Complain about a product or service

Nutro Pet Foods

Pat of Saint Charles IL (05/10/08)
I started using Nutro dry and canned on 3/08 They were doing ok on this until this month 5/08.I have pekenese and I had 1 get very sick with diarreah and vomiting.She started bleeding from her rectum and we took her to the vet.She was put on a special diet and given 3meds.

Then all of a sudden 4 more start getting sick also,The only thing I connect this to is the Nutro,I noticed that it was off the shelves and thought this to be strange,as were other produts limited or not there at all.I told the cashier to get someone to stock the shelves.I am taking this back to the store and will contact everyone involved to get to the bottom of this.

Rick of New Bern NC (05/09/08)
I was a loyal Nutro customer for 4 years. It started when we got a our yellow lab as a puppy and were taking for obedience classes at PetSmart. Our trainer recommended Nutro for us because we needed a food that would meet the needs of the younger growing lab (he was 9 months old) and our 4 year old Shih Tzu. Nutro was great! The boys loved the food and they seemed to really benefit from it.

Then came the recall of 2007. Nutro dry dog food, Natural Choice Lamb and Rice Formula, is all that we fed our dogs, and it wasnt on the recall so we didnt worry. Later that summer, around June and July, both dogs started vomiting. Every dog vomits every now and then so I dismissed it at first. Then the vomiting became a daily occurence and was accompanied by diarrea. Suddenly both of my dogs were sick.

I kept telling myself that it wasnt the food because it wasnt on the recall list and that it was such an expensive brand. We had just bought a new 40lb bag of the food and I didnt want to just throw it away. After a week and a half I began to panic because they started losing weight. Both dogs went to the emergency vet because they were lethargic, not eating and drinking water like crazy. Lab tests showed elevated levels of something having to do with the liver and a high white blood cell count .

I went home still unsure of what it was. I decided to just stop the Nutro to see if that worked. I fed them both beef and rice (home made) by hand and after a couple days they started acting better. I then went out and bought another brand, one of the few brands accessible to me that wasnt on the recall list. They have been on that ever since, their coats are better, they have boundless energy, and the lab has really benefited from the protein, he is extremely strong and fit.

I will never trust Nutro again! Like many others, I wrote and called Nutro and recieved no help what so ever, they wouldnt even address the issue. I do believe it has something to do with Mars buying them out. They have changed the formula, just read the ingredients on the bags from now and from 3 or 4 years ago, they are different. Mostly the same but a couple things on there are different.

As for those of you who say it is a great Premium? food, Nutro calls itself a premium food. I dont consider any dog food company a premium food when they manufacture their food in the same place as Ole Roy dog food, which was the case with Nutro during the Menu Foods Recall. I drove 45 minutes south to go to PetSmart to get that food, when I could have gotten food made by the same people in the same way right up the road at the local pet store or Wal-Mart. Nutro in my opinion has now become nothing more than an extremely overpriced below average grocery brand, its definitely not a premium brand, much less a super premium? brand.

I mean come on, $40 dollars for a dog food that is made right next to $8 Ole Roy?????? Thats a slap in the face! As for the dry dog food, sure, it's made in the USA, but I bet some of the ingredients (if not all) come from somewhere else!

High Vet bills and extreme stress

Landria of Atlanta GA (05/08/08)
I had my dogs on Blue canned dog food and switched to Nutro canned Ultra. The dog I put it on had diarrhea, vomiting, and went into Emergency for all because he started to bleed from going to the bathroom so much. The vet said that switching shouldn't cause this extreme reaction. As soon as I switched him again, he was fine.

I had to go to Emergency twice for Skeez. First for the shots and hydration, then again because he continued to have diahrrea and I had to get more medications. It cost about $300 orso.

Allison of Chattanooga TN (05/07/08)
My 7 year old dog has been eating Nutro food for about 6 years and has always thrived on it. Recently, he has been having several bouts of explosive bloody diarrhea, lethargy, and vomiting. We have battled these episodes for about three months. I work at an emergency animal hospital and have run multiple tests and have come up with no answers. He has been treated with numerous medications, supplements, etc.

Regardless of Nutros responses or lack there of I feel that their food is the culprit. All of my dogs problems began when the packaging changed on the bag of food. I thought to myself at that time I hope they haven't changed the recipe but after reading the other similar experiences people have had I am very suspicious.My dogs will not eat this food again. My 1.5 year old dog has never had any problems either and has also had several bouts of bloody diarrhea to a lesser degree.

What disturbs me most is I only found out about this by a coworker surfing the web. Otherwise I could still be feeding this food and searching for a cause of these problems. This needs to make bigger headlines to alert people having problems that are feeding this food.

I work at an animal clinic and have still spent several hundreds of dollars trying to find a cause for my pets problems. I have been too trusting in this company because Ive been feeding it for years with great results.

Katie of Helena MT (05/06/08)
I have been feeding my dog Nutro Natural Choice Chicken and Rice product for Sensitive Stomachs. I noticed recently my dog was occasionally vomiting and had very soft bowel movements. Both my dogs stools have been yellow in color. One dog is much more sensitive and he has been throwing up and has very loose stools. Today I did not feed them the Nutro dog food, and fed them cooked rice and eggs. I think it is the Nutro dog food that had been making him sick. I am going to feed them home cooked meals and will watch him over the next few days.

So far there have not been any financial consequences. I still have the bag of Nutro dry dog food.

Pete of Houston TX (05/06/08)
Less than a week ago my healthy dog passed away from what emergency vet called 'sudden death'. At this moment, confirmation of what caused death is not clear but vet may suspect dry food was bad and I am going to have tested. Hoping that I did not kill my dog by giving him what I thought was good food, I stopped in to Petsmart today to calm my nerves and be assured that the food in question is fine.

What I found was the shelves that contained Nutro Natural Choice were almost bare.(That never has happened) At the aisle with Nutro area they had a Nutro rep stationed here. When I questioned him about why no food was here, he stated that no 'recall' is in effect and Nutro just happened to shut down a few plants who were producing what he termed as ,not as tasty food' and the 'quality' was not up to par.Seeing that a dog can't talk, I asked him how they would know it was not 'tasty' and it seemed far more plausible that a company whos main product is dog food would not shut down a plant and have no product unless some very extreme situations were coming to light. He stated that the food plant being shut and my dog dying were coincidence. Further more, the 800 number he gave me is not being answered now.

I have a meeting with Petsmart tomorrow to discuss. I do not blame them right now for the death of my dog, but I stated to the manager I had a BIG issue with them allowing a Nutro rep to tell prospective clients some very vague, questionable, and misleading information, on the status of Nutro food. As noted, the 1-800 number just kept ringing.

Additionally, I checked their wb site and found NO information regarding any plants being shut down. To me, that would be very signifcant information to relay to all consumers especially if supposed steps were being taken in the best interest of the dog because the food was not as 'tasty'.Also, letting consumers know info on lack of product and when to expect more would seem to be the obivous steps for anybody not hiding something.

I am not sure what you can do but I am simply hoping you can point me in the right direction. This is not about money and simply about wanting to save even one person the heartbreak and guilt I am going through and holding those parties accountable. I will not let this be swept under the rug and hopefully will get confirmation I am looking for with testing of Pet food I still have. I appreciate any help you may be able to lend.

Kristi of Minneapolis MN (05/06/08)
I wanted to add to the Nutro Lamb & Rice dog food discussion. The symptoms that these dogs are having: vomiting, loss of bowel control, blood in stool, abdominal pain and liver damage are all what my previously completely healthy young dog went through last January 2007 with Nature's Recipe Lamb & Rice, made by Del Monte, which was never part of the recall. She also had blood in her urine.

It started with new bag of dog food - then an emergency trip to the vet with a diagnosis of poisoning. Fed her rice and chicken and she recovered. Began adding her kibble back and she relapsed. Back the emergency room with the same symptoms. I threw out the dog food. I did careful research and now feed a different brand that I trust. After a month-long recovery she has never had another sick day. Liver's can heal, kidney's don't. When I asked whether it could be the dog food the vet said that the recall involved kidney failure, not liver problems. So I am hoping to find out what the cause was when this food is tested.

I had $1,200 in vet bills and my dog almost died.

Helen of Louisville KY (05/05/08)
Hello, I am a Pet Nutrition Specialist with Nutro who goes to pet supply or pet retail stores and does client education on our food and promote conversions to our Nutro Pet Products for dogs or cats. I have been feeding Nutro products to my own pets for years and haven't had a problem or issue until the pet food recall of 2007 and where one of my cats ate the Natural Choice Complete Care wet food packets and was vomiting alot. Once we figured out that it was the food, we just fed him the dry and he has been okay since.

The pet food recall really threw me for a loop because I believe in the products I sell and I stand behind them. Everything settled down and I continued to work for Nutro, Inc. My dogs have done very well on the Natural Choice Lamb and Rice. However recently, several customers have approached me about problems they have encountered with their dogs. Most were vomiting and diarrhea and some were other issues I have reported it up the chain.

Two weeks ago, a customer approached me and told me similar story about the dogs not doing well on the Nutro Ultra and she had switched them to another good premium brand and the dog were doing well. She said Have you seen the consumer affairs website? I said No, I sure haven't. I told her to call our 1 800 number and report her concerns. She said she heard nothing and its' been a month by email. I apologized and said I'm so sorry that this occurred, please keep trying to contact Nutro and save a sample of the food. She had already returned the whole bag.

I've have been hearing complaints. I am concerned as this is serious. I've never heard these complaints before about Nutro until January of 08. I'm not counting the complaints during the recall because that was resolved I hope. My advice to our customers is to keep a log of what is going on if your dogs are affected and save the bag if any problems occur. Write down who you talk to and when and what the results were of that conversation.

1. If you change foods either converting from another brand to our food or converting from our food to another brand due to issues you are having with your pets, take it slow. Mix the food as directed. Most of our bags give directions on converting the food. Every dog is different and your pet has a sensitive stomach, take it even slower. Some breeds may need up to two weeks to convert to a different food. If diarrhea develops, back it up to the previous mix amount and stay there for a few more days. I can't stress this enough. One can also try some probiotics sprinkled on the food (1/2 to 1 tsp) or try some canned pumpkin (1 tsp to tbsp) with each meal. Pumpkin contains fiber and may help bulk up the stool. It also helps with constipation. Sometimes customers have issues with transition and this may help.

While in transition, avoid treats, biscuits until the dog is switched over successfully. Some treats can interfere with the intestinal flora and you won't know if its the treats or the food causing the symptoms.

2. If you are still having issues, please call our customer service line or email us. If you don't get the response you want or need, please be persistent.

3. If any of your pets develop diarrhea or vomiting, and weight loss after a successful transition or with a new bag of the same food, please call it in and save the bag! Call your veterinarian if symptoms do not resolve quickly because your pets can become seriously ill or die with extended diarrhea or vomiting especially puppies or senior animals. If in doubt, call your veterinarian please. Use your gut instinct. It is hardly ever wrong.

4. Also remember that every dog or cat is different. One dog may tolerate a certain food well while another may not. Do your research on pet foods but whatever you do, don't go back to using a non premium food or grocery brand. Many ingredients are not as digestible as what is contained in premium foods or super premium foods and you may wind up having the issues you were having with your pet i.e. allergies, excessive stool output etc that you had prior to converting to our food. Read the ingredients, ask questions.

5. I know that some of this advice comes too late and I am so sorry that any pets are sickened or die who eat our food. Noone likes to lose a family member. Many have incurred large veterinarian bills by the sound of it and this is unfortunate. You have to do what you have to do whether it be report it to this website, or switch to another food. I dont' blame you but I hope that you at least contact someone at Nutro and report your story.

As a pet nutrition specialist, my job is to promote our product and stand behind our quality testing and methods. At the same time, I am truly sorry for any problems any of you have encountered and I hope that you receive some validation and satisfaction from our company. I wish everyone a happy, healthy pet whether you feed our food or not.

Emily of Waukee IA (05/05/08)
In January 2008, my husband and I adopted a beautiful, healthy, and extremely active puppy from the Animal Rescue League. We began feeding him Nutro Natural Choice dog food per our vet's recommendation. After a week, we noticed that our puppy had sever diarrhea so we took him back to the vet. Our vet thought that the diarrhea was due to the puppy's sudden change in diet and felt the diarrhea would clear up in a couple of weeks.

After two weeks, the diarrhea was worse than ever and our once active little pup was now very lethargic. We took him back to the vet who tested him for worms. None were present in his stool sample but felt that he should be treated for them anyways. Of course, the medicine did not work and our puppy only got worse.

Finally my husband and I began researching possible causes of our puppy's illness on the Internet and discovered the complaints against Nutro. We immediately brought this to our vets attention. The vet told us to stop feeding our puppy the food immediately. After a few weeks of getting the tainted food out of his system, we are happy to say that our little pup is once again healthy and very active.

Barry of Midlothian VA (05/05/08)
I have fed our 13 yr old mixed breed dog Nutro Lamb and Rice for several years. About a year ago we swithched to their Chicken and Rice product for Sensitive Stomachs because our dog was occasionally vomiting and had very soft bowel movements. The condition persisted even after switching to the Sensitive Stomach formula but we continued with it anyway.

In the past two weeks she had became lethargic, lost her appetite, losing body weight, and her condition in general seemed to be declining. She also has had several bouts of muscle/joint pain in her right front leg and has been limping severely.

This week I happened upon your web site and the info about problems with Nutro dog food. Many of the pet owner's experiences were similar to mine so I switched to another brand of food. My dog showed marked improvement within 24 hours. Today, she eats vigorously, her bowel movements are firmer, and she has perked up noticalbly. She couldn't go for a walk yesterday but walked with me tonight from 2 miles without any problem or limping. I am going to take the Nutro food I purchased last week back to Petsmart for a refund and will never use Nutro products again. I am convinced there is something wrong with the food I purchased.

Christy of Waterford MI (05/04/08)
May 2008 Our dog Maya ( a 3 year old bichon mix) became very sick from a new bag of Nutro DRY dog food Lamb and Rice. She was throwing up, eating grass, diarehea, bad gas, and not eating. Her stool and throw up started getting some blood in it. We took her to the vet and she had blood tests in which her protien levels were very low.

The vet immediately put her on an IV and had us handfeed her boiled chicken and cottage cheese over the next couple of days. She started to feel better and a week later we tryed to reintroduce her to the Nutro dog food - and she started to get sick again. We stopped feeding her the dog food and she got better. We are now feeding her baby food and chicken and cottage cheese with a multivitiman. We do not trust the dog food companys anymore. We thought we were buying her premium food only to find out we were lied to and our dogs health put in jeapordy.

Theresa of Indianapolis IN (05/02/08)
We had two Italian Greyhounds. Max we brought home in February 2004 as a puppy. Sophia we adopted in February of this year from the Italian Greyhound rescue society. Both were health and had never been sick. On Sunday April 27th Sophia vomited up a huge amount of food. It looked like everything she had eaten for the past two or three days all came up at once. She continued to vomit up liquid and bile into the early hours of Monday April 28th and became dizzy and almost appeared drunk. I got my 7 year old daughter on the school bus and then rushed Sophia to an emergency animal hospital (her regular vet was not open yet).

By the time I got her there she was comatose and in kidney failure and had to be euthanized. I then had to rush home and get Max to the vet. He had began Vomiting at 2:30 am but, was not as ill as Sophia had been. When I got him to the vet she found elevated creatin and bun levels. She admistered an IV and retested latter in the evening on the 28th. The levels were still rising but, she said he may pull through. By the morning of the 29th he had blood in the whites of his eyes was vomiting aganin and showing signs of distress. We again had his blood checked and the levels were through the roof.

She told us there is no hope he is in acute renal failure. We decide to euthanize to limit his suffering. We racked our brains thinking what could have happened. The vet said they were poisoned so we immediately thought maybe a neighbor. Then I began researching symptoms and discovered their symptoms resembled antifreeze poisoning but not entirely. There was no drooling, no convulsions or seizures.

I then thought of their food that we had just started feeding then about three or four days before Nutro Max Natural Choice small bites lamb & rice. I started searching the internet and found the symptoms associated with last years poisonings and everthing fit. Sophia had in the past few days before becoming ill seemed very scared almost like sometimes she didn't reconize people. Both dogs were excessively thirst emptying their water bowl repeatedly through out the day and drinking from the toilet.

Both had several accidents which was not normail. Both dogs are now at the Purdue University animal science center in Indiana undergoing autopsys to find out the exact cause of death. We contacted the FDA and they said only testing could determine if it was in fact food related so we are now waiting to hear.

Both are beloved pets are dead. we spent almost 1000.00 that did no good. We would have spent what ever it took to keep them alive if we could have.

Lin of Fresno CA (04/30/08)
Everyone, please do your research regarding the Nutro products and make your own educated decisions. I have recently learned that: 1. Nutro has changed theri formula 2. They could be using different suppliers. 3. They were purchased by Mars, Inc. 4. Mars Inc. also purchased Menu Foods. If you dogs are getting sick, have it vet checked and have tests run. Have the food tested by an independant lab, and send samples to Nutro for comparison testing, as I have done.

Find an alternative food to use until the situation is corrected for you pets. Most of all, stay in touch with the rep you contact. Remember, the sticky wheel gets the most attention! Keep in mind, too, that most companies will not volunteer information unless you ask the right question. I have to keep probing to get the answers I seek. I stress.... DO YOUR RESEARCH! Don't just post complaints. Have your facts in hand when you place your calls.

Erin of Portsmouth VA (04/30/08)
My 10 year old Old english Sheepdog started getting sick. He was vomiting diareha and stopped eating and drinking water. We took him to the vet they said his liver enzymes were up and that it was only a matter of time before he died. We figured out that he got sick with the purchase of a new bag of dog food. we got him new food and he seems to be more lively and upbeat already. we are treating his liver and will retest soon. we have notified the vet about the food and we are waiting to work with them. Please get the word out to protect the animals. Thanks

We have already spent 300.00 on vet bills and will have to do all of the testing again to see if we are improving we also are trying to get meds to get his liver enzymes down.

Danielle of Las Vegas, NV (04/29/08)
One night Zahra my pit mix of 4 months old came inside and drank about 2 gallons of water. She just wouldn't stop, I thought it was odd. I was feeding her Nutro Ultra large breed puppy for a couple of weeks. The next day I was going to work and she had really bad diarrhea in the back seat and she had never done something like that before. I took her outside and she was straining and nothing but a horrible bloody diarrhea occurred. She couldn't control it at all, she also did it on the way to my job which happens to be a vet hospital. Her rectum was bleeding everywhere, she had about 6 times of bloody diarrhea in about 5 hours and vomited twice.

I spoke to my vet, who didn't believe it was a foreign body and we did a parvo test that came up negative (plus she was fully vaccinated as well). We did blood work and it all came back perfectly fine. I took home some meds and the next day she still had diarrhea but it wasn't bloody anymore.

I had put her on and intestinal diet food from science diet called I/D. I threw away the Nutro and have not had a problem since.

Jennifer of Brooklyn, NY (04/28/08)
Recently switched to Nutro and only one of my two dogs got very sick. My Irish Terrier who had a piece of his intestine removed years ago vometed, diariha and horrible shakes. His bowel movements had what looked like shredded up bloody pieces of his intestine. Once that happened I rushed him to the E.R., but they found nothing and I simply switched him off.

To the best of my assumption he ate it for a while before it built up in his system and created problems. Unless is was literarily one piece of kibble.

His sensative stomach continues but seems to have recovered over all.

Cynthia of Anaheim CA (04/27/08)
I have feed both my cats MAX CAT GOURMET CLASSICS Weight Control Roasted Chicken Flavor, for over 3 years. Two months ago I went into Petsmart to purchase my monthly supply and I could not locate the pink package. I then noticed that the packaging and product name had been changed. A very small lamenated card with pictures of the old product and the new product to select was in front of the new cat food packages. I purchased the suggested MAX CAT Weight Control Roasted Chicken Flavor and soon after our cats started vomiting up this cat food. They are not able to keep it down.

I went back to Petsmart and asked them if Nutro had changed the formula and they said they were not aware. Petsmart as always did suggest that I return the unused Nutro food and purchase a different one. I emailed Nutro to complain months ago, but as of yet I have not received a reply. I find Nutro's lack of response to loyal customer questions and complaints unresponsible on their part.

Soon after our cats started eating Max Cat Weight Control Roasted Chicken Flavor Dry Cat food they started vomiting. Our older cat has developed a sore on his mid back about the size of a quarter. Both cats are not able to keep it down.

Mario of Pasadena CA (04/25/08)
We've been using the Nutro dry dog food brand for the last 7 years. I've tried most of the different flavors, but more than any other, we used Natural Choice Lamb Meal & Rice. This food has been great for our dog up until a couple months ago. His coat was great, energy was great, and his stool looked as normal as can be.

It seems this last bag of Lamb Meal & Rice is adversely affecting my dog. He's had chronic diarrhea with numerous accidents inside the house. He hadn't had an accident in the house since he was a pup. His stool has been soft, messy, very bad smelling, and contained mucus in it. I sent a sample of his stool to the lab and the results were negative.

I've emailed Nutro inquiring about any possible changes in formula that may not be agreeing with my dog. I never received a response. After reading similar experiences here, I'm going to throw away the remainder of the bag and try a different brand. It's too bad if the food is indeed the cause of my dog's problems. I really stood behind this brand for many years, was proud to use it, and recommended it to many.

Lin of Fresno CA (04/25/08)
I AM HORRIFIED. I called and spoke to Ray at Nutro. I was going to ask about my food samples that I sent in and remembered some of the postings I had seen so I specifically asked him have any consumers called in with questions or concerns that the food may have a problem and that their dogs are getting sick? He told me NO. He said there have been no problems with any of the food and no one has called in.

Well, that is untrue because my food is currently there being tested and I have called in. This shows me, once again, that Nutro is NOT taking any responsibility or being accountable. Consumers, please, if your dogs are getting sick or acting differently, please watch them closely. I'm not telling you to take them off the food....all I am saying is to be aware of them and their habits. The Nutro food could be a problem for your pet. Until this gets figured out, I won't be recommending this food. And my dogs will not eat it again for a number of reasons.... one being that RAY did not tell me the truth!

Lisa of Penfield NY (04/25/08)
I have no complaints about Nutro. I've been feeding my Westie puppy, Jack, Nutro since he came to us, and he's always thrived. He is the runt of his litter, so he's a little small, but he's full of spunk and energy. If I were to make a complaint, it might be that he has too much energy--but I'm sure that's not the food's fault. I buy a 30 lb. + bag of the stuff, and he has been eating his way through it for over a month and has been fine.

Linda of Westhampton NY (04/25/08)
I want to report the positive effects the Nutro Natural Choice Venison Meal & Brown Rice dry dog food has had on my 11 year old Jack Russell. She had very itchy feet for the last several years and a large bumpy nodule head developed between one of her toes. The vets said that this was due to allergies, maybe grass allergies, etc. She would also throw up bile several times a week for no known reason.

I decided to change her food from Purina One lamb formula to Nutro's Natural Choice venison and brown rice dry food. It has been 6 weeks now and her coat is shiny and smooth and she her feet are not bothering her anymore. In fact, the large nodule between her toes has all but disappeared! I'm sticking with this product as long as I continue to see these great results!

Dan of Pahrump NV (04/25/08)
I had been feeding all of my dogs Nutro high energy with no problems. As soon as I purchased a new bag of Nutro, all them got sick, except the puppy that was being fed something else. I took my dogs to the vet and all tests came back negative. It could have only been Nutro. They can defend themselves all they want. They just lost a customer for good.

both dogs got the runs immediately.

Kerri of Middletown NY (04/24/08)
I have 5 rescue dogs, 2 of which strictly ate Nutro dog food. They both developed severe diarrhea which became nothing but large pools of blood & blood clots, as well as bloody vomiting. They were both hospitalized and placed on IV fluids and multiple medications. When I got them back home & started feeding them Nutro again, the problems recurred and back to the vet we went. They had not had any illness like this & had no health problems to explain it.

After having them off the Nutro food for just a few days, they both completely recovered. My other 3 dogs that eat another brand of food were perfectly fine & never developed any GI problems. I am certain it was the food. I returned it all to the store & will NEVER feed Nutro again!

Not only did I spend close to $1000 in vet bills, but I nearly lost 2 of my precious babies because of this tainted food. Nutro needs to step up & take responsibility!

Mark of Jackson NJ (04/24/08)
My 1 1/2 year old English Bull dog has always been on Nutro products. It was not until recently that we started having problems. very watery stool, blood and at times a lot of blood in his stool,vomiting and loss of appetite. The vet suggested switching his food and gave he meds. Last week not believing it could be the Nutro Max that was making him sick I started introducing it back into his diet. Within days blood started reappearing in his stool. I stop feeding Nutro Max to him and the blood cleared.

I am now convinced that this food was making my dog sick. Nutro of course says they have not heard of any problems with Nutro Max and requested I supply them with four cups of the food to test and also sent the vet bill (so far $320) which I am in the process of doing. They also told me it will take a month and a half to two months to test the food and that that point I will hear back from them.

Erin of Bronx NY (04/24/08)
A week ago my cat, Franny, was experiencing very intense diarrhea (there was also some blood present). I took a stool sample & dropped it off w/the vet the morning after I made the discovery. That Saturday, I brought her in & the vet said that the techs were able to run tests on the sample & they came up negative for any parasites. She then asked if I had changed Franny's food recently...& i had!

i had been hearing from numerous people about how wonderful 'NUTRO' is, so I switched Franny from her usual kibble to 'NUTRO.' The vet believes it was the change to 'NUTRO' that caused Franny's diarrhea. She prescribed some Flagyl & some (doctor prescribed) 'Science Diet' i/d cat food & w/in a few days...no more diarrhea the vet also suggested that I try giving her a little of the 'NUTRO' after her stool had hardened up, to see if it really was the cause... ...lo & behold, I gave her some in the morning & that evening...diarrhea, once again.

Andrea of Waterloo IA (04/24/08)
My dogs both became sick after a recent new bag that was purchased of this food: Nutro - Sensitive stomach. They lost weight, were vomitting, loose stools, and general lethargic. They also drank lots of water and acted like they could not get enough to drink. I switched foods and they were fine. I decided once they had completed the antibiotics from our vet to slowly add the food back. Once they began eating it, they were sick again!!! I am convinced that our food is tainted with something that is causing them to feel sick.

I have used Nutro for years, but am now no longer going to use their product. Our dogs are our babies and given they cannot tell us that their food is making them feel ill, chancing the quality of the food in the future is not worth it to me. I am now out $40 for the food and $125 for all the vet work. I am very disappointed in their lack of quality control, especially given the past issues with pet food industry. I thought most companies would be especially focused on preventing tainted food issues from ever happening again.

The dogs might not be dying like previous cases, but they are certainly not well and for especially small dogs, a 3lb weight change could be a life or death situtation! Luckily they are now eating a new food and are back to normal. I am sure with time Lola and Bean will be able to gain their weight back and become normal again.

40lb dog bag thrown out, $40. Vet work, bills, tests (totaling $125), floor cleaning, stress to our dogs for a month.

Lisa of Flint MI (04/24/08)
My 10 year old cocker spaniel was always fed Iams, she started gaining weight and we put her on Nutro senior lite. Within a couple months she became sick and we took her in only to find she had elevated liver enzymes, and we lost her within 6 weeks. She actually dies of lymphoma, there may or maynot be a connection with the cancer and Nutro, as I have heard of this happening before. It was very unfortunate and we miss her deeply. After she was diagnosed, we stopped all the nutro food, and fed her regulare table food for her ramianing time. She did have rapid increased bursts of energy and appeared to be healthier almost immediately, however the cancer ended up taking her in the end. Is there a connection? I do not know 100%.

We now have a 2 year old black lab, and we only feed her Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. We researched dog food quite extensively prior to getting her. When the problems and deaths happened not too long ago we researched the company again and found that none of the ingredients that were the culprits int he deaths werer evident in what we use now. She is energetic, happy and full of life. I would strongly recommend this brand, do the research for yourself, you will be amazed.

Michele of Mayo FL (04/24/08)
We raise German Shepherd and have been feeding all of our adults Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Lamb and Rice food for the last 4 years. All our puppies had been raised on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed puppy Lamb and rice. We have recommended it to all our customers since that point and even supplied them with the Nutro puppy kit to start them off. For the last several months we have noticed the adults had been losing weight.(to a point that when my sons friends would visit they asked me why all my dogs looked so thin) We increased their food and no weight gain. To be spending hundreds of dollars a month on premium dog food and have your beloved companions looking like they are starving isn't right! They would have times of vomiting and trouble holding their urine as well as loose stools and diarrhea. We assumed it must have been worms and we were continually worming them. No improvements.

Then in late January early February we were not able to locate any of their food. My son also noticed that a lot of other manufactures seemed to be out of or didn't carry lamb and rice feed. For anyone who has had to switch their dogs food without weening to the next one knows, this is not good for your dogs stomach and a nightmare to someone with 8 adults eating this product. We decided to go back to the Lamb and Rice food they were on prior to Nutro (members mark from sams club) and feed our expecting moms and pups Iams Proactive health large breed puppy. Every one has been doing much better and gaining weight. No more loose stools or vomiting or urinating before their normal outing times. I am concerned though because I just went to purchase the Members mark food and they did not have the lamb and rice blend. Here we go again?

I had vouchers for 6 40lbs bag of Nutro and just picked up the Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult (not lamb and rice) thinking I could continue mixing it and not waste the $180 worth of food we earned in free bags (thinking only the lamb and rice products were affected). Now that I have read this page, I will be returning it all (a 3 hour trip from where I live, with these fuel prices!) and see if I can get the Iams products instead. I am very disappointed in Nutro. When I contacted them about the product not being in stock, they stated it was due to their bag manufacture. I don't believe a company that makes a product would allow distribution to stop over the bags. It would never get to that point. They would lose too much money. I do not buy that excuse and now the out of stock situation has been extended to June? I believe they are aware of the problem and are not disclosing it to protect them from further recalls and bad press. I do not believe they have the health of the animals eating their food as a priority or a concern.

It just makes you wonder what is safe to feed your animals. To all those who have commented to defend Nutro, I am very happy your animals have not been affected. You are very lucky, but please do not criticize the consumers who clearly have been. We have been raising our beloved GSD's for many years and are very experienced animal handlers and we have been affected by the food. We understand how to change foods and know that on occasions that dogs will vomit and have cases of diahhrea and even trouble holding their urine. We took all of that in account and we are sure the food was causing the problems. Since we have made the changes the dogs are gaining weight, stools look good and no messy crates in the morning. Please keep an eye on your pets to notice any of these problems before serious problems occur.

Bob of Halifax MA (04/24/08)
After reading all the complaints about NUTRO food I decided my bad experiance was not an isolated case. The early part of Febuary 2008 my 2 dogs got a bad case of diarrhea. I took the both to the vet and tested for all sorts of problems, with no answer to what was causing the problem. We started treating for worms just in case, but attributed it to a bad bag of NUTRO High Energy food. I stopped using that bag and started a new bag which solved the diarrhea. Since then I have notice my 2 dogs have been sheeding alot, have dry skin, 1 of them coughs alot. 1 dog now refuses to eat NUTRO food. I am no longer going to use NUTRO products.

The only consequence is $400 vet bill I had to find out I had a bad bag of food, and the unknown health consequences.

Jennifer of Alfred ME (04/24/08)
My 8 year old boxer suffered from reoccuring Urinary Tract Infections every 6 weeks and had horrible gas on a regular basis. We had been feeding Nutro, Large Breed Adult with Lamb & Rice dry food. He had horrible UTI's every 6 weeks, until I finally stopped feeding Nutro and the UTI's have stopped as of last fall (2007).

I totally believe this was as a result of the food, and I had always fed Nutro as our rescue had always encouraged us to utilize Nutro as it was a high end dog food. I will never utilize Nutro again.

Kelly of Grnd Junction CO (04/22/08)
I'm just curious why in the previous page you ask for both positive or negative feedback on a product and yet this page asks for COMPLAINTS against the PERPETRATOR. Seems a little confusing. I feed Nutro dog and cat food, have for over 20 yrs and have never had a problem.

Amanda of Jacksonville NC (04/22/08)
I feed my dog Nutro Max Natural Dog food and less than 24 hours later she was throwing up and was so sick. This has happened to alot of people in my area and all over the US....PLEASE someone do something!

It made my purebred great dane puppy SO SICK!!!!!!!

Valery of Chaleston SC (04/21/08)
I have purchased a large bag of Nutro Max for overweight dogs for the first time in order to slim down some of my dogs. 2 out of 6 dogs put on Nutro mix (I mixed 1 part of old food with 1 part of Nutro in order to avoid reactions associated with sudden food switch) exhibited mild but consistent vomiting until were switched back to the old food. 4 are still doing fine on Nutro. (None of the 6 dogs had any allergies or food reactions before)

Carrie of Newark CA (04/21/08)
I have been a devoted Nutro user for over 20 years. I noticed several months ago that the food looked to be a different color than it normally is. I thought nothing of it and fed it to my Magi. She is a high energy English Pointer and is in top form. I noticed she had soft poop, she was not eating all of her food, she was loosing weight drastically and she was thirsty all of the time.

My dog eventually had diarhea for the next few weeks. English Pointers are already a lean animal, for her to loose even just 3 pounds looks as if she has been starved. I switched her food and with in 3 weeks her stool was again normal and she was back to her regular form. I have no doubt in my mind that this is due to her Nutro diet. I am anal about what my dogs eat, they do not get any human food or treats unless thuroughly checked out for ingredients first, as I have a dog with severe food allergies. Magi is the only one of my 5 dogs to get sick because she is the only dogs on Nutro dog food. If it were something else the dog was exposed to all the other dogs would have gotten sick as well. Nutro is full of BS if they say no one has alerted them to the issue. I myself called only to be told they have no idea what I am talking about. I noticed the change about the same time Nutro was bought out and the bags changed color. Never buy Nutro again, until they address the issue and come clean to the public. They had a good product before, but now as far as I am concerned they are untrustworthy.

Kim of Rancho Cucamonga CA (04/21/08)
I recently switched to Nutro Natural Choice (chicken meal, rice and oatmeal for puppies) dog food since we were approached by a Nutro Representative at Petsmart about it. They said that our puppy would have a great coat and it was a better dog food than the Purina Chow we were going to buy. When we bought the new dog food, we mixed it gradually with his old dog food so his stomach would not be upset.

After two days, he started to vomit. He would vomit in the morning and evening. I knew it was the food since we have not fed him anything different or taken him anywhere different where he could have eaten something by accident. I wanted to see if there were any similar cases so I searched the internet and found this website. THANK GOODNESS! Looks like there are more complaints about the same things my pup went through. I went and exchanged the food as soon as I read the other comments.

I told Petsmart that there are many complaints this month online about this product and they said I was the first complaint. I also spoke to the Nutro representative on site and he said that they were making changes to the dog food since they did not want to use their supplier in China due to the recalls and rice quality. I wish I would have known sooner. It does make me wonder why you need a representative to promote your product in the first place. They must be having problems and need to push their product on people as they did with us. Im so relieved I found this website. There were no physical problems since I caught the problem early and as soon as I switched back to the Purina Chow the vomiting stopped. I wanted this to be posted so people are aware.

No physical damage but people need to be aware so they do not encounter problems.

Mary of Hackettstown NJ (04/21/08)
I have two Great Danes that 5 and 4 years old that I have been feeding Nutro since I brought them home. They had been doing fine up until recently, the past six months where they are vomitting and have UTI's and now incontinent. After reading the latest complaints, I am immediately changing their food.

I've spent hundreds of dollars in vet bills and they are not yet better.

Andrea of Hampton VA (04/14/08)
I have used Nutro Natural Choice Dog food for my dog for 6 months; the duration I have had him. I chose this food because that is what my breeder used and is was what he had been eating his whole life. My dog is a 1 year old Cardigan Welsh Corgi and has rich blood lines that are documented and was very good health.

In January of 08 he started to lose interest in his food (I was using the Lamb and Rice formula at this time). So to try and make the food more appealing I wet is and warmed it up. This worked for a while. He started throwing up bile maybe 2 to 3 times a week. He also started to have terrible gas as after talking to the Nutro Rep at the store I switch over to the Nutro Natural Choice Chicken meal, oatmeal and rice formula for sensitive stomachs. The gas did improve but the throwing up continued.

On February 20th I took him in for a vet check up and update his shots. I mentioned the vomiting to the vet but she didnt think much of it and he looked healthy other wise. He did test positive for round worm and he was treated for that. The vomiting continued and got more frequent but only a yellow slimy substance that smelled horrible and only in the morning.

I called a week later to get him back into the vet to be seriously checked over because of the vomiting but the soonest opening was March 25th. The vomiting continued; he would be okay for 2 to 3 days then he would vomit again each morning in his kennel for about 4 days straight. When he was seen on the 25th his stool was checked and there was no sign of worms. He had blood work done that showed a high white cell count. He had the start of an eye and ear infection which was treated with antibiotics.

That Friday (the 28th) he vomited all day, would drink a lot of water and go out and vomit it. Then he stopped drinking and was still vomiting. That night the diarrhea started. I took him into a clinic open on Saturday and they did a work up on him showing blood in his urine but all other kidney function levels were fine, high white cell count, high belie-Rubin count but all other liver function levels were fine and had low potassium and of course of dehydrated. They gave him an IV and put fluid under his skin to help keep him hydrated after he came home. He was given a anti-nausea shot and a sot of antibiotics. We were sent home with the pill for both. He has slowly improved. His energy is back he has vomited a little food once but no bile. His coat looks good and his eyes are clearer. I finally started feeding him again Sunday night rice and some chicken. He eat it well and kept it down.

After a few days of that I slowly add small amounts of Bil-Jac dog food. Then after he did well with that I started removing the rice and chicken. He has been on the Bil-Jac dog food for 2 weeks now and has not thrown up once, looks great and is acting like a happy dog again. I took him back to the vet the following Friday (April 4th) and his white count was back were it was supposed to be but his belie-Rubin was still a bit high. The vet has no idea what could have been the problem. She said she sent us with the anti-biotic in hopes that would take care of it but she was unsure of that. The Friday that he started vomiting so bad I contacted his breeder and she emailed me a forum where people had reported some of the same symptoms that my dog had and they were all on the same brand of food.

That is when I took away the Nutro food and will never feed my dog that food again. My vet bills are about $1,000 now. I contacted Nutro and sent out some of the food for their testing hoping that it wont be biased. I have more of the food and would like someone else to test it but I dont have any ore money to spend on this situation. With so many complaints I would think Nutro would be seriously looked into. Thank you for your time.

Very sick dog whose heath is now improving but time will tell if he has any permanent damage. About $1000 in vets bills because of his illness. He was to be a show dog and I hope his heath comletely returns so this won't effect his career. The money spent in vet bills was to go to his training.

Sherry of St. Johns FL (04/14/08)
I was shopping in PetSmart one afternoon sometime around September of 2005, and a woman representing herself as a pet nutritional specialist with Nutro pet foods encouraged me to give their products a try for my two cats. My cats were both two years old at the time. With hundreds of foods available these days it can be confusing to know what is the best for your pet.

I began feeding my cats Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Indoor Dry Weight Management. Everyday I also offered my cats various brands of canned cat food-some Nutro until the recall of Menu Foods in spring of '07. My cat Sebastian always favored the dry cat food, very rarely would he ever even take a bite of the canned food. He just nibbled at the food as I free fed it from 5 PM to 7AM so that I could get sleep at night. My other cat is overweight so I thought I was making a smart choice.

Late January of '08. I noticed Sebastian (now about 5 years old) was growling after urinating and grooming himself incessantly, so I knew he was having some problem. I thought maybe he had a UTI. I took him into the Vet and she analyzed his 1st urinalysis. She said his white blood count was high and prescribed an antibiotic. She suspected stones.

A week later my cat was not improved, I took him back to the animal hospital. The Vet ordered an ultra-sound which revealed stones. My cat had to undergo a cystotomy and have the tiny stones surgically removed. Afterwards they were identified as feline calcium oxalate bladder stones. His vet bills totaled about $1300.00.

Early in February 08 as I began searching for answers, I began searching the Web and I was shocked at the horror stories I found of others that have shared their nightmare experiences by feeding Nutro pet food to their pets. I will never feed any more Nutro pet food to another animal, or buy any Nutro pet food products. It was a very stressful time for my pet and for me.

Samuel of Ogden UT (04/14/08)
We have been feeding Nutro for several years. We've noticed over the past few months there has not been several types of Natural Choice lamb and rice, venison or herring on the shelves. We were told the company Nutro purchases rice from had a shortage. We were also told the food would be back in stock in March, then we were told June. Our son was feeding Max weight control to his lab, then the dog began having gastrointestinal problems, so we switched to N/C Venison. Then the venison wasn't available, so we switched to N/C lamb and rice. The dog didn't get any better.

We started to question the food and mentioned it to our vet when we took our dogs in for their annual check up. 3 of our 4 dogs have heart murmurs this year and didn't last year. One of the dogs also has adrenal insufficiency and didn't last year. Our vet suggested we change foods. We are now feeding Blue Buffalo with good results. I also noticed the N/C Complete Care Indoor cat food had a foul odor. I returned the food to the store for a refund.

I have been told by employees at both major pet stores here in town, that the food may be tainted with Salmonella. I would like to know when someone is going to step in and start monitoring pet food companies so we know the food we are feeing is safe.

Christina of Lansdale PA (04/14/08)
I had been feeding my dogs Nutro Naturals Berry Treats thinking I was doing something great for them by giving them a healthy treat. They loved these and I bought about 8 bags of them when they went on sale. I figured since the recall was over, they were safe, but then someone emailed me this website. I printed it and took it to the pet store along with 7 bags of the treats and exchanged them for Canidae brand treats - the store manager was very concerned and said he would pull the rest from the shelves if he heard anything from the company about Nutro being bad.

I sent an email to Nutro 3/23, Please respond asap. There is word that your products are killing dogs and cats again, very recently and I am concerned. I have been feeding my dogs your natural line of treats - then came across this website. I would like an explanation. These animals are my world and if what I am feeding them can casue harm I demand to know it immediately. They sent back the following 4/9 -

Thank you for contacting Nutro products. We appreciate you taking the time to share your concern with us.

All NUTRO(tm) products are 100% safe and conform to the standards set by the FDA, USDA and AAFCO. NUTRO(tm) pet foods undergo rigorous quality assurance testing beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing all finished products. This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in any NUTRO(tm) pet foods.

The safety and quality of our products is our top priority. We take any complaint regarding the quality and safety of our NUTRO(tm) products very seriously. In the rare instance when a consumer does have a concern with any of our products, an in-depth review of the consumer-provided samples is performed to determine if an issue does exist.

Nutro Products, Inc. remains committed to the quality, safety and performance of all our pet food brands. As we have for over 80 years, we strive to deliver the finest natural products to our customers and their pets.

We thank you most sincerely for your loyalty to Nutro Products pet food and for allowing us the opportunity to address your concern and clarify the issue.

Should you require further assistance, please contact our Consumer Services Department at (800) 833-5330, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, Pacific Standard Time or visit our website at www.nutroproducts.com.

Best Regards,

This is 17 days after I emailed them. Who knows, my dogs could be dead if I had continued feeding them these treats. They deny any problems but even if they are safe, this customer service is just terrible and their regard for consumer concern is obviously very low on the priority scale. I buy Canidae and Nylabone Organic Vida treats now and I am confident they are safe and the dogs love them. I tell everyone I know to stay away from this rotten company Nutro. I am DISGUSTED!

Peggy of Oklahoma City OK (04/13/08)
Dry dog food smells different and is darker than previous bags. Have been using Nutro Natural Choice food lamb & rice for several years. The last bag purchased recently was very dark & smelled different. As a precaution I took her and other dogs off the brand. My old dog had suddenly developed bad breath and when food was withdrawn, her breath returned to normal. The bad smell was same smell as the food in question.

No obvious physical damage was done. This statement is related to any recalls, if any.

Kevin of Clearfield UT (04/13/08)
My wife and I have been buying Nutro dog food for our dog over a year now with no problems. But about 2 weeks ago we went to our local Petco to buy another 20 pound bag of Nutro but they were out of stock all they had was the smaller 5 pound bag. We were told thats all they would have for a while because the company was changing the company they used for the rice. Now I would like to know why they are still allowed to sell this product even when they know there is a problem with the product due to the fact that they are changing the source of their ingredients. Our dog is very sick now and I want to know why is there nothing being done about this.

Anne of Clover SC (04/08/08)
I recently started feeding my dog Nutro Lite Dog food due to her coat being dry. I figured I had been feeding my cats Nutro for over 11 years and they are very healthy and have great coats !! So after a couple of months of eating the food her coat started looking beautiful and then one night she vomited 4 times within 12 hours....it was terrible !! she couldn't stop !!!

She seemed to be drinking unusually large amounts of water and couldn't hold her urine...it was like she had to constantly go out to pee and each time I let her out to go which was alot..(she kept coming by me and looking at me as if to say..I gotta go mom)..she would urinate 6-8 times each time I let her out. I ceased feeding her for a full 24hrs until the vomiting subsided and only gave her ice cubes...she had diarrhea for days !! I resumed placing her food down but she would not eat it and she became very lethargic...

My sister in NY told me about this notice she spotted at her Vets office regarding NUTRO DOG FOOD...and mentioned it to me( I had told her about the dog vomiting for 12hrs and couldn't figure out why) I got the Vets phone # and had them fax me over the notification and it all made sense. I immediately stopped feeding her the Nutro and she has been fine since...she resumed eating...of course I fed her a little bit at a time increasing the amount each day...she is back to her ENERGETIC self and hasn't been sick since. I returned the food to the store and put her back on the original food I had been feeding her and she is back to normal. No constant urinating no obsessive water drinking ..no diarrhea.

Kay of San Jose CA (04/08/08)
I work in a petfood store where Nutro is sold. Of the customers that come in with health issues occurring in their pets such as described by the people reporting here Nutro is the only food with these problems. Many of the pets die if the customer continues to use the food. The ones that survive are the ones whose vets have told them to change food or that change it on their own. We've averaged 20 customers a week with this food issue for the last 5 months or so. I'm rather surprised it's continuing and that nothing is being done about it.

Sandra of Verona PA (04/07/08)
I do not feed my dogs Nutro dog food but they do eat the Nutro puppy biscuits and have always loved them. They have been eating these biscuits for about 1 year with no problem. Over the last week or so I noticed that they sniff them and walk away form them but have eaten a few without they're usual interest in them.

Three days ago my toy poodle started with very loose stools. I have been unable to stop this and will have to take her to the vet but I haven't done so yet. I just read the reports on Nutro dog food and I'm wondering if my toy poodle has consumed tainted biscuits.

Sudha of Columbus OH (04/07/08)
I have been using Natural Choice dog food for about 4-5 years. I recently bought a new bag at Andersons in Columbus Ohio. WE atarted feeding the food since last 5 days and ever since then our Bishon has had loose motions and keeps wanting to go out all the time. In fact he has pooped all over inside the house 2 times within the last three days which he never does. We have thrown the food away and have opened another bag, hoping this bag is better for him.

We will have to get the whole house steam shampooed as his poop is not coming off of the carpet in many places inspite of my using several different products. This could cost us over $500.00 and we are hoping our dog will get better or it will cost us a lot more.

Barbara of Loxahatchee FL (04/06/08)
I have been using and recomending Nutro products for years. Recently using Ultra Puppy has caused URINARY CRYSTALS in both Adult dogs and Puppies. I have contacted all my puppies to check the urine and change foods. Someone with a an older pup of mine got a new pup somewhere else and contacted me that the new pup has the same problem also on Nutro. I have sent this info to Nutro and waiting to here back from Nutro.

I have several Vet bills and bills for testing my water to find the cause of the problem. I recomened a urine test if you are on Nutro. The PH level's were 7 and 7.5, too high and had crystals, normal is in the 6 ranges.

Ruth of Tucson AZ (04/03/08)
I had been using the Nutro Senior dog food for many years. My Chow mix would vomit bile almost daily. I changed to another dog food last summer and she has not vomited since. I never realized it was the Nutro. I had been told by the people at Petsmart it was the best food they sold.

Vomiting bile almost daily.

Jennifer of Sandy UT (04/03/08)
I started my miniature dachshund on Nutro Max Natural Small Bites Chicken and Rice Formula on 02/20/08. He began vomiting yellow bile daily and seemed excessively thirsty. At times, he was a little lethargic, but otherwise he seemed perfectly fine. After 6 weeks, I finally got a brain and took him off the Nutro and began feeding him another brand. The vomiting stopped immediately. I then began searching for information on-line regarding Nutro dog food and vomiting and found this web site. I wish I had thought to take him off the Nutro sooner and am praying that there is no long term damage.

I ran into a friend at Petsmart today when I was returning my bag of Nutro and stopped her from buying a 40lb bag of Nutro Natural Choice. I saved a small amount of the food I returned to have tested and will contact the FDA. I have already contacted the Nutro company by e-mail but have not heard anything back. I will be telling everyone I know to avoid buying Nutro until I am satisfied that it is safe.

Susan of Hebron Ct CT (04/03/08)
Katie's Stools became diarrhea, she started vomiting and stopped eating. We have been feeding her Natural Choice Chicken and Oatmeal for 4 years without a problem. However these last 2 bags she seemed to go downhill. There were no glutens in this product so I did not think anything of it. We brought her to our Vet who said she most likely had pancreitis and gave her an antibiotic and she seemed to do better.

However she did get sick again and she stopped eating altogether. When this occurred, we brought her back to our vet where she stayed two nights, attached to the tubes to feed her. They could not find worms or parasites, or anything wrong with her but she still did not eat, and her stools were still wet if anything at all. After 2 nights and 3 days, my husband picked her up and brought her to Tufts Univ Hospital in Mass. where she went in as an emergency case. They could not confirm anything but she stayed on intravenious feeding and had many tests. The only thing they could confirm is that she had problems with her stomach, and felt they were full of ulcers. She did start eating after a few more days and was able to come home.

We have stopped feeding her any Natural Choice. I started cooking her turkey with rice and veggies. She loves it. She even has pep. We thought she had extreme arthritis, however I think she was being poisoned by the food. She is a totally different dog. The bills exceeded $2,000.00. Money well spent. If you are having these problems, stop feeding you dog this food, and start cooking your own. I don't know if the intravenious feeding cleaned her blood of the poison or just time. The vomiting is violent, and the total lack of energy is heartbreaking. I really do not trust commercial dog food at all. I might try evo dry slowly with my home made turkey. I might not. I don't know who to trust.

At least $2,000.00 in Vet bills. But I think Katie is well again.

Lori of Prosperity SC (03/31/08)
2 of the last 5 bags of Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice I purchased had something foreign baked into it. The largest piece looks like a sliver of fishing line (though I doubt that's what it is, best comparison I can think of), the smallest are barely noticeable fibers - thin but slightly stiff, sticking out of the kibble. I emailed Nutro early Feb 2008, and it took them a month to call me. I was unavailable at the time and they left voice mails, the second saying they were closing the case number if I didn't call them back. I have pics, and of the first bag only a few pieces (best by date of Dec 2008), but this last bag I have quite a bit (best by date of May 2009). I am contacting my vet to find a testing facility, as I do not trust Nutro's testing. I don't believe it's dangerous as my dogs did not get sick, other than one, but for him he's sensitive and it's hard to say it's the food (we have 6 dogs and go through 40 lbs every 9 days). I have already begun transitioning my dogs to another food, which I never thought I'd do. We have had nothing but good results with Nutro but I just can't take a chance. Please check your food closely, these pieces are hard to see and I wouldn't have even noticed had it not been that one kibble with the larger piece right on top of a bowl of food. Now I inspect very closely. I'm not blaming Nutro food on any sudden illnesses in my dogs, and I agree, it's hard to always know if it's the food, or a sensitivity, or just bad luck, but in this case what is undeniable is that our food has foreign material in there that shouldn't be there.

None that I know of, though I have one dog who occasionally has diarrhea, that suddenly worsened after starting this last bag.

Susan of Vancouver Canada (03/30/08)
I had a Husky cross dog who died on December 16th 2007 for a unknown cause at the age of 10 years. We exclusively fed Nutro senior kibble to our dog and as I read the stories on your web site, I am deeply troubled by what I have read; I had no idea Nutro was a part of the tainted food issues and my ignorance may have caused my beloved dog's death.

The circumstances of her death were strange- she was a very healthy dog until one Thursday evening she vomited- we did not think too much of this as sometimes she did vomit or have diarrhea for no known reason. I had taken her to the beach on Wednesday, but she was on leash the entire time and really didn't have the opportunity to drink salt water nor did I catch her eating anything but I thought maybe I missed a quick snack of something disgusting.

Friday she was fine and on Saturday she vomited again. By Sunday we knew something was very wrong phoned the vet, and on Tuesday we took her to the vet who over two days conducted two blood tests which came out normal,9 ex-rays which showed nothing and exporatory surgery which also turned up nothing abnormal. All tests came back normal, nothing could be found to cause this illness. Our dog died on the Friday of that week due to complications of constant vomiting. The vet could not find any cause for our dog to be vomiting. She was always on a leash for walks and was not out of her yard unattended therefore poison was ruled out.

When I read a few accounts on this site of other people's experiences with Nutro brand dog food, I seriously question whether we fed her tainted food. Tainted food would be a plausable explanation and could account for her other bouts of intestinal upset throughout the past few years- she seemed to have occasional bouts of diarrhea or vomiting for no known reason as she was always on leash and well supervised. We fed her Nutro brands of kibble exclusively - chicken and rice until we switched to senior when she was 8. I thank you for this opportunity to share our story.

Carlos of Dublin CA (03/27/08)
I am a professional dog trainer with 39 years of training experience. I have been using Nutro for 20 years, as I have always believed that it was the top of the line food. A very close friend sent me an article about food rating and found that Nutro is rated B quality food where as Kirkland (sold at Costco) has an A rating. What this meant to me is I was misinformed by Nutro representatives. My dog's coat would appear to be a little dried out with lots of shedding, more than the normal. So after talking to my close friend I finally switched dog foods to Dick Van Patten and my dogs are doing great on it.

Adrianne of Oak Park IL (03/27/08)
Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice, Oatmeal marked 04 June 2009 23:41 2CR5 PJ?: My dog loved this food until the most recent bag. Normally she's a chow hound but was suddenly reluctant to eat. She was eating half of her normal amounts.

She started getting diarrhea on the second day, then began vomiting on the third day. Normally, shes a super high-energy dog but she suddenly wanted to sleep all the time. She didnt want to go for walks; she didnt want to play at the dog park. I knew she was sick but didnt even consider it might be from her chow.

I switched her to a brown rice diet to give her tummy a break. She improved and I resumed feeding her the Nutro kibble. Once again she was reluctant to eat and became sick when she did.

I can't be certain the dog food is bad--my dog could simply have developed sensitivity to one of the ingredients. Im not taking any chances, however, so we have stopped using this food.

Lin of Fresno CA (03/26/08)
I posted prior on 3/17/08. I'm happy to say my dogs are doing better since I got them off Nutro Natural Choice. Those of you that posted your dogs eating this for years, I understand. Mine did too, until this bag came along. We never had any problems. Then they got sick. I'm sure if your dogs got sick you would be upset and want to find out why and get to the bottom of it! You are lucky, so far. I personally won't go back to Nurto because this is the 2nd time in 4 years that this has happened and when I call they are rude. There is no reason to be rude to the consumer! All I wanted was someone to show some compassion and understanding and at least TRY to help. I didn't get that at Nutro. I won't go back to that food. My dogs are much to precious to me and I am extremely fortunate I didn't lose them to a bad bag of food. Whether one bag is bad or 100 bags are bad, Nutro has a responsibility to make it right. Not condemn me for my telephone call.

Jennifer of Spokane WA (03/26/08)
I have used Nutro for BOTH of my dogs and BOTH of my cats for over two years now and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this product. My lab has the most beautiful and shiny coat that I have ever seen in my life and they both anticipate their feedings each day. My boxer actually has to be pulled out of the bag because he would eat it all if we let him. My cats get so upset when their food bowl is empty that they throw it on the ground. The benefits are amazing and the ingredients are quality. I was a little shocked when I read some of these postings, but it will not make me quit feeding this product. I think that people need to remember that animals are like people, just because you get sick, you would not quit eating everything that you had before.

Another important thing to note is that none of the vets that these animals went to thought Nutro was the problem. I have called Nutro and spoken with them on numerous occasions concerning ingredients and other aspects of their food, and they have always been very nice. I find it EXTREMELY unlikely that a business would laugh at a customer on the phone, not only from a sensitivity standpoint, but also from a liability standpoint. Overall, I think Nutro is a great product. My feelings go out to all of the people that have lost a pet, but unless you have actual proof, it is dangerous to spread false information. Get facts, THEN place blame.

Laura of Las Vegas NV (03/26/08)
I've been feeding my chocolate lab Nutro for almost 4 years. I started him on it as a pup from the recommendation of a friend. He's always been happy, healthy and big! Larger than most standard Lab's at 95lbs. Recently I switched him to Nuto Lite at my vet's request. He thought Indy should lose about 5lbs. No problem, I slowly mixed in the Lite food until that was all he was eating. 3 weeks ago he started vomiting uncontrollably. The vet diagnosed him with possible pancreatitis, thought his blood work was fine, that was what they thought the only explanation. He was put on some meds and got better rather quickly, now 3 weeks later he started vomiting again. He's now lost about 8lbs in 3 weeks is weak and lethargic. The vet believes, as do, that it is the food. I bought a bag of Science Diet Digestive Care and gave him 1 handful Monday, no vomiting, I then mixed it with Nutro on his next feeding per my Vet's instructions. The vomiting started again. I also noticed he only ate about half his food and was actually dropping the Nutro out and trying to only eat the Science Diet. I think even my Dog knows there is something wrong with the Nurto food. I WILL NEVER FEED any of my pets Nutro again!

The first Vet bill was $400 plus $275 to have my carpets cleaned. The bill this week was another $400 because they had to do x-rays again and a Barium test to see how the food was progressing in his stomach. It seemed to be causing and extreme amount of gas and he really was not digesting in.

Mary of Sebastian FL (03/26/08)
I have been using Nutro Ultra for 3yrs. for my 2 maltese dogs. The last 6 months I saw a difference in their coats. They have become course and dry.

I saw your site and stopped the Nutro Ultra. I also think all the people with complaints should notify the FDA in their states to take action right away as of this date the FDA has no complaints as I called yesterday. they are the ones to stopped this problem.

Debbie of Winnipeg Canada (03/26/08)
I realize this is the Complaint Department, but after reading some of the testimonials about Nutro I had to speak my peace. I have had sporting dogs for over 15 years and have been feeding Nutro Natural Choice High Energy for most of those 15 years to my sporting dogs. Not only have they done amazingly well, health wise, on this food, but i often get asked what it is I am doing to get their coats so silky and shiney. I tell them Nutro Natural Choice.

Natalie of Newark NJ (03/26/08)
Didn't put this together until I heard about the others...but my Toshi was eating Nutro and almost died......he was in the hospital for a week, we thought it was a standard UTI, but then after hospitalization many strange things happened.....his weight fluctuated oddly etc.

Over a thousand dollars and most my friend Toshis life...his trauma in the hospital..and I'm not wealthy...so that 1,000 brought great hardship for me...

Tabitha of Upper Marlboro MD (03/25/08)
We've been feeding Nutro for years and have never had a problem. There are several things I think people need to consider:

1) if you change your dogs food quickly, it's likely to get an upset stomach.

2) Things can happen to ANY food - people or dog, even if the food is fine. It can get damp or bugs or be out of date, and it isn't always the manufacturers fault.

3)Even a careful company can have problems on occasion. If you have problems and can't attribute it to anything but the dog food - contact the company. They may ask for food to test. If you don't contact them, and there is a problem, they can't fix it or do a recall.

I had a friend who got food with an incorrect mix and because she was diligent and sent samples, the company did a recall. She had already stopped feeding her dogs the specific batch, but she probably saved many other pets.

Jerry of Cave Creek AZ (03/25/08)
I have four dogs and six cats eating various NutroMax products and noting is wrong with any of my animals. They are happy, healthy and energetic. I have dog that range in age from one year to over fourteen and no problem. The cat also have a similar age span and no problems. As far as I can tell there is no problem with NutroMax products.

Kim of Danbury CT (03/25/08)
My dog is on Nutro Natural Choice-dry Lamb and Rice and has not had any problems. If so many people are having problems with this food, please contact the FDA so they can research this. We don't want other animals to get hurt. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

Jacki of Dornsife PA (03/25/08)
I recently purchased 40lb bag of Nutro Natural Lamb and rice small bites for my Weimer. We have bee feeding both this and the chicken and oatmeal because they do not contain corn or wheat, which he is allergic to.

We've been very happy until this last bag(dated 10 may 2009,13:38 2 a x 4 j p). Our dogs were throwing up, diarhea as well as the usual allergy reactions. I figured they had gotten into something they shouldn't have, so I fed them brown rice and boiled ground beef to allow bellys to settle down.

The dogs got better, I resumed feeding Nutro, with the same results. I figured the bag was somehow tainted with corn, causing the intestinal and other reaction. I purchased another food. Symptoms immediately subsided. I was determined not to waste a 40 lb. bag of dog food(please forgive me) so I tried to mix it 50/50 with the good food. Bad Idea!!!! Immediate return of symptoms.

Called the company to report my dismay because of course they would want to know about this problem with their wonderful food. Well.... after a 25 min. wait, (no exaggeration, I have a timer on my phone) I spoke to a very uninterested woman, probably the only one there, who told me to take the food back to the store for a new bag or a refund.

I was shocked that there was not more alarm that their food wasn't properly manufactured, I mean, someone put corn in this high end food! (I was still naive) She also told me they could test the food, although they would not test for corn content, which is what I was perceiving as the problem at that time.

I was frustrated and dumbfounded at this lack of customer service so I said goodbye. I then googled to see if there was anything going on with other folks. Wow am I surprized, and a little scared that I tried so long to get my Zippo to eat this food. I guess I'll go back to cooking for him, like I did for the first year.

There was no need for a vet visit, hoping there are no major problems down the road. He's happy, my kids say he eats better than they do.

Maggie of San Francisco CA (03/25/08)
Nutro dog food: After several years of feed the Nutro Lamb and Rice formula my Service Dog developed frequent diarriah. I'd put her on a vet ordered rice and 2% cottage cheese. It took about 12 to 14 days of this diet to bring my Service Dog back to normal stool formation. I then would SLOWLY re-introduce the Nutro one nugget at a time more each day until she was entirely off the rice/cottage cheese diet. Within a month my Service Dog returned to the watery frequent stools.

Back and forth we went between the Nutro/Lamb and Rice and the rice and cottage cheese until my vet told me to put her on straight boiled chicken breasts and boiled skinned diced potato. She has not gone back to the Nutro. She lost a substantial amount of weight, her coat turned rough and dull looking and her skin turned rough instead of the silky smooth skin prior to feeding her Nutro. She had absolutely no energy and could not pull my manual wheelchair as trained.

After 3 months of the chicken/potato diet she has a shinny coat, her hair is silky once again as is her skin. She has boundless energy again and able to pull my manual wheelchair. Bye bye are her favorite words...she can NOT wait to go with me no matter how short or long the trip. I produce a radio program in S.F. She is my # 1 fan.

Needless-to-say, the cost of preparing the chicken and potato diet that my Service Animal requires since the Nutro food was poisoning my dog has been enormous difference in monthly expenses. I live on a fixed income due to my disability...and now have cancer and am dying. Who will care for my Service Animal who must eat this chicken and potato diet--she eats small amounts through out the day, 8 meals a day every 2.5 hours from sun up to a last feeding at 12:30 a.m. the next morning.

Katie of Overbrook KS (03/25/08)
I bought Nutro Natural Choice dog food for a year or two, thinking it was good quality dog food.

My Doberman developed bladder crystals and almost died, directly from the lack of nutrition from the dog food. He had to have emergency surgery and years of trying to bring him back to quality health. 3 years later, he died

Sally of Winnipeg OTHER (03/25/08)
You had asked for bad experiences and GOOD, but chances are, you likely will not print the good ones. I will tell you anyway. I run a dog rescue in Winnipeg Canada. All of my OWN dogs are on Nutro, as are all of our rescues. We have had EXCELLENT results, placing emaciated dogs on High Energy, puppies raised on Nutro Puppy, seniors and overweight dogs on Nutro, and we have had nothing but good results.

Not only do we use the brand ourselves, but we also ask our adopters to continue to use it, as we want the best in health for our rescues.

Sally Hull, Executive Director
Hull's Haven Border Collie Rescue www.hullshaven.org

Glenda of Austin TX (03/25/08)
fed my 79# lab mix Nutro Natural Choice, he started not enjoying his walks, was planning to take him to vet when I got up Jan. 31st and found him dead. Started feeding senior Chihuahua same food, found him dead 5 days later.

two dead, previously healthy dogs

Cat of Greensboro NC (03/24/08)
I too had an experience with the Nutro Lamb and Rice. I have used this food for about 3 years with no issues. Last fall our GSD starting losing weight. The vet became alarmed, we ran some tests and nothing conclusive came back. We upped his food to 3 cups twice a day.

We then adopted a 8 month old puppy, Bernese Mountain Dog who came to us in good health but she stopped growing and began to lose weight also. This seemed to work. We switched her to another holistic puppy food. She is now on target to where she needs to be. We adopted a 6 1/2 year old BMD and she has lost 10 pounds in the 6 weeks we have had her. She has also started to vomit bile 2-3 times a day. Yes, we have bought our last back of this brand. It seems too much of the same thing for 3 dogs at three different ages, from 3 different backgrounds to have the same symptons.

Lori of Providence RI (03/24/08)
I read the recent complaints about dry Nutro Max Pet Foods. I was concerned because I do feed one of my cats a Neutro Max product. I am aware that this company did recall some possibly tainted foods in 2007, but since the company has initiated greater quality control, I did not and still do not have any reason to avoid the canned cat food.

I usually feed other brands to my cats, but one has cancer and it has been difficult to get him to eat at times. He really likes certain varities of the Max Gourmet Classics canned food. He is actually doing very well physically and has had no problems with the food. I feed him the Max Gourmet Classics when he refuses the brand I prefer. If I believed it was making him sick in any way, I sure would speak up. That is my experience with just one product produced by Nutro Max as of March 24, 2008.

Connie of Elyria OH (03/24/08)
My 10 year old Boston Terrier, Sadie, was just switched to Nutro Dog food for Seniors when she began vomiting, then diarrhea then bloody diarrhea. She would not eat and could barely lift herself up to go outside. Her veterinarian had her spend 2-1/2 days on IV fluids & antibiotics. Her kidney enzymes were dangerously elevated.

After about 2 weeks on a diet of only rice and chicken that we prepared, her stools were once again fairly normal. As soon as we started her on the Nutro dog food again, she began with the bloody diarrhea. We threw that food away & began her on another commercial brand after more chicken & rice. She has never been the same since.

She has developed some lumps on her side and a growth on her mouth and also seems to have some type of breathing difficulties. I don't know if that has anything to do with the Nutro episode but as I said, she has not been the same since.

The vet bill was $280.00 but that was nothing compared to the agony of not knowing what and why this was happening. I also had to take time off work to be with her when she was so weak and to take her to veterinary appointments or from being up most of the night with her. I am so tired of companies worrying about their economic bottom line instead of a quality product! There is no excuse for so many pets to be negatively affected by companies that should be experts in the field! Pet Smart should also be liable for not posting informational warnings.

Erin of Bloomfield NJ (03/24/08)
I'm reading these reports of people having ill or dying dogs after using Nutro Foods with great concern, as I have fed my dog Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Adult Formula for her entire life (she's 5.5).She's only ever had dry kibble, so I wasn't concerned about her food as the dry kibble wasn't on the recall list.

So far, my 50 pd Heinz 57 mix has been fine, although she did have some intermittent pale stools last month that I did not connect to her food (I suspected some new treats) both because the issue was intermittent and because she's been on this food for the last 4.5 years (Nutro Natural Choice L&R puppy prior to that). But now you've got me very concerned that perhaps it was her food, and could be a growing problem! Maybe it was intermittent because in all likelihood there is more than one bag of food mixed in the container in which I keep it? So some days she gets more of one bag and on some days more of another? I'll be sure to speak to my vet about this as she is due in April for her annual vaccinations.

It would be really helpful, I think, if people would include the lot numbers of the product they purchased so consumers can get a better sense of whether this is a problem limited to certain batches/lots of product or whether there is a broad potential contamination. If it is certain batches/lots, that in no way absolves Nutro/Mars of any responsibility, but it might be easier to track and verify the problem if it is traceable to specific batches/lots of product.

My heart to goes out to all of you who have lost a pet or have seen your pets suffer. Such a terrible loss!

Rachel of Indianapolis IN (03/24/08)
I have a 3 year-old poodle who I got from a rescue and he's been on Nutro Max since I've had him. Within the last few months he has had quite a few digestive problems that his vet has not been able to figure out thus far. He has not been eating like he normal does and his stools have been incredible sporadic, soft then hard the soft then bloody. His appetite has been pretty bad, he'll wait to eat until he's starving because he doesn't want to eat the food then he's drinking water like he's been in the desert and coughing and dry heaving A LOT.

When he plays with his buddy too much he gets to coughing and hacking like an old man. He's not as playful as he was when I first got him and he almost seems depressed a lot (maybe he's just in pain...?).

He repeatedly tests negative for stomach parasites and we have been uncertain what the problem was until I received an email about Nutro foods from the shelter he came from. I know I will be weening him off Nutro IMMEDIATELY! In the meantime, is anything being done about this???

I have had vet bills and just constant concern about my little sweety because he's been so unstable and not himself and I don't know what to do about it...

L. of Albany NY (03/24/08)
I have been reading/hearing many stories about ill/deceased animals who have eaten Nutro foods. I have to say that 6 months ago I switched my 2 boxers to Nutro Natural Choice - herring, rice & potato formula. Then about 3 months ago we switched to the High Energy formula. I also feed the Nutro canned dessert. My one boy - who has ALWAYS drank a lot of water - was diagnosed w/ hypothyroidism in Feb. and I assumed that was why he drank a lot. The full panel blood test showed NOTHING other than the low thyroid. My other dog does not appear to have any of the symptoms others have described - and I'm still feeding them the Nutro dry food. Maybe it's time to go back on the combined cooked & raw diet we tried during the pet food recall last year.

I appear to be one of the lucky ones - no vet bills YET. But I have one un-opened bag of Nutro High Energy food that I'm afraid to use.

Jennifer of Point TX (03/24/08)
Let me begin by saying I raise bengal cats. We adore each of them, but out of my first litter, I kept a marble male as a pet, and named him Jack. We had just moved to a new, isolated area and he was my buddy, keeping me laughing and busy and too occupied to mope. In early 2006 (yes, 2006) he was fourteen months old. We had a pregnant queen at the time, and in addition to the dry, she was getting Nutro wet pouches. Jack loved the taste I shared out with the rest, so I often snuck him a packet just for himself. Over several days, he became more solitary and quiet, but I thought he was just growing up and perhaps the pregnancy hormones were unsettling for him.

One night he came out of our bedroom, stumbling as if he was drunk. He fell over, cried weakly, and urinated uncontrollably. Off to the emergency vet, where $800 later they wanted to keep him overnight in a bare, stainless steel cage, above a constantly barking large dog. I was in tears, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with our guy. He just wanted me to hold him, and wailed if I put him down; I couldn't leave him there to suffer. We took him home, spending a long night in tears with our sweet boy curled between our heads, on a puppy pad to protect our bed from his constantly flowing urine, and next morning took him to our regular vet. She diagnosed him with kidney failure, and he was so far gone we had him put to sleep. I was heartbroken; it took me a good year to be able to think about him without crying.

Oh, and the kittens his mother was expecting? Our eldest queen, with the impeccable mothering skills and healthy strong babies? Dropped one by one over the course of several days, little kidneys unable to hold any fluid. Same with the next litter from a different queen. I called Nutro, not to seek retribution, but to tell them what had happened and ask how their products were tested. The man I spoke with refused to answer my questions, just kept shouting a nonsense, scripted reply. I told him losing Jack had been terrible and I wanted to make sure everyone else would be safe but he LAUGHED. Yes, Laughed.

Jackie is buried under the peach tree in our yard, everyone now eats Blue Buffalo and thrives. No more dead kittens, no more young adults dying and ripping our hearts out. I am beyond lucky we didn't lose any of our other adults. Our pets will be switching to home raised raw food soon, even though Blue has been good, I just shudder a bit still every time I think of how ours suffered.

Consequences... apart from two broken human hearts and a couple feline ones (don't ever let someone tell you animals don't grieve) as an altered bengal male, Jack could have been sold for $400, not that I ever would have willingly parted with him. The eight babies, anywhere from $400-$1000 each. The vet bills, which are still racking up on my credit card, are now $1200. Oh, not to mention all the food wasted on Nutro for three years before all this happened.

Starrmarie of Roosevelt NJ (03/23/08)
I feed my 3 dogs Nutro dry dog food and they all have become very ill over the past week.  They are having stomach problems, loose stools and excess thirst.

George of River Ridge LA (03/23/08)
I've been feeding my three dogs Nutro (both Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy for one, and Max for the other two) for some time now, but just recently the two smaller ones have become ill. One of them vomits bile and the other is quite lethargic. Even though I'll be changing foods tomorrow, paying for emergency vet bills for the two little ones is going to cost an arm and a leg.

So far none, though possible upcoming emergency vet bills, lost time at work due to pet illness, and cleaning fees / new carpet caused by sick dogs.

Brandice of Mt.pleasant SC (03/23/08)
I was feeding my schnoodle nutro and he had horrible ear infections. He seemed lethargic and uninterested in normal play. We switched his food to a human grade food and he has not had one ear infection. He is back to his playful self and I won't even get started about his muscle tone. I will never ever buy nutro again. I am glad to see that I am not alone in this situation. Something must be done!

Michele of Northridge CA (03/23/08)
I just found a cross post on one of my pet care groups about Nutro dog foods killing other dogs. Thank goodness mine are still alive! The food is going back to the store at once and both dogs are going to the vet for blood work. I've been feeding my dogs nutro natural choice senior kibble for years. Lately, the last few months, they've both had very upset tummies and very unusual and loose stools. I asked at the store where I buy things 2 months ago and they said they've had no complaints about Nutro or the other things I buy. Sasha is 13 1/2. Her vision has been failing and her mobility declining rapidly. She is also drinking tons of water and needing to go out several times a night which is indicative of kidney involvement. I was attributing it to age. So was my vet. And I'm noticing Buddy becoming very wide. I thought he was just getting fat. Bud being very wide is probably a sign of liver involvement. I will know after the vet looks at him.

I'm on disability and I'm sure having 2 dogs affected by this will be extraordinarily expensive. I don't know how I will afford this.

Kathy of New Castle PA (03/23/08)
We have a Show Dog puppy that has been on Nutro since November. We have not had any issues, but we are supplementing with probiotics. We are OFF Nutro products as of today because of the information we find on your website. Please keep us informed. We advise everyone to discontinue using Nutro immediately. Thank you.

Judith of Lincoln NE (03/23/08)
In April of 2007 my Golden Retriever's health began to seriously decline at a rapid rate. I had fed Nutro Lamb and Rice Lite for most of her life. Reassured by the statements made by the owner on the website, I did not change food. Within 3 weeks my vet supported the decision to euthanize because no more could be done, she was vomiting, couldn't eat, lost a great deal of weight and muscle. Now, I have just found out that in fact her dog food was contaminated and she died needlessly. Shame on this company for not telling us in time to save our dogs!

I am a widow and I lost my companion!

Judy of Cabot AR (03/23/08)
I started using Nutro Natural Choice for my show dogs last fall. With the last two bags I bought over a month ago my dogs started to loose weight and their stools were extremely soft. After they ate they would suck up water like they hadn't had any all day.

I took stool samples to my vet and all the dogs on Nutro were clean, no parasites. The only dog I wasn't having problems with was the old dog that can only eat raw meat, no dog food at all.

My youngest dog, a puppy, just wasn't growing like she should be and I thought there was something wrong with her, she looked like she had been starved and her coat looked real bad.

I stopped feeding the Nutro a month ago and put all my dogs on a raw diet. They had all gained weight and their hair is growing again.

I thought it was just my dogs but glad I found this web site and see it isn't only mine that are having problems with Nutro. Now that I know others are having problems I will be contacting the company.

My puppy is 10 months old now and her growth seems to be stunted, I have never had this happen in the 40 years I have been showing and breeding dogs. I'm not sure this show quality puppy will now get big enough to show or breed, it is so heart breaking to see such a good quality dog not live up to her potential because of a dog food.

Leigh of Olmsted Falls OH (03/23/08)
After years on Nutro, both my cats started vomitting almost daily. I did plenty of research, feeling that I should switch their food. I will never feed commercial brands like this again. My cats are now on a raw BARF diet, which they were designed to eat, and they are thriving and healthy. My persian cat who lost fur 4 years ago from illness is now fluffy again after just 1 month on raw. Don't feed Nutro or crap commercial brands. Now I feel guilty for donating this poison to my animal shelter.

Lin of Fresno CA (03/17/08)
I too called Nutro and spoke to a rep in consumer services. She said she had not heard of any problems with the food. She is blaming the shipping and storing of the food. She did tell me to send 4 cups in for testing, which I am going to do. I'm heartsick about this.

My dogs have tummy problems and one is refusing to eat. Loose stools or totally watery stools. Vet bills will be incurred again.

Lynn of Cabot AR (03/15/08)
My 10-year old border collie became lethargic, lost weight and when evaluated by a veterinarian, his liver enzymes were critical. He was put on antibiotics and a strong amino acid, but continued to deteriorate. A week into the treatment, one of my co-workers asked if I had seen the complaints about Nutro dog food on this website. I had not and never dreamed it could be the food. It is touted as being all natural and is certainly sold as premium food. I was shocked at the information that I found on Nutro.

I faxed pages and pages of this information to my veterinarian, who became alarmed, and told me to stop feeding Nutro Natural Choice immediately. Within a couple of days being off this food, my border collie started acting like he felt better. Within a week, he had regained 2 pounds and after 2 weeks, his liver enzymes were still high but improving. I can tell he is continuing to gain weight and his energy level is as good as it has ever been. My veterinarian and I are convinced it was the food. I cannot explain why this happened all of a sudden since he has been eating this food for years, but I know my dog and I know it was the food. He was not responding to any medical treatment until we stopped the food. So far, this event has cost $500, but even more important than the money, I almost lost my dog, whom I adore. I cannot believe that a company that sells their product as safe and natural is, instead, injuring and killing pets. If I had not been informed about other pet owners' experiences with Nutro Natural Choice, my dog would be dead. It is my hope that some consumer group or authority will begin to investigate this company and its products before other pets are affected.

Kelly of Moyock NC (03/12/08)
I switched my dogs to Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed chicken and rice, thinking I was improving the quality of their food. They LOVED IT! Unfortunately, a few days after I began feeding the new food, which I converted by mixing in increasing quantities over a week-long period, both of my dogs--a Great Dane and a Dane/Blue Tick mix, developed watery bowels and lots of digestive activity. We took the Dane to the vet because he exhibited symptoms first, and they performed a fecal test for both parasites and giardia; both were negative. When the other dog began having the same symptoms, I began to suspect the food.

I placed a call to Nutro yesterday and spoke to a customer service rep. She said they had NEVER heard of any dogs having problems like the ones I described. And then, the next day, I found your site and saw the numerous complaints. I am NOT PLEASED.

Vet bills and meds are upwards of $100; and, of course, a bag of food cost me in the amount of $35--plus the emotional cost of hours of worry and physically running back and forth to the vet, plus gasoline expense.

Cady of Los Angeles CA (02/21/08)
We have a 2 year old Papillon mix and a 6 month on Dachshund Mix. Previously, they had been eating Nutro Ultra for small breeds (the older dog for over a year), with no problems. On my last trip to the store, Nutro Ultra Small Breed was out of stock. In desperate need, I purchased Nutro Max Mini Chunk. The next day, the puppy threw up. Later the same day, the older dog threw up as well. The older dog seemed very uninterested in the food, and only would eat a little at a time, which was unusual for her. We didn't think much of any of it, despite the fact that they have rarely vomited before and have good appetites, assuming their stomachs were not used to the different formula.

However, the vomiting continued over the next week and a half, with at lease one of the dogs throwing up each day, occasionally accompanied by loose stools. Finally, on 2/19, after 2 weeks on Nutro Max, the vomiting suddenly increased. While on a walk, the puppy threw up bile 3 times in a row. Less than a minute later, the Papillon threw up a large amount of food. When we came inside, I looked online and found numerous complaints all detailing similar symptoms. During that time, the adult dog threw up bile three times in a row. I took away the food, and followed vet advice to fast them for 12 hours, followed by boiled chicken and rice. We've switched to a different dry food, and after almost 48 hours there has been no more vomiting. There were absolutely no other changes in their diet or lifestyle over the last 2 weeks. The vomiting started within one day of starting the new food, and affected both dogs. It has stopped now that they have stopped eating Nutro Max.

All of this, combined with other consumer complaints, as well as a review here which points out that the corn can cause allergic reactions and the synthetic vitamin K has been linked to liver problems leads me to believe that the food was the culprit. I am glad that I discovered this before their health deteriorated any further, something that has sadly happened to so many other dogs.

Luckily, just a wasted 20 pound bag of food. Dogs have seemed to returned to normal health, and have not warranted a vet visit.

Gregory of Hermosa Beach CA (02/18/08)
Upon opening a new bag of lamb meal and rice formula 20 pounds, we fed our two golden retrievers. They have been eating this food for several years. One dog became sick with the runs that evening and the next day began to vomit in addition. The second evening the second dog began with the same symptoms throughout the next day. The dogs ate no other food and were not outside off the leash, so we know they did not eat anything else. The symptoms were so severe we took them off the food. By the next day they were getting better and by the next day they were back to normal, but eating different food. The expiration date on the bag is May 21, 2009. The bar code information is 0 7910520101 8. In my opinion this bag of food is severely tainted.

Michael of San Antonio TX (02/09/08)
I bought NATURAL CHOICE dog food by NUTRO Products and within 4 days my family dog, Zoe died.

On December 6th 2007, I bought what I thought was a healthy dog food for our dog, Zoe. I bought it from the local Pet Smart on the advice of a store worker. The product was Natural Choice (made by NUTRO) Adult dry dog food, Chicken Meal Rice and Oatmeal Formula. Our dog ate the food on Thursday, 6 December and Friday, 7 December. On 8 December, Zoe became lethargic and was throwing up and not eating. On Sunday, 9 December, Zoe was still throwing up, had diarrehia and could barely move.

At 1030 PM, sitting next to me,Zoe screamed out and died. I tried to get her to breathe again but to no avail. Zoe was 9 years old and in very good health. She was a small dog (8 lbs), a Maltese-Pomerian mix, which we found in Hawaii six years ago. Our daughter who is also 9 years old, asked where Zoe was the next morning and we told her she was sleeping under the bed but we were taking her to the veterinarian. Later that day we had to tell our daughter, that Zoe had to be put down on the advice of the veterinarian. She was crushed as was my wife and I.

With obviously no proof, on Thursday, December 13th, I was rushed to the emergency room with acute signs of a heart attack,. I am only 42, but doctors said stress could have caused this attack. We were totally shocked on what happened to Zoe and could not figure out why she died. Yesterday, 8 February 2008, I was cleanig up the pantry and went to throw Zoe's almost full bag of dog food away. I finally realized, that was new food that we had introduced to her just a few days prior to her death. I went on-line and could not believe what I found. The exact same symptoms and immediate death of other dogs. It was exactly, almost word for word the same experience we went through. I am relieved I found the cause, but can't believe I killed our beloved Zoe, unwittingly. I still have the bag of dog food and expect to have it tested. This needs to be stopped.

Paige of Benton Harbor MI (01/24/08)
called 1/23/07 to check if any recall on Nutro Natural Choice Indoor Kitten 8# dry food. I was told he would mail a return for sample of food to be returned to them for testing this could take up to 10 weeks. This product was purchased 1/17/08 and on 1/20/08 my kitten vomited and he health declined.Took her to the vet 1/22/08 and he said her kidneys were severly enlarged she was given three shots and medication for vomiting. Took her home and she did not urinate or eat. 1/24/08 am the vt was called again, my kitten was lifeless.

Took her back and she was x-rayed,given barrium to check for blockage,put on IV and catheder and admitted to ICU. Blood test revealed high way above average kidney,phosporus,and Bun levels. Dr suggest recent ingention of anitfreeze (she is strictly indoor kitten) no chemicals present we do have one older cat and dog. She was dyagnosed with renal kidney failure by ingestion of toxin/heavy meal. The only change was her food. She died this morning. I am left with a $800.00+ vet bill for a kitten that was only 5 months old had her spayed and all shots. This is a nightmare I found her on the side of the road abandon, she blossemed into a beautiful wonderful cat and all the time and energy spend to care for her I am left with nothing but a big vet bill I can not afford. Everything she received was paid out of my pocket befor this. I was doing a good deed as we have not animal orginazation around her that cared to help me. called again 1/24/07 and was forwared to him after explaining my kitten had died in all fairness he said he was sorry for my loss, I told him I wanted tp speak with someone who could expedite this so I it was the food another animal would not die,he said he would give my claim to suppervisor since the kitten had died. I feel the is urgent I dont want soemone else to have the pain our family has gone through Claim Number 628604 Also this kitten was fed Nutro kitten canned food for the first three month of her life 3oz can were these recalled?

seriousness of the cats death was not taken as a priority, other cats could be at risk if they did find something in the food. I feed all my pets Nutro and will discoutinue until I get an answer. Idid got to the Pets Plus store tonight where the food was purchased amd they did give my their sales reps name and phone number, I will contact be reguarding this issue to see if he can get this issue expedited before more animals are harmed. I could have this food tested locally be the expense I can not afford as I am spent emotionaly and financially.

Darlene of Seabrook TX (01/22/08)
Purchased Nutro Max Dry Dog Food on 12/20/07 for the first time. On 12/23/07 I had my Yorkie at the emergency vet. 12/28/07 he had a blood transfusion at Gulf Coast Veterinary Internists & Critical Care. As of 1/22/08 and $2000 later, he is still taking meds & is doing much. I also have a American Eskimo who ate the same dog food who is still sick & we are taking another trip to the vet tomorrow morning.

Both dogs are still not well after numerous trips to the vet & approx $2500 later. Before eating the Nutro Max they were both healthy & happy dogs. I returned the Nutro Max to Petco. However I did keep a sample & my receipt for further lab testing at Expertox in two weeks.

Terri of Duluth GA (01/04/08)
After 4 days of eating Nutro dry pet food, I found my dog dead in our yard. That was the only thing that changed for him that week was the introduction of the Nutro pet food.

My dog died alone in our backyard, probably of kidney failure from the toxins in the food.

Bonnie of Chesapeake VA (12/31/07)
Had to put 6lb pomeranian to sleep after feed Nutro dry dog food. Fed anothe pomeranian same bag and she immediately became deathly ill. I contacted Nutro just to get them to take this food off of the market. They were so sorry for my loss but they couldn't find anything wrong with the dry food. We've paid over $1000 in vet bills.

We've paid $1000 or so for the care of two pomeranians. We thought the first dog was just old. I gave the remaining senior Nutro to the young Pomeranian and she became deathly ill.

Margaret of Elizabeth NJ (12/23/07)
My 9 year old yellow lab, who always inhaled her food and who had been eating Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior dog food, recently started throwing up bile, drinking excessively and stopped wanting to eat. We tried everything to get her to eat...we tried giving her Pepcid, chicken broth on the food, cheese, boiled chicken, bacon; and nothing worked. We spent almost $300 on blood tests and a urinalysis which all came back fine. My mom typed her symptoms into the web and saw that we weren't the only ones having these problems; in fact, people feeding their dogs Nutro had dogs with the same symptoms. We immediately disposed of about 20 pounds of dog food, and I went out and purchased Innova dog food. As soon as I brought it home and gave her some she inhaled it. Her appetite was back. I just pray the damage is not done and we were able to switch the food in time!

Mary of Jacksonville FL (12/17/07)
My 9 yr. old dog has been eating Nutro canned and dry food for years. When the canned Nutro received a dangerous review, I stopped it. But Pet Supermarket assured me that the dry food was fine. NOW I have spent $1,500 so far and it will be more...to save his life. IF I can. The vet told me to stop Nutro. And, the pharmacist told me that he had never heard of a dog having sludge in his gall bladder. He asked me what I fed my dog and told me he felt it was the food. The dog is not out of the woods yet. I was told that he could go for emergency gall bladder removal. He will need another sonogram in three weeks. That costs $350. It's very stressful, and the company does not even care. The pet stores are more interested in making money.

My second dog who ate the same food spent the weekend in the emergency care. He will be going for emergency surgery for a mouth growth they are expecting to be cancer. Again, caused by the Nutro. This company should be closed. This weekend cost me another $1,100. Who is protecting our animals? I believed the store. I paid money to kill my dogs. When I was picking up my dog from the emergency care tonight, there was a woman waiting for her dog who was being treated for its cancer. Guess what is being blamed for that  dog's problems? Nutro Dog food. When will someone do something?

Here we are watching our dogs die while Nutro lies about their products and makes money and so does Pet Supermarket. Two weeks ago I was in there and a woman was recommended Nutro by the manager. I told them not to sell that and for her not to buy it. I explained my horror story, but he said he did not know anything about the problems with Nutro. If I know about it HOW COULD THE MANAGER NOT KNOW ABOUT IT?

Rick of Newbury Park CA (12/03/07)
We have been feeding the Nutro Lamb and Rice dry dog food formula to our 70 pound, mixed breed dog for a couple of years. About three months ago he became ill with diarrhea and vomiting and after much testing and two trips to the office, our vet determined that the cause was something he ate. We had made no changes in his diet and he hadn't been out of the yard, so we assumed that the Nutro was the cause. I contacted the Nutro corporate office and brought them up to date with the situation. They sounded concerned and offered to send a small bag so I could return it to them with a sample of the food for testing. After waiting a month I contacted them again, indicating that the bag that they promised to send to me never arrived. They apologized and again said that they would send a bag for testing. I waited another month - no bag. I called the office and left a message. Nothing. Now I'm writing this to Consumer Affairs and hopefully others won't go through the disappointment of actually expecting the folks at Nutro to be true to their promises.

The consequences of my situation were that I spent about three hundred dollars at the vet's office and some serious worry about whether or not our dog would survive, and totally wasted my time in the false belief that the people at Nutro were concerned enough about the animals who use their product to follow through with the promised testing of a suspect bag of their dog food.

Janet of Fairfax VT (11/29/07)
My perfectly healthy 9 1/2 yr. old German Shepherd died recently from a condition called bloat. It may have been pure coincidence, but she recently had been eating Nutro Max for two weeks prior. This was the first time I'd tried her on this food.

My german shepherd died during emergency surgery. Her stomach had ballooned out within a very short time. She had had two weeks of eating Nutro Max, then the night she died, I had just fed her Iams Dry Food, which I just read has also been implicated for containing melamine. I am devasted.

Sara of Forest Hills NY (11/18/07)
My dogs have been eating Nutro Ultra Weight Management dry food for the last 18 months. 6 weeks ago, one of them was diagnosed with very high enzyme levels in her liver. She was taken off Nutro and put on a home cooked diet plus Denamarin. Her enzyme levels are beginning to return to normal.

Because I didn't connect this with the food they were eating, my other dog continued to eat Nutro. This week she became extremely sick with vomiting, severe weight loss, lack of appetite and lethargy. She, too, was diagnosed with extremely high enzyme levels in her liver and as of today she is in the hospital on IV fluids.

I have no doubt that the Nutro dog food caused this -- my dogs are fed very carefully and especially so after the first one became sick.

My dogs have been in terrible pain for days on end. We've spent many hours at the vet and in the hospital. It has cost nearly $1000 in vet bills and one of my dogs is still in the hospital. If she survives she will need to be on medication for months to regenerate her damaged liver. My other dog needs dental treatment but she can't have it because the anesthesia could further harm her damaged liver.

This has been very expensive, time consuming and most important, it has caused great pain and damage to my dogs.

Rick of Newbury Park CA (10/12/07)
10 days ago I bought a 40 lb. bag of the Neutro Natural Choice dog food. I have been feeding this food to Hooper, my 3 1/2 year lab mix dog for the past 2 years and have been very happy with it. Hooper began to have loose stools about 5 or more days ago and began vomiting about once a day (that I noticed) about 3 or 4 days ago. He has been lethargic and off his food, only eating occasionally and then leaving much in the bowl - very unusual for him.

Suddenly this afternoon (10 days after purchase) he developed hives all over his body. I took him to the vet. The vet gave Hooper a couple of shots and prescriptions for Metron/flagyl and Diphenhydramine and orders to stop feeding the new bag of Neutro.

So far it's the physical indications I've described above and a $210 vet bill. My concern is for other dogs and not for any compensation for expenses.

Patty of Dayton OH (09/28/07)
My mother just recently switched her dry cat food to Nutro....her beloved cat is now dead at the young age of 9! The cat had no problems whatsoever before eating this product

Mary of Orlando FL (09/19/07)
I have not contacted the company as of yet but here is info to date. I purchased a 40# bag of this Nutro Natural Choice for Large Breed Adults at a Petco on July 29th and a week later began mixing it with the Science Diet Oral Care I had been feeding my almost 3 year old labradoodle. We began feeding her 100% of the Nuro Natural Choice about 2 weeks ago. She had only been on it 100% a few days when we put her in a doggy day care for 5 nights while we were doing some remodeling. We prebagged her food as we usually do for them to feed her.

When we picked her up on day 6, her report showed she had been throwing up bile some for a couple of days and not eating well. That night we brought her home she ate very little of her dinner and I counldn't entice her to eat more. That night about midnight we woke to hear her throwing up bile. The next morning she wouldn't eat at all. This is highly unusual for her as she is typically not a picky eater at all.

I remembered the nightmare of the recent past in the dog food arena and did a little research online and learned of the recent issues with Nutro products so I immediately call our vet and took her in. The vet did blood work and an urinalysis. Thsi morning he called and said the bloodwork results looked normal however the urinalysis showed the beginnings of a bladder infection.

I feel strongly this is related to her food intake of the nureo Natural Choice product. I have the balance of this food and I underatand there are places it can be sent for testing but that it costs $200 or more. I feel confident that something in this poduct has made our labradoodle sick.

Mary of Orlando FL (09/17/07)
I purchased Nutro Natural Choice for Large Breed Dogs on 7/29/07 and have been gradually changing my labradoodles food over to it and now she is throwing up bile and not wanting to eat.

John of Hanover MA (07/18/07)
I contacted Nutro on 3/29/07 and was given claim # 7532. Our 5 year old terrier became deathly ill in late January. After $3,000 in vet bills we still did not have a answer as to what happened. I later learned that the dog food we were feeding the dog from Nutro was causing deaths in pets. I contact Nutro and explained my issue. They told me it was not the dry, but to send in a sample, which I did.

May 17, 2007, I receive a letter from Hartford Insurance stating our investigation has dtermined that our insured (Nutro) is not responsible. This dog was perfectly healthy with a clean bill of health about 1 month before eating the tainted dog food.

We were hours from putting the dog down, and the Vet asked us to hold out for 1 more day and we did. The dog slowly began eating table f