NutriSource Puppy Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Review Summary

NutriSource is a dog and puppy food brand that has existed since 1964. However, the story of this brand started much earlier, in 1947, when its founder, Darell Nelson, also known as Tuffy, started the first food branch called Tuffy’s Pet Foods. NutriSource is a part of a larger family brand—KLN Family Brands, which also includes PureVita, Supreme, Tuffy’s Gold, and Premium Tuffy’s.

Nowadays, NutriSource is produced in the USA, precisely inPerham, Minnesota. The brand is widespread, so you can purchase it in various locations, and many users praise their puppy food. Because of that, we want to review the brand, provide you with more details about it, and list all the pros and cons.

Hopefully, after reading our verdict, you’ll be able to determine if this is the right food option for your puppy.

At a Glance: The Best NutriSource Puppy Food Recipes

NutriSource Puppy Food Reviewed

If you’d like to know more about NutriSource puppy food, you came to the right place. Below, we’ll provide a detailed explanation about the puppy food and the types of puppies it’s best suited for, and we’ll discuss the primary ingredients of their puppy food recipes.

Who makes NutriSource and where is it produced?

NutriSource is a part of a larger brand called KLN Family Brands, which has been around since 1947. The actual NutriSource brand was founded in 1964, and nowadays, it’s produced in the United States. The primary production is located in Perham, Minnesota. The brand’s founder was Darrel Nelson, and what makes NutriSource stand out is that it’s a family business where families work side by side to create excellent pet food.

Besides puppy food, they also create food for adult dogs and other pets. They also have multiple programs where they give back to the community. Per their words, they strive to provide high-quality pet foods and they promise a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Which type of puppy is NutriSource best suited for?

Puppies need more protein, fat, and minerals than adult dogs, so you should feed them high-quality foods that will give them the nutrients they need for development. NutriSource food contains everything puppies need to grow healthy and strong, so all types of puppies can eat it.

As they have various puppy recipes, there’s a recipe for everyone’s needs and wishes. There are even grain-free recipes for more sensitive pups.

Which type of puppy might do better with a different brand?

NutriSource is an excellent option for all puppies. However, if your puppy has specific medical conditions, it might be better to choose another brand with food specially made for those issues.

That’s why puppies with sensitive stomachs and health issues should have a more balanced diet and could benefit from brands such as Hill’s Science and their popular puppy recipes like Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Puppy, Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe or Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Puppy, Small Bites, Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

To give you a better overview of NutriSource puppy food, we want to look into one of their most popular puppy recipes and its ingredients. The NutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food is among their best-selling products for puppies, and we’ll discuss all the primary ingredients inside the recipe.

Pet food ingredients are listed so that the first ingredient is the highest in concentration while the last one is the lowest, which is why we’ll discuss the top five ingredients of this formula.

Chicken meal

Chicken meal is the first ingredient which is not bad as it’s much better to have animal-based ingredients at the top of the list. Chicken meal is rendered chicken, typically made of chicken skin and flesh without the bone. It’s basically leftover chicken used in human food, so it has good quality while being an affordable animal-based protein source.

Chicken

Chicken is listed as the second ingredient which is something we appreciate as puppies need an animal source of protein in their diets. While there are manufacturers who select cheap replacements, every recipe that has real chicken among the main ingredients should be beneficial for your pup.

Brown rice

Most dog foods include either rice or brown rice among the main ingredients, which is great as they represent an excellent source of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are essential for your dog to be active and energetic, and what’s more critical, puppies can easily digest brown rice.

Chicken fat

Chicken fat is also among the main ingredients, which is a great way for your puppy to get enough fat in its diet. Another excellent thing about chicken fat is that it’s animal-based and easy to digest while also containing the fatty acids puppies need for their growth. It also enhances the flavor of food, making it taste better for your pup.

Menhaden Fish Meal

Menhaden fish meal is the fifth ingredient on the list, and it is another ingredient we approve of in puppy food. It’s one of the primary sources of fish oil inside pet food and a fantastic protein source.

Various Available Options

One of the best things about NutriSource and their puppy food is that they provide a lot of different options. There are formulas with various flavors, while they also offer grain-free foods. Every puppy owner should be able to find something their puppy will like.

Great Nutritional Value

NutriSource puppy recipes provide great nutritional value, which your dog needs in such an early stage of its life. Most formulas designed for puppies contain over 20% protein and over 20% fat. They also have enough calcium, fiber, phosphorus, other minerals, and fatty acids.

Quality Ingredients

NutriSource tries to avoid cheap fillers; instead, they use healthier, more natural ingredients. They use a wide range of animal-based products like chicken, beef, and turkey, which are filled with protein while being affordable. On their ingredient list, you can also notice some unusual protein sources, like bison and wild boar, which are less likely to cause allergies.

Some Ingredients Might Need Improvement

While the majority of ingredients are excellent and carefully picked out, there are certain things inside the puppy recipes that might raise a slight concern.

They are common in puppy and dog food because they are affordable and have a higher nutritive value than other plant-based ingredients. However, in recent years, there have been concerns that these ingredients can lead to heart disease¹.

Another downside is that NutriSource sometimes includes pea starch and pea flour, which are not the best additions to puppy recipes.

A Quick Look at NutriSource Puppy Food

Recall History

When it comes to recalls, NutriSource had only one recall for all the years they’ve been on the market, which proves their reliability. Accidents can happen for everyone, as did NutriSource back in 2021 with a recall of their Pure Vita Salmon Entrée Dog Food.

The food had elevated vitamin D levels, which is why the recall happened. Besides that, there are no known recalls of the NutriSource pet food brand.

Reviews of the 3 Best NutriSource Puppy Food Recipes

1. NutriSource Grain Free Small & Medium Puppy Turkey

The NutriSource Grain Free Turkey Small Medium Puppy is one of their grain-free formulas that is excellent for puppies. The main ingredient is turkey which represents a fantastic source of proteins puppies need to grow.

The recipe also contains essential vitamins and minerals and most puppies love its taste. However, the only downside is the higher price, although it’s better to spend more to provide your puppy with all nutrients it needs.

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2. NutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice

The NutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food is an excellent choice for small and medium-breed puppies. This recipe contains high levels of protein and fat your puppy needs to grow. The kibbles are small, making them easy to chew.

Chicken is the primary protein source of this formula, and other ingredients add essential fatty acids that support your puppy’s coat and skin.

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3. NutriSource Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice

The NutriSource Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food is another healthy puppy food recipe. It’s quite similar to the NutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, although the kibbles are larger and there are slight differences in the ingredients.

However, the main ingredients stay the same, so the main source of protein is chicken, while the recipe also includes chicken meal, chicken fat, and brown rice. The formula also includes minerals and vitamins needed for proper growth and development. The only downside to this recipe is that it contains peas, and we’d prefer to see a healthier ingredient on the label.

What Other Users Are Saying

We spent a lot of time with NutriSource, so we have already developed an opinion about their puppy food. However, we know that our opinion is not the most important one out there and that you’d probably like to get more details and thoughts from different sources.

Because of that, and with the effort to provide you with as many details as possible, we searched through various reviews to see what others think of NutriSource puppy food.

As pet owners, we always double-check Amazon buyers’ reviews before buying something. Follow this link to read more reviews about NutriSource Grain Free (Turkey) Small Medium Puppy.

You can also see what people think about NutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food by clicking here.

Most users who had a hands-on experience with NutriSource puppy food had only good things to say, and one of the users stated  – “Can’t say enough about how wonderful this food is! My Airedale Terrier is 10 months old, and since we got him, he has had gut issues and is an extremely picky eater. Ever since I purchased Nutrisource PUPPY food recommended by an employee, it has been a godsend.”

Conclusion

NutriSource has been around for ages and by the looks of it, they are here to stay. That’s excellent news as their puppy food is truly outstanding, especially compared to other brands on the market. If you’re looking for high-quality food for your puppy, we suggest trying one of the available NutriSource recipes. They use animal-based protein without cheap fillers, and in our opinion, what they provide is well worth the higher price.