Nutra-Nuggets is an international pet food brand manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. The Diamond brand also manufactures common dog foods such as Taste of the Wild and Kirkland Signature.
Whether you’re a dog owner or a cat owner, Nutra-Nuggets almost definitely makes a food tailored for your pet. They have a wide range of formulas, including grain-free options.
Varieties Available
Unfortunately, if you want to buy Nutra-Nuggets dog food at Costco, you will have to visit a Costco Warehouse location in person. Costco.com currently does not sell Nutra-Nuggets products online.
However, if you shop through Costco Business Delivery, you can order Nutra-Nuggets dog food on CostcoBusinessDelivery.com here and here. Pricing is unfortunately not available at this time.
Because Nutra-Nuggets is not available on Costco.com or at my local Costco Warehouse, I unfortunately was unable to track down the current retail price of Nutra-Nuggets at Costco.
To find Nutra-Nuggets at your local Costco, simply visit the dog food aisle, usually located toward the right side of the store toward the back.
Ingredients & Nutrition
Below, we will go over the basic formulas and ingredients for the two Nutra-Nuggets dog food formulas sold at Costco.
It’s important to keep in mind that Nutra-Nuggets does not have the best reputation for being a highly nutritious dog food brand. As you will see below, both of these formulas include many filler ingredients that will raise some alarms for conscious pet owners.
Nutra-Nuggets Beef & Rice Formula
The Nutra-Nuggets Beef & Rice Formula is made with the following ingredients…
Beef, beef meal, rice bran, wheat flour, whole grain ground corn, ground white rice, dried beet pulp, dried yeast, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavor, fish meal, flaxseed, salt, potassium chloride, DL-Methionine, choline chloride, taurine, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, Vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, ascorbic acid, Vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, Vitamin D3 supplement, and folic acid
As you can see, this food is made primarily with beef and beef meal, which is good. However, the first five ingredients include both wheat flour and whole grain ground corn, which are not typically considered super healthy for dogs.
Nutra-Nuggets Lamb Meal & Rice Formula
This formula is made with the following ingredients…
Lamb meal, peas, ground white rice, rice bran, wheat flour, dried yeast, egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried beet pulp, natural flavor, flaxseed, salt, potassium chloride, DL-Methionine, choline chloride, taurine, glucosamine hydrochloride, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, Vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, Vitamin D3 supplement, and folic acid
As with the previous formula, this one also contains wheat flour as one of its main ingredients. It also contains white rice and rice bran as its third and fourth primary ingredients, which are essentially just starchy sugars. Overall, this dog food contains more fillers than meaningful nutrition.
Recall History and Customer Reviews
Unfortunately, there is conflicting information online regarding the recall history of Nutra-Nuggets dog food. According to DogFoodAdvisor.com, there are currently no known recalls associated with Nutra-Nuggets dog food.
However, this report from All About Feed states that one of the Nutra-Nuggets dog food formulas was recalled in 2007 due to the presence of melamine, a type of plastic. This recall affected the Lamb Meal & Rice formula. However, it’s important to note that this recall happened about 16 years ago and no animal deaths were reported by pet owners. The accuracy of this recall information was backed up by another report from PetFoodReviewer.com.
Unfortunately, we were unable to find any customer reviews for Nutra-Nuggets dog food products online, which seems a bit odd. That said, the brand has been given 5 stars by Dog Food Advisor and 4 stars by Hepper.
However, Nutra-Nuggets cat foods don’t have the best reputation.
Some commenters on CatForum.com weighed in…
Overall, it’s not actually clear why Nutra-Nuggets has been given such high reviews by Dog Food Advisor and Hepper. Both sites do disclose that they hold partnerships with certain dog food producers, so it’s possible that they have given Nutra-Nuggets a favorable review despite the products not actually being great quality.
As an animal lover concerned with pets having access to meaningful nutrition, I cannot say that I would feed Nutra-Nuggets to my dog or cat.
FAQs
Is Nutra-Nuggets a good brand?
This is difficult to say. Based on my personal assessment of their ingredients and the overall lack of input or enthusiasm from customers, I can’t personally say that I would feed this food to my animals. However, DogFoodAdvisor.com gives Nutra-Nuggets five stars, naming their Puppy Formula, Performance Formula, and Professional Formula as the three best options. However, it’s worth noting that Nutra-Nuggets includes several controversial ingredients in their recipes, including corn, wheat pulp, and sodium selenite.
Is Nutra Nuggets good for cats?
Unfortunately not. The fillers found in Nutra Nuggets food (such as corn and wheat) don’t provide any meaningful nutrition to cats, who are carnivorous.
Are Nutra-Nuggets grain-free?
Not all Nutra Nuggets formulas are grain free, but some are.
Should you vary your dog food?
Yes. Dog experts recommend rotating your dog’s food about once every three months. This helps them access the most nutrition in each food possible and can also help you identify potential food allergens or irritants.
