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Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Dog Food Review (Tubs)
Home Reviews Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Dog Food Review (Tubs)
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Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Dog Food in tubs receives the Advisors second-highest rating of 4.5 stars.
The Nutro Ultra Grain-Free product line includes the 13 dog food tubs listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
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Recipe and Label Analysis
Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Trio of Proteins Chicken, Lamb, Whitefish Pate was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Trio of Proteins Chicken, Lamb, Whitefish Pate
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, lamb, whitefish, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, dried egg product, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), tricalcium phosphate, dried blueberries, dried apples, dried carrots, carrageenan, flaxseed, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, chia seed, dried coconut, dried yam, tomato pomace, dried pumpkin, dried spinach, dried kale, xanthan gum, magnesium proteinate, dl-methionine, salt, guar gum, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1.5%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 5% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 36% | 23% | 33% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 29% | 44% | 26% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered the clean combination of flesh and skin derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.
The third ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The next ingredient is lamb. Lamb is considered the clean flesh derived from slaughtered lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.2
Lamb is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fifth ingredient is whitefish, a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.
The next ingredient is spinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score3 of 91.
The seventh ingredient is tomato, a nutrient rich vegetable consisting of about 72% carbohydrates.
The eighth ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Nutro product.
With 7 notable exceptions
First, we find sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3s, theyre considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.
Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.
There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, its impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
Next, we note the use of sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.
HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.
Although some might disagree, were of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.
In addition, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.
Next, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided theyve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
This recipe also includes chia seed, an edible seed nutritionally similar to flax or sesame. Provided theyre first ground into a meal, chia seeds are rich in both omega-3 fatty acids as well as dietary fiber.
However, chia seeds contain about 17% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
Tomato pomace can also be a controversial ingredient. It is a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, theres probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
And lastly, with the exception of magnesium, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Nutro Ultra Grain-Free Dog Food in tubs appears to be an above-average moisture-rich product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 33%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 22%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 29% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.
Which means this Nutro product line contains
Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed and chia seed, this looks like the profile of a wet dog food containing a notable amount of meat..
Our Rating of Nutro Ultra Grain Free Dog Food Tubs
Nutro Ultra Grain-Free is a wet dog food using a notable amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.
Highly recommended.
Has Nutro Ultra Dog Food Been Recalled?
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Nutro.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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More Nutro Brand Reviews
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A Final Word
The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.
However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.
For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.
Nutro Ultra Dog Food Review (Dry)
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Review of Nutro Ultra Dry Dog Food
Nutro Ultra Dog Food receives the Advisors second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.
The Nutro Ultra product line includes the 5 dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Chicken, chicken meal (source of glucosamine and chondroitin), whole grain sorghum, whole grain oats, whole grain brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), brewers rice, lamb meal, salmon meal, whole grsin barley, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, whole flaxseed, potassium chloride, choline chloride, citric acid (preservative), mixed tocopherols (preservative), whole chia seed, dried coconut, dried egg product, tomato pomace, dried kale, dried pumpkin, dried spinach, dried blueberries, dried apples, dried carrots, dl-methionine, salt, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, vitamin e supplement, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin b1), vitamin b12 supplement, vitamin a supplement, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin b2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), vitamin d3 supplement, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, folic acid, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Guaranteed Analysis | 28% | 19% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 31% | 21% | 40% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 26% | 42% | 33% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient is sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.
Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.
The next ingredient is whole grain oats, a whole grain, minimally processed form of oats. With the exception of their caloric content and the fact theyre also gluten free, oat groats can be considered average in nutritional value.
The fifth item is whole grain brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The sixth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The seventh ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The eighth ingredient is lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, its impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Nutro product.
With 4 notable exceptions
First, flaxseed is one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided theyve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
Next, beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
In addition, we find chia seed, an edible seed nutritionally similar to flax or sesame. Provided theyre first ground into a meal, chia seeds are rich in both omega-3 fatty acids as well as dietary fiber, and contain about 17% protein.
Next, tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, theres probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Nutro Ultra Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 31%, a fat level of 21.1% and estimated carbohydrates of about 39.8%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30.2% and a mean fat level of 17.3%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 44.4%for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.
Which means this Nutro product line contains
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed and chia seed in this recipe, and the pea or potato protein contained in others, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Our Rating of Nutro Ultra Dog Food
Nutro Ultra is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.
Highly recommended.
Nutro Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Nutro.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Get Free Recall Alerts
Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisors recall notification list.
More Nutro Brand Reviews
The following Nutro dog food reviews are also posted on this website:
Compare This Dog Food
How does this brand compare with The Dog Food Advisor's most recommended brands?
A Final Word
The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.
However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.
For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.
