# Anyone heard of a dog food called Nulo?



## NutroGeoff

I was in Pet smart the other day and they have started carrying a new food called Nulo. I've never seen it anywhere else before or even heard it mentioned on here or any other site I've been on. I've heard it's supposed to be pretty good though. Any ideas or information on it?


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## Georgiapeach

I saw it too. It seems really expensive! There are other good kibbles for less money, IMO.


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## NutroGeoff

From what I heard, it's supposed to be like almost prescription grade. It seems to have similar ingredients to pretty much every other premium dog food for
Though. So I'm not sure why it's so much more expensive.


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## PDXdogmom

The title of this thread really caught my eye. Just yesterday, I picked up my first bag of Nulo Growth formula for my two dogs to try. I found it in one of my local indie pet stores and liked both the ingredient list and the guaranteed analysis.

So, I was surprised to see you say that Petsmart carried the brand. I went to the Petsmart website and see that they must have contracted with Nulo to make an exclusive line of their food just for them called Nulo MedalSeries. If you go to the actual website for Nulo you won't see it listed. They have two lines: Nulo Naturals and Nulo Lifestages. The one I bought is the Nulo Growth which is labeled "puppy" but I don't let that bother me. It has 30/17 protein/fat which is a pretty ideal range for my lab and my golden ages 7 yrs. and almost 13 yrs. I like it as much for what it doesn't have in it (such as pea protein, lentils, barley, flax seed, etc.) as for what it does. We'll see how it goes, but both dogs are enthusiastic so far. The real results will take a few months.

I like better (at least on paper) the Nulo formulas that aren't the Petsmart line. While not inexpensive, they didn't cost as much as Orijen, Acana or some of the Fromm formulas.

The company headquarters is in Austin, Texas.

Growth | Nulo


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## Shamrockmommy

I saw it, too. Haven't tried it yet, though.


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## leaveittoweaver

The pet store I work for used to carry it. It did horribly, price was too high for what it was. However, I had a lot of customers raving about their weight loss formula. It's definitely a good food with a lot of good science behind it. They have their own patented probiotic which is pretty neat.


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## doggiedad

i don't like all of the grain.



NutroGeoff said:


> From what I heard, it's supposed to be like almost prescription grade.
> 
> >>>> It seems to have similar ingredients to pretty much every other premium dog food<<<<
> 
> for
> Though. So I'm not sure why it's so much more expensive.


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## leaveittoweaver

doggiedad said:


> i don't like all of the grain.


They have multiple different lines. Grain frees and grain inclusive.


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## doggiedad

they 1 line of kibble with no grain ( i think it's Endurance). the can food doesn't have any grain.



leaveittoweaver said:


> They have multiple different lines. Grain frees and grain inclusive.


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## leaveittoweaver

doggiedad said:


> they 1 line of kibble with no grain ( i think it's Endurance). the can food doesn't have any grain.


No. 

The MedalSeries that Petsmart is carrying has six grain free options. This line is not featured on Nulo's website for whatever reason.

I went into my local petsmart today though and did not see it in store? Has anyone seen it hit their shelves yet?

At the store I manage we're still trying to unload the hundreds of cans we have.


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## PDXdogmom

doggiedad said:


> i don't like all of the grain.


I suppose it depends on what formula of Nulo you buy. I purchased the *Nulo Growth* (a lifestyle formula) and the primary ingredients are:

Deboned salmon, turkey meal, menhaden fish meal, brown rice, oatmeal, millet, turkey fat

Compare that to something like *grain free Wellness Core*:

Deboned turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal, peas, potatoes, dried ground potatoes, chicken fat.

Not that a dog would gravitate first to any carb, but kibble does require some to hold together the product. I'd just as soon have my dog ingesting ground up brown rice, oatmeal and millet as opposed to peas, potatoes and more dried ground potatoes.


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## Georgiapeach

leaveittoweaver said:


> No.
> 
> The MedalSeries that Petsmart is carrying has six grain free options. This line is not featured on Nulo's website for whatever reason.
> 
> I went into my local petsmart today though and did not see it in store? Has anyone seen it hit their shelves yet?
> 
> At the store I manage we're still trying to unload the hundreds of cans we have.


It's on the shelves at my local Petsmart in Newnan, GA (just outside of ATL).


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## doggiedad

thanks. i wonder why the Medal Series isn't on their website? i've got work to do.



leaveittoweaver said:


> No.
> 
> The MedalSeries that Petsmart is carrying has six grain free options. This line is not featured on Nulo's website for whatever reason.
> 
> I went into my local petsmart today though and did not see it in store? Has anyone seen it hit their shelves yet?
> 
> At the store I manage we're still trying to unload the hundreds of cans we have.


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## NutroGeoff

I've only seen it at one of the 3 Petsmarts I go to.


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## leaveittoweaver

I definitely really liked the product when we carried it. We carried the Lifestyles line. The biggest problem was the expense of the food. It's a good food but for the price, you can generally find something just as comparable for cheaper.


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## Shamrockmommy

PDXdogmom said:


> I suppose it depends on what formula of Nulo you buy. I purchased the *Nulo Growth* (a lifestyle formula) and the primary ingredients are:
> 
> Deboned salmon, turkey meal, menhaden fish meal, brown rice, oatmeal, millet, turkey fat
> 
> Compare that to something like *grain free Wellness Core*:
> 
> Deboned turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal, peas, potatoes, dried ground potatoes, chicken fat.
> 
> Not that a dog would gravitate first to any carb, but kibble does require some to hold together the product. I'd just as soon have my dog ingesting ground up brown rice, oatmeal and millet as opposed to peas, potatoes and more dried ground potatoes.


Potatoes are no better or worse than any grain (unless your dog doesn't tolerate grain. One of mine doesn't). Potatoes are higher glycemic, however.


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## Matsuro

I think Chewy has Nulo. Nulo - Free Shipping at Chewy.com, same price range as any other dog food I have seen.


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## zootv

Well on Nulo's website, they don't list the lifestyles anymore. Some of the lifestyles had grain in it. They list only 2 lines on their website now, Medal series, sold at petsmart exclusively and Freestyle, a grain free line. Interesting ... Wonder if DogfoodAdvisor will update soon on formula changes ...


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## PDXdogmom

zootv said:


> Well on Nulo's website, they don't list the lifestyles anymore. Some of the lifestyles had grain in it. They list only 2 lines on their website now, Medal series, sold at petsmart exclusively and Freestyle, a grain free line. Interesting ... Wonder if DogfoodAdvisor will update soon on formula changes ...


Arrrrgh! I am disappointed but can't say I'm surprised. Both my dogs are most of the way through their 2nd large bag of Nulo Growth of the Lifestlyle series. Last time I bought it the shop owner said changes would be coming soon. 

The Nulo Growth worked so well because it had absolutely no chicken in any form (one of my dogs has an intolerance) and the 3 carbs of brown rice, sweet potato and millet suited my other dog that has some grain issues. 

Now, on the website, I see that all formulas in both series (Freestyle and the Medal) use chicken fat. Also chickpeas and lentils have made their trendy appearance. No wonder I never got a reply when I e-mailed Nulo several weeks ago asking about upcoming changes and expressing my hope that they wouldn't follow the "pea, lentil, chickpea" bandwagon.


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## AngelaPrimanti

Peas, lentils and chickpeas are a consumer friendly way to say "soy", and that is the truth. Not much of a difference chemically.

Cheap, high in protein, easy to store.....


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## zootv

Well chewy still has the lifestyles and wont get the new 'freestyle' until May so stock up until you can find something else. I went through something similar with Darford Zero G, one of the best food my aussie could tolerate, until they went bankrupt. I stocked up but haven't quite found another food she did so well on.


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## PDXdogmom

Thanks for the heads up on Chewy's supply, zootv.


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## doggiedad

how do you compare a formula with brown rice, oatmeal and millet to a grain free formula?



PDXdogmom said:


> I suppose it depends on what formula of Nulo you buy. I purchased the *Nulo Growth* (a lifestyle formula) and the primary ingredients are:
> 
> Deboned salmon, turkey meal, menhaden fish meal, brown rice, oatmeal, millet, turkey fat
> 
> Compare that to something like *grain free Wellness Core*:
> 
> Deboned turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal, peas, potatoes, dried ground potatoes, chicken fat.
> 
> Not that a dog would gravitate first to any carb, but kibble does require some to hold together the product. I'd just as soon have my dog ingesting ground up brown rice, oatmeal and millet as opposed to peas, potatoes and more dried ground potatoes.


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## zootv

I think the issue here is that while they are making their new formulas grain free across the board on their freestyle line, they are doing so by using soy based products , IE Peas, lentils and chickpeas. I haven't been in a Petsmart lately to see what they are charging for the medal line and since chewy wont get the new line til May, we wont really know the pricing of the new line, but my guess is it will be higher than current pricing even though their costs would seem to be down. I am reluctant to add them to my rotation until i know pricing ...


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## MarieLovesChis

doggiedad said:


> how do you compare a formula with brown rice, oatmeal and millet to a grain free formula?


This honestly makes no sense to me. How can you not compare grain inclusive foods with grain free? Doesn't matter if the carb is rice, oatmeal, and millet or potato, peas, and lentils... He'll I've seen quite a few grain inclusive foods that I'd be more willing to feed over a lot of the grain free options out there.


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## MarieLovesChis

zootv said:


> I think the issue here is that while they are making their new formulas grain free across the board on their freestyle line, they are doing so by using soy based products , IE Peas, lentils and chickpeas. I haven't been in a Petsmart lately to see what they are charging for the medal line and since chewy wont get the new line til May, we wont really know the pricing of the new line, but my guess is it will be higher than current pricing even though their costs would seem to be down. I am reluctant to add them to my rotation until i know pricing ...


According to Petsmart's website, it's about $60 for a 24 pound bag when it's not on sale.


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## zootv

Weird that its 24lbs. When not on sale that puts it at $2.50/lb vs about $2.25/lb at chewy. I wish manufactures would go back to the 30lb bags, when you have 4 dogs those bags sure do go quickly.


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## MarieLovesChis

The joys of little dogs lol. Since all I have is one small dog now, I can buy the typical 4.5 - 5.5 pound bags and that'll last her atleast two months. They last longer than that though since I feed wet food every day, which I only need about 6 small cans to last a month!


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## PDXdogmom

doggiedad said:


> how do you compare a formula with brown rice, oatmeal and millet to a grain free formula?


Not sure the intent of your question . . . incredulous that I consider some grain-inclusive foods to be good?; or simply wondering how to compare the two different categories of grain-free vs. grain-inclusive.

Either way, there are good and not-so-good formulas in both grain-free and grain-inclusive, IMO.

I like to consider the company and the guaranteed analysis first. Next I look at the ingredients. My dogs have a few intolerances that I have to take into consideration. I'd be inclined to strongly consider a food with oatmeal and millet for the carbs over a food with chickpeas, lentils and pea protein as the carbs . . . all other things being equal. I pick and choose carbs in my own diet based on what I consider healthiest for me. Some are grains while others are legumes; but I don't X-out either category. Hope this helps clear up what I meant.


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## samaroberoi4474

Yes I heard about this brand but never tried for my dog. For my dog I only trust Royal Canin dog food ( petsworld.in/royal-canin-dog-food.html ).


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## StellaLucyDesi

My local Jack's carried (they may still, but I haven't been there in awhile) Nulo. I didn't try it because it had chickpeas, lentils, etc. and I'm not a fan. I believe a lot of the formulas contained chicken, too, which I was trying to stay away from. I'm currently feeding Victor and dogs are doing well. I have a lot of food, atm, so I won't be trying anything new for awhile.


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## DDBsR4Me

I tried it about a year and a 1/2 ago or so I think, I posted a thread about it. My dogs liked the grain free, but the customer service was poor and they weren't really answering my questions so I quit feeding it.


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## NutroGeoff

It seems pretty hard to find too. I have only seen it in one store in my area.


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## A&W

DDBsR4Me said:


> I tried it about a year and a 1/2 ago or so I think, I posted a thread about it. My dogs liked the grain free, but the customer service was poor and they weren't really answering my questions so I quit feeding it.



Nulo is one of these "fake" food companies like Zignature, Tuscan Natural, Wild Calling, Lotus, Verus, etc. that are just marketing offices. Two or three employees, they don't make or formulate their foods, no staff other than sales people. No testing, no research, no nothing.

No reason to exist IMO


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## NutroGeoff

Oh wow. I didn't know that. I knew it must have been small since I've only seen so little. The ingredients and whatnot seem to be pretty decent. I saw a family buy a few bags the other day and their dogs seemed to be doing well.


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## Foodie

A&W said:


> Nulo is one of these "fake" food companies like Zignature, Tuscan Natural, Wild Calling, Lotus, Verus, etc. that are just marketing offices. Two or three employees, they don't make or formulate their foods, no staff other than sales people. No testing, no research, no nothing.
> 
> No reason to exist IMO


Hmmmmm, I haven't been here in a while but the verbage sounds familiar. Old poster, new handle?


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## springer mama

We like it a lot. We use the weight formula for our dog and the indoor formula for our cats. I like that the protein is always the first ingredient. It's manufactured in Austin, so you know where your chicken, fish, duck, etc., is coming from. Many companies ship from oversees and quality control is minimal. Our pets love the taste. Both formulas are grain free. Yes, it does cost a little more. But I feel like my pets are getting the best. I first found it at Thomlinson's. Now some Petsmart locations are carrying it and I guess depending how it sells, more locations will sell it eventually. If it doesn't sell, I guess we'll see it be phased out.


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## NutroGeoff

springer mama said:


> We like it a lot. We use the weight formula for our dog and the indoor formula for our cats. I like that the protein is always the first ingredient. It's manufactured in Austin, so you know where your chicken, fish, duck, etc., is coming from. Many companies ship from oversees and quality control is minimal. Our pets love the taste. Both formulas are grain free. Yes, it does cost a little more. But I feel like my pets are getting the best. I first found it at Thomlinson's. Now some Petsmart locations are carrying it and I guess depending how it sells, more locations will sell it eventually. If it doesn't sell, I guess we'll see it be phased out.


It's nice to see someone actually feeding it. I have never had any feedback from anyone that actually feeds it. I'm glad to hear your dog is doing well on it!


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## MissZoe

I actually have been feeding the Medal Series to my Blue Heeler puppy and she has been doing really well on it and even better hasnt gotten tired of it. I recently switched my cats over to the Indoor food. They like the size of the kibble since its really small. The price is high but since I only have 1 dog its fine.


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## Rainy

Have been feeding Nulo to my aged German Shepherd & young cat. I bought Nulo cat food when I got my kitty & she immediately dug into it, canned & wet. Both decided against fish flavours which surprised me. They love the Turkey, Chicken, Beef & Lamb canned. As soon as my kitty hears me pull the top off the can she is licking away at the top of the dog's canned food before I can get it into the dog dish. I am having an assistance dog trained & have had the food shipped to her trainer as well. I am very impressed with this food. It's expensive but it's a choice between drive thru fast food vs. quality that you should be feeding your own body. My German Shepherd is living longer than the usual life span expectation. As long as she eats Nulo & drinks bottled water she's good to go.


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