Nutro Limited Ingredient Wet DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 4.7/10, Nutro’s Wet Limited Ingredients dog food is considered a high risk dog food. There are 3 recipes that average 32% protein and 31% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. 

The carbohydrate content in these recipes is higher than expected for a line of wet dog food. These are grain-free foods but they have several potato-based ingredients that contribute to the high carbohydrate level. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate, but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of lower food quality as it can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. 

The protein level is considerably lower than expected in a wet dog food. This line uses plant protein in each recipe which is a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.

Similar to the Dry Limited Ingredients line, these recipes have a few whole foods in the top ingredients followed by an extensive list of synthetic vitamins and minerals needed to fulfill the nutrient needs of these recipes. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from added vitamin premixes, so it’s preferable that most or all vitamins and minerals come from real foods.  

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral. 

These recipes also contain sunflower oil, which is highly processed and inflammatory seed oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils. One recipe has unnamed animal protein. Unnamed animal ingredients are often less expensive ingredients as any type of fish or animal can be used or they can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.

On the ingredient safety side, these are canned foods so they are highly processed and lose points across the line. The individual ingredients in canned dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

These recipes use ingredients known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues in the top 5 ingredients. Crops that are spray-dried with Roundup, results in more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.  

On a positive note, Nutro states that it doesn’t use GMO ingredients and undergoes third party testing on an ongoing basis. 

These recipes include carrageenan, which is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer. It may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects. 

The following concerns don’t cost points but should be noted. 

There is ingredient splitting in some recipes. That’s the practice of splitting ingredients into subcategories to make them appear lower on the list. This can also move more desirable animal protein ingredients higher. 

The recipes don’t specify whether the fish used is from farmed or wild caught fish. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. 

Lastly, Nutro doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.