Desperation is thy name!! Dry food in the UK

chupi

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Hello all,

Since Nutro has discontinued in the UK, I'm looking for a high quality replacement for Nutro Complete Care Adult. The usual suspects are Iams, Royal Canin, Hills, Purina, and Eukanaba (sp). How do these stack up and are there any others available (online would be easiest) that are as good as Nutro?
 
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chupi

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Thanks - I think of the lot, Eukanaba looks the best too.

But Ive also found the following available in the UK which a lot of people here seem to use:
Eagle Pack
James Wellbeloved
Orijen

I've had a look at the ingredient list, but am not really sure what you look at to determine which is the best..any tips?

Orijen:
FRESH REGIONAL INGREDIENTS
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs,deboned turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.

Orijen Cat Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein 45.00%; Fat 20.00%; Crude Fiber 2.00%; Moisture 10.00%; Calcium 1.60%; Phosphorus 1.30%; Carbohydrate 15.00%

Eagle Pack
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Chicken, Lamb, Oatmeal, Menhaden Oil, Flaxseed, Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Dried Whole Egg, Tomato Pumice, Brewers Dried Yeast, Chicken Liver Meal, Salmon Meal, Air Dried Peas, Ground Carrot Cubes, Cheese Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Quinoa, Blueberries, Dried Whole Apple, Sweet Potato, Amaranth, Dehydrated Kelp, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Dandelion, Cranberry Powder, Chicory Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D3), Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, dl-Methionine, Inositol, Polysaccharide Complexes (sequestered) Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Calcium Iodate, Taurine, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Carbonate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Solubles, B. Subtillus Fermentation Solubles, Enterococcus Faecium and Lactobacillus Acidophilus.

Guaranteed Analysis

CrudeProtein (min.)\t32.00 %\t Fat (min.)\t20.00 %
Fiber (max.)\t 3.70 %\tMoisture (Max)\t10.00 %
Calcium (Min.)\t 1.10 %\tPhosphorus (Min.)\t 0.80%
Vitamin A (Min.)\t22,000 IU/kg\tVitamin E (min)\t 165 IU/kg.
Omega 6 (Min.)\t 3.02 %\tOmega 3 (Min)\t 0.61%

James Wellbeloved
ngredients: White rice (min 26%), turkey meat meal (min 26%), turkey fat, prairie meal, potato protein (min 9%), poultry gravy, tomato, omega-3 oil supplement (min 0.5%), chicory extract, carrot, cranberry extract (min 0.05%), DL methionine, lysine hydrochloride, taurine, threonine, zinc methionate, yucca extract, rosemary oil.

Typical analysis: Protein 31%, oil 18%, ash 7%, fibre 1.8%.

Eukanuba
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Corn Grits, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Sodium Bisulfate, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Brewers Dried Yeast, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitami


Sorry for the long post - Can anyone help me with these pleeeaase?
 

epona

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James Wellbeloved is a good food, and probably the premium dry food most readily available (it's also great if you have cats with allergies or food sensitivities as they stick to just 1 of the less common meat protein sources per flavour and avoid the more common allergens). I've used that in the past, and Royal Canin Fit 32 which the boys really enjoy.

You can usually get free samples of JWB by filling in a form on their website http://www.wellbeloved.com/ but they seem to have suspended it at the moment, it may be worth looking again in a week or so if you wanted to give some a try.
 

jcat

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I'm not familiar with James Wellbeloved, but you can get Orijen and Eagle Pack here: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food
I'd also recommend Timberwolf Serengeti and Solid Gold as replacements.

ETA: You could also try a Google search for suppliers of Natural Balance, Felidae, or Canavit (the European version of California Natural). Some people have replaced Nutro with Arden Grange.
 

jaffacake

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I can still get Nutro near me. I bought a small packet for Kitty last week for him to try and he really likes it


He has James Wellbeloved otherwise. The chicken Senior/light goes down well. He`s not so keen on the Ocean fish variety.

Also Royal Canin do a large dry range and they are a good brand
 

sol

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I like both Eukanuba and Orijen due to the high meat content. Hoever I tend to back away from foods that contain "a million ingredients". I like it as simple as possible. A lot of meat, high in protein (without the food being stuffed with vegetable proteins), quite high in fat and as low as possible in carbs are what I look for.

James Wellbeloved is very "clean" and simple. Usually very successful in cats with GI problems, but the meat content isn't very impressive. Because it's hypoallergenic I generally dislike the idea of it becoming a common commersial food since the whole point of it being hypoallergenic are the unique protein sources. Protein sources that won't be so unique if everyone start feeding it to their cats.
 

mama of bronte

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are you sure nutro is being discontinued? i know from work (assistant manager of a petstore) that they have been having trouble getting some of their ingredients, manufacturers issues... and are working on getting more of their items back on shelves...
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Mama of Bronte

are you sure nutro is being discontinued? i know from work (assistant manager of a petstore) that they have been having trouble getting some of their ingredients, manufacturers issues... and are working on getting more of their items back on shelves...
UK = United Kingdom ... OP is in Europe ....
 

epona

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Originally Posted by Mama of Bronte

are you sure nutro is being discontinued? i know from work (assistant manager of a petstore) that they have been having trouble getting some of their ingredients, manufacturers issues... and are working on getting more of their items back on shelves...
I've never found Nutro to be widely available here in the UK, I can order it online from distributors that import foods but I've never seen it on shelves anywhere, it's just not that widely distributed here, and in some places not at all.
 
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chupi

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thanks all, for the input. I think Orijen looks to be a good bet for us, but since it has such a high protein content (we are switching over from Nutro at 32% to Orijen at 45%) is there any chance the cats will get...'backed up'? lol...or will they adjust to it easily?
 
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chupi

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Originally Posted by Epona

I've never found Nutro to be widely available here in the UK, I can order it online from distributors that import foods but I've never seen it on shelves anywhere, it's just not that widely distributed here, and in some places not at all.
I've always ordered it online, but it doesnt seem to be available anywhere now, and even the nearest shop stockists have run out of all sizes...so its bye bye Nutro, at least for now..


Still, Orijen looks good, and hopefully the cats will enjoy a change in their diet
 

epona

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Yeah looks like they're having distribution problems here, this is what zooplus says...

Across Europe, there are currently problems with the importation of Nutro cat food from the USA which has resulted in availability problems. We're working hard on a solution in order to offer you the complete range of Nutro products again. Thank you for your understanding and patience. As an alternative, we recommend: Orjen, Solid Gold, or Happy Cat.

I think Orijen is one of the best drys out there but a bit too pricey for my pocket!
 

jaffacake

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I went to the pet department this afternoon and bought up a few packs as Kitty likes it and it seems a good brand.

I`m wondering what you guys pay for a 300g pack?
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by Jaffacake

I went to the pet department this afternoon and bought up a few packs as Kitty likes it and it seems a good brand.

I`m wondering what you guys pay for a 300g pack?
These are the current euro prices for Orijen:
- 400 g 4,99 (1,25 / 100g)

- 2,5 kg 22,99 (9,20 / kg)

- 7 kg 46,99 (6,71 / kg)
 

mama of bronte

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Originally Posted by sharky

UK = United Kingdom ... OP is in Europe ....
I understand that... what i was suggesting is that since they are having trouble with their distribution/packaging/and obtaining an ingredient, the food might not actually be discontinued, they may just be having trouble getting it to the shelves... as they have had almost everywhere else for the last little bit... the timing on their being able to get it out there may be different than i have been told... but in general... they have been having a rough time getting their food to the shelves
 
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chupi

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Thought I'd give a quick update - we've been giving the cats Orijen for the past few days, and they really love it! (touch wood).

They seem to be eating less of their wet food though for some reason, not sure if this is because they are getting more of their requirements from their dry food intake??

Anyway, good stuff, and I love the size of the triangle kibble, since it means that my greedier cat Sultan can't wolf the stuff down without chewing only to throw up shortly after!
 

wendyr

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They seem to be eating less of their wet food though for some reason, not sure if this is because they are getting more of their requirements from their dry food intake??
We recently changed our dry food - stocking issues here in Ireland with the brand we were using so had to do a big order from zooplus - and I noticed the same. They love their new dry and so for the first few days, i think they were filling up on that. When it came time to dinner, they would eat less of their wet. However, after a week, things have returned to normal. I think they have started self-regulating again. Maybe your kittens are the same?
 
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