feed Nutro?

Thanks for your inquiry about taurine and cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Taurine is essential for a healthy heart and Nutro is on the forefront
of current taurine research.

The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA)
recently published the results of a UC Davis study begun in 1997 and
completed in 2001 that was based on a twelve-dog sample over a
four-year period. The study theorized that feeding certain diets may
lead to low blood concentrations of taurine, which may in turn lead to
DCM in some small number of dogs. Because the UC Davis study involved
some Nutro products, mainly due to our enormous market share in the UC
Davis marketplace, the article may convey the impression to a casual
reader that feeding Nutro's lamb meal and rice products leads to
taurine deficiency. This was not stated in the article and is simply
not true. The UC Davis team has subsequently stated that " this is a
genetic and environmental issue and we need to do more research on the
effect of diet."

The report did correctly state that one of the manufacturers of the
pet foods sited had subsequently added taurine to its product. That
manufacturer was Nutro. Nutro's nutritionists, along with UC Davis,
have conducted intensive research over the past several years on
taurine metabolism in dogs. As a result, Nutro has determined the
optimal amounts of dietary taurine necessary to produce blood and
plasma taurine concentrations well within the levels recommended by UC
Davis. Nutro's foods contain more than this amount.

The article printed in JAVMA is old news. Beginning in 2001, and
continuing today, all of Nutro's Natural Choice products have been
enriched with added, extra taurine to provide insurance to even the
very small number of dogs that may be predisposed to DCM (less than
0.5%). As you can see by the enclosed chart, Natural Choice Lamb Meal
& Rice contains more taurine than other competitive brands. In fact,
as much as 180% more.

Nutro is committed to using the best ingredients to make the best pet
foods. Our products are formulated based on the latest research and
scientific findings regarding dog and cat nutrition. We continually
enhance our foods to insure the health and well being of our
consumers' pets. When we say Natural Choice is THE BEST DOG FOOD IN
THE WORLD we mean it. And you can be absolutely confident that by
feeding Nutro's pet foods you are providing the very best nutrition
available today for your loving pet.

If you have additional questions or desire additional information
please feel free to contact us at 1-800-833-5330 or at
www.nutroproducts.com. Thank you again for your inquiry