Another kibble brand for our dog’s dry food rotation – Nutram!
Donna can spell! LOL!!
It’s boring eating the same food all the time. Here at weliveinaflat, we believe in switching things up by rotating brands and rotating proteins! We saw an increase in Canadian dog food brands in the market in 2017. So I’m happy to check out a new dry food brand that launched early 2018. Let’s take a look at Nutram’s Total Grain-free food! This food has a 5 star rating on Dog Food Advisor.
Disclosure: Nutram products shared in this post kindly provided by Polygen Asia for Donna to try. They’ve also recently brought in freeze-dried and dehydrated PURE Pet Food from the UK. You can find out more from their Facebook or Instagram.
Nutram’s total grain-free food is suitable for all stages, which means it can be eaten by dogs of any age. One thing that differentiates Nutram grain-free dry food from some other brands is, Nutram also has food specifically for small and toy dogs in the same grain-free food range. See the full range here.
Nutram Total Grain-Free Dry Food for Dogs – Above Average Protein BUT Without the Usual High Calorie Count!
For the purpose of this review, I received the Trout and Salmon Meal Recipe, Lamb and Lentils Recipe and also the Chicken and Turkey recipe.
When reviewing the foods’ caloric and nutritional content, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Nutram food offers a range of 33%-40% protein (dry matter basis) while still keeping the calories at below 400 kcal per cup!
I say surprised because other well-regarded dog dry food brands that offer the same 30%-40% protein range usually have corresponding higher calories count at above 400 calories per cup. To put things into context, *performance dry food at 400 kcal per cup or more is recommended for active working dogs!
Now do you see the problem? Donna is a pet dog and not an active working dog. This means, it’s a lot easier for her to put on weight when eating some of the well-regarded brands that I may have bought for her .I used to feed Donna a brand that went as high as above 500 kcal a cup!! (Not anymore :P)
Nutram Total Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe. More about this food and the full ingredient list here.
Nutram Total Grain-Free Trout & Salmon Meal Recipe. More about this food and the full ingredient list here.
Nutram Total Grain-Free Lamb & Lentils Recipe. More about this food and the full ingredient list here.
Natural, Holistic recipes with Optimum Combinations of Ingredients
Each of the food I receive are suitable for dogs with specific protein allergies. The trout and salmon recipe is a fish-only recipe. The chicken and turkey recipe is a poultry-only recipe. And the lamb and lentils recipe also has no added poultry or fish protein. This makes it easy for pet parents to chose the protein your dog needs without worrying that the fish recipe contains poultry inside for example.
But at the same time, Nutram recipes can include a variety of ingredients with healthful benefits. According to Nutram, each recipe is enhanced with ‘a perfect pairing of ingredients that complement one another’s benefits… (and) work better together to support your pet’s total well-being.’
Examples of such pairing include the following:
Personally, I do like the variety these 19 optimum combinations give to Nutram’s ingredient lists. Since I do believe variety is important in any a well-balanced diet. From what I observe, each of the Nutram food Donna receives has 2 such pairing in each recipe. For example, her trout and salmon food has Optimum Combinations for Natural Detox and Immunity Boost.
Of course, this does not stop me from adding my own additions to Donna’s breakfast and dinner! ;)
Yogurt and salmon oil are some staples added to Donna’s dry food bowl. More about yogurt and probiotics for dog here.
Concluding Thoughts on Nutram Total Grain-Free Dry Food for Dogs
In general, Nutram appears to be a good quality dog dry food with protein levels comparable to other quality brands, BUT with less kcal per cup. That is a plus and definitely makes the food a brand I would consider to include when planning to include fish, poultry and lamb in Donna’s food rotation.
The variety in the ingredients list will certainly help to make her overall food rotation more interesting and varied. I think it helps to give an added boost to the existing nutrient profiles she enjoys from other brands.
It would be interesting to see if Nutram will launch other proteins in future in addition to fish, poultry and lamb. But right now the quality of food is good enough to add to an existing food rotation for me.
Donna seems to think so too ;)
nom nom nom
More about choosing Dog Dry Food!
Sources
* Dog kcal requirement information from Dog Food Logic.
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