Natural Balance has been providing dog food made with quality ingredients since 1989. The company claims that all its recipes are backed by research and contain wholesome ingredients, rigorously tested for safety, and formulated with input from a registered veterinary technician.
Natural Balance offers a diverse range of dog food options, including over 50 recipes featuring limited ingredient, grain-free, and freeze-dried varieties.
Wag! gives Natural Balance a positive rating, citing its wide selection of recipes and the overall quality of its ingredients. However, the brand’s mediocre protein content and the limited number of recipes designed for all life stages prevent it from receiving an even higher rating.
But is Natural Balance the right choice for your dog? Keep reading for our 2024 Natural Balance dog food review, covering product lines, recall history, and important considerations.
Natural Balance Dog Food Product Ranges and Flavors
Natural Balance currently offers 50 wet and dry dog food options. While Natural Balance dry food isn’t human-grade, most recipes list a meat meal among the top two ingredients. A high-quality, named meat source is typically the primary ingredient.
All Natural Balance food recipes meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines for all life stages or maintenance (adults).
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Dog Food
Available in both grain-free and grain-inclusive varieties, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient dry food comes in 22 different options. These recipes contain fewer ingredients and a single source of meat protein for easier digestion compared to standard dog foods.
Some recipes are formulated specifically for small and large breeds. A named quality meat source, such as duck or bison, and a meat meal are usually the top two ingredients in the Limited Ingredient recipes.
Natural Balance Lamb and Brown Rice Limited Ingredient Dog Food, offering a simplified recipe for dogs with sensitivities.
One unique option is the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Vegetarian Recipe, which lists brown rice, oat groats, and pearled barley as the main ingredients. This is a complete and balanced adult dog food that’s suitable for dogs with meat protein allergies.
Natural Balance also offers a Limited Ingredient Reserve line, featuring premium meat proteins like venison, duck, and bison.
The fat and protein levels in these recipes are generally average. For example, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Lamb & Brown Rice has a typical protein content (24.4% as dry matter) and fat content (13.3% as dry matter) compared to other dry dog foods.
Limited Ingredient dry dog food varieties:
- Lamb & Brown Rice
- Lamb & Brown Rice Puppy
- Lamb & Brown Rice Small Breed
- Lamb & Brown Rice Large Breed
- Beef & Brown Rice
- Beef & Brown Rice Small Breed
- Salmon & Brown Rice
- Salmon & Brown Rice Puppy
- Vegetarian
- Vegetarian Small Breed
- Chicken & Brown Rice
- Chicken & Brown Rice Puppy
- Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato
- Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Small Breed
- Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato
- Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Small Breed
- Reserve Grain Free Duck & Potato
- Reserve Grain Free Duck & Potato Puppy
- Reserve Grain Free Duck & Potato Small Breed
- Reserve Grain Free Sweet Potato & Bison
- Reserve Grain Free Potato & Venison
- Reserve Duck & Brown Rice
Like the dry food, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient wet foods contain a single meat source and fewer ingredients for easy digestion. A key benefit of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient wet food is its availability in broth, paté, and stew textures – ideal for picky eaters.
The Limited Ingredient wet food range also includes a vegetarian recipe with vegetable broth, potatoes, brown rice, and ground barley oats as the primary ingredients.
The Limited Ingredient Reserve sub-range features premium and novel meat proteins like venison and bison, making them a good choice for dogs with chicken, beef, or fish allergies.
These wet dog foods are fairly average compared to premium options. The Chicken & Sweet Potato recipe has an average protein content (25% as dry matter) and slightly above-average fat content (15.9% as dry matter) compared to standard canned dog food.
Limited Ingredient wet dog food varieties:
- Sweet Potato & Salmon
- Beef Stew
- Vegetarian
- Chicken & Sweet Potato
- Chicken Stew
- Whitefish, Brown Rice & Salmon
- Lamb & Brown Rice Paté
- Beef & Brown Rice
- Reserve Duck Stew
- Reserve Bison & Sweet Potato
- Reserve Duck & Brown Rice
- Reserve Duck & Potato
- Reserve Sweet Potato & Venison
Natural Balance Original Ultra Dog Food
Original Ultra is Natural Balance’s premium dog food line. The dry recipes are marketed as containing a blend of fiber and superfoods designed to meet your dog’s nutritional needs. Ingredients like blueberries, spinach, carrots, and fish oil offer benefits such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for improved coat and skin health.
Natural Balance Original Ultra Chicken and Barley Dog Food, formulated with a blend of fiber and superfoods.
There are three recipes, all featuring chicken as the only animal protein source. Both grain-inclusive and grain-free options are available.
Compared to the Limited Ingredient line, Natural Balance Original Ultra recipes offer slightly improved macros. Original Ultra Chicken & Barley contains near-average protein (26.6% as dry matter) and slightly above-average fat (15.5% as dry matter) compared to standard dog kibble.
Original Ultra dry dog food varieties:
- Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato
- Chicken & Barley
- All Life Stages Chicken & Barley Small Breed
Natural Balance Original Ultra wet foods are available in three paté varieties. This is Natural Balance’s premium wet food range, packed with vitamins and minerals to support muscle, joint, skin, and heart health.
Each recipe features a high-quality, named meat source as the primary ingredient. Brown rice, known for its fiber and B-vitamin content, is the primary grain in these recipes. Other nutritious ingredients include potatoes, carrots, and flaxseed.
All recipes meet AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages.
Original Ultra wet foods have good protein and fat percentages. Original Ultra Lamb Paté boasts above-average protein (36.3% as dry matter) and fat (22.2% as dry matter) compared to other wet dog foods.
Original Ultra wet dog food varieties:
- Beef Paté
- Lamb Paté
- Chicken Paté
Natural Balance Health Protection Salmon, Brown Rice & Pumpkin
Health Protection is Natural Balance’s newest dry dog food range. These recipes are designed to support six aspects of your dog’s health. For example, brown rice and pumpkin provide fiber to aid digestion, while flaxseed and chicken fat supply fatty acids to support the immune system.
The overall quality of these recipes is similar to other Natural Balance offerings, featuring an unprocessed cut of meat as the top ingredient, followed by meat meals. The main grains include brown rice, oatmeal, and whole grain sorghum.
The Chicken, Brown Rice & Pumpkin recipe contains 26.6% protein as dry matter and 13.3% fat, similar to Original Ultra Chicken & Barley.
Health Protection varieties:
- Salmon, Brown Rice & Pumpkin
- Lamb, Brown Rice & Pumpkin
- Chicken, Brown Rice & Pumpkin
- Chicken, Brown Rice & Pumpkin Small Breed
Natural Balance Fat Dogs Food
Fat Dogs is Natural Balance’s weight management line, featuring one dry and one wet recipe. The dry recipe is designed to keep overweight dogs feeling full for longer with high levels of fiber to aid digestion. However, it only contains meat meal and lacks a named, quality meat source.
Natural Balance Fat Dogs Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal & Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food, designed to help manage a dog’s weight.
The wet recipe contains targeted levels of L-carnitine, which is proven to aid in weight loss. This recipe lists chicken broth, chicken, whitefish, salmon, and carrots as the top ingredients.
The standout feature of the Fat Dogs recipes is their low fat and calorie content, making them a decent choice for dogs on a diet.
The Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal & Barley dry recipe has 8.3% fat as dry matter, while the Chicken & Salmon in Broth wet recipe has 12.5% fat as dry matter – both below average for dog food. The Chicken & Salmon in Broth contains only 282 calories per can, and the Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal & Barley contains 315 calories per cup.
Fat Dogs varieties:
- Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal & Barley (dry)
- Chicken & Salmon in Broth (wet)
Natural Balance Platefulls Dog Food
Natural Balance Platefulls come in three recipes cooked in bone broth to maximize flavor. These high-quality recipes feature a named meat source as the primary ingredient, followed by nutrient-rich produce like kale, pumpkin, green beans, and peas.
Platefulls stand out as one of Natural Balance’s best wet food options due to their limited number of primary ingredients, which include a variety of nutritious, natural produce.
The fat-to-protein ratios in Platefulls are superior to many of Natural Balance’s other wet foods. The Chicken & Rice recipe contains above-average protein (38.8% as dry matter) and fat (20.3% as dry matter) compared to standard wet cat food.
Platefulls varieties:
- Carrot, Potato, & Beef
- Duck & Pumpkin
- Chicken & Rice
Why Wag! Likes Natural Balance Dog Food
Here are some of the reasons why Wag! gives Natural Balance dog food 4 out of 5 paws!
- High-Quality Meat and Produce: While not human-grade, Natural Balance dog foods contain high-quality ingredients. Almost all recipes list a named quality meat source as the top ingredient and include nutritionally rich produce and quality grains like brown rice.
- Wide Recipe Variety: With 50 recipes, Natural Balance is a good option for dogs with allergies and sensitivities. The single meat protein recipes include beef, salmon, chicken, bison, duck, and venison. Natural Balance also offers a wide variety of grain-free dog foods for dogs with grain allergies and vegetarian recipes for dogs with meat protein allergies.
- Limited Ingredient Recipes: Natural Balance boasts an extensive range of over 30 limited ingredient recipes, ideal for dogs with sensitive stomachs and allergies. These recipes use a single meat source and only a handful of main ingredients to help prevent digestive upset.
- Generous Returns and Exchange Policy: Natural Balance offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, allowing for easy product exchanges from retailers. Customers needing help with returns or exchanges can contact Natural Balance’s customer care team via phone, webchat, or email from Monday to Friday.
Concerns & Considerations
Keep these points in mind when considering Natural Balance for your dog.
- Not Human-Grade: Although Natural Balance dog food contains human-grade meat, it cannot be considered human-grade due to ingredients like meat meal and hot extrusion processing. Some recipes also contain potentially controversial or low-quality ingredients such as carrageenan, potato protein, and brewers yeast.
- Concerns About Grain-Free Diets: In 2018, the FDA launched an investigation into reports linking grain-free diets to the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The investigation focused on dog foods listing potatoes and legumes as main ingredients.
Natural Balance was among the brands with DCM reports named by the FDA. While the investigation is ongoing, recent statements suggest it now includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive dog foods.
“For most dogs, these diets are just fine. They have real benefits for those with grain sensitivities, though this isn’t a very common food allergy. For some dogs, however, grain free diets could be damaging.”
— Dr. Linda Simon MVB MRCVS, veterinary surgeon and vet consultant with Wag!
While Natural Balance was one of 16 brands with over ten DCM reports, there is no conclusive evidence of a relationship between Natural Balance dog food and DCM. Consult your vet if you have any concerns about feeding your dog a grain-free diet.
- Lack of Recipes for All Life Stages: Only a small number of Natural Balance dog food recipes meet the AAFCO guidelines for all life stages. Most variations are intended for adults only, meaning they don’t meet the nutritional requirements for puppies or pregnant/lactating dogs.
While the AAFCO doesn’t provide nutrient profiles for senior dogs, you may want to switch your dog to a food higher in protein as they age. Consult your vet if you’re unsure whether Natural Balance is right for your pup.
What Pet Parents Say About Natural Balance Dog Food
“I have a miniature dachshund named Oscar Mayer, and I have been searching for the perfect food for a long time. He has a lot of allergies and chicken being the worst. I almost gave up trying to find a dog food containing no chicken. Then I discovered this brand existed, which is 100% chicken free!! He now empties his bowl and has not had itchy skin, watery eyes, and biting fits since I made the switch. I could not recommend this food enough. The food pieces are round and flat, which makes it super easy for him to chew. This will be on autoship!”
“I was looking for a brand that would suite both my English mastiff and my St. Bernard. My English mastiff had a big problem with not eating her kibbles unless you put something in it. She eats it every day and finishes it. I love this stuff. Both my dogs love it. It’s affordable and I did not want non grain.”
Read more reviews on Chewy.
Natural Balance Dog Food History
Actor Dick Van Patten founded Natural Balance in 1989. The idea for the company originated in 1982 during a lunch with the show band’s drummer, Joey Herrick, while Van Patten was a guest on The John Davidson Show.
Van Patten and Herrick envisioned a quality pet food without fillers or by-products. The brand began operations in Pacoima, California, with Van Patten becoming the face of the company and actively participating in advertising.
Over the years, Natural Balance has changed ownership several times, first becoming part of Del Monte Pet Products in 2014, then being acquired by J.M. Smucker in 2015, and finally being sold to Nexus Capital Management, a major shareholder in Canidae, in 2020.
Natural Balance Dog Food Recalls
To date, Natural Balance dog food has been subject to two official recalls.
On June 18, 2010, Natural Balance issued a voluntary recall of its Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with a “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, due to potential Salmonella contamination. No illnesses were reported.
On May 4, 2012, Natural Balance voluntarily recalled several dry food formulas produced by Diamond Pet Food in Gaston, South Carolina, due to potential Salmonella contamination. Again, no illnesses were reported.
FAQ
Where is Natural Balance’s headquarters located?
Natural Balance’s headquarters is located in Burbank, California, United States.
Is Natural Balance formulated to meet AAFCO standards?
Yes, all Natural Balance dog foods are considered “complete and balanced,” meeting the AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages or maintenance (adults).
How does Wag! determine paw ratings for dog food?
Our editorial team conducts independent research when choosing which foods to feature and how to rate them. Our paw ratings are largely based on the ingredients and nutritional content of each food. Here’s a quick guide to what our paw ratings mean:
- 1 paw: High filler content, meat not listed as first ingredient
- 2 paws: Meat meal, bone meal, or meat by-products listed as first ingredient
- 3 paws: Named meat listed as first ingredient (e.g., chicken)
- 4 paws: Same as 3 paws, but also made with whole, limited ingredients and minimal processing
- 5 paws: Same as 4 paws, but is also veterinarian or veterinary body approved and includes human-grade ingredients
- Half-paws may be awarded for extra benefits, like affordability, trustworthiness, etc.
