Switching Foods-Nutro Max

[Full House]

Hello everyone. I need your opinions. I have done a search and have not really had my question answered, so I hope I didn't miss it in the search and that I am not wasting everyone's time.

I am switching Scout from Chicken Soup to Nutro Max. Several reasons for this. Scout's poop has been real irregular since putting her on the Chicken Soup. A couple of times it will be fine (firm and solid) and the next couple of times it is really runny (just a mushy mound). She has also been scratching alot. Now some of this could be the Chicken Soup or it could be the fact that she loves to eat the cat and kitten food every chance she gets. It could also be an allergy to something outside. Also the price of the Chicken Soup is more than we can continue to pay right now. I know that Chicken Soup is a premium food and you get what you pay for. I did Nutro Max because I thought I heard good things about it, it is less expensive than the Chicken Soup and it is more accessible. We thought about using Diamond Lamb formula (I know it is a mid-range food also) but still have the accessibility issue. So am I doing a huge dis-service to my dog by swithing to Nutro Max? What are other people's opinion that have used these foods before?

 

[gmacleod]

I wouldn't personally choose Nutro's Max formula (LOL - I still remember when phenobarbitol was found in that food). If you want to go with Nutro, their Ultra formulation is substantially better.

 

[Tigermax]

Tiger is a Nutro Ultra lover.

 

[courtney323]

I second Gwyneth's advice (but then again, I always do! )

If the Chicken Soup is not agreeing with her, which is entirely possible, I would try another premium kibble. I don't think a "step down" in quality is the answer.

Also, in terms of affordability, there are many premium kibbles that cost just about the same as the mid-range kibbles (once you adjust for the feeding amount differential).

Canidae for example, is a fairly reasonable premium food www.canidae.com

Good luck!

 

[Full House]

The Nutro Ultra costs more than the Chicken Soup does (Yikes). I know we cannot place a dollar value on our babies health, but part of the reason I am doing this is cost as well as getting her back to a normal stool. I checked the Candidea website and there is only one place to purchase it here and sounds like it is an individual selling it, maybe out of there home, based on the location (which is way across town). Any other suggestions? What should I do with the Nutro that is already opened?

 

[courtney323]

Full House -

May I ask, where in Texas are you located?

 

[Full House]

We live in Lubbock, TX.

 

[Majors]

Interesting

Hi All - I find this entire thread very interesting....we had our little lady (Grace) on nutro ultra puppy, but when she was 8mths we had problems w/ diarrhea so we switched her to Nutro Sensitive Stomach. Now that she's over a year and we are moving to Alaska, we got her a companion, Tyson who is 2. They are both thin (especially Tyson - we've had him only a few weeks) and so we are trying Nutro High Energy, but they don't seem to like it much. My cousin feeds her dogs (not boxers) Chicken Soup and mine had a few morsels (for taste) and loved it. Now I am torn if I should switch or not? But I am tired of non-boxer owners asking me why my dogs are so thin (vet said they are healthy & she'd rather see them thin) and I do think they could each gain a couple lbs. Any advice???

 

[courtney323]

Majors -

First, please post your Introduction. This is something required of all new members, and should have actually been your first post

www.boxerworld.com/rules

Regarding weight, your Vet is actually correct. It is far safer for your Boxer to be a little on the thin side than overweight. You should always be able to see atleast the last few ribs on your Boxer. If you can't, then he/she is considered overweight.

Chicken Soup is a very good food. Not every food out there agrees with every single dog, so it is definitely worth a try switching them over to CS. Just as a side note, Nutro (outside of Ultra) is just a mid-range food, in terms of quality.

Some other premium foods that a lot of people on this site seem to feed:

Canidae
Innova
Wellness
Solid Gold
California Natural
Eagle Pack Holistic

Good luck

 

[Majors]

thank you

Thank you for the advice on the introduction - the rules state that new members should introduce themselves, not that it's a requirement. I guess I was a bit confused with the verbiage, please excuse me for being impolite.

As for the food...I'm still a little unsure with our upcoming move to Alaska, however thank you for the list!