Any opinions on Nutro Max for weight control

I need opinions on Nutro Max weight control. I was in Petco yesterday and was all set to buy Nutro Natural for weight management, but all they had was tuna flavor. I then picked up Blue for weight mgmt. There was a Nutro rep in the store and he convinced me to try the Nutro Max. I talked to him about the corn gluten in it and he said its a protein choice. Unfortunately I let him talk me into it. I had originally decided on Nutrol Nat. cuz it didn't have any gluten. My fatty is 18# and prefers dry food. I need to get her down to a reasonable weight. She free feeds and does not exercise. Too fat. My other baby is 8# and is very active. My vet said Juno (fatty) is a little overweight. She's got that wrong, a lot overweight. Back to the Nutro Max. I get it home and am reading the back for feeding instructions, and see the expiration date was 5/09. Imaging, a Nutro rep selling outdated food. This is going back to the store tonight and I'm going to try Petsmart for the Nutro Nat. Weight Mgmt. I am interested to know if any of you use the Nutro Max. It was priced right and on sale.

There is a Nutro rep that hangs out in our PetSmart and talks to anyone looking at pet food about using their brand.

I personally don't like corn as a protien source. In some situations, yes, but not what I choose right now.

What I did with one of my dry food addicts that was overweight was to add Chicken Soup brand (light or hairball/senior formula) to his regular dry food. It really helped gradually take some pounds off and Chicken Soup is a decent food. All my cats really liked it.

You can find it at some of the feed and seed stores or smaller pet supply stores.

http://www.chickensoupforthepetlover...cats/dry_food/

Sorry, I have not used the Nutro brand. Just sharing what helped my chubby boy that loves his dry food.

Light food is not good for weight management as it has too many carbs. Smaller portions of regular food would be a better choice, and introduction of wet food into the diet.

Also, Nutro recently had a recall: http://www.nutroproducts.com/press-r...ss-recall.html

I worked with my vet regarding a good amount to feed my overweight boy - and he's lost weight on both Nutro Max (the old hairball formula) and the Natural Choice indoor adult formula. For my guy, we went with 1/2 cup dry, a bit of wet morning and night, and very controlled treats.

I think it's mostly a case of finding a food your cat likes (mine like Nutro and do well on it) and then working with, in a perfect world, your vet to come up with the right amount to feed for a slow, healthy weight loss (plus, try to get your cat to be a bit more active if you can - I toss his treats down the hallway and he'll dash for them now!)

If Zinc was too high is these batches, it has not been proven that it is not too high in other batches as well. Please have the food tested before you feed it to your pets.

NUTRO Recall Threads

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=197495


http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=197581

The NM WC has not been a part of the recall. I had to switch to it when the NM I do use got recalled. My cats are not big fans, but thats good because they eat less of it. THey LOVED the regular kind. They are a bit tubby too. My vet wants them to lose a few. I do feed them wet as a main food source, so I don't know how the WC will work with your cat as a main food.

The point I was trying to make is that just because a product is not recalled, does not mean that the supplement supplier did not make a mistake in other batches as well.

Testing of any commercial food yourself is only way to be sure what is in the food. One must never forget that a company's profit is their main concern in today's economy. Cheaper ingredients means a higher profit for the company.

<One must never forget that a company's profit is their main concern in today's economy. Cheaper ingredients means a higher profit for the company.>

Conversely, a company that initiates a voluntary recall may actually be trying to do the right thing, and certainly is taking a hit to their bottom line.....also, just looking around the condo and wondering how I would test my catsup, my chicken, my cat food, my water......and wondering which labs have never had an error in their company lives?

I have to wonder why the errors were not caught by their QC department product testing BEFORE it reached the store shelves if they had been doing all of the testing that they claim to be doing on their website? Why was the error only discovered in a PAPER audit and not in their product testing?

Of course, we could also wonder which other companies are using that supplement source vendor - and how their in-house testing is coming along. I mean, how many supplement houses are there serving the pet food industry - do we think each manufacturer, especially the smaller houses, maintain their own source?

Or, look at Natural Balance and their mold situation - I suspect that if they get enough information, they'll be able to pin the process errors, but they're going to need the data. I kind of don't think any company in the real world can sample each and every can, bag, bottle or whatever they produce before it hits the truck, let alone guarantee storage quality - you can really only effectively audit processes. In Nutro's case, it sounds like most lots were completely up to spec. What's interesting to me is that based on the paper audit, and without any substantiated reports of illlness, that they did initiate a voluntary recall.

That said, I suspect even the most dedicated raw feeders cannot totally test every particle of food they feed - and, you still have to depend on the testing organizations and their reliability.

IMHO, I dislike wt control formulas as they often are HIGHER in carbs and LOWER in fat and protein ..Or they reduce the fat to a very low % .. Some Indoors are a reasonable option , usually same protein less fat and not significantly more carbs and often some good fat metabolizes.... On the other hand and a totally different school of thought is try a HIGH protein and fat formula ( kitten or no grains often are ) , I subscribe more to this thought

"Of course, we could also wonder which other companies are using that supplement source vendor - and how their in-house testing is coming along."

There is no need to wonder, by doing your own research - calling, emailing - other companies, you CAN find out such information.

Your research will develop into 3 main groups.
1. Those who will name their supplier
2. Those who refuse
3. Those who use the same one Nutro does.

OK folks, can we get back to the original subject of this thread. If you want to open a thread in IMO regarding the pros and cons of testing, make it into a separate thread. The OP here isn't looking for that information specifically.

Thanks.

I agree!

I admit that I don't know anything about that food in particular, but I'm struggling with the same situation. I have 2 fat cats - one at 18 lbs and the other at 17 lbs. I had them on weight loss dry food for years and while it did slow their weight gain, it kept creeping up. I think the only reason they don't weigh 20-25 lbs is because I didn't free feed them and only put out food 3 times per day. My first strategy to get them to lose weight was to put them a high quality, high protein, low carb wet food 1 time per day. That didn't work, so I went to 2x per day and finally 100% wet food. In a month and a half on that diet, my 2 fatties lost almost nothing, while my 2 thinner kitties actually started losing weight.

What I've learned from my experience is this: fat cats are generally fat because they don't limit the amount they eat. If you let them, they'll stuff themselves like it's Thanksgiving dinner at every meal. As soon as I started implementing portion controls and being really strict about the amount I feed my fatties each day, their weights started going down. Most likely, you're going to have control their portions. If you do that, they'll lose weight on any halfway decent food, so I recommend that you feed them the highest quality (high meat-based protein, low carbs) food you can and then find an amount that helps your kitty begin to lose weight.

When I had my boy on the Nutro Max Cat hairball formula, one of the things the vet thought was interesting was that it was a tad higher in fiber and she thought some cats, like people, are happier when their tummy feels full (i.e., higher fiber). But, as he lost weight, we both agreed the portion control was probably the key to the weight loss - also, once he realized there would always be food available at regular times, he stopped scarfing it down immediately (he had been a stray, so I think he was overly anxious re food when I got him). I've got to admit I would never have done only 1/2 cup of dry food for him, without vet consultation - it just looked too little!

You know, my vet is really good about bringing overweight cats in for weighing whenever you want, for free - prevening pet obesity is a big deal for their practice.

Of course, the other day both of them were on short rations - Dharma due to a dental cleaning which required fasting before and after. Poor old Dante attacked the food closet around 2:00 in the morning, because he was truly hungry (yes, I had fed him while she was at the vet's, but he missed his midnight snack).

Thanks all for your replies. It makes my head swim just to think of all the research is needed to make sure your babies are getting the right food. Like Darlili's thinking, my fatty was a feral and she will eat anything. I think she still is afraid of not having food. Also Grogs has a good point about portion control. I've been feeding FF (this is the only kind they like, it must be sliced and have gravy) both morning and evening, and free feeding dry daily. This is for both of my kitties. They share. I have noticed that the evening feeding of wet food just sits there. This tells me they are filling up on dry during the day too much. I have switched to regular Nutro and am going to cut down on the amount I give them. I have been using one of thos automatic feeders instead of their bowl and I think that allows them to eat too much. Back to the bowl and measuring. She also drinks a lot of water, a concern. I'm going to have the vet do blood work for sugar. I'm praying she is not diabetic. As I type this fatty is sleeping by me, her favorite pasttime. I really want her healthy and will do whatever it takes to get her there.