Opinion on Dog Foods .....

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time: http://www.debsdoodles.com/html/food_information.html

I have a chihuahua with multiple health issues. I switched from Royal Canine to Nutro Ultra for allergy issues and have had great results! There wasn't even any digestion issues related to the change in foods.

I think that Royal Canin is a better food than Nutro, because of the research that went into formulating the diet and Royal Canin has a better balance of Omega 6:3 fatty acids (important for coat, inflammation, allergies, arthritis etc)
Hope this helps
From a mama vet

I agree that the Science Diets make less poop and the smell is not as bad and it is better for your dog. Costco sells a less expensive science diet so you can save a little there.

The dog rescue we volunteer/foster with regularly uses Nutro for our fosters.

Royal Canin is considered to be a more of a premium food. But Nutro used to be the top the premium at one time. Try the nutro if they do well on it then you should not feel bad about using it. I perosnally use Natures Variety, but Ihave a dog with many allergie issues, so sending a fortune on food helps keep the vet bills down. He previsouly was on Nutro, but his problems are not food based.

We used Nutro Max (dry food), and it is a great dog food. Whenever you do switch foods, do it gradually by mixing in with other food. this will be easier on their system. Everytime we switched cold turkey to a new brand, our dog had all types of tummy troubles. But doing it gradually is a good idea for you and your dog.

oh goodness- I have not heard any horror stories about Nutro but we have been using it for 3 years with our dog and she loves it. Zoe also has a soft and shiny coat that people comment on frequently. We relate it to the dog food - we like it. Zoe is a mut (chihuahua and australian shepard mix) Very cute 14 lb dog who loves people.

After a lot of research, we decided to feed our 2 lab puppies Natural Ultramix made by Castor and Pollux. It is organic and real chicken is the #1 ingredient. It also contains fruit, veggies, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Our puppies go crazy for it and we feel good that they are getting the best nutrition possible. (Avoid giving your dogs food that contains wheat, corn, or any by-products). You can get it @ Petco, and sometimes they have $2 off coupons on the bags or great sales. (We stocked up when the 15 lb bags were $10 off!!!) Look it up on www.Petco.com to read the ingredients as well as reviews from other pet owners. I just remembered that Sprouts does carry this brand, too. Go to www.CastorPolluxPet.com to see all of their natural and organic pet products. You and your four-legged friends won't be disappointed:)

I would check with your vet. Our dog was treated for gastroenteristis twice because of the Nutro dog food. Our vet said there isn't a recall on that brand but if you look up gastroenteristis in dogs you will find alot of complaints about Nutro. She said most of the dogs she has treated for this was being feed Nutro. Anyway, we have since changed our dog's food and he is alot better.

We have a 2 year old golden retriever that has been on Nutro's lamb and rice since she was 7 weeks and have no problems and always receive comments on her beautiful and soft coat. She is also a good, healthy weight (about 62 pounds)and very energetic. From our experience, I am happy to give Nutro thumbs up!

We used to use Nutro, I think, from Petco. We've been using Science Diet for a few years now with our 13 and 9 year old dogs. I agree with the other poster that it makes cleaning up easier too because the dogs poop less and have more solid deposits when they do (sorry if TMI, but we all deal with it!)

We have tried Royal Canin and Merrick puppy plate for our Cavalier puppies. Here is a link to a dog food review website. They have great information. Hope this helps.
www.dogfoodanalysis.com

I used to be a pet food rep and am very familiar w/ both foods. The main thing you want to stay away from is corn, animal by-products, wheat & soy. They are allergens and can cause skin/coat problems, eye tearing (esp. in your Shih Tzu). Just keep an eye on your ingredient panel. I'd say Nutro is a better food (go w/ ultra). Nutro got caught up in the pet food poisoning diseaster a few years back, and I know that now their having some issues w/ getting lamb ingredients. Most of that should be behind them. Often times if you upgrade to a higher quality food, you feed them less, and the bag lasts longer.

that is the cest dog food in the world in my book!! it's 100% good for the dog there is less doggie popo also which i love.

Like all the other responders, my pet-children have been on Nutro food for several years. My 12 year old Siberian/Lab mix has been on Science Diet, Royal Canin and Nutro products since he was a pup. I believe that all are quality products, but he seems to enjoy the Nutro best and I don't have to go the the vet's office to get it. The pet food scare only affected the canned Nutro products and my babies are all on dry. The Nutro Senior is great for my older one, and I have two teacup Chihuahua's that eat the small bites and love it! I have never had a problem and plan to continue to use Nutro products as long as they are available.

Not sure what you have heard about Nutro... but I really love Royal Canin, its a great food, the poop is less and less odor with it and the coats just shine.

HTH
A. J

I always order from Metro Pets - ###-###-####. They deliver to the house. The foods are all people grade ingredients with no additives which are bad for the dogs. Our bulldog has been on one of their brands since we got him at 17 weeks.

My husband is a Vet. and we only feed our dogs Science Diet. I have not heard of Nurtro or Royal Canin, but I will ask him and get back with you.

We have had 4 cats and two different(Shih Tzu)dogs on Nutro. All are living or have lived long,healthy lives. As an added bonus, dogs and cats on Nutro foods make less waste products (poop) since the food is not filled with by-products. The waste does not smell as bad as it does when they eat other premium foods. The only horror stories I'm aware of was when some of the cans were tainted and recalled a year or so ago. That was not only Nutro pet food. Since then it has been safe. Ours ate Nutro dry foods through that whole episode with no problems. I hope that helps.
Best Wishes,
E.

I HIGHLY recommend Nutro. It is mostly protein and they eat LESS which results in LESS poop. Unless you enjoy taking the dog out MORE and scooping up MORE poop.

My sister told me about it (she said her friend commented on how her cat ate 1/4 the amount of other cats and then made "dainty little poops"). Okay, I know it is GROSS, but it's a true story. LOL

Blessings,

P. <><

My vet had me start my dog (Yorkie) with Purina One for puppies and we moved up to Purina Rice & Lamb as he got older. He also told me not to change his food often because it will often mess with their digestive system. So he has been eating the Purina One for 12 years and is in great health. (My dad's Yorkies also ate it for 13 & 14 years) All that to say, I don't know that expensive is always better. : )

Have never used Royal Canin, but I have my boston terrier on Nutro for Active Adult dogs. He always has trouble keeping weight on since he is so active. He was on Iams for a while, and we were feeding him MORE than the recommended amount, and he still burnt it all off and was underweight. He has been on Nutro for about 6 months now and doing great, at his last vet visit he was at a normal weight.

We have used Nutro before with no problems. We switched to Hill's about a year or so ago and are happy with it.

We have 3 dogs. American Cocker 9, English Cocker 4, Poodle 2

I buy the small bites for them.

I have been feeding my dogs the Nutro foods for a few years now. We currently feed the Ultra senior formula and they are doing great on it. They seem to really like the taste of it and they're healthy.

I have tried a few other holistic pet foods but I like these the best-they are the most affordable and readily available.

There was a problem with their pet foods a year or two ago but I believe it was the canned food? I don't remember the details exactly, I just know that the Nutro Ultra line of food wasn't affected by this issue and since that problem they seem to have stepped up their efforts in the quality assurance department.

Hope that helps, good luck!

I haven't given my dog either brand. But, Royal Canin is suppose to be really good. How old is your dog? We feed our dog the brand from Cotsco--Kirkland's Puppy Chow. They also make adult dog food at Costco. My dog loves the puppy chow. I mix in a teaspoon of wet food and add water to it. He goes crazy happy! :) The vets are always asking what we feed him and they always say how nice his coat looks. My dog is about a year and 6 months old, he still eats puppy food. It has so many good vitamins and ingredients for even older dogs!

Good luck!

I have used Nutro since my dog was born....she is 3 1/2 and have never had any problems. I think it is great for her coat and it is not made with so many artificial ingredients. If you are like me and your pet is also one of your kids, then you look for the best stuff out there. I have never tried the Royal Canin, so I do not want to discredit it. I highly recommend the Nutro.

Our lab is on Nutro Ultra for Large Breeds. Our vet has us on Science Diet, but we switched after a friend convinced us. Jake has done fine on it. He isn't a picky eater, so taste is never a problem for him.