Nulo, established in 2009 in Austin, Texas by Michael Landa and Brett Montana, is a pet food company acquired by Apex Partners LLP in 2021. Nulo dog food is produced in US facilities located in Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota, seemingly by third-party manufacturers. The company claims to utilize a network of both domestic and international manufacturing partners to produce its diverse product lines.
Nulo provides a variety of pet food options, including dry, wet, and freeze-dried raw foods, alongside meal toppers, treats, and liquid hydration supplements.
In these Nulo dog food reviews, we will examine the quality and safety of the ingredients used in their products. This assessment is based on specific criteria.
Nulo Challenger Dry Food Review
Score: 5.4/10
Package Ingredient For Challenger High-Protein Kibble Northern Catch Haddock, Salmon & Redfish: Haddock, deboned salmon, salmon meal, turkey meal, chicken meal, organic oats, chickenfat (preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid), organic millet, organic barley, acadian redfish, ground miscanthus grass, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, salt, dried pumpkin, dried blueberries, dried spinach, dried chicory root, dl-methionine, choline chloride, taurine, potassium chloride, vitamin e supplement, zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin c), iron proteinate, niacin supplement, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, vitamin a supplement, manganese proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganous oxide, biotin, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, vitamin b12 supplement, vitamin d3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, rosemary extract
Based on our evaluation criteria, Nulo Challenger Dry Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here’s why:
Ingredient Quality
Several concerns arise regarding ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: This line contains a high average carbohydrate content of 27%. While dogs don’t require carbohydrates nutritionally, starch is necessary for the extrusion process in dry foods. Excessive carbohydrates often signal low-quality foods used to reduce costs. High starch levels can elevate insulin, leading to obesity and negatively affecting gut health.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: The line loses points for excessive added vitamins and minerals, typically indicating poor quality or over-processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Excess vitamin and mineral content, particularly vitamin D and copper, can result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Animal protein offers a more complete amino acid profile than plant protein and is generally more expensive. The addition of two or more amino acids often marks cheaper, lower-quality ingredients in foods with lower animal protein content.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients may be unsafe or grown with harmful chemicals. Concerns with the Nulo Challenger Dry Food line include:
Ultra-Processed: This line loses significant points for being ultra-processed. Dry dog food ingredients are heated repeatedly, potentially reducing enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also associated with higher mortality rates across species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods: These recipes contain ingredients known to carry high pesticide/herbicide residues. Unless organic, crops sprayed with Roundup leave more glyphosate/herbicide residue, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can harm beneficial gut bacteria and is linked to cancer and other diseases.
Natural Flavor: The recipes include natural flavor, added to enhance palatability. However, natural flavor is often MSG or animal digest, both low-quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Benefits
This line offers some noteworthy benefits:
Probiotics: The inclusion of probiotics in these dry foods is positive, as is the guarantee of colony-forming units (CFUs), which measures the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
Organic Produce: These recipes use organic produce and grains, indicating non-GMO and pesticide/herbicide-free crops.
No GMO Ingredients: The line is non-GMO verified, which is a positive attribute. Safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops are limited and suggest they lack nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops can also deplete soil nutrients, increase pesticide risk, and contribute to bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Freestyle Dry Food Review
Score: 4/10
Package Ingredients For Nulo Freestyle High-Protein Kibble Turkey And Sweet Potato Recipe: Deboned turkey, turkey meal, salmon meal, chickpeas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid), sweet potato, yellow peas, deboned trout, pea fiber, natural flavor, yeast culture, dried chicory root, dried tomatoes, dried carrots, dried blueberries, dried apples, salt, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, potassium chloride, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2- polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), iron proteinate, niacin, copper proteinate, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, pyridoxine hydrochloride source of vitamin B6), selenium yeast, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract.
According to our evaluation, Nulo Freestyle Dry Food presents a high risk for dogs. Here are the reasons for this assessment:
Ingredient Quality
Concerns regarding ingredient quality include:
High In Carbohydrates: The average carbohydrate content in this line is 32%, which is higher than preferred. While dogs don’t require carbohydrates nutritionally, starch is needed for extrusion in dry foods. Excessive carbohydrates indicate lower quality foods used to reduce costs. High starch levels can elevate insulin levels, contributing to obesity and negatively affecting gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses points for excessive added vitamins and minerals, which typically reflects poor quality or over-processed ingredients. Ideally, nutrients should originate from whole food sources. Excessive vitamin and mineral content, especially vitamin D and copper, can also arise from vitamin premixes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are potentially unsafe or grown using unsafe chemicals. The Nulo Freestyle Dry Food line raises concerns regarding:
Ultra Processed: This line loses significant points for being an ultra-processed dog food. The repeated heating of individual ingredients during processing can cause substantial losses of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: This recipe includes foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Natural Flavor: The recipes contain natural flavor, which is added to increase palatability. However, natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low-quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Benefits
This line offers the following noteworthy benefits:
Probiotics: It’s positive that these dry foods contain probiotics and guarantee the colony-forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is a positive aspect. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops, although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk, and may contribute to bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Frontrunner Dry Food Review
Score: 3.6/10
Package Ingredients For Nulo Frontrunner High-Protein Kibble Beef, Barley And Lamb Recipe: Deboned beef, chicken meal, oats, barley, brown rice, turkey meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid), ground flaxseed, deboned lamb, natural flavor, millet, ground miscanthus grass, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, dried egg product, dried blueberries, dried apples, dried chicory root, salt, DL-methionine, choline chloride, taurine, calcium carbonate, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, iron proteinate, niacin supplement, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, manganese proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganous oxide, biotin, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, rosemary extract
Based on our evaluation criteria, Nulo Frontrunner Dry Food is considered a high risk dog food. Here’s why:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 36% as calculated, which is higher than we’d like to see in a dry dog food. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrate are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. High carbohydrate diets often mean lower protein, which holds true here with 27% average protein.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids: Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive. Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Nulo Frontrunner Dry Food line:
Ultra-Processed: On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant points for being an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Rice: The use of rice in several recipes costs ingredient safety points because of potential arsenic contamination. Arsenic contamination is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Benefits
Here are some noteworthy benefits of this line:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that these dry foods contain probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Medal Series Dry Food Review
Score: 4.6/10
Package Ingredients For Nulo Medal Series High Protein Kibble Chicken and Peas Recipe: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole peas, sweet potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid), lentils, pea fiber, deboned turkey, natural chicken flavor, yeast culture, salmon oil (source of DHA), dried chicory root, potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried tomatoes, dried blueberries, dried apples, calcium carbonate, salt, sweet fennel, dandelion, chamomile, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), iron proteinate, niacin, copper proteinate, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), sodium selenite, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid, rosemary extract.
Using our evaluation criteria, Nulo Medal Series Dry Food is considered a high risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 32% as calculated, which is higher than we’d like to see in a dry dog food. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Nulo Medal Series Dry Food line:
Ultra-Processed: On the ingredient safety side, this line loses significant points for being an ultra-processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Benefits
Here are some noteworthy benefits of this line:
Probiotics: It’s good to see that these dry foods contain probiotics and that they guarantee the colony forming units (CFUs). This measure determines the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic.
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Challenger Canned Food Review
Score: 6.8/10
Package Ingredients For Nulo Challenger Harvest Turkey Stew Recipe: Turkey, turkey bone broth, turkey liver, carrots, green beans, pumpkin, organic oats, dried ground chickpeas, ground golden flaxseed, dicalcium phosphate, salmon oil, egg whites, inulin, salt, potassium chloride, dried kelp, dried thyme, turmeric, natural hickory smoke, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, dried parsley, manganese amino acid chelate, taurine, niacinamide, choline chloride, d-calcium pantothenate, copper amino acid chelate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, selenium yeast, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement.
Using our evaluation criteria, Nulo Challenger Wet Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average 20% as calculated on a dry matter basis, which is high for a wet dog food. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins: When vitamins come from whole food sources, they include the full spectrum of cofactors, which makes them safe and bioavailable. While a couple of added vitamins are acceptable, five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value.
Sugar: Sugar is often found in pet food to increase the palatability or as a preservative or humectant. Honey is an added sugar in this food. It is a low quality ingredient that can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Nulo Challenger Wet Food line:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods: These recipes contain ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Benefits
There’s one noteworthy benefit in this line:
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Freestyle Canned Food Review
Score: 6.6/10
Package Ingredients for Nulo Freestyle Beef, Peas and Carrot Recipe Canned Food: Beef, Turkey, Beef Broth, Beef Liver, Peas, Carrots, Ground Flaxseed, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Agar-Agar, Salt, Choline Chloride, Natural Flavor, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Sodium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Cobalt Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.
Using our evaluation criteria, Nulo Freestyle Canned Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
Moderately High In Carbohydrate: The average carbohydrates in this line are 11% as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is acceptable for a wet food.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Nulo Freestyle Canned Food line:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Natural Flavor: Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Benefits
There’s one noteworthy benefit in this line:
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Nulo Medal Series Canned Food Review
Score: 6.7/10
Package Ingredients For Nulo Medal Series Lamb & Lentils Recipe: Lamb, turkey, turkey liver, lamb broth, turkey broth, lentils, carrots, salmon,ground flaxseed, guar gum, salt, agar-agar, potassium chloride, natural flavor, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, sodium carbonate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, cobalt proteinate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.
Using our evaluation criteria, Nulo Medal Series Wet Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates in this line average or 12% as calculated on a dry matter basis which is acceptable for a wet dog food.
Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals: This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Sugar: Sugar is often found in pet food to increase the palatability or as a preservative or humectant. Honey is an added sugar in this food. It is a low quality ingredient that can cause unwanted gut changes, obesity and insulin spikes.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Nulo Medal Series Canned:
Highly Processed: Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients: These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Unless organic, when crops are spray-dried with Roundup, it leaves them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Benefits
There’s one noteworthy benefit in this line:
No GMO Ingredients: This is a non-GMO verified line, which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Is Nulo A Good Dog Food?
Based on our criteria, Nulo’s dry dog foods range from moderate to high risk, while its wet foods are generally considered moderate risk.
A key concern across many recipes is the high carbohydrate content. This is notable because Nulo was founded with the intention of reducing the high carbohydrate fillers found in other major pet food brands, which contribute to obesity and diabetes in pets. Nulo dry dog foods average 27% to 36% carbohydrates. The wet foods average 11% to 19% on a dry matter basis, which is still high for canned dog food compared to some other brands. Furthermore, three of its dry food lines—Freestyle, Frontrunner, and Medal Series—have a higher average carbohydrate content than protein.
The company states that it avoids potato, rice, and tapioca; however, brown rice is present in the Frontrunner Dry line. Nulo emphasizes the use of low-glycemic carbs like oats, barley, sweet potato, chickpeas, and lentils, but these remain starchy carbohydrates. High starch intake can increase insulin levels, potentially leading to obesity and negatively impacting gut balance.
Like all kibbles, Nulo’s dry dog foods are ultra-processed, leading to nutrient loss during the heating process. Canned foods also undergo heating before and during canning. This processing necessitates the addition of supplemental vitamins and minerals to both dry and canned recipes to meet AAFCO standards.
All recipes include ingredients known to have higher pesticide or herbicide residues, with many of these ingredients listed in the top five. However, the company appears to avoid GMO ingredients, which is a positive aspect.
Many of Nulo’s primary ingredients are “meals”—dehydrated versions of meat, poultry, and fish with fat and moisture removed. Nulo claims to have industry-leading high levels of animal-based proteins, yet other brands have been reviewed with higher levels.
In its dry foods, Nulo incorporates a natural probiotic with a protective spore casing, promoting viability throughout the digestive tract. Nulo guarantees the levels of added probiotics, which is an added benefit.
Other Concerns
Some additional points don’t directly affect Nulo’s score but are worth mentioning:
Glam Ingredients: Some Nulo recipes contain “glam” ingredients like blueberries, kale, or apples. These ingredients are often added to appeal to consumers, but because they are listed near the end of the ingredient list (below the salt), they are present in tiny amounts that likely contribute little or no nutritional value.
Coconut Oil: The use of coconut oil doesn’t reduce the score but is concerning as research suggests it can cause undesirable changes in the gut lining.
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: Nulo doesn’t specify the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is common, it’s concerning because AAFCO allows an inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets high in omega-6 fats can contribute to chronic inflammation and disease.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish: These foods do not specify whether the fish is farmed or wild-caught. Farmed fish is typically less nutritious and doesn’t have the same healthy fatty acid balance as wild-caught fish.
Nulo Dog Food Recalls
To date, Nulo dog foods have not been subject to any recalls.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two primary criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
We look for these common low-quality ingredients or markers:
- Excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances.
- Unnamed proteins, which are of low quality.
- Cellulose (wood pulp) as a fiber source instead of real food.
- Excessive vitamins and minerals added to replace real food nutrition.
- Excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of meat protein.
- Inflammatory processed seed oils.
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy or inflammatory sources and are full of pesticides. We look for:
- The level of processing involved in making the food.
- The presence of known genetically modified foods.
- Ingredients known to be high in pesticides.
- Natural flavors, which are often MSG or animal digest.
- Rice, which can be high in arsenic.
Each food is assessed based on these criteria, and a score is assigned based on the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list, and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to ensure dog owners have objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
