Nurpo is an all-natural dog supplement from Nutri-Pet Research, Inc. in Farmingdale, NJ. It’s touted as being a "scientifically balanced formula that is high in protein, vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes, specially designed to condition your dog into First Class Health."

It is said to promote hair growth; control itchy, dry, flaky skin; repel fleas and ticks; build energy and blood; steady nerves for better disposition and alertness; help with fertility in females and potency in males; help arthritic conditions; combat allergies; improve appetite; burn fat; aid digestion and help relieve gas. Nupro is also said to be excellent for dogs of all ages and is recommended by veterinarians. Sounds like a miracle product - kind of like Snake Oil. (Maybe we humans should add it to our diet!)

But let me tell you, we tested Nupro at Good Dog!, and we can confirm at least some of the claims.

Does it improve appetite? Yes! We have a test dog by the name of Katie. During the test, Katie wouldn’t touch her food if it didn’t have Nupro mixed in! She became "addicted" to it and would wait for someone to put it into her food before eating a single morsel. Otherwise she would leave the food most of the day, until she had lost hope of the Nupro making its appearance. Katie, being slightly portly, is definitely not one to skip meals.

Chief Test Dog, Chops, also loved the flavor of Nupro, but quickly realized she had to eat to survive. So, while she wasn’t happy about the part of the test where we didn’t use Nupro, she would still eat.

It’s two weeks after the Nupro test, and Katie still doesn’t wade right in to her food. She’s still hoping someone will take pity on her and get the Nupro! (And, not to worry, we certainly wouldn’t let her starve!)

Is Nupro a "fat burner?" We didn’t detect any change in Katie’s weight or figure when she was on Nupro.

Does it control itchy, dry, flaky skin? Yes. Our test showed that any flakiness due to central heating…disappeared. Does it repel fleas and ticks? Our test was conducted too early in the season to tell.

How about whether it "builds energy and blood; steady nerves for better disposition and alertness; help with fertility in females and potency in males; help arthritic conditions?" We couldn’t think of a way to quantify those claims and test for them.

On the other hand, the claim that Nupro combats allergies appears to be true. When we began our test, our dogs were itchy. It was the beginning of spring and they showed signs of allergies to pollen. When we gave them Nupro with their meal (a high-quality food), the dogs stopped itching within a few days. It was quite remarkable.

The maker of Nupro says the product aids digestion and helps relieve gas. Our test dogs were having some gas problems before they were started on Nupro. The gas disappeared when the supplement was used, and reappeared when the dogs were taken off it.

Nupro is a powder that’s mixed with a bit of water to form a gravy that is then mixed in with the food, daily. Or, you can just sprinkle it on. The canister gives instructions via a quantity-by-weight chart.

To tell the truth, it really doesn’t mix very well - sort of like a thick paste that globs together at the bottom. But that doesn’t seem to matter to the dogs. Not as long as it’s somewhere in the bowl of food! And the smell is kind of like a cow hoof chew or liver - slightly less-than-pleasant to the human nose. But, again, the dogs love it.

Nupro provides a whole range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and essential fatty acids.

Normally we don’t recommend supplements. Depending on the product, they can mess up the carefully balanced nutrition of a dog food. But a good supplement, formulated by a nutritionist (as Nupro was), can be worth its weight in gold if your dog needs something more in his diet.

Whether it’s due to a long-term health problem, allergies, or stress, if you think your dog might need a supplement, try Nupro. It’s one supplement we can highly recommend. Our test dogs had beautiful, shiny coats. And, at the start of allergy season, there was no itching. Maybe it is a miracle powder!