Is Nutro Ultra dog food with Avocado still good?

Q: Nutro Ultra dog food has avocado in it, is it still good?
I have a German Shepherd puppy and I am switching her food to something that does not contain by-products. I am interested in Nutro Ultra but it contains avocado and I am aware that that is a dangerous food for dogs. I have read several reviews on Nutro Ultra and some people swear by it and others say it gave their dog loose poops and vomiting, which is a symptom of eating avocado. Any thoughts?

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Answers and Views:

Answer by Robert
Nutro is not good food, not because it contains avocado but because it contains menadione. There are many foods better than Nutro Ultra that are about the same price or less: Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux, Avoderm (also contains avocado), Pinnacle, Halo, and Dogswell.

Answer by cjrossi
Avocado is fine - in commercial dog food. There's a whole line of dog food called "Avoderm" that uses it. Any commercial dog food that uses avocado will use it sparingly - even in Avoderm, it is a minor ingredient.

Any ingredient listed behind the fat in a kibble's ingredient list is a minor ingredient.

I am surprised to hear Nutro Ultra is using it - I actually fed Nutro Ultra Puppy wet food for a little while (I liked the stew style) and never noticed any mention of avocado on the ingredient list

Congratulations on upgrading your dog food! Any dog food that uses by-products is taking shortcuts and delivering lower food quality - often at the same price as better food!

I suggest that if you're going to pay Nutro Ultra prices - then you can do even better than Nutro. I fed Nutro Ultra Puppy for a little while then quit Nutro b/c for the same price range there are better options. And by 'better' i mean - no wheat gluten in the wet formula and more meat/less grain up front in the kibble.

If you're simply looking for high-quality dog food, Canidae is (IMO) better than Nutro Ultra and often cheaper.

View Canidae All Life Stages on Amazon (#ad).

I'd also recommend Merrick's and Wellness. Merrick will be in the same price range as Nutro, Wellness will be more expensive. Both have great lines of stew-style wet food.

As for the loose stools and vomiting: loose stools are typically caused by 1) switching foods too abruptly - you're supposed to wean them over to the new food over a weeks time, 2) too much wet food not enough dry, 3) allergic reaction to an ingredient in the food. It doesn't mean the food itself is necessarily bad for all dogs.
Vomiting isn't typically caused by dog food unless it's maybe a severe allergic reaction to something.

However, if you and your dogs like Nutro Ultra best - then it's fine to go with. It's a definite step up from any foods that use by-products.
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