# Nutro vs. Royal Canin



## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey there,

Bailey's almost 9 weeks old. His previous owners fed Puppy Chow. We were against this and after consulting our vet, were told (after we bought it) that Eukanuba LB Puppies was just fine! Our vet does NOT endorce brands in particular, they've stopped selling food in their clinic for this exact reason -- since all clients had their views, and they didn't want to push their own views.

However, I've read so many great reviews on Nutro and Royal Canin. We still have a huge bag so we'll transition him in about 1 month, but can't settle one which brand, and if so, what TYPE from that brand. Nutro has SO many different kinds! Royal Canin too! I've read the other threads and there are so many different opinions. So once and for all:

1) Should I feed Bailey puppy food, or normal adult food for LBs?
2) Which one, in your opinion, is best for GSD?
and 3) which type in that brand would you recommend best?

Thanks for helping us in this dilemma!


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

This is just my personal opinion...as you said yourself, there are many different views out there. 

1) No, you shoul not feed him puppy food. Puppy food tends to have a lot of calcium in that make puppies grow to fast and that is the last thing you want for a large breed dog. There are some other reasons why adult is better too...do some research. 

2) Neither. Both have a lot of low quality grains in, fillers and is of low meat quality. 

3) RAW but that is not a brand!







If you have to feed kibble go with Taste of the Wild or Orjien!


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## Nerrej (Jun 23, 2008)

*Large Breed puppy food* is made so it doesn't cause them to grow to fast. I fed my pup Royal Canin Large breed puppy food before eventually moving to RAW a few months ago. Its cheaper and healthier than Royal Canin. But if I had to pick from those two, it would be royal Canin just because I have no experience with the other. But I've heard mixed reviews about both as you would any dog food. I heard Orjien was good too though.


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

I have to agree with RavenSophi. I personally don't like either food due to the low quality grains, fillers and is of low meat quality.

I made the mistake of putting Ivy on Nutro when she was younger and she did HORRIBLE on it. I switched her to Eagle Pack Holistic Select and she is doing great. I feed her about 50% Raw and the other 50% is Eagle Pack. Raw is a great idea!

My Aunt also had her golden on Nutro and he had so many problems while on it but when she switched him to different food all his problems went away.


I have had experience with Orijen and TOTW as well- both great food!


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

i tried r/c gsd formula, hot spot in days. use totw from time to time but now feed raw.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

We've never used puppy or LB puppy food and have always gone with a quality, all life stages adult food. I personally believe this is the best way to go with puppies. However, it is important to pick an adult food that is suitable for puppies, mainly with regards to calcium/phosphorous levels and ratios.

For example, Taste of the Wild and Orijen are both very good quality grain free foods. However TOTW has calcium levels too high for puppies, whereas Orijen is fine. 

As far as commercial dog foods go, I prefer grain free. But unfortunately most of the quality grain free foods (EVO, Wellness Core, NV Instinct, TOTW) are not appropriate for puppies due to having too much calcium. Blue Wilderness and Orijen are the only two I can think of off the top of my head that are ok for pups.

While both Royal Canin and Nutro are ok foods, and a lot of people have very good results with them, in terms of ingredients there are much better foods out there, for around the same price range.

A good place to research commercial dog foods is this website. It reviews different kibbles, and reading through those will give a good idea of what sort of things to look for when researching dog foods.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Raw!








But TOTW, Orijen, Wellness, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, Before Grain are all great brands.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

We love Wellness just for puppy, and now are transitioning her to Wellness Super-5 mix until she's a year old, then we'll switch her to Wellness CORE. I would stay away from Nutro if I were you, they've had some pretty bad recalls lately, involving liver failure.


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Nerrej*Large Breed puppy food* is made so it doesn't cause them to grow to fast. I fed my pup Royal Canin Large breed puppy food before eventually moving to RAW a few months ago. Its cheaper and healthier than Royal Canin. But if I had to pick from those two, it would be royal Canin just because I have no experience with the other. But I've heard mixed reviews about both as you would any dog food. I heard Orjien was good too though.


That's what they want you to believe. Do yourself a favour and read the labels on *Large Breed puppy food* and then do some research on daily recommendations of calcium etc and you'll see what we're all on about.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i dont want to go on a rant about royal canin or nutro, so i wont. ill just say that for the same price as nutro, there are foods that in most cases will be better for your dog. for the price of Royal Canin, there are a boatload of foods that would be a step up. (where i live, i get Orijen or Acana for the same price or less than RC).

im not surprised your vet thinks Eukanuba LB puppy is fine, since so many vets have so little knowledge about nutrition.


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## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Guys, by RAW, you mean??????

Like raw food? Like human table food?

How could that be cheaper than buying a bag of kibble???

I read the forum about BARF/RAW diet and there's no posts that clearly explain in newbie language what a RAW diet is, especially for a puppy. I'm flexible in doing anything to be honest.


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

http://www.rawdogranch.com

Read that and you will get a better idea. 

If you buy smart and in bulk you will not pay more that you would a premium dog food.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Yup, like raw food. Specifically meat. A dog's natural diet.









It can be cheaper than high quality kibble, or can be a bit more expensive. It all depends on how much kibble costs in your area, and how much meat costs (though most of us use sources other than typical grocery store meat cases for raw feeding, it's cheaper that way).


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Yep! Raw meat, bones and all! And the dogs love it!!!
Their coats are silky, shiny, full and soft. Their teeth are white. Their poops are tiny tiny, odor free and solid.
For me, it's actually cheaper than some brands of kibble. It will save me a ton more in vet bills and stress about her not liking her food.


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## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Yeah, no clue of other 'sources' where I could buy bulk meat and save money though -- that's the catch. I wouldn't mind at all but I definitely need to be careful budget-wise when it comes to what I buy. I won't buy crap that's equal to McDonalds for dogs, but won't drain my bank account either. KWIM









Keep the advice flowin


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## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Oh and if you feed RAW, aren't you scared of them choking on bone?

Just wondering! lol


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

If I HAD to choose between Nutro and RC, I would feed Nutro. I fed Nutro Natural Choice for YEARS to several dogs and never had any issues. My 11 year old ate it for almost 10 years. I had another dog(non gsd) that ate it fo the last 7 years of her life. She lived to be 17.)

RC is WAY too expensive for the quality. (Or lack there of.) And these days, so is Nutro for that matter.

I haven't fed puppy food to any puppy of mine for a LONG time. From the time I get them at 8 weeks, they are fed an "all life stages" food. (Or an adult food since the "all life stages" is a new concept.)

What is most important is to find a food:

1. You can afford:
2. Has ingredients you are comfortable with
3. your pup/dog does WELL ON!

IMO #3 is the most important, the "best", most expensive food out there is WORTHLESS if your individual pup/dog doesn't do well on it!


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

You can find out what Raw resources are near you by going to Yahoo groups and typing in "your area Raw feeding" or BARF or RAW diet, etc.
I think one group you can look at is Carnivore Feed. You can either post and ask or look in their database to find out what's in your area.

It's not going to be "cheap", after all you are feeding the best thing you can possibly feed a dog(IMO), but it can be cheaper than say Orijen (which is supposed to be the best kibble).

I'm not afraid of the bone and never was, they're actually great for teeth cleaning. If the bone is cooked, it's definitely dangerous though. My 4 month old puppy has never had any trouble at all with bones since the first day she got a leg quarter.
I was amazed at what those little puppy teeth can do!!! A bone I had trouble cutting with a knife, she got through with relative ease.
Her body is also pretty good at knowing when she can't digest something so she'll throw it back up (I know kinda gross) and then crunches it more and re-eats it.

Keep asking questions and I'll answer as best I can. I'm new but I've received lots of great info from everyone else here.


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: MayaOh and if you feed RAW, aren't you scared of them choking on bone?
> 
> Just wondering! lol


As long as the bone is not cooked you will be fine. No need to worry about them chocking or it getting stuck. The bone is 'softer' when not cooked and easier for the dog to eat and it is less likely to splinter when RAW.....


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## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Thanks! I'll definitely look into this more. My parents might know of a bitcher shop where they sell ots of good meat, and my parents used to have a serval (African Cat) and they fed him chicken legs/thighs and Wellnesscanned food (for cats, of course). They said Wellness is very highly rated, and I know they have it for dogs too.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: MayaThanks! I'll definitely look into this more. My parents might know of a bitcher shop where they sell ots of good meat, and my parents used to have a serval (African Cat) and they fed him chicken legs/thighs and Wellnesscanned food (for cats, of course). They said Wellness is very highly rated, and I know they have it for dogs too.


We like the idea of raw, but the convenience of kibble, as we are pretty active and do a lot of camping. Kibble is just more feasible in these cases. We feed Wellness and love it.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: MayaThanks! I'll definitely look into this more. My parents might know of a bitcher shop where they sell ots of good meat, and my parents used to have a serval (African Cat) and they fed him chicken legs/thighs and Wellnesscanned food (for cats, of course). They said Wellness is very highly rated, and I know they have it for dogs too.


As I recall, you have 2 little girls. I don't feed raw becuase of the salmonella threat. I don't want the dogs kissing one of my babies and making them sick and don't have time to brush teeth right after the dogs eat. Dogs can eat things that would put a human in the hospital.

That said, Wellness is a good food.

My budget is also a concern and my puppy likes to EAT. We feed FROMM, they say 4 star but the dog food review people give them 5 out of 6 stars for quality and nutritional content. My older girl likes the duck and sweet potato - which is too rich for my pup so he eats the chicken a la veg

http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs.php


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## Bailey's Momma (Jul 9, 2009)

Thanks. Never seen FROMM at my pet store though!









Good point on the salmonella deal. I debated this, but didn't know if it would have really affected my girls. I definitely love the convenience of kibble, and we're in fact not in a perfect world of being able to afford to feed RAW, or feed the highest of quality in foods -- thus why so many brands were invented, some better than others. I don't want to feed him CRAP of course, but I definitely want to feed him 3 stars or more. Awesome advice guys!


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I feed a 50/50 diet, 50 percent kibble (morning) and 50 percent raw (at night). 

I get chicken quarters from Wal-Mart, a bag of about 12-13 quarters is a little over $6 here, so I can get enough for two weeks worth for both dogs for $12 and beef liver for $1.98. I supplement this with canned tripe, eggs and yogurt and other things like pork necks (a 5lb pack for $3), canned mackrel (1.98 a can), ground beef ($5 a pound) and whatever other cool things I find.

It makes the kibble last longer, they get the benefit of raw and I'm actually coming out cheaper. The kibble is $48 plus tax for a 30lb bag that lasts for a maybe 2-3 weeks on just kibble for both meals. With the raw it lasts for one to two months.


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## Nerrej (Jun 23, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: RavenSophi
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Nerrej*Large Breed puppy food* is made so it doesn't cause them to grow to fast. I fed my pup Royal Canin Large breed puppy food before eventually moving to RAW a few months ago. Its cheaper and healthier than Royal Canin. But if I had to pick from those two, it would be royal Canin just because I have no experience with the other. But I've heard mixed reviews about both as you would any dog food. I heard Orjien was good too though.
> ...


And please take the time out to read my entire post and the fact that I stated that my dog is raw fed now. 

I did my reading and research.

Thanks.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

If you're worried about price, 50% raw is great. I actually feed Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy in the morning and raw in the evening. While I'd love to do 100% raw, I 

1.) Do not have the freezer space
2.) Do not have access to a super cheap source of meat. I get all of my meat at the grocery store.

Jerzey's raw diet consists of mostly chicken quarters and turkey necks and drums as her RMB (raw meaty bones), generally ground beef as her MM (muscle meat) and beef or chicken liver as her OM (organ meat.) If I can get a good price on the chicken quarters (say, .70 a lb) I will spend more money to get her ground lamb or something to add a bit of variety. 

I aim for meats that are $1/lb or less. I don't have a super Wal-mart here (in a college town, no less!) so I can't get that great deal on a bag of chicken quarters.

A few people have literally _just_ start raw diets and have threads about it. I would read rawdogranch and then go through the raw forum and just read, read, read. I took me a while to build up enough knowledge to feel comfortable with switching Jerzey on to raw but the benefits are great, even if you just feed it as one meal a day. Feed your dog what you can afford and a food that _you_ feel comfortable with but I would certainly recommend doing research on raw, it really is great.

Good luck with your decision making, I know us raw advocates aren't making it any easier.


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