and rice for most of his life and thought i should find a food with more fiber and now i see these previous posts about nutro. interestingly also one aspect of his liver numbers was a bit off a earlier this year. Read about Blue Buffalo on it’s site may try it. Thanks RescueMom47 for the info.

By: nutro user

nutro user — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:11:15 +0000

First things first… none of Nutros products come from any source in China– all are usa except for lamb, venison, and herring meal all from New Zealand farm land…. also Nutro produces their own pet food in their own factories in the US both Tn and Ca….. Blue reps don’t even know who manufacture’s their food..also.. the natural choice line is specifically designed for dogs with sensitivities to food ingredients however dogs can have air borne allergies depending on the time of year! Nutro has 3 varieties of food that have a specific purpose… not all dogs are a like and not all dogs need the same ingredients…. a for the specific ingredients used… NUTRO has the most highly extensive research team along with Wathams science and the use of vets, food technologist, biologist, nutritionist, etc… and their facilities are checked by the FDA…. Nutro is top notch, every ingredient is natural… and quality checked to insure it’s true purpose… Nutro also is the only company that guarantee a better skin and coat…. however some dogs are going to shed no matter what.. you can’t always blame the food…. dogs can get sick as well from intestinal issues,, eating thins in the yard,,, hyperthyroidism,hypothyroidism,celiac disease, diabetes, etc…. you can’t point your finger at the food until you have rules out all the other issues. Nutro also uses three very well refined oils to help with skin and coat that no other company offers…. never any whole grown corn, or corn meal, soybeans, sorghum, barley…oh and by the way corn gluten meal is not corn it’s like saying gas is corn… absolutely not…one is derived from the other but the end result is different…. corn gluten is the isolated protein source.. and far as wheat– it is whole grain what.. how many of you eat whole grain wheat, it does have it’s nutritional benefits.. however, if paired with to many other grains known as fillers, the grains out weigh the proteins and good carb it then can cause an overload and produce an allergy. Nutro has been around since 1926, believe me they have done their research… as for the claim that Nutro food has been recalled lots… untrue…. no dry Nutro food has ever been recalled…. cans yes but that has been squared away and has been many years… Nutro makes their own pet food now that allows for immaculate inspection… So before you make claims and bash other companies do your research..Nutro doesn’t use any questionable sources… all ingredients are farm raised and derived…i know this for a fact!!! meat and grain is not the only thing a dog can be allergic to…

By: RescueMom47

RescueMom47 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:21:24 +0000

I currently have 5 large dogs at my house (3 of my own and 2 fosters).
I used to feed my dogs Nutro Natural Choice, but when I did some research on dog food ingredients, I became very doubtful about feeding my animals this brand.
For instance, the synthetic Vitamin K, which has been linked to liver problems, is still used in the Nutro brand of food.
In many of the varieties of Nutro Natural Choice, wheat, corn, and/or soy is still used as well.
Nutro also uses an ingredient called “Poultry Fat”, which is a poultry product that may be derived from questionable sources.
Additionally, I found out that this company has had a lot of recalls, and I really don’t trust the sources that their food comes from, because some of the sources are in China.
My dogs are all short-haired, but when I was feeding them Natural Choice, they were shedding massive amounts of hair, and 2 of them developed skin allergy symptoms.
After doing much investigation on premium dog foods, and keeping in mind what I could afford to feed to multiple dogs, I decided on Blue Buffalo Life Protection, because it costs about the same as Nutro Natural Choice, and is a much better quality food.
Since I have started feeding Blue Buffalo, my dogs hardly shed at all, and their coats look much shinier and healthier, and their skin problems have miraculously disappeared.
To anyone who is now feeding Nutro Natural Choice, I would highly recommend switching to Blue Buffalo…It costs the same, but is better quality.

By: D. Hawthorne

D. Hawthorne — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:14:36 +0000

We have fed Natural Choice to our Ranch Border Collie for 8 + years and she is extremely healthy with a shiney coat, excellent white teeth and a very happy disposition. She is on the Senior product now, of course, and if you didn’t know how old she was you would think she was 3 or 4. I highly recommend Natural Choice………my only wish is that it was more affordable.