Nutro comparable to Iams?

ORIGINAL: sooner

But the rice in the chicken Nutro still contains very little protein, so the protein in the food comes mainly from chicken.

The 5% difference in protein could come from the by-product meal or the corn and sorghum, or both. Who knows?

ORIGINAL: papillon806

Also, if you notice in both the Nutro NC Lamb and Chicken formulas--they are followed by 3 or more different rice fractions, meaning there is more rice in the food than the ingredient listed first (chicken or lamb meal).....

The chicken that is listed first in the Iams includes water so corn is the main ingredient in that food. 

Just a matter of differing opinions

Lamb meal, brewers rice, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, natural lamb flavor, rice hulls, brewers yeast, potassium chloride, salt, DL-methionine, monosodium phosphate, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, L-lysine, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, sodium selenite, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, niacin supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B supplement, vitamin D supplement

Can you tell by reading the ingredients if the protein is mainly from the lamb meal? If so, this is pretty good for a lamb based food isn't it?

 
Yes and Yes and it is a food that often gets a bad rap because rice hulls is listed 7th on the ingredients list and it is on the "bad ingredients" list. It also has a good amount of fat at 15%, compare that to Cal Nat which is 21% and 11% fat, you have to ask yourself what makes up the bulk of the food, obviously Cal Nat would use more rice.  Sorry for the rant, but I see time and time again Cal Nat Lamb and rice get recommended and Sensible Choice, get slammed.

edited for double post

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

This is OT, but Sensible Choice lamb and Rice is 25% protein. Here's the ingredients;

  Lamb meal, brewers rice, brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), beet pulp, natural lamb flavor, rice hulls, brewers yeast, potassium chloride, salt, DL-methionine, monosodium phosphate, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, [size=1]L-[/size]lysine, vitamin E [size=1][/size]supplement, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, sodium selenite, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, niacin supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B supplement, vitamin D supplement

Can you tell by reading the ingredients if the protein is mainly from the lamb meal? If so, this is pretty good for a lamb based food isn't it?
 
 
 

I would guess there is a higher lamb to rice ratio in the Sensible Choice and that accounts for the higher protein, which is a good thing IMO.  Even from just reading the ingredients it looks like there is more meat than the Nutro.

I have three dogs doing wonderfully on Sensible Choice Lamb & Rice and one dog on Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice. Wylie was a stray that I picked up that was supposed to be a foster so I bought what his family was going to have him on. I've seen significant improvements with him on the Nutro. This bag should last him a few weeks and then since he is staying with me permanently he'll either be switched to Sensible Choice (because of the higher protein and no menadione, not to mention the excellent results) or a Natural Balance formula grain-free since he has joint problems. I'll be curious to see if there are further improvements over the Nutro.

But if you go to dogfoodanalysis.com where they look at strictly the ingredients list the say this about both foods.

Sensible Choice:




Pros:
First ingredient is a named meat product.

Cons:
Insufficient meat products. Extensive use of fillers, low quality grains, beet pulp.





Cal Nat





Pros:
First ingredient is a named meat product, high quality ingredients.

Cons:

Minimum acceptable meat content.

Beet pulp has been scientifically proven to improve intestinal health, along with several other partially fermentable fibers. Any website that feels fiber is a BAD thing is not considering the whole health of the dog and should be discounted.

ORIGINAL: abbysdad

But if you go to dogfoodanalysis.com where they look at strictly the ingredients list the say this about both foods.

Sensible Choice:

Pros:
First ingredient is a named meat product.

Cons:
Insufficient meat products. Extensive use of fillers, low quality grains, beet pulp.

 
I'm not seeing an extensive use of fillers at all when looking at the ingredients.  Maybe it has been reformulated?  From what I can tell it looks like an excellent food for the price.

Ditto to MissKiwi

Also, not a fan of dogfoodanalysis.com.....clearly biased towards grain-free foods, and many of the statements on there are inaccurate (like the beet pulp being a bad thing, for example).

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

Beet pulp has been scientifically proven to improve intestinal health, along with several other partially fermentable fibers.

Agreed, I think beet pulp is great and I consider it a big plus that it's in Eagle Pack Holistic.

ORIGINAL: papillon806

Animal protein sources highlighted.  Even though Iams uses some plant-protein sources, it still has more meat sources and has more digestible protein.  20% protein is not healthy for the average dog.

Nutro Natural Choice adult lamb & rice:

Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Rice Gluten**, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt

Crude Protein (minimum) 21.00%

**and it does contain the gluten portion of a grain exclusively

Iams Adult:

Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Flax Meal

Crude Protein not less than 26.0%

I don't like seeing added salt in any dog food or even my food.  Also many dogs have problems with grain protien sources such as corn meal and sorgham. 

And I'm sure you know this papillon, but Chicken  is water loaded and doesn't have as much protien as chicken meal, so technically Iams is using more grain protien than meat protien.  Then there's the whole by product thing.  What kind of chicken by product are they using, the internal organs - great - or the bone and ligaments - not so great?

They both have salt added...

But personally I don't mind by-products, so that isn't an issue driving my opinion.  And yes, I am aware that chicken is primarily water, but between the two of them IAMS does have more total animal protein with the others added.  Nutro might have a meal source as first...but that is it.  Because of that, it is more "grainy" than the other. 

With that said, I don't like either of them; but between the two I would pick IAMS.  I could go into a long explanation about how a rice based food is bad for glucose levels in the body (especially over corn and sorghum) due to nutrient contents/deficiencies, but it is quite complicated and I honestly don't feel like arguing about it, lol.  Plus, no matter what I say scientifically speaking, I'm sure there will be plenty of people to argue with their "own experiences tell them it's wrong"...and I really don't want to get into a debate.

Too me it seems like dog foods are beginning to feed the owners instead of their dogs...

Too me it seems like dog foods are beginning to feed the owners instead of their dogs...

 
I agree, to me many of these formulations are starting to look like some sort of hippie food from the 1960's instead of dog food.

agree, to me many of these formulations are starting to look like some sort of hippie food from the 1960's instead of dog food.

 
 
LOL, now that you mention it!  Remember Euell Gibbons who ate all kinds of odd stuff that was supppose to be so great for you.  I think he used to be the spokesman for post Grape Nuts (which I do love).  He died fairly young, and i am thinking it was either heart attack or cancer.  I need to check that out...i also think he ate perfect, but smoked.  of course back then we didn't know just how bad cigarettes were for you.

FWIW, one of our dogs has a corn allergy, which is very common for dogs, and the Nutro is one of the few easily available, higher quality foods, that does not have corn. Just from what I'm reading here, seems like Iams is a little corn heavy. Maybe they have other varieties that aren't.